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Instrument Checkride


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Got a little less than month to go. Feel my ground is really solid, which is the biggest hurdle for all checkrides.

 

Can anyone tell me something that caught them really off guard during the oral? Regs are pretty straight forward, and not that many honestly.

 

The AIM has been my best friend for getting all the nuances down for ground.

 

Can anyone tell me something unexpected that came up? XC IFR flight planning weird stuff, inoperative instrument funkiness?

 

Thanks.

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PinS approaches caught me a bit off guard, and make sure you don't overlook the little words "Visibility reduction for helicopters NA" on the approach plate. LOL

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Thanks rotornut. I actually just finished that section in the AIM. I'm making CFII lesson plans. That's the best way for me to learn something. If I can learn it well enough to teach it, then I should be good on the ground. Plus I get a jump on CFII too. Appreciate the info.

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You got that right Eagle, if it was a simple answer, he wouldn't even bother to ask! The ones they ask you about always have some little weird thing connected to them.

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Where to start...

 

Flight Planning, If you have an MEA that is really high, don't just use your regular cruise speed, (duh) remember to calculate performance, don't just plan 90kts at 11,000'.

 

Bring current, hard copy of everything.

 

Be prepared to use your knowledge of wx and equipment (waas or c-129 gps) minimums in a hypothetical situation and interpret to make a go/no go for destination and alternates.

 

Be prepared for a lost comms or equipment failure scenario on the oral, and when to begin approaches/leave holds.

 

Copy clearances verbatem and ask again if you didn't catch it all.

 

Be prepared to look at all NOTAM's and interpret them. The FDC's in particular.

 

When going missed, don't un-suspend the GPS until you have reached the safe altitude to begin your turn.

 

After going missed, make sure you have a plan for your next approach to give yourself adequate time to get set up.

 

Have a very succinct explanation of either control/performance or primary/supporting methods.

 

Make liberal use of the autopilot feature, i.e. have the examiner fly a heading and altitude as much as possible, just monitor guages frequently in case he puts you in an unusual attitude!

 

If an approach only requires tuning the ILS, make sure the missed doesn't include a VOR. If it does, make sure you tune and ID in case he makes you go missed and fails your GPS!

 

I'm sure others will chime in, but those are all instances I can remember that have caused students I know to fail. (I know a lot of guys who failed ha) Best of luck!

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I keep thinking of more...

 

TPP's are full of goodies that cause you to say dumb stuff. Know it well and you will conquer.

 

What is Baro-aided nav? DME-DME .3 RNP N/A?

 

Minimums for Lighting inop?

 

Calculating climb rates based on airspeed?

 

ODP's?

 

If you have a glass cockpit, know the system better than you think you ever should have to...

 

Same for the GPS. WAAS? LPV, LNAV?VNAV, LNAV+V, LP differences and sensitivities.

 

So much info, I'll stop now. But it is fun isn't it?

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Wow Spirit, thanks for all the good info! I appreciate the time. You've given me plenty to think about.

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One that seems to get alot of guys is the planning an IFR part. Ceiling and visibility. They say it, quote it, then fail it when a DPE opens up a plate they have never seen before. Like Salmon Idaho....

 

1000 feet above airport or 400' above approach minimums. Pay attention...sometimes 1000' isnt going to cut it.

 

Why do some victor airways suddenly make an odd horseshoe bend around a Nav Aid, then keep on going?

 

They will always time a question in flight then layer that question to get your mind distracted or your eyes diverted when its time to intercept a radial, arc, or localizer...haha

 

Dont mention your favorite instrument...it will suddenly go inop.

 

In regards to R-44's when flying 90KIAS, use your criuse power setting as a guide. To climb add three inches MAP, you will climb at 500 FPM and stay level attitude, the air speed will stay 90KIAS. Then to decend at 500 FPM, drop three inches of MAP and stay level attitude. Makes climbs, decends, and approaches very smooth.

 

Second baro aided plates, when local wx is not reporting.

 

Sometimes you can take off from class G airports IFR, but not land right back if something goes wrong, like loss comms. Wx minimums under IFR is what they will get you on there, as we tend to fall back on VFR and thats not part of the question.

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Well I am a bit long in the tooth when it comes to the Instrument Helicopter ride, I took mine in 1983! In the oral, if your mind goes blank on something, tell the examiner that I know were to find the answer to that question, and were to find things on the charts! And for godsakes have a current sectional chart for your area with you too! That one bit me once a long time ago on an instrument airplane phase check, it was a very hazy day and the check airman got me lost disorentated 4 miles from the airport- the lesson he passed on to me was have a sectional with you in the aircraft! They want to see you think, not just repeat the party line if you will! Above all its really going to be a learning lesson for you, treat it as such!

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Thanks guys for the new responses! Great tip about a sectional BH206L3. It's easy to get caught only thinking about having an ELA with you for instruments. Wolftalon, I'm going to look into that question about the horseshoe bend. Not sure if I have ever seen it. Thanks for giving me some homework!

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When you're briefing the approach, ask the IP to announce when you're 500 feet above DH, 400 feet above DH, 300 feet above DH, 200 feet above DH, 100 feet above DH and DH. That will help you avoid flying through the DH and should keep him honest if he pretends not to see the runway and wants you to do a missed approach.

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apacheguy, that's not bad. Part of my process is to call out altitudes myself, but I think your idea might work too. IT also might keep him busy and forget to fail something on me at that time! Wishful thinking on that last part?

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When you're briefing the approach, ask the IP to announce when you're 500 feet above DH, 400 feet above DH, 300 feet above DH, 200 feet above DH, 100 feet above DH and DH. That will help you avoid flying through the DH and should keep him honest if he pretends not to see the runway and wants you to do a missed approach.

I tried that on my airplane instrument ride and the examiner said "you are solo."

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Nice example. All I had seen before you put that up was the same kind of bend, but it was always around an intersection. From what I have found out, no matter whether it bends the airway around an intersection or a navaid, the reason is because the thing that it bends around is not part of the route that the victor airway represents. It looks like there is another airway, sometimes even a high altitude airway that overlaps the area you are looking at, and the thing that is being bent around is part of that other route.

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apacheguy, that's not bad. Part of my process is to call out altitudes myself, but I think your idea might work too. IT also might keep him busy and forget to fail something on me at that time! Wishful thinking on that last part?

 

I learned that after I busted my inst checkride in flight school by not immediately starting the missed approach procedure when we got to the DH coming back into Cairns. I was so used to the IP taking the controls and flying us back into parking that I expected the checkride IP to do the same. Negative habit transfer I suppose, but I learned a lesson I'll never forget. The worst part was that I did everything else well and then he busted me at the very end.

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