29
votes
Accepted
Can a 16 year old student pilot "pre-take" the checkride?
14 CFR Part 61.39 (a)(5) states that you can not take a checkride in the US until you are of age to hold the desired certificate.
(5) Meet the prescribed age requirement of this part for the issuance ...
- 16.5k
25
votes
Accepted
How do I plan for my PPL checkride which will involve a diversion?
This thread should be a great source of tips and tricks :)
The way to think about this is to think about the purpose of being asked to divert during your checkride.
What the examiner will be looking ...
- 31.2k
14
votes
Accepted
Are Designated Pilot Examiners (DPE)s incentivized to fail people on checkrides so they can collect extra money on re-tests?
I think you are getting worked up about something that isn't a problem. DPEs are incentivized to develop a professional reputation that upholds appropriate standards, while passing those who meet the ...
- 24.9k
11
votes
Is it necessary to have my full name (including middle name) on my student pilot license?
Alright so here is the outcome:
I called FSDO, spoke with a real nice guy who told me to give him a call if I couldn't handle this online.
Called a zillion bureaucracies, all telling me to call ...
- 2,170
8
votes
Can a private pilot obtain a recreational pilot certificate?
Not technically.
You could opt to surrender your private pilot certificate to the FAA thus making you not a pilot, and then you could take a checkride for recreational.
Of course, there is no reason ...
- 8,761
8
votes
Can I do an IFR checkride in an airplane that isn't certified for IMC?
Legally, you can take your instrument rating checkride (not "IFR checkride") in an airplane that is not equipped for flight under instrument flight rules. That is because you will fly your check ride ...
- 81
7
votes
Accepted
Can I do an instrument rating checkride in an experimental aircraft?
Yes, but only if the examiner agrees. 61.45 says:
(a) General. Except as provided in paragraph (a)(2) of this section or
when permitted to accomplish the entire flight increment of the
...
- 71.6k
7
votes
Accepted
Can I get my IFR practical and oral examinations directly through the FAA if I can't find designated examiner?
In theory it's possible to contact the local FSDO and ask for a checkride with an FAA inspector, and it's free (see here, here, here). But personally I've never heard of anyone doing it and I can't ...
- 71.6k
7
votes
Accepted
Is the steep spiral maneuver criteria in the FAA Commercial ACS Flawed?
Your assumption that the steep spiral manoeuvre has to be flown at best glide speed is wrong.
Chapter 10 of the Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C) (pdf, ~6,7 MB) says on page 10-3:
The ...
- 2,026
6
votes
Accepted
Tips for the private pilot check ride
Do NOT worry about getting an unsatisfactory result!! It just does not matter. There will be no record of it anywhere but in your memory. It's not noted on your certificate and, really, nobody will ...
- 6,018
5
votes
Does counter-rotating propellers on multi engine airplanes have critical engine?
The term "critical engine" can actually refer to two very different factors:
P Factor
Engine driven accessories, depending on the airplane and how it's configured.
A twin with counter-rotating ...
- 126k
5
votes
Accepted
Where can I find detailed steps on how to perform all ACS maneuvers?
Interesting question. In the past, the preamble to the PTS showed reference material that can be used to throughout the PTS.
With the new Airman Certification Standard (ACS), those references are ...
- 12.2k
5
votes
Checkride and Basicmed
Unfortunately if you have never held a valid medical certificate since July 14, 2006, the answer is no. One of the eligibility requirements for BasicMed is that you must have held a medical ...
- 72.9k
5
votes
Is a checkride signoff still good after a year?
This is for the FAA...
The endorsement in your log book reads:
I certify that [First name, MI, Last name] has received and logged training time within 2 calendar-months preceding the month of ...
- 36k
4
votes
Can I do an IFR checkride in an airplane that isn't certified for IMC?
There are lots of reasons that an IFR certified aircraft may not be legal to fly in IMC. An airplane must have had an altimeter and pitot/static check within the last 24 months. If using VORs for ...
- 7,371
4
votes
What is the FAA's definition of "for hire"?
Without combing through the regulations, and the vast collection of LOI on the subject, I will give a general answer.
For hire for the purposes of 91.409 applies to the carriage of persons. So the ...
- 17.7k
4
votes
Can an instructor sign off for my check ride if I didn't fly with him since a year?
Any instructor can sign you off as ready, with a couple of caveats.
First, the instructor is certifying that you're ready for the test. The only way to know that for sure is to fly with you until he'...
- 71.6k
4
votes
Can an instructor sign off for my check ride if I didn't fly with him since a year?
No. Instructor A needs to provide at least three hours of training in preparation of the practical test within two calendar months of the checkride.
§61.39 Prerequisites for practical tests.
...
- 12.2k
4
votes
What weight and balance form should I use for my checkride?
Use the same form you use every other time you go fly with your instructor.
If you're at the point of preparing for a check-ride and you have never had a weight and balance form before, you may want ...
- 8,761
4
votes
How do I plan for my PPL checkride which will involve a diversion?
The answer is: you can't plan this.
This is done to see how you react while in flight to a non-planned diversion, and can happen anytime in real life.
It's used also to evaluate how you manage ...
- 705
3
votes
Is a class B endorsement required for a Private checkride?
You do not need a Class B endorsement for your PPL Check ride.
By the time you get to you check ride you should have the first 8 endorsements from this list, provided by the FAA.
I will add one ...
- 100k
3
votes
Is a 100 hour inspection required for an aircraft to be used in a checkride?
Abelenky's answer is right, but the relevant regulation is FAR 91.409(b):
(b) Except as provided in paragraph (c) of this section, no person may operate an aircraft carrying any person (other than ...
- 36k
3
votes
Accepted
Is an FAA Part 121/135 checkride conducted under Part 91 or Part 121/135?
Any flights operated by a certificate holder must be operated in accordance with the authorization of their certificate. Authorization will vary.
An Air Carrier may conduct training1 flights under §...
- 16.5k
3
votes
I don't have a student pilot certificate number yet, can I still take the checkride?
According to MY DPE, the answer is to enter “PENDING" for my pilot certificate number in the IACRA application.
- 121
2
votes
What weight and balance form should I use for my checkride?
As Pondlife mentions in the comments there is no officially accepted form per say but you must insure that the values you use to calculate WB are out of the POH for THE SPECIFIC aircraft you are ...
- 100k
2
votes
Is a 100 hour inspection required for an aircraft to be used in a checkride?
The rule is that the pilot may not be "for hire".
He is for hire, but as a DFE, not the PIC (the one flying the plane), so he is not breaking the rule.
You are the one flying the plane (the PIC), ...
- 30.4k
2
votes
Accepted
If a pilot takes a MEL checkride and later a SES checkride, is the pilot now also qualified for MES/SEL?
No. You must take the training and pass the practical test for each add-on rating. See 14 CFR 61.63(c).
- 12.6k
2
votes
Accepted
Do check rides completed by part 141 schools with self-examining authority count like normal check rides for CFI renewal and gold seal?
It depends on which FSDO you ask.
I know that the Will Rogers FSDO in Oklahoma City says they do not, but the FSDO in Wichita, Kansas says they do and will take actions on applications accordingly.
- 8,761
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