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What do you wish you had done/prepped for before taking the Commercial?


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So, the start of August is the date for my test. Surprizingly I'm not anywhere near as nervous for this one as I was for my private. I'm feeling pretty solid on the ground, and the flying has been coming along nicely. My question is, aside from any tips, what do you wish you had a better understanding of or manuvers that posed a challenge during your exam? Or to put it another way, what would you have done different? I'm stoked that I'll be going with the same DPE so I'll have a chance to show improvement on the oral side (I kinda choked on a few questions the first time around). Thanks in advance for the help.

Edited by Fizt4hire
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eek, that was unecissarily negative....

 

All i wish i would have done was study everything more in depth and had more confidence. I didnt learn to have any confidence until my CFI ride so if you feel confident on your base of knowledge right now, work on saying it with confidence and dont dig yourself into any holes. As for the flight, acknowledge when your off of an altitude or airspeed and verbalize your corrective action. an examiner will appreciate the fact you are paying close attention and making timely corrections to get back onto your planned Alt & A/S.

 

Most of all relax and just have fun, Good luck!!

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When I took my commercial, I finally felt somewhat comfortable in the aircraft. I told my examiner what I was going to do before I did it, I verbalized all my checks, etc. It helped that the week before my checkride I took a 12 hour cross-country in that exact aircraft.

 

Go out, do a few flights before your checkride and cover the basics, as well as any weak areas. Make sure your oral is good, and you'll probably be good to go.

 

One trick I learned is freak out for about a week before your ride. That way, you won't have the mental energy to freak out during the exam. :P

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The one thing I wish I could've worked on more was training in high wind conditions. The morning of my commercial ride it was gusting 20 kts. Then by the time we made it through the ground portion it was gusting 35 kts. Not alot to the 1,000 + hour guys but to a student it was a little hair raising, especially on a checkride! I had to hover down wind about 50 feet to get to the area where we do our slope landings. Even though it was 30 degrees outside I still managed to make myself sweat. So...if you already have a good amount of training in windy conditions then dont worry about it. But if not, your might want to grab the next day that comes along with high winds and put yourelf through it! Not only will you be prepared for worse conditions but it does make you a better pilot in those not so windy days. GOOD LUCK on you checkride!!

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Honestly, the only thing I wish I would have done differently for my commercial checkride is relax... a lot more. The examiner isn't looking for absolute perfection, just a knowledgeable, smooth, confident pilot. Go into the checkride with the assumption that you are already a commercial pilot and show the examiner your professional skills. Good luck!

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Go into the checkride with the assumption that you are already a commercial pilot and show the examiner your professional skills. Good luck!

Best advice so far.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Thanks for all the advice guys, less than a week to go so we'll see how it turns out...

 

 

OK buddy, your week is over !! Whats up ?

 

Goldy

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Well, I walked right in there and ACED it! CFI here I come!

 

Wow- Talk about suspense! You must have been so exhausted from the checkride that you forgot to post an update!

 

Congratulations!

 

Goldy

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  • 2 weeks later...

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