Adam Berg (Van Nuys.California) [PVT]

[giladal]

I had my checkride last month with him.
He Asked me not too many oral questions.
In the practical he had me take off and fly my flight plan to my first checkpoint.
He usually asks for a x/c to porterville.
After the first checkpoint he had me divert to Agua Dulce and then when I was on the right heading he told me to put on the hood. We did climbs and descends, then during the landing phase on downwind he cut the engine.
He help me by telling me where to turn.
After that we took off "short field" and then did turns arround the point.
Then poweroff stalls
Then Slow flight.
Then he made me return to Van Nuys and take off soft field and land short field.
That was it.
He is realy nice, and it felt more like a lesson.

[Mavmb]

A lot of people fail on the private checkride because of forward slips, slow flight, and short field landings (being afraid of controlling the airplane at slow airspeeds).

Also, a lot of students seem to think that high density altitude is good! It's just the opposite. High density altitude is very bad! Also, know that the engine will continue to run even if the battery dies during flight! That was a problem that plagued my private checkride! Boyd from the U of I in Illinois got me with that last question, but I still consider him a fair examiner if anyone wants to do a checkride with him. In fact, he actually turned out to be one of the nicest and most fair examiners I have encountered yet.

[flyitup]

Mav,
He "pinked" you for that question?

[dakovich]

engine driven magnetos

[reaperman]

I wonder if most CFIs are aware of the pitfalls of the English language in teaching students new and non-intuitive material. High is an adjective that could apply either to the word Density (good) or to the word Altitude (bad). Of course we know it applies to the altitude part, but a student might easily be confused if it is not explained that Density Altitude is a single term.

[mrivc211]

Mav- Thats pretty harsh if he did pink you for that question. Most starting Privates don't know squat about anything. They just kind of "wing it". OMHO it's not until the commercial that you begin to really understand rules, systems, and regulations. Although that question was asked on my checkride too. I know he wouldn't have failed me on it. I know when my checkride is over and I've passed when my DE that I usually do my rides on starts asking questions that my CFI can't answer. Then it becomes a learning lesson.
For example, last month on my commerical ride he asked me to draw the landing gear system for the 172 RG and told me that there was a leak in the line at some point. Well he said what would I do? ANd I said use the emergency hand pump and he goes, whats that going to do? I said lower the gear............no............I said yes.............no..........well eventually he told me that theres no fluid in the system thus preventing the pump from pumping fluid to drop the gear. Even though we spent 45 minutes on that question and I failed miserably he passed me. It wasn't something a pilot was expected to know, he was also an A&P so his knowledge is very expensive in that area. After knowing that, I love flying my Seminole becuase the hydraulic fluid actually works to keep the gear up and when the fluid is leaked out the gear naturally drops down letting gravity do its work. Phewwwwwwww!

[Buzo]

I don't send students on checkrides until they can draw out the electrical and vacuum systems. If it is a checkride in a complex airplane, they better be able to draw the gear and prop governor system too. The flap system is another one that is often over looked.