Instrument Checkride Aug 2015

Oral

– Starts out with standard paperwork review – and he will review every single thing required! Written signoff, written test report, instructor signoff of wrong answer review, practical signoff, DL, PPL, IACRA, etc, etc. He’ll also check your ARROW docs and your IFR required docs including pitot statics and VOR checks.

– All his questions come directly out of ASA’s Instrument Pilot Oral Exam Guide by Michael Hayes. He’ll literally sit right in front of you and flip through the book and cherry pic questions to ask you so I recommend you read this book several times over! He picks 10-15 questions from each of the 5 major sections. He asked about when an instrument rating is required, recency of experience, grace periods and IPCs, safety pilots, logging time, fuel req.s, ARROW, GPS database updates, EFBs, how to file and pick up IFR in the air, alternate req.s, diff types of NOTAMS, best way to get a briefing (FSS), various questions about the pitot static system instruments and errors, most important speed (groundspeed), power source for attitude and DG (vacuum). He keeps the questions specific to the airplane instruments that you are going to use (ie did not ask me a single question about EFIDs since I was flying steam gauges). He asked about 3 types of ice and how to avoid icing conditions (FL forecasts, winds aloft, PIREPs), diff types of fog, he’ll tell you it is Monday and you are planning to fly on Friday how do you start your weather planning and how does it change throughout the week as you get closer to departure time, also diff types of sigmets and airmets and what each one reports.

– For departures he’ll give you a TPP and ask you to look up a specific SID and explain it to him in detail including takeoff mins (even though part 91 has none but also ask what is prudent and what your personal mins are?), also asks how to calculate min climb or look up in table, and VOR checks.

– For en route he’ll ask you to take out the en route low altitude chart and show him the preplanned route that he gave you to plan and fly (KFDK D EMI V268 KHGR V501 KMRB D KFDK), then he’ll start pointing at various symbols and numbers on the map and ask what each one means (including TK routes for helos), and the definitions for each of the altitudes (MEA, MOCA, etc), also asks about reports to ATC, VFR on top, and lost comms (don’t forget to check the squelch!), oxygen req.s, and six skills of SRM (CARATS), rec procedures for TS penetration, he’ll also give you a blank piece of paper and ask you to draw out how VORs work, radials, TO, FR, etc., he’ll also ask about flying through P and T areas since the course he gave you would take you through P-40.

– For the arrival section he’ll ask to see approach plates at each destination and ask you to brief them in detail including where the highest obstruction is, the importance of info in the pilot briefing box, diff between DA and MDA, LNAV, LNAV/VNAV, and LPV, what the minimums are and what AGL each gives you, which runways have which lighting systems.

Practical

– you’ll be responsible for all actual comms with ground, tower, etc except he’ll be acting as clearance delivery and ARTCC. You’ll start off as planned flying direct to EMI, foggles go on at 500 AGL and will stay on for the remainder of the 1.6-2.2 hobbs time. Prior to reaching EMI he’ll give you vectors and then tell you to intercept and track V268 outbound from EMI. After a few minutes along V268 and prior to violating P-40 he’ll give you some more vectors and then clear you direct KMRB and ask intentions. You’ll get weather and then he’ll have you ask them for a practice ILS26 which you’ll fly to mins then go missed. You’ll do 1 complete course in the missed hold then give you direct KFDK. Enroute to KFDK he’ll take the controls and you’ll do some unusual attitude recoveries then he’ll tell you to resume own navigation (you’re probably going the wrong way initially after being upside downJ…JK), while direct KFDK again he’ll ask intentions where you’ll get weather and then request practice RNAV Y 23, he’ll give you vectors to eventually put you on to one of the IAFs, you’ll fly this down to mins again and go missed again. This time prior to reaching the missed you’ll break off with vectors and ask you to set up for the VOR-A at which time you’ll find yourself on partial panel. You’ll fly this approach outbound through the published procedure turn and then back inbound and down to mins all on partial panel and then to a full stop. Use the GPS here to help identify NIORT INT if you plan to use it otherwise the cross radial off EMI is probably blocked by surrounding terrain. If you fly with iPAD, ForeFlight, and Stratus you are allowed to use them for situational awareness intermittently.

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1 Comment to Instrument Checkride Aug 2015

  1. by hkraemer

    On October 18, 2015 at 12:14 pm

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