Bring your ‘A’ game

For one, the Private Pilot Airman Certification Standards calls for three takeoffs and landings, so a good portion of the checkride is spent right there at the airport. But also, if flying an airplane doesn’t yet feel like second nature, it’s going to be obvious in the traffic pattern when the high workload becomes extra challenging. If you are preparing for your private or commercial checkride (similar rules apply), watch out for the following:

Centerline drift: The airman certification standards say an applicant must land with “no side drift, and with the airplane’s longitudinal axis aligned with and over the runway center/landing path.” The FAA’s stance here is clear: do not deviate from the centerline. The airplane you are flying on your checkride is likely the smallest one you will ever fly. If you land 10 feet off the centerline now, can you imagine the disaster if you put an airplane with a wider wingspan and wider-set wheels in the same spot? When I was flying a Beechjet for a local lighting company, I fell into the habit of landing a few feet left of centerline. The captain pointed out that if I could consistently land left, then I could consistently land on the centerline. (He also mentioned that I wouldn’t get to land anymore if I didn’t.) Guess what? I landed exactly on the centerline for the rest of the trip. I had the skills, just not the mindset to continue to push myself to be better. Your checkride day, and every day, should be the same way. Centerline. Every time.

Failure to scan for traffic: When you consider that roughly half of all midair collisions occur in the traffic pattern, it makes sense that the FAA ACS for this task has a heavy focus on collision avoidance. At a nontowered airport, a common mistake is failing to scan for traffic before making a turn. At a tower-controlled airport, pilots sometimes confuse their order in the traffic pattern when ATC assigns someone to follow. If tower tells you to follow the traffic turning base, but you look up and follow another aircraft already on final, you can imagine the collision hazard that would result if the examiner did not intervene.

Don't even think about going into the checkride until you are controlling the aircraft with precision and confidence.The last 10 feet: I often see pilots fly a beautiful, stabilized approach only to let the airplane fall to the ground during the flare and touchdown. If the airplane is still moving, you should have complete control. You choose which wheels touch first then second. Then hold your wind correction until the aircraft is slow enough to taxi off the runway. Remember, we don’t stop piloting until the airplane is in the parking spot.

Missing your touchdown point: Most landings on the private and commercial checkrides are accuracy landings. You can land zero feet short and 100 or 200 feet long depending on the type of ride. The number one mistake here? Carrying too much energy in the form of excess airspeed or altitude. Applicants tend to notice that they’re floating past their spot, so they attempt to force the airplane onto the ground, leading to either a nose-first porpoise or an overly firm three-point landing. Please be kind to your airplane—and your examiner’s spine—and go around. Doing so will demonstrate the mature aeronautical decision-making that shows you are ready to hold a pilot certificate.

Brakes: When you take off and land, your heels should be on the floor. I think they will write this on my tombstone. I’ve said it that many times. Be deliberate about when to apply brakes after touchdown. It doesn’t have to be the moment your wheels touch the pavement. Use aerodynamic braking to let the airplane decelerate first so that the wheel brakes can be used effectively without damaging the tires.

Please don’t even think about going into the checkride until you are controlling the airplane with precision and confidence during this most important phase of flight. And on checkride day, bring your “A” game. Make the airplane do exactly what you have been trained to do or execute a go-around and get it right the next time. Doing so will take the decision out of the examiner’s hands and put it in yours. It’s your checkride: You control the outcome.

Natalie Bingham Hoover is a designated pilot examiner working primarily in Mississippi and Tennessee. See myaviation101.com for helpful checkride resources.