Flight Training - April 2015 - 50

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ACCIDENT ANALYSIS

Enjoy the ride
Perfect flying is not required
» By David Jack Kenny

THE SUGGESTION THAT a checkride is
an experience to be enjoyed rather than
endured might inspire some skepticism,
especially among those who haven't done
it all that often. What's so great about
hours of stress-induced partial amnesia
triggered by the constant fear of doing
something-anything-wrong?
Viewed from that perspective, it might
not look like much fun. But a different
viewpoint is more appropriate. Unless
your instructor has made a serious
mistake, you're ready: You know what
you need to know and you've proven you
can fly the maneuvers. And since a CFI's
career prospects hinge in part on not
being wrong too often, plenty of margin
for error was factored into that verdict.
You're not just capable of flying within
the practical test standards on your best
day-you've been doing it routinely.
So while you can't take success for
granted, it's far and away the most likely
outcome. (According to the FAA, 80
percent of all candidates pass on the
first try.) Knowing this should help
you relax. Don't worry about making a
mistake during the oral portion of the
test, because somewhere along the way

you will-probably more than one. It's
part of the process. The designated pilot
examiner expects it and your instructor
anticipated it. In fact, the better you do,
the harder the DPE will have to push
you, because finding the actual limits of
your knowledge is one of the examiner's
responsibilities.
As for the flight portion, count on flying
worse than you have in weeks. Unless
the examiner has to intervene to save the
aircraft or you permit flirtation with the
required tolerances to progress to clear
violation without correcting, you'll still
fly well enough. And that's what makes
it fun. Once your nerves steady, you can
enjoy showing off the fact that you can
now meet the standard even on your off
days. That's a long way from where you
started, and an accomplishment in itself.
Some 14 AOPA staffers passed checkrides in 2014, some more than one. Four
became new private pilots, while eight
more added seaplane ratings and two
fixed-wing types earned helicopter privileges. We also gained a CFII and a couple
of ATPs. Would any of them say they'd
enjoyed their rides? How about-all?
David Jack Kenny describes his own checkride history as "not bad for a middle-aged
statistician."

PLUS Can you pass this Air Safety Institute checkride quiz?

50 /

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Flight Training - April 2015

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