Checkride Today

[Z Sten]

Hello all,
Well, after 7 months and exactly 51 hours of student air time, I passed
my SEL Checkride this morning. I spent nearly two hours last week doing
the oral portion, but opted out of the air portion due to excessively
high winds. But today dawned absolutely clear and cool with serenely
calm winds.
After four touch and goes (doing the usual short and soft field stuff)
we departed the controlled airport pattern to do a short leg of my
planned cross country. After 10 minutes or so the examiner called that
off and had me do the obligatory steep turns. Now, up to that time all
was going well and uneventful. After the second steep turn, he pulled
power whereupon I lucked out by seeing a perfectly rectangular farmers
field, the length of which was parallel to the very modest wind. Glide
speed nailed at 65 kts and descending for right pattern approach to that
field. Short final, perfectly lined up, then power back up and flaps
back up. No hitches. We then stayed at 1200 feet MSL to circle a nice
big farmer's silo, then some S-turns across one of the few straight
roads in this hilly region. Again, nailed them to the "T".
Next, hood on to do some course following and VOR tracking. Altitude
good, gentle turns good. Enough of that.
The examiner had me then head us back to the home airport. I check the
ATIS numbers, contacted approach, then tower cleared me to enter the
left downwind for 30. Mid field at perfect traffic altitude that
examiner asks if he could do the final full-stop landing.
Now I already had been primed by friends that this particular examiner
did this if he was going to pass you. So it came as a great relief to
sit back and enjoy that final descent back to terra firma.
And so, it sure does feel great at 55 years old to finally accomplish
something that I have dreamed of for many years.
Hopefully I meet a number of you in Philadelphia later this week. I am
only 90 miles from the center city convention center.

Arnold Sten, newly minted PSEL

[Montblack]

("Z Sten" wrote)
<snip>
> Well, after 7 months and exactly 51 hours of student air time, I passed
> my SEL Checkride this morning. I spent nearly two hours last week doing
> the oral portion, but opted out of the air portion due to excessively
> high winds. But today dawned absolutely clear and cool with serenely
> calm winds.
<snip>
> And so, it sure does feel great at 55 years old to finally accomplish
> something that I have dreamed of for many years.
> Hopefully I meet a number of you in Philadelphia later this week. I am
> only 90 miles from the center city convention center.
>
> Arnold Sten, newly minted PSEL

You'll be easy enough to pick out of the crowd <very BIG grin>.

Congratulations!

--
Montblack
"Styled by the laws of nature.............Concorde"

[John Gaquin]

"Z Sten" > wrote in message
...
> Hello all,
> Well, after 7 months and exactly 51 hours

Nicely done.

JG

[BTIZ]

Congrats Z...

"Z Sten" > wrote in message
...
> Hello all,
> Well, after 7 months and exactly 51 hours of student air time, I passed
> my SEL Checkride this morning. I spent nearly two hours last week doing
> the oral portion, but opted out of the air portion due to excessively
> high winds. But today dawned absolutely clear and cool with serenely
> calm winds.
> After four touch and goes (doing the usual short and soft field stuff)
> we departed the controlled airport pattern to do a short leg of my
> planned cross country. After 10 minutes or so the examiner called that
> off and had me do the obligatory steep turns. Now, up to that time all
> was going well and uneventful. After the second steep turn, he pulled
> power whereupon I lucked out by seeing a perfectly rectangular farmers
> field, the length of which was parallel to the very modest wind. Glide
> speed nailed at 65 kts and descending for right pattern approach to that
> field. Short final, perfectly lined up, then power back up and flaps
> back up. No hitches. We then stayed at 1200 feet MSL to circle a nice
> big farmer's silo, then some S-turns across one of the few straight
> roads in this hilly region. Again, nailed them to the "T".
> Next, hood on to do some course following and VOR tracking. Altitude
> good, gentle turns good. Enough of that.
> The examiner had me then head us back to the home airport. I check the
> ATIS numbers, contacted approach, then tower cleared me to enter the
> left downwind for 30. Mid field at perfect traffic altitude that
> examiner asks if he could do the final full-stop landing.
> Now I already had been primed by friends that this particular examiner
> did this if he was going to pass you. So it came as a great relief to
> sit back and enjoy that final descent back to terra firma.
> And so, it sure does feel great at 55 years old to finally accomplish
> something that I have dreamed of for many years.
> Hopefully I meet a number of you in Philadelphia later this week. I am
> only 90 miles from the center city convention center.
>
> Arnold Sten, newly minted PSEL
>

[Paul Sengupta]

Nice! Enjoy.

Paul

"Z Sten" > wrote in message
...
> And so, it sure does feel great at 55 years old to finally accomplish
> something that I have dreamed of for many years.

[Roger Tracy]

Congrats, Arnold.


"Z Sten" > wrote in message
...
> Hello all,
> Well, after 7 months and exactly 51 hours of student air time, I passed
> my SEL Checkride this morning. I spent nearly two hours last week doing
> the oral portion, but opted out of the air portion due to excessively
> high winds. But today dawned absolutely clear and cool with serenely
> calm winds.
> After four touch and goes (doing the usual short and soft field stuff)
> we departed the controlled airport pattern to do a short leg of my
> planned cross country. After 10 minutes or so the examiner called that
> off and had me do the obligatory steep turns. Now, up to that time all
> was going well and uneventful. After the second steep turn, he pulled
> power whereupon I lucked out by seeing a perfectly rectangular farmers
> field, the length of which was parallel to the very modest wind. Glide
> speed nailed at 65 kts and descending for right pattern approach to that
> field. Short final, perfectly lined up, then power back up and flaps
> back up. No hitches. We then stayed at 1200 feet MSL to circle a nice
> big farmer's silo, then some S-turns across one of the few straight
> roads in this hilly region. Again, nailed them to the "T".
> Next, hood on to do some course following and VOR tracking. Altitude
> good, gentle turns good. Enough of that.
> The examiner had me then head us back to the home airport. I check the
> ATIS numbers, contacted approach, then tower cleared me to enter the
> left downwind for 30. Mid field at perfect traffic altitude that
> examiner asks if he could do the final full-stop landing.
> Now I already had been primed by friends that this particular examiner
> did this if he was going to pass you. So it came as a great relief to
> sit back and enjoy that final descent back to terra firma.
> And so, it sure does feel great at 55 years old to finally accomplish
> something that I have dreamed of for many years.
> Hopefully I meet a number of you in Philadelphia later this week. I am
> only 90 miles from the center city convention center.
>
> Arnold Sten, newly minted PSEL
>

[Big John]

Arnold

Welcome aboard.

----clip----

> . Mid field at perfect traffic altitude that
>> examiner asks if he could do the final full-stop landing.
>> Now I already had been primed by friends that this particular examiner
>> did this if he was going to pass you.

When I was actively instructing, I tried to handle the controls some
on each flight to maintain my proficiency. Just sitting and
instructing keeps you sharp on the procedures but your motor skills
deteriorate, hence the hands on.

Big John
>

[Dave]

Congrats too from me.

Your reference to steep turns reminds me of a checkride I did. I Have a US
certificate on the basis of my UK licence.

Of course everytime one rents, there is the checkride. For me, I go to the
US every couple of years so my checkrides are also the BFR. Kill two birds
with one stone.

Well the first time I did the BFR we set off to the practice area. The
instructor was a young flight school graduate building his time.

Stalls were done OK and then he asked me to do a steep turn. No problem I
said, went through the HASELL drill, banked the plane, put on full power and
commented to the instructor how good it feels hitting the wake.

The instructor was speechless and was reflecting on what had happened.

In the UK a steep turn is done at 60 degrees of bank not 45 degrees. Anyway
I apologised and offered to do the some to the right but I think he felt I
could do steep turns.

The lesson we both learned from the experience was that it was important to
clarify what we mean in any manoevure instruction. There are some subtle and
not so subtle differences between European training requirements and US
requirements and consequently on what is legal and what is not legal.

Whilst this may seem to be splitting hairs, insurance companies love to
split hairs if it means they dont have to pay out.

Anyway turns up to 60 degrees are great fun and when you can nail the height
even better.

Well done again Arnold.

Dave

[Jay Honeck]

> Well, after 7 months and exactly 51 hours of student air time, I passed
> my SEL Checkride this morning.

Way to go, Arnold!
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Tom Hyslip]

Congrats. I just passed my checkride last week, and I am still high as a
kite. Have fun, enjoy, and congrats again.

Tom

"Z Sten" > wrote in message
...
> Hello all,
> Well, after 7 months and exactly 51 hours of student air time, I passed
> my SEL Checkride this morning. I spent nearly two hours last week doing
> the oral portion, but opted out of the air portion due to excessively
> high winds. But today dawned absolutely clear and cool with serenely
> calm winds.
> After four touch and goes (doing the usual short and soft field stuff)
> we departed the controlled airport pattern to do a short leg of my
> planned cross country. After 10 minutes or so the examiner called that
> off and had me do the obligatory steep turns. Now, up to that time all
> was going well and uneventful. After the second steep turn, he pulled
> power whereupon I lucked out by seeing a perfectly rectangular farmers
> field, the length of which was parallel to the very modest wind. Glide
> speed nailed at 65 kts and descending for right pattern approach to that
> field. Short final, perfectly lined up, then power back up and flaps
> back up. No hitches. We then stayed at 1200 feet MSL to circle a nice
> big farmer's silo, then some S-turns across one of the few straight
> roads in this hilly region. Again, nailed them to the "T".
> Next, hood on to do some course following and VOR tracking. Altitude
> good, gentle turns good. Enough of that.
> The examiner had me then head us back to the home airport. I check the
> ATIS numbers, contacted approach, then tower cleared me to enter the
> left downwind for 30. Mid field at perfect traffic altitude that
> examiner asks if he could do the final full-stop landing.
> Now I already had been primed by friends that this particular examiner
> did this if he was going to pass you. So it came as a great relief to
> sit back and enjoy that final descent back to terra firma.
> And so, it sure does feel great at 55 years old to finally accomplish
> something that I have dreamed of for many years.
> Hopefully I meet a number of you in Philadelphia later this week. I am
> only 90 miles from the center city convention center.
>
> Arnold Sten, newly minted PSEL
>