High anxiety

Sleep the night before the checkride? Not a chance. Breakfast? Can’t eat. If this sounds like you, I think I can help. No, this is not the old “be well-prepared so you don’t have to stress” lecture. This is more of a “here are some actionable steps you can take to make yourself feel better” sort of chat. These may seem like common sense to you, but as an FAA designated pilot examiner, I constantly see applicants torturing themselves as they unknowingly spike their own anxiety levels, consequently making it harder to perform well. So, friend, lean close, I’m about to tell you how to master this thing.

Do not abuse your body in the week leading up to the checkride.

Yes, procrastinators, I’m looking at you. Think of stress like a bucket. If you keep filling it up with last-minute, all-night study sessions, fast food, and no exercise, the bucket will be full by the time you arrive at your checkride. Then it just takes one more drop to make that thing overflow. The examiner asks a question you don’t know, and your palms start to sweat, your brain shuts down, and you can no longer string two words together. Please don’t do this to yourself. Keep stress levels low so you are better prepared to handle test-day challenges. Get rest. Work out. Make yourself eat something.

Show up early.

Ya’ll, I have applicants, no lie, text me on the morning of the checkride to apologize profusely for running behind. They squeal into the parking lot on two wheels and run inside to find me sitting at my desk, patiently (or sometimes impatiently) waiting. Their stress level just went through the roof. This is no way to begin an exam because it makes you frantic before you ever get started. Also, it’s a bad first impression. Show up 30 minutes early. Go inside and locate the checkride room, then hang in the lobby. Maybe have a cup of coffee if that’s your thing or just chat with other pilots and relax.

Bring everything you need.

I can’t tell you how many times we are precheckride paper-working and applicants have to call home to ask someone to bring their medical certificate or their knowledge test report. My friend, this is supposed to be the easy part. Because we pilots love our checklists, wouldn’t it be nice if there were something official spelling out every single thing you need to bring on checkride day? Well…there actually is. Go on the FAA website (faa.gov), find the ACS Companion Guide for Pilots, and go to the section titled, “Practical Test Checklist.” Then you can coast right past the beginning of your checkride looking like the competent and professional pilot you are.

Avoid panic talk.

When you are sitting in the lobby 30 minutes early, avoid telling everyone who will listen that you are so miserable and anxious you could vomit. And please, please, when the examiner asks how you are feeling, don’t tell him or her that you can’t believe how nervous you are. Two reasons: This is not positive self-talk. Talking about all the ways anxiety is manifesting will not make you feel better. Get all that talk out before with your fellow pilot friends. Don’t bring it to the airport on your big day. And second, what do you believe the examiner is thinking when the applicant is sitting across the desk barely in control of his emotions, going on and on about how nervous he is? Examiners are only human. We start wondering if there is a reason this applicant is so nervous. Are they not prepared? Will they handle flying-related stress safely? Here’s the secret: Project confidence. It will make you feel better and start you off on the right foot with the examiner.

Wait for decent weather.

Here’s what happens: The applicant has waited months for a checkride date with the examiner. Weather is fine to start the ground portion, but when it’s time to go fly, the clouds are dropping and the wind is gusting to 25 knots. The applicant is leaving for Europe the next day or has to complete the checkride to graduate, so she decides to go up in weather conditions that she would never otherwise accept. The turbulence is so distracting that she can’t remember a thing up there and can’t land anywhere close to the center line. So, she fails, and has to go get more training, pay a retest fee, then come back on a day when weather is nice and complete the checkride. Avoid the heartache. If the weather is lousy, don’t push it. Assert your right to discontinue (the go/no-go decision is the applicant’s choice) and come back on a pretty day when you can confidently demonstrate your piloting skill.

Remember, checkride nerves are inevitable, but you don’t have to let them control you. Do what you can to mitigate extra stress and then show up on the big day prepared to do your best.