Examiner pet peeves

It’s a good idea to meet your examiner before the checkride because it helps eliminate some of those the-DPE-is-an-unknown-monster nerves. The really proactive applicants will usually ask one of two questions:

“As an FAA designated pilot examiner, what do you look for on your checkrides?” I never know how to respond, at least not in a short-answer form. I usually say something like, “Personally, I’m not looking for anything other than what the FAA says in the airman certification standards. I don’t make the test. I just do what I’m told.” And then, because I know that answer is frustrating, I’ll rapid-fire a couple of the commonly missed questions at that person just to reward their bravery.

“What are your pet peeves as an examiner?” Now this is one I can answer! Number one pet peeve? When people ask me question number one. Just kidding, y’all. Sort of. I reached out to several examiner friends recently and asked them about their checkride pet peeves. Surprisingly, they kept repeating the same things. Even though these fine folks come from the Tennessee, Mississippi, and Kentucky areas, I’m betting you can carry these words of wisdom with you wherever you take your checkride.

Pre-checkride pet peeves

Not honoring regular business hours: Remember, examiners are humans, too, with lives and families and things they enjoy other than flying. So, please don’t send them late-night texts asking all of your pressing checkride questions, then follow that up with an early morning text the next day asking whether or not they saw your message from the night before.

Remember, examiners are humans, too, with lives and families and things they enjoy other than flying.Not providing all the requested information in a timely manner: Examiners have homework to complete in order to prepare for your ride. They have to input your specific information into an FAA system to request a pre-approval, and they need to review your knowledge test in order to tailor the scenario. Many examiners also like to get a look at your IACRA application to head off any potential problems on checkride day. So, make sure you send the examiner whatever he or she requests ASAP.

Not having all of the prerequisite time requirements or necessary documents: One of my examiner friends told me a story of how he travelled a good distance to do two checkrides for a school, got a hotel, then showed up early the next morning to begin, only to find that the first applicant had failed to bring his medical certificate, and the second did not have all of the required cross-country hours to qualify to take a commercial checkride. So frustrating.

The ground portion

Rote memorization: Friends, I’ve warned you about this one before. If you only memorize the acronyms but don’t know how to apply them to real-life flying scenarios, you will struggle on the checkride. Understanding inoperative equipment procedures goes well beyond TOMATOFLAMES. The same goes for maintenance inspections and AVIATES. You want to be able to actually look at the maintenance logbooks and find the individual required inspections and their expiration dates.

Overreliance on digital flight planning resources: Don’t let ForeFlight do all the cross-country planning for you. Understand where the numbers come from and be able to reference the applicable performance charts. The same goes for weight and balance. If you use an app to do the math, do you know where the basic empty weight number can be found? “The flight school’s website” is not an acceptable answer. Be able to locate the official weight and balance sheet in the aircraft.

In flight

Asking if you should clear the area or turn to avoid a cloud or airspace: Please take full responsibility for the safety of our flight. Yes, by all means do a clearing turn, but do it because you know traffic avoidance is essential to our safety, not because I told you to.

Lack of airspeed knowledge or focus: Plain and simple, airspeed is life. If you go too fast during steep banked maneuvers, you risk structural damage. If you go too slow during any maneuver, you will stall the airplane. If the examiner has to speak up to correct you back to a safe airspeed, you are likely going to have to get more training before you can earn your certificate.

Lack of landing skill: Many of the examiners I spoke with complained about applicants landing too fast or long or bouncing. The FAA standards are really clear on this: You must have a stable approach and touch down on the intended landing spot and centerline with adequate wind correction.

This list of common applicant errors is not meant to stress you, but to help you put your best foot forward with the DPE. Remember, examiners want the same things you do: a safe, smooth checkride that ends in the issuance of a temporary certificate.

Natalie Bingham Hoover began flying in 2004. After corporate and airline work, she now serves as an FAA-designated pilot examiner and chief flight instructor of a flight school in Tennessee.