Be sure you're comfortable with holds, NDB's (if so equipped), and partial panel non-precision approach. The last one is the hardest. If you do NDB's be sure to have the ident audio up.

If it's (a piece of equipment, that is) in the airplane, expect to use it, and be able to do so. A rather embarrassing event is "Gee, I don't know how this thing works." (It shouldn't happen, but it does.)

Make sure your pubs are current, too - you know, the usual nervous checkride dance.

Staying ahead of the airplane isn't just a checkride technique, it's survival: I hope nobody lets the airplane take them to a place their brain wasn't visiting several minutes beforehand :cool: :eek:

Agreed. Under the "don't do anything stupid" rule, I wouldn't mess with this one unless there exists a reason to continue (e.g. airplane on fire).

I have mine coming up as well, and have a quick one on the PTS.

Under the PTS, in the sections that say "to determine that the applicant exhibits adequate knowledge...." what does the term "adequate knowledge mean? I ask that because one of my friends failed the instrument systems and nav equipment portion because he forgot to mention the pendulous veins in the AI.

Spotta, good luck on your ride, and keep us updated man.

ok now tell me about the number 7 fetzer valve

Unsmiley face. While it's interesting, shouldn't you be worried about operational things that you can fix while in midair? (Last time I checked I can't take the ADI apart while I'm flying... :()

Thanks for all the help - I really appreciate it. Got the ride coming up later this week. Here goes!

Is the ride with Mitch? I bet he does the same check-ride as when I was there.

Depart north, do your Unusual Att recovery's and base inst. flying skills. Go up to White county, shoot the GPS36 off IAF NoPT, back to BVT for VOR-A, missed and ILS 10 with proc turn, done.

My best advice is just fly the airplane, it's just another check-ride, and you're not even 1/2-way with all the check-rides you are going to take during your training. You're there to demonstrate your skill level, so do just that. Good Luck.

PM me if you have any other questions.

Ahh with all the ILS GS failure then going to LOC talk going on here I'm starting to feel differently about what I did. It would make sense if you had briefed the LOC approach but I actually hadn't done so on my ride. I just had it ready and was very familiar with the LOC procedure. Of course this was still 2 min. from the airport but I guess I never looked at it in the perspective of the entire VOR/ILS receiver may be whack. Different things work for different examiners I guess. Lucky me that I didn't fail for that one I guess haha Live and learn.

Nailed it!!! He almost had nothing to comment on.

Ewfflyer, I had the ride yesterday with Dillman. Departed 23 direct VAGES to hold NW on V24 (picked up EON within 1 mile of VAGES :eek:). 2 turns in the hold, departed for an ILS 10. Missed hdg 360 up to 2300. Unusual attitudes out to the east of BVT, then turned to intercept the 5 DME arc to the 060 radial. Full panel VOR-A, missed out to RESAW & 2600 for a partial panel GPS 10. He failed my AI & HSI, so I went down to LNAV mins (#2 GPS isn't a WAAS GPS).

The big things I learned from the ride & training:

- Hold using the most accurate means possible . . . that may mean using the OBS function on the GPS to hold at an intersection where VOR reception is inconsistent (if legal, set the GPS to get DME from one of the VORs to identify the intersection - DO NOT go "direct" to the intersection because you could easily get confused)
- Expect failures, but still use all available equipment (e.g., why hold using crossing radials b/c you expect a nav failure when you could hold using the GPS & tune in the other VOR just in case you have a failure?)
- Tiny power adjustments
- As said before, brief possible equipment failures for the approaches and know how they'll impact minimums so you're not fumbling around with your charts during the final approach phase.

Thanks for all your help and encouragement. Now I get 2 weeks' "rest" before the commercial ride.

Congratulations! two weeks rest, that's for chumps! j/k. enjoy it! :)