Training Tip: Five ways to finish up

With that head start in mind, here are five tips to help you finish up—things you can work on day in, day out, good weather or bad, whether you are on the flight schedule or not.

• Know your ACS. The current edition of the airman certification standards (ACS) for the certificate and rating you seek explains objectives of each test task and pulls together knowledge and skill requirements you must meet. Know the ACS and you will know what could be on your practical test.
• Know the aircraft. The pilot’s operating handbook is to your aircraft what the ACS is to your practical test, and it makes good armchair reading for downtime and bad-weather days. Memorizing every detail isn’t required; rather, practice looking things up so you can find information quickly when your designated pilot examiner poses questions about your trainer.

By the book

If a skill or subject is on the private pilot practical test, you will find it in the current edition of the airman certification standards.
• Know the weather. Sure, you get weather briefings on flying days, but why not do so on off days as well? Practice makes perfect, and gives you chances to evaluate all sorts of weather between now and checkride day. Keep a watch on your region’s notices to airmen, too.
• Know your cross-countries. Cross-country flights are a big part of your training that integrate your knowledge, but don’t drop the topic when you complete your flight requirements. Research some possible cross-countries for practice to be extra sharp when the examiner assigns you your practical-test flight planning.
• Know you’re ready. Beyond the general advice that there’s no such thing as too much practice of crosswind landings, and slow flight, this one’s a catchall that includes auditing your logbook to make sure all your flight time requirements and endorsements are in order; making sure your aircraft will be available—not in the shop for maintenance—for your checkride; sharpening up any flight skills not consistently up to ACS; and reviewing any subject matter you didn’t ace on your knowledge test, according to the test report you received.