The check ride seems impossible
Posted by Temporary_Access2385@reddit | flying | View on Reddit | 76 comments
I’m a student pilot at about 55 hours. I’m prepping for the check ride and honestly… I don’t think I can pass. On the oral part I think I should be fine but it’s the maneuvers that I think are going to get me. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever had a day where all of my maneuvers I was able to keep within 100 feet. I’ll be close and some I will get but I’ll botch the very last steep turn and gain like 200 feet. My landings aren’t great either. Sometimes I’ll butter a landing but usually I don’t. I’m scared because my instructor is saying I’m 99% there I just need to clean everything up. I know this might seem like a can’t do attitude but I’m just being honest. I just can’t imagine myself having a flight with a guy I’ve never met and not making any mistakes. That seems actually impossible. Any advice?
PutOptions@reddit
In addition to what has been mentioned, your last training flight prior to your ride will likely go like shit. I cannot explain why, just don't freak out about it. It just seems to happen a lot.
3_14lottime@reddit
I know it's not a great determinate, but what's your instructors current pass rate? If it's pretty high and he says you are ready you should have a bit more confidence in him and yourself. If he's a bit lower don't assume he's wrong immediately but definitely get a 2nd opinion also get some practice with an instructor you are unfamiliar with. If you aren't confident in your ability try to address why. Just saying "I get 200ft off altitude in steep turns" doesn't answer the question. Are you not scanning your instruments enough? Do you not quite get the sight picture? Do you botch the entry and end up a bunch of altitude from the start? Do you not reduce power correctly on roll out? Understanding your own flaws is key to improving in a maneuver and if you understand your tendencies you can look out for them the next time you attempt the maneuver. Understanding the tendencies of your flying and your airplane are key to building confidence. Lastly mock checkride practice while in the airplane or home chair flying is important for building concentration for the big day. Good luck!
hefeibao@reddit
I think the average these days is 80 hours to PPL. Better to fly more and don't stress than test prematurely and bust a check ride.
NoDistribution9217@reddit
Besides, time is time! It doesn’t matter if you finish in 40 or 80, we all are going to need to time build anyways!
apoplectickitty@reddit
For most people the purpose of flying isn’t to “build time”. Quality > quantity.
MeasurementLive184@reddit
Jesus, he’s trying to encourage the poster and let them know that it doesn’t matter how long it takes to get the ticket.
eSUP80@reddit
That’s… not true. Building time is a huge part of becoming a career pilot. 250 for commercial means whether you pass PPL with 40 or 100 hours… you’ve got time to build either way
apoplectickitty@reddit
How about the thousands of people who fly for fun and have no intent to become a career pilot? Chasing the hours, and logging time just to fill logbook pages is a crappy way to look at flight training. Is more flying time probably going to help you become a better pilot? Sure. But the focus should be on the training…not the hours.
eSUP80@reddit
It’s the ONLY way to look at flight training if you want to pick up the ratings as quickly as possible. This shit is crazy expensive and just flying around for fun isn’t something I’m familiar with. I will defer to your judgement on the flying around for fun. Personally, I’m laser focused on the requirements for whatever my next rating is.
crewone@reddit
Yes it it crazy expesive. And yes, I also only fly for fun. In the contect of renting that plane, paying the landing fees and eurocontrol, the CFI fee is peanuts. So if I need to pay a CFI a bit longer to fly safe, so be it.
NoDistribution9217@reddit
Well first of all, you totally missed the point… don’t worry about the time during training, take as much as you need until you got it. On top of that, it’s a VERY safe bet that they (like most people) are wanting to fly as a career. So yes, more than half of the battle is time building…
hefeibao@reddit
Exactly. The only difference the cost of CFI.
NoDistribution9217@reddit
Yup! And even then sometimes it may not matter. I know the local part 141 school here never lets their students solo unless it’s required. So they pay for a CFI for almost every hour until they are finished! 😳
hefeibao@reddit
I did part 61 but it was similar with the school I was in. Three stage gates before you could take your check ride. On the plus, I'm sure their student pass rate is much higher than national average.
NoDistribution9217@reddit
I also did part 61, through 2 different schools. One was at a university. That school did the same exact thing. 3 stage checks before check ride. And I didn’t have a problem with that. But they also allowed us to solo anytime the CFI endorsed it. When they switched to 141 (after I graduated), it was absolutely not a minute more of solo time than necessary throughout the entire PPL-CFI. What?!
In my opinion, what kind of experience is the student/pilot gaining when they are NEVER allowed to be alone? That doesn’t produce quality pilots.
MistaProach@reddit
Step one, get out of your head. If you go in thinking you’re going to fail you will.
Step two, look outside. Cover up instruments if you have to, 9 times out of 10 if my students are inconsistent on steep turns they’re spending way too much time staring at the instruments.
Step three, do a mock checkride with an instructor you haven’t flown with. It will give you a good idea of how you’ll perform in the actual checkride as well as a second set of eyes on your maneuvers.
Step four, accept the fact that you will be nervous no matter how much you prepare and that you will screw something up. Even multi-thousand hour pilots make mistakes and exceed ACS standards, catch and correct your mistakes early and you’ll be fine. The goal is safety and demonstrating competence not perfection.
Finally, don’t go to checkride if you’re not confident in yourself. If you can honestly say you’re happy with your preparation and believe you can pass you’re good to go.
Infinite-Home-5734@reddit
I took 70 hours and now I’m an airline pilot. It’ll happen but sometimes it just takes a little longer. When your instructor says you’re ready, you’ll be ready. I saw this situation with probably half my students when I instructed. Plus you don’t need to be perfect on your checkride, just close enough and safe.
eSUP80@reddit
If you get out off altitude on steep turns- Call it out and fix it! “ correcting altitude”. Just remember DPEs are not out to fail you. And you don’t have to perform every maneuver perfectly. The ACS standard is to consistently demonstrate proficiency… not perfectly demonstrate it.
Don’t do anything anything unsafe, don’t violate airspace, and be super cognizant of your speeds on approach. That’s the key to the soft and short field landings.
Steel yourself buddy!!! You got this
Zacolian@reddit
That being said don’t ever say “I busted my altitude.” Say exactly as he says here, “correcting for altitude”. Let the examiner decide if you failed.
There is not a single checkride I have done where I have done everything exactly within the standard. And I have never failed a checkride either. The DPE is there to see that you are being safe, and understand how to fly the plane. But, you do want your maneuvers as close to the standard as you can get. If you strive for perfection you will achieve excellence.
PresentationJumpy101@reddit
Your instructor should be coaching you and correcting you to within checkride standards before endorsement; 75 percent of applicants pass their ride, so if your CFI is not fixing things with you or calling them out you should find a new CFI. Obviously landings are probably the hardest, same thing, remember they don’t have to be greasers just acceptable, which should be the instructors call. They don’t want an failed student in their record either.
ltcterry@reddit
Chair fly. Think through the setup you need for each maneuver. The DPE says “X.” You need to listen. Decide. Configure the airplane. Fly the maneuver.
Don’t just roll into it as the DPE finishing the instructions.
Practice solo and/or with another instructor. And be sure you’re totally good to go on the oral.
Aerodynamic_Soda_Can@reddit
Yeah, get your eyes outside. The maneuvers are significantly easier when you're looking outside 95% of the time. Basically just occasionally glance inside occasionally to make sure everything still looks good.
doggiebobo@reddit
Fly more, cross train with another instructor and keep an eye on trends and break them early. If your VSI is showing a climb or descent counteract it early before it goes too far
throaway263@reddit
What’s funny about this is I’m the exact opposite. I feel great about my maneuvers, but my oral scares the hell out of me
lnxguy@reddit
Get more hours and use them for plenty of practice.
habu-sr71@reddit
So many posts on this topic seem to at least hint that a lot of students have CFI's that might not be doing a great job at instilling confidence in their students. Probably an unpopular thought, but confident people always perform better than nervous and anxiety riddled people.
Yes, "some people may not be pilot material" and all that, but there's also plenty of stories here about students switching instructors and feeling believed in making a world of difference in their skills and motivations.
Some people need to hear more of the "good job!" even if they aren't perfect sometimes. I guess I was lucky to have a CFI that made me feel I was good at flying R-22s. Even my DPE set a tone that took away my nervousness with the check rides.
OP, no pilot nails everything, all the time. There is a spectrum leading to "the perfect" of any maneuver. No one nails it every single time. Even pilots with hours in the in 5 figures. Being less than perfect isn't "making mistakes". Be kind to yourself! And you are no doubt far better than you think you are. You can do this! Best wishes. 👍
vtjohnhurt@reddit
Accept the possibility of failing. Don't be afraid of that. It's not the end of the world. Your fear is reducing your chance of success.
InJailForCrimes@reddit
If you're not comfortable, fly some more. 55 hours is pretty low on the spectrum in terms of time to complete. Finishing at 65 or 70 hours is still below average.
perfect_fifths@reddit
What is the average needed to feel confident enough to pass a check ride? Just curious so I know for the future. My kid wants to have a ppl for now
Mobile_Passenger8082@reddit
65-85 hours is normal
perfect_fifths@reddit
Rip my wallet. A flying club nearby has a Cessna 172 to rent for 165/hr wet. Assuming 70 flight hours, that’s 11k
Thank goodness I’m going to have a good nest egg and about 25k to give it my kid should he still be interested in aviation in his teens. And there’s an aviation program for high schools so he can get the written test out of the way and ground school training free.
Mobile_Passenger8082@reddit
25k is plenty for private certificate. 165 wet is a really good rate. Keep in mind the instructor is gonna cost another 50-70 an hour on top of that. And the checkride is usually another 1000.
perfect_fifths@reddit
Yeah, this is why I’m going to save as much as I can. Just to cover extras etc. and put the extra towards the flying club so he can maintain the ppl
eSUP80@reddit
I don’t think there is an amount to feel confident for a PPL check lol. But flying 3-5 days a week is going to net faster progress than 2 days or less.
perfect_fifths@reddit
Yeah, that makes sense.
csquiddy@reddit
It’s normal to be nervous give the amount of blood, sweat, tears, time, and money you have metaphorically and quite literally poured into this. Think of it this way: Ground knowledge is the thing you have the most control over. Anything can really happen in the flight, and examiners know this. That being said, fly with another instructor. You’ll get different feedback, experience a different teaching style, and feel a different satisfaction after a lesson. Now, I don’t know your personal situation and your flying, but it’s easier to believe in yourself when multiple people can give you the same thumbs up. Be safe, be knowledgeable, be competent, and make good decisions.
crewone@reddit
Dude. 55 hours. That's nothing. Forget all the cowboys that boast about passinh at 41 hours. The statistical average is well above 55, so nothing to worry about.
GlugGlugFlugzeug@reddit
I'm 20 years in with about 85000 checkrides and I've so far gone into exactly one of them completely confident of a pass. That was the one I busted.
That said, if you're not hitting standards in your practice, don't go take a ride. Especially if you want to make a career out of this. Failures matter if you want to get hired later. So don't go take the test until you're ready. Your instructor will help with that. (And it never hurts to have another instructor give you a mock checkride before you go for real)
Same_Fix3208@reddit
What? 85000 checkrides?
GlugGlugFlugzeug@reddit
It certainly feels like that many.
Rexrollo150@reddit
Look outside on your maneuvers. Learn to use the horizon (the real one, not the artificial one) to maintain altitude. Then use the altimeter as a once in a while check.
HateJobLoveManU@reddit
Try making the standards tighter for yourself, like only allowing +/- 50'. In the steep turns you should have put a few rolls of trim in and 100-200 rpm power so that when you do your initial turn you aren't losing altitude, when you hit your original heading and go to do the other 360 you need to be pushing your nose down in the transition so that when you take the bank out to switch turning directions your nose doesn't fly up. If you're constantly gaining altitude in the turn, like steadily gaining, put some nose down trim in. All you're really watching in that maneuver is your bank angle, heading, and altitude. Keep your scan going and it'll be easy.
Yossarian147@reddit
Number one reason for altitude deviations on steep turns is using the instruments. If you pin a point in the glare shield or windscreen to the horizon it becomes way easier to recognize and correct small deviations.
FeedMeCrabs@reddit
30 hours in. I agree. I learned by using exterior indicators (mine is a rivet on the cowling) and I typically don’t have any issues holding altitude through the turn. Ballooning out of the turn on the other hand 😅
DandierThanYou@reddit
Examiners don’t stare at the altimeter and look at every tiny thing you do on a check ride… at least that’s how the vast majority are. What they’re looking for is that you are a safe, sensible, and knowledgeable pilot. Simply show the examiner your best small minor mistakes will be debriefed but you’re not gonna be failed over a slightly rough landing or the big, big crime of losing 200 feet on a steep turn. Hell I did on my checked and I passed it. If it’s a pattern that happens every time it might be an issue though.
Just tighten up the screws. There’s no rush to get a check ride passed. It’s not a big race you’re trying to win. Go for it when you’re ready and you’ll be absolutely fine!
Choconilla@reddit
Read the ACS including the appendices, there’s a lot of slack.
Also, buttering a landing isn’t an ACS requirement.
Every checkride is terrifying, but you just kind of do it. Every time I sort of resign and think “well, I’ll do my best and just see what happens”. You’ll be more locked in, they do their best to relax you. Just fly and be confident in yourself, you won’t get a sign off until you’re a pass.
bhalter80@reddit
Think about how far you've come getting to 55. Rather than thinking every hour could be your last realize that it's 250 min to commercial and a lot of that is learning energy management and getting awesome at exactly the skills you're struggling with. Don't rush, get proficient and when you're ready go take a checkride. That could be 75, that could be 85, that could be 105. If someone wants to get in a dick measuring contest over hours to PPL that's macho at least
172drivr@reddit
Fly more. Maybe fly with another instructor now and see if something "clicks" differently with a different style of instruction.
apoplectickitty@reddit
Absolutely fly with another CFI as a “mock check ride”.
IMainMeg@reddit
Yea, people tend to get comfortable flying with only one instructor. It’s important to do a mock checkride with another cfi to see how you perform under a little more stress.
apoplectickitty@reddit
For sure. Goes both ways too. CFIs can get complacent with the students also. I always have my students do a few hours with another instructor before things like first solo or check rides.
minfremi@reddit
Who cares about how many hours you have right now. Don’t take the checkride if you’re not ready. Practice. Practice. Oh did I forget to say practice flying the maneuvers? If you got better then you can book a DPE.
DinkleBottoms@reddit
I made a lot of mistakes on my PPL, I took the runway with the fuel selector in both, I got lost, and my soft field wasn’t really soft. PPL more than anything is proving to the examiner that you can be a safe pilot and they also understand that there’s going to be more nerves because it’s your first checkride.
Trust your CFI when they say you’re ready and put your best foot forward.
AIMIF@reddit
Did your instructor ever talk about the hazardous attitudes? Which one are you exhibiting?
Temporary_Access2385@reddit (OP)
Resignation 😔🤚🏼
AIMIF@reddit
I used to beat myself up too in training because I would be off on a maneuver, fumble a radio call, land worse than I liked etc. I’d really let it get to me too.
Instructor pulled me aside after a flight I didn’t do well on and said “AIMIF there’s no such thing as a perfect flight” We had a good discussion about my mind set, and it was really a turning point for me in establishing a PIC mentality. Things are going to go wrong, mistakes will happen inevitably.
As a pilot are you going to allow those mistakes to persist or are you going to recognize them and correct them asap? Are you going to let them derail you and ruin your whole mindset, or are you going to fix and keep moving forward?
JackRiley152@reddit
Hey dude, I felt the same way as you & I was actually prepared to fail that day. Confidence was zero after I got my ass drilled by my 80-something year old examiner during the oral, and I was more nervous than I have ever been for anything in my life.
I ended up passing and that was it. The whole ride was about 1.1 hours. It’s good that you’re worried, it shows that you actually care about this stuff. See if you can practice maneuvers a little bit more. I didn’t get to even practice ground reference maneuvers until the evening before my checkride. You got this!
Professional_Read413@reddit
When I was around 55 hours I was about like you. My CFI was telling me the same thing, but I really needed more time. Had I went to the ride at 55 or 60 I would have failed.
You need more time to get those maneuvers and landings dialed in.
saml01@reddit
Keep yourself to tighter standards. Then if you miss it won’t be by a lot.
gladiyus@reddit
It took me and my husband about 80+ hours until we had our check ride. A lot of things click in those later hours after more practices and possibly other types of instruction from other CFIs.
The fact that you recognize how your manuevers are relative to the ACS is great! Awareness is the first step to improvement.
As others have said, perfection is not required. Acknowledge your deviation from a standard and make action to correct.
You’ve got this pilot!!!
moxygenx@reddit
Keep flying, keep practicing, keep training. You are so close! And you’ll get there.
Not__Beaulo@reddit
Trim.
KrabbyPattyCereal@reddit
This is pretty normal for how many hours you have tbh. One thing that helped me a ton was being more precise with everything I’m doing. Gaining too much altitude on the steep turn? Have your CFI show you the exact pitch attitude required to maintain equilibrium and then check your sight picture. That way in the future, you just trim it to that attitude, watch outside, and occasionally make sure your trim is correct
iwinulose@reddit
Take comfort in the fact that there’s a hundred thousand pilots on this subreddit who all passed a check ride. By no means is it impossible.
Your DPE is first and foremost is there to make sure you, your passengers and the public are safe. Yes, there are standards, but the most important thing is demonstrating you’re a safe pilot. If you take that mindset it gets a lot easier.
broken_arrow_pro@reddit
The time I notice my flying improving is whenever I’m flying with a different CFI. I love my CFI and I trust him but whenever I need to fly with another instructor I always notice myself catching and fixing things sub consciously. If I were you I’d recommend doing a couple of flights with several other CFI and build up confidence.
DramaticCattleDog@reddit
I will share my PPL experience and maybe it will help how you feel.
I busted my first checkride because of a missed landmark during a simulated emergency. I felt like I was at rock bottom and would never be a pilot, especially messing up something so important. But I went out with my instructor and repeated scenario after scenario until I was confident and I passed it my second time around.
If, and that's the big word, IF, you fail, I promise you it will not be the end of the world. You will know exactly what to clean up for the next time around.
Checkrides are always stressful, but at the end of the day, just remember that the man or woman next to you is also a human who makes, and has made, many mistakes. They don't get into the position they are in by skirting by.
Good luck! You will earn your PPL and it will be one of the greatest days of your life. Just don't give up.
mctomtom@reddit
On steep turns, pin your pitch to 2.5 degrees above the horizon, but also keep looking outside.
Curious-Owl6098@reddit
Ppl here. For maneuvers like steep turns etc…. The acs says “consistently within” or “consistently exceed” standards. It doesn’t mean you’re perfect on everything. You won’t be anyways. I remember vividly on my steep turn Maneuver I told the dpe “correcting altitude” when I noticed I was getting a bit too close to that 100 foot mark. You’ll be ok. It’s really not as bad as you think. If you’re gaining altitude too fast on the steep turn then you’re probably increasing the back pressure too soon. For me to have smooth steep turns I usually start to apply the back pressure once I’ve rolled past 30 degrees of bank. You also can adjust the bank pitch and power continuously to keep it within standards.
FRICKENOSSOM@reddit
Regarding the deviations and such on maneuvers. If you recognize that you’re outside of the standard make sure you show an effort to get back inside the standard. You’d be surprised how many pilots will get high or off heading and just stay there like it’s the new datum. Make it obvious that you see it and are attempting to get back where you should be.
JustAnotherDude1990@reddit
For what it is worth, the only check ride I went into confidently...I busted. The rest of them felt like a dice roll and worked out.
Go fly with another instructor and get some tips. If you are gaining 200ft in a steep turn then you arent continuously correcting your pitch for altitude in the turn (too much) and are likely just holding it stationary once in the turn.
For landings, just imagine trying to keep the aircraft from landing as long as possible.
StarvingPilot9@reddit
There’s no rush. No one says you can’t wait till you feel 100% prepared (however you never really feel that way). I was 60something hours before checkride. Just keep going up and practicing with your CFI. Also try going up with a different CFI and see what they have to say. Different opinions are HUGELY important. Also try going up on various weather days. You don’t wanna fly strictly when it’s calm winds, then fail a checkride because it’s 12g23
elcid1s5@reddit
It might be worth it to get a second opinion from another instructor. They might have some helpful recommendations that will click with you better.
NoDistribution9217@reddit
First of all, your CFI won’t sign you off until they know you’re ready. So that alone should instill some confidence in yourself that someone more experienced thinks you are good to go.
Just keep working on the maneuvers and don’t think about the check ride. Practice them until you can repeat them within passing standards. It’ll come.
As far as being nervous of flying with someone new, just think of them as another friend, CFI, whatever you need to. It’s literally just another flight doing the same thing you’ve been doing this whole time. Don’t make it bigger than it really is.
Making a mistake isn’t always an instant bust. Just stay relaxed and have confidence in yourself. You’ve done it before, you can (and will!) do it again! Show the DPE that you DO know how to fly and that you ARE in control of that flight!
RyzOnReddit@reddit
DPEs get paid to be afraid you’re going to kill them.
Steep turns - trim! Figure out how many turns on the wheel and the plane will basically fly itself.
OneBetter6909@reddit
It’s not about perfection it’s about knowing how to execute maneuver safely and make decisions to correct a less than perfect maneuver. Also knowing what’s going on with the airplane while executing
rFlyingTower@reddit
This is a copy of the original post body for posterity:
I’m a student pilot at about 55 hours. I’m prepping for the check ride and honestly… I don’t think I can pass. On the oral part I think I should be fine but it’s the maneuvers that I think are going to get me. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever had a day where all of my maneuvers I was able to keep within 100 feet. I’ll be close and some I will get but I’ll botch the very last steep turn and gain like 200 feet. My landings aren’t great either. Sometimes I’ll butter a landing but usually I don’t. I’m scared because my instructor is saying I’m 99% there I just need to clean everything up. I know this might seem like a can’t do attitude but I’m just being honest. I just can’t imagine myself having a flight with a guy I’ve never met and not making any mistakes. That seems actually impossible. Any advice?
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