Checkride Day "1"
The day of my checkride started about an hour late, the DE was delayed, and I had to fumble for a few requirements that weren't ready, ugh. Anyway, the oral portion finally began: "So what is this log book for?" (the airframe log book and then the engine log book) "Show me what I need to know before we can fly today." (I scrambled through the books where I had labeled the pages required a few days before, but when I went to point them out, it looked Greek to me for some reason. He was looking for what is discussed in FAR 91.207, 91.215, 91.405, 91.413 requirements, namely AD's, ELT, Annuals, Pitot-static etc.). So that went for a few minutes. The next set of questions were about the pitot-static system. "So, how does the pitot static system work, where is it located, what does it do, how does it do this?" Then, "what does the suction gage tell us?" "How does that work exactly?" There were a few more instrument questions, then onto the engine. "So tell me exactly what happens once you put that key into the 'ignition'?" "What does it look like behind that key?" "So what voltage is the battery, and what voltage is the system? Why is the system voltage different than the battery?" "How exactly does the engine start?" ... this was pretty grueling for me. Then came the flight plan, and naturally that included the charts and performance. "Why did you choose 109 for airspeed?" "Why this power setting?" "What does it mean to use this power setting with this airspeed?" "If the air field at this airport is 243 feet, what is your absolute and true altitude?" "109 isn't the airspeed you'll be flying at once you hit this altitude, why is that?" "What do you think it will be?" We talked about night currency, aeromedical (hypoxia, hyperventilation, spacial disorientation), and I think that was it. Wow. It was pretty tough. I couldn't wait to fly, I felt a lot better about my flying ability than this oral test.
We went out to the already pre-flighted C172. The landing and taxi lights were inop, but that was OK, I checked the Equipment list and told him so. The skies were clear and it was getting late, about 4:15 p.m. and the sun was due to set at about 5:30 p.m. So I asked him if we would finish and he said "I hope so." I got Atis and started to taxi to the run-up area. But before I did that I had to think twice about what I had heard on Atis. How fast and how crossed-up was that crosswind exactly? A 70 degree, 15 knot crosswind, ugh. I checked for the plane's crosswind chart and it was OK. However, I wasn't sure where I stood in the situation, I just figured it was OK too. So we taxied over. He didn't say a word. We finished the run-up. Some planes were doing go-arounds in the pattern. Hmm, could that be because they are having trouble landing? I got clearance to "position and hold" but just before I was puting in full power, I heard a pilot say, "Man, that was the hardest cross wind landing I've ever done."
On downwind, I asked my DE if he wanted me to do any type of landing in particular, he said, nope just land. So I'm on downwind and I'm drifting in a huge way towards the runway. Woe, I better crab a lot and add some power to get back in the proper downwind leg. It was then that I realized I was in a big crosswind and this was going to be really tough. The DE said nothing. I wasn't sure if he was scared or wanted to kill me. So I just did my thing, called out GUMPS, and did what the tower told me, 2nd to land. I swung a wide base turn to not overshoot a good final leg. I was pretty far out so I had plenty of time to set up. I was crabbing like I've never done before, and starting to get a bit worried. But the wind was steady, there wasn't any gusting, which helped, I believe. Anyway, I get over the "chevrons", and straighten out, and started floating past halfway down the runway before the plane settled smoothly down. Whew. I made it. But then I turned to the DE, who said nothing, and I said, that was the toughest landing I've ever done, and I'd like to end the test and reschedule. He said OK. And that was it. We rescheduled for about a month later.
Checkride Day 2.
The evening before my big day .. my CFI called. "Hey, your plane has been grounded tonight for a mag check, it is having problems." I was so upset. I really wanted to fly in this particular plane that I'd been practicing in for months. We were going to have to get another plane in the morning that I was comfortable with and get all the log books for the plane, etc. I wasn't into it. I also had the start of a cold and wasn't feeling like doing the extra work. So I called and canceled. Then I tried to reschedule with the same DE for a week, and finally got in touch with him. We rescheduled the checkride for two days later.
Checkride Day 3.
The clouds were at 3,000 feet and it looked like rain. But it was clear for about 20 miles and I really, really wanted to do this Today! So I met with my CFI that morning, and he checked me out for the flight to the DE's airport location (I had to fly to his airport if I was going to do this today, not a problem). I met the DE after a short flight to his airport, and after a few minutes looking at my continuance paper work, he said, Oh I remember you, you had that crosswind landing. OK, so anyway, we got out to the plane (parked in transient), jumped in and we were off. The flying portion was great. We did a short field take-off, proceeded downwind and onto my flight plan. Half-way to my first check point, he asked what time it was going to take and how long we'd been flying, I told him and he said that is correct, fine. Next, he asked what heading I had planned on my flight plan, and I actually forgot to fly the heading, but looking over at the direction indicator, I see 273 degrees, look down at my flight plan and it reads "272 degrees", whew that was lucky! He tells me next, Go to that reservoir over there and once you are over it, tell me a heading and time to get to the airport Watsonville. I did and that was good. Then we did clearing turns and two steep turns, easy. Then we did slow flight with a couple turns. Then an engine failure (conveniently over an airport), so I said, I think I'll land at that airport :). And I was about to land when a plane pulled across the opposite end of the runway, so he told me to go around, not knowing what the pilot (who never made one call) was going to do. Then I did a pattern with a soft-field landing. After that touch and go, we headed back to the original airport and did some hood-work. That was fun. Then the DE took the controls and showed me (what felt like) some 90 degree bank turns and we fell out of the sky a bit, and just had some fun. Then he pointed me back to the airport and said take me back. And he was talking a bit and I stopped him and said, "I should be calling the tower about now, what is that mountain peak over there called?" He told me the name and I called the tower with that as my position. We did a short-field landing, went really well. Then we taxied back, I screwed up and didn't call Ground quickly enough and taxied across a taxiway without permission, but he just told me that was really bad and then we continued to the transient parking. He got out and I figured I passed. Which I did :)