They're sometimes known by other names, such as a flight check, proficiency check (PC), biennial flight review (BFR), a rating ride, a 135 ride (so named because it verifies the pilot can perform to the standards set forth in Part 135 of the federal aviation regulations), or the plain old checkride. Whatever you call them, we're stuck with periodic evaluations of our flying until the day we hang up our wings.
Speaking of retirement, many of my older airline-pilot peers describe their remaining flying days in terms of how many more PCs they must endure before they fly their last commercial flight just before reaching age 60. Like most of the pilot community, we have no love for checkrides, and I always breathe easier when I successfully complete another one.
Proficiency checks are a fact of every pilot's life, whether you fly for fun or profit. If you've got a private pilot certificate you've had at least one checkride. Do you recall how you felt about your first one? Probably no different than the rest of us: somewhat scared of the unknown, hoping you had studied all the right stuff and could remember it when quizzed, maybe fearful that you hadn't practiced enough, and hoping that it would all be over soon.
The purpose of a PC is to give the designated examiner or check pilot a demonstration of your skills, to show him or her your ability to handle the airplane safely, with confidence and good judgment. He won't know your strengths, or weaknesses, unless you show him.
How can you take advantage of the situation and present your skills and knowledge in the best possible light? Preparation, practice, precision, and patience are my four weapons for passing with flying colors.
Prep school
Preparation starts with knowing what you'll be required to demonstrate, reading (and rereading) the material, and learning the parameters and "gouges"-most commonly made mistakes-if there are any. If you're seeking a pilot certificate or rating, the best place to start is the appropriate iteration of the FAA practical test standards. I'll start to study for my airline PC about a month in advance by taking sections of my flight manual with me to my hotel on layovers. I'll review the information and note any new or changed material. I'll drag out the flash cards I made so long ago and review them frequently until I can look at the title and recite the procedure.
Limitations are of particular importance to all pilots. Those numbers-listed in Section 2 of the pilot's operating handbook for most GA airplanes-are important to the safe operation of your aircraft, large or small. I have copied these numbers to another set of flash cards which I carry with me and review while commuting to work, or standing in line, or any time I'm just waiting around. Speeds, temperatures, fluid quantities, restrictions, altitudes-all that information we're supposed to know but quickly forget unless we review it often. By the way, if you do a lot of driving, you may want to record the limitations on a cassette, for easy en route study. Instead of just recording each item immediately followed by the correct response (e.g. "VFE-120 knots"), leave a blank spot on the tape after each one so you can fill in the answer during the pause. Then, record the proper response so you can also hear the correct answer. After some repetition, you'll find yourself "hearing" the correct answer in your head, and voila, you've learned it forever.
Another aspect of being prepared refers to adopting the "I can do it" mind set. I used to teach my students to consider the last few lessons before their checkrides as "mini" flight checks. I'd tell them what specific item I wanted them to demonstrate and then I'd sit back and wait, blank-faced and somewhat gruff-looking, perhaps akin to their image of the examiner they would soon encounter. My goal was to try to get them used to having no specific input or encouragement as they performed the maneuver so that they wouldn't be dependent on feedback to maintain their confidence level.
"Pretend I'm the examiner," I'd say, "and be sure you understand what you're asked to do. If you aren't sure what's requested, ask me to explain it further. If you do something wrong, tell me you don't like that one and you'd like to do it over again." This technique helped my students to ward off the nerves and jitters that come with any examination or test. Taking this concept even further, many instructors will send their students up for a stage check, evaluation flight, or practice checkride with a different, unfamiliar flight instructor-sometimes this is school policy-shortly before a checkride.
How do you get to Carnegie Hall?
Once you've done your home study, move on to our second P, practice. It's time to review the maneuvers that you'll need to demonstrate on your checkride. If you're able to do some actual in-flight work, so much the better. If not, some armchair practice will prove very helpful. Find a quiet time-I like to do it while I exercise-during which you can mentally review each maneuver, just as you'd be flying it in an actual airplane.
Describe each step of the maneuver, noting exactly the items to remember and the limitations of each one. Remind yourself of the things to avoid and problems you may have had in the past, and verbalize each action, imagining the control pressures you'd exert for each one.
Take, for example, the steep turn. It's required on almost every kind of PC I've ever taken. As you mentally fly the turn from your armchair, imagine getting set up for the maneuver. Go through the preliminary checklist (seatbelts, fuel pump, mixture, etc.), choose a heading, and clear the area. Begin with the proper power setting and wait until you're ready-don't start any maneuver unless your heading and altitude are right on the money. No use compounding your own errors, and believe me, you're bound to make a few. But errors can be good, as long as you catch them and correct them. After all, what is flying other than a series of constant small corrections? This is how you'll achieve the third P, precision.
Don't rush; take your time. Visualize that you're slowly rolling into the turn, using the necessary back pressure to maintain level flight, adding power if necessary for your particular aircraft, increasing the back pressure as you bank past 30 degrees. Think about the panel scan you'll be using, moving your eyes from the horizon to the attitude indicator to the altimeter to the vertical speed indicator, then back outside.
Your scan will change as you get closer to your roll-out heading. Verbalize those changes as you fly your mental simulator. Use the same techniques to help you with the roll-out, remembering the common errors of climbing or diving during the recovery phase. Remind yourself beforehand of what pitch attitude you'll need as you remove the bank and return to wings-level flight. Imagine yourself reducing the power (if necessary) and maintaining your precise heading and altitude as you return to straight-and-level flight.
The proficiency checks I take every six months at work require me to do this kind of visualization for the simple reason that we can't practice steep turns-or stalls-before we're required to demonstrate them. I'll practice steep turns and stalls mentally and verbally numerous times before I'm required to demonstrate them in the "box," as we call the simulator. By the way, if your turns are better in one direction than the other, plan to demonstrate the better direction first. With luck it will go so well that you won't be asked to fly the maneuver in the other direction.
The best kind of practice that we all can do every flight is to make sure we use the proper procedures for the airplane. Sure, you may be flying VFR, but if you're cleared for a straight-in approach to a runway with an instrument landing system (ILS), tune it in and fly it precisely. It may take another minute or two of your time, but it's all practice for your next checkride, and we can never get too much proficiency training. The more you practice, be it the mental or actual kind, the easier your next ride will be, particularly from a psychological standpoint. And what is a checkride if not a series of physical exercises driven by our mental processes?
Precision in all things
The precision part of our four P's also has to do with being deliberate, taking your time, and doing it right. Start by understanding and using your resources. If you're allowed to use the check pilot as your copilot-for a checkride, the practical test standards will explain roles-take advantage of this great assist by having him clear the area, tune the radios, fly the airplane when you need to review a chart, or whatever you can delegate to him. Demonstrate your command authority by instructing him as to what you'll expect of him and ask him to double-check with you if he's not sure about a certain request.
During my multiengine airline transport pilot checkride I was about to commence a nondirectional beacon approach with a failed engine, and I found myself becoming rushed with too many things happening at once. Using my best command voice, I told the examiner to advise air traffic control that we would need another turn in the holding pattern, even though we'd been cleared for the approach and would, presumably, be proceeding straight in from our present position.
"Tell ATC we'd like another turn in the pattern" was my key to a smooth, coordinated approach that got everything done without rushing or forgetting an important item. This kind of precision was just what the examiner was looking for. They used to call it using good judgment; now it's great cockpit resource management.
Another resource that you might be able to use is an autopilot or GPS, if your airplane has one. Some of you may laugh and say, "No way will they let me use that!" But don't be too sure. If the equipment is installed in the airplane, the examiner is probably interested in seeing if you know how to use it properly-and whether you can deal with any failures that might occur. Call the examiner before your ride and ask if you'll be allowed (or required) to use the equipment. You may find that she wants you to fly the airplane just as you would if you were alone-so use these resources to assist you.
Patience is a virtue
The final P is for patience. You'll need it before, during, and after your ride. Never hurry or use shortcuts-take your time. Be deliberate and use the checklist religiously. I'll frequently frustrate my check pilot by taking my time to do the preflight checks precisely, but to me they're the most important part of the ride. Get the advance details down correctly and you won't be stymied by incorrect radio frequencies, out-of-order charts, wrong altimeter settings, or misunderstood instructions. Similarly, never take off before you're ready to go. Remember, you're the pilot in command, and it's your decision whether to go or not. When in doubt, waiting is always a good option.
Time is on your side, so don't ever let anyone rush you. On the other hand, that doesn't mean you should deliberately hold up the whole ATC process. Use good judgment and make sure all your preparations are complete. Display your good judgment and superior PIC skills by pacing yourself to ensure a successful result.
You may make mistakes. We all make them, and on checkrides they're a bit more distressing than usual. Don't dwell on any error that you may have made. If you can correct it, fine. If not, get on with the next order of business. Who knows, the examiner may not have noticed the mistake.
In talking with a sampling of other pilots at the local FBO and my airline, the consensus is that you can be your own worst enemy by dwelling on past mistakes. That one error can drag some pilots down to the point where they can't focus on the tasks at hand and ultimately fail the rest of the checkride. A good finale can help tremendously. We all remember what we've seen or experienced most recently, so a good series of approaches and a smooth landing can help to dull the effect of a less-than-sparkling steep turn or stall. Also, if you do make a critical error while completing everything else correctly, you'll need to repeat only the failed item on a subsequent recheck (the examiner retains the discretion to judge the rest of your performance). For those of you who get check-itis, taking more than your share of rides can help to immunize you against the nervous reactions that plague many of us. For instrument pilots, try taking an IFR competency check every six months, whether you need it or not. You'll find yourself looking forward to demonstrating your proficiency as you learn some new tricks of the trade, and you'll soon forget the test aspect of your ride.
Be sure to get a good post-checkride briefing. Take some notes on what the examiner liked and disliked. It's a good time to discuss any items that you may not have understood completely. I keep my post-brief notes from one PC to the next and refer to them before the next checkride, where I'll try to incorporate the good ideas and eliminate the bad ones. It's interesting to read over previous notes to see how often I repeat the same error-even with my own personal set of gotchas and a "don't forget list" which I review before each checkride.
Checkrides aren't much fun for any of us, but since we can't eliminate them, we might as well get used to them and try to benefit from what's there to be learned. Good luck to you on your next one.
Karen Kahn is a captain for a major U.S. airline and author of the book Flight Guide for Success-Tips and Tactics for the Aspiring Airline Pilot, now in its third edition. Type-rated in the MD-80 and Lockheed JetStar, she's an FAA aviation safety counselor who holds ATP and Gold Seal flight instructor certificates. Kahn is rated in gliders, seaplanes, and helicopters. Visit her Web site.
Want to know more?
The following resources offer additional information on topics discussed in this article.
- Previous AOPA Flight Training articles on checkrides and checkride preparation.
- Dave Wilkerson's bimonthly "Checkride" column, in which the author-a designated pilot examiner-often addresses student errors that can lead to failing a checkride.
- The FAA's practical test standards for the private and recreational pilot certificates, and for the instrument rating.
Links to these resources are available at AOPA Online.
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