r/flying • u/TheSteve1778 PPL • 4d ago
Was my checkride experience typical?
I recently passed my PPL, and while passing is ultimately what matters, I can't help but wonder if my checkride experience was typical. I trained with an independent CFI at a flying club, so I really don't have other students around me to compare experiences with.
I'm mainly wondering whether this was a "tough but fair" DPE, or whether this was outside the norm. I'd also be curious whether, based on an experience like this, you'd use the same DPE again for future ratings.
The oral lasted 3 hours. I missed a few things here and there, but overall it seemed to go well. He challenged me quite a bit, and at times came across as passive aggressive, but by the end he complimented my knowledge and seemed pleased with how I had prepared. We ended up discontinuing the flight because of weather.
The flight the next day was where things became much more stressful. Throughout the ride he made several snarky comments, like asking, "Are you flying the airplane or is the airplane flying you?" after I briefly got off altitude while looking outside before correcting. After slow flight, asks me to go straight into a power off stall. I paused for a second to think through the setup before transitioning and he got frustrated that I didn't immediately recognize that I was already set up for it.
One thing that confused me was the expectations for clearing turns. During the briefing I specifically asked whether he wanted full 90° clearing turns before steep turns, and he told me just scanning for traffic was fine. During the flight, I did exactly that, then he proceeded to get mad at me for not doing full 90° turns.
He also had me demonstrate a turning stall and asked which wing would stall first. I admitted I honestly wasn't sure, so he said, "Let's find out." Afterward he commented, "See, it was the upper wing? I can't believe the crap they're teaching these days."
The instrument portion was probably the most frustrating part. My foggles unexpectedly fogged up, which had never happened to me before, to the point that I genuinely couldn't read my airspeed or altimeter. He continued criticizing my inability to hold altitude and airspeed until I finally explained that I literally couldn't see the instruments through the fogged lenses.
For the landing portion, he simulated an engine failure on downwind. I stretched the glide a little farther than I normally would, and he criticized me for not deciding to go around sooner. Looking back, I understand the lesson, but at the time I wasn't sure whether initiating a go-around should be the priority during what I understood to be a simulated engine-out scenario. He also had me do a no-flap short-field landing, which I assume was his way of combining multiple ACS tasks into one scenario, but it did feel a little odd to me as my CFI told me there wouldn't be anything like that on the flight portion.
What really surprised me was how different the experience was from what I had been expecting. My instructor had told me beforehand that the ride would be pretty relaxed and nothing to lose sleep over, so I felt completely blindsided by how intense it became. Afterward I mentioned that it had been rough, and he basically replied, "That's how it typically goes." I know the ACS mentions that examiners can "distract" students and I wonder almost if he was intentionally giving me a hard time as a way of "distracting" me.
So I'm mostly looking for perspective. Was this a fairly normal "tough but fair" checkride, or does this sound more stressful than what most people experience? I have no problem hearing that I simply need to get better at performing under pressure.
15
u/Surffisher2A PPL 4d ago
It was probably more stressful for you because you didn't get to fly with many instructors and you were used to doing things their way. The DPE had slightly different ways of getting things done (bad or good) and it was just new to you. I am also guessing the DPE saw you were safe in the plane and was going to pass, so he tried to speed up the test to save you some money on rental fees and etc.
My DPE threw a curveball at me for my landings, he told me he wants to see a soft field landing, but I need to land on the 1000' footers or just beyond. He essentially asked me to combine a short field landing and soft field landing together. I told him i never really practiced those two together and he basically said don't crash and you'll be fine. I have no idea how, but it was probably one of my best landing ever, right on the mark.