Private Pilot Checkride (073102)
Just had my checkride today up at SAC. :-) You are now looking at a new private pilot (my goodness what were they thinking giving me a certificate? ;-)). It was one long checkride though! :-) Originally was supposed to start at 10:00am... But it was a little bit overcast this morning so I had my examiner (Martin Keane) push the test back until 11:30am... Took off PAO, right Dumbarton, to SUNOL, intercepted the 177 radial of Sacramento VOR, then Sacramento VOR to SAC. Got there, met with the examiner, and proceeded to have the oral test from 11:30am til about 2:30pm! :-) At least he said I did fine on the oral test after 3 hours! :-) Then preflighted the plane, and took off SAC and started flying my cross-country to Porterville (PTV). Made it as far as Stockton when he said to divert to some little private airport (we didn't land there but just diverted there). Part way there he had me calculate ground speed, time to diversion, and fake a call to FSS. Then he put me under the hood for the first time and had me fly to the diversion. Then did more hood flying and unusual attitudes. We then did steep turns, slow flight, power on and off stalls (at this point he was just mixing them all in a jumble whenever he felt like it... :-)). Flew to Rancho Murieta (RIU), short field and soft field landings as well as emergency procedures. Then coming back towards SAC, stopped off along the way to do ground reference maneuvers. Landed at SAC at about 5:45pm. He told me to clean up the plane, call the fuel truck for the flight back, and he went in to type up the certificate. :-) Afterwards, he just debriefed me. I sat around and relaxed a moment and planned the trip back, and around 7:25pm, I departed SAC on 20 (tower had me expedite my departure... what a way to finish the day... ;-) getting rushed off the runway... :-)). Landed in PAO at about 8:15pm. :-)
Anyhow, that's how I spent today... :-) Finally, a private pilot after 100.1hours... :-)
Michael.
PS. I know some of you thought I was going for my checkride on Aug 31st... :-) The night my instructor Sanjay told me the 31st, I misinterpreted it as Aug 31st... Marvin happened to ask me when my checkride was on that same day so that is what I told him... I found out later from Sanjay that it was July 31st... But I didn't want to get stressed over needing to tell other people that I failed the checkride if I failed it on July 31st, I just kept it to myself until today... :-) Sorry! :-)
Last updated: 082902