Private Pilot Oral

[Pete]

Hey All,

Just started reading this group, and as soon as I complete my X
countries, I'll be more focused on my oral test prep.

I wanted to hear about others experiences during their Oral portion. So if
you would, share :)

Cheers
Pete

[Borislav Deianov]

Pete > wrote:
> Just started reading this group, and as soon as I complete my X
> countries, I'll be more focused on my oral test prep.
>
> I wanted to hear about others experiences during their Oral portion. So if
> you would, share :)

I found the ASA Oral Exam Guide very useful. It has many questions you
may be asked along with very detailed answers. The answers are
probably overkill, but they do give you a kind of worse case scenario
about what you may need to know for the oral.

Also, you'll probably find the rec.aviation.student newsgroup more
useful at this stage in your aviation career.

Best of luck,
Boris

[SFM]

I agree, I like the ASA Oral Test Guides. I used them for my private and
instrument and I am using it for my commercial.

Also I recommend getting the FAR/AIM out and actually reading it. Look at
the chapters on the types of flights you will do and part 61 and 91.

Scott

--
------------------------------------------------------------------
Scott F. Migaldi, K9PO
MI-150972
PP-ASEL-IA

Are you a PADI Instructor or DM? Then join the PADI
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-----------------------------------
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www.hamwave.com


**"A long time ago being crazy meant something, nowadays everyone is
crazy" -- Charles Manson**
-------------------------------------
"Borislav Deianov" > wrote in message
...
> Pete > wrote:
> > Just started reading this group, and as soon as I complete my X
> > countries, I'll be more focused on my oral test prep.
> >
> > I wanted to hear about others experiences during their Oral portion. So
if
> > you would, share :)
>
> I found the ASA Oral Exam Guide very useful. It has many questions you
> may be asked along with very detailed answers. The answers are
> probably overkill, but they do give you a kind of worse case scenario
> about what you may need to know for the oral.
>
> Also, you'll probably find the rec.aviation.student newsgroup more
> useful at this stage in your aviation career.
>
> Best of luck,
> Boris

[Pete]

Boris/Scott -

Thanks for the replies, Indeed I have the FAR/AIM and also the ASA oral
guide. Althought I've got questions on answers to some of the ASA oral
questions. I've only just started going through it and I'm bringing any
confusion up with my CFI. I feel like I'm on the right track.

I'm also subscribed to the other group you mentioned as well :)

[Jack Allison]

Hey Pete, welcome aboard. If you're not already doing so, I'd suggest
following rec.aviation.student as well as this group. Lots of great stuff
in both.

I used the Jeppeson test prep. material and the oral exam guide by ASA.
Both greatly helped me cover the material.

From Google, snipped from my original check ride post on r.a.s:

Oral lasted about 2 hours 10 minutes. Questions about certificates and
documents (straight out of the PTS) weather charts/METARs/TAFs/etc. printed
up for my x-country, airspace (reviewed SFO TAC since my XC was to SJC),
reviewed XC plan, aeromedical factors, night operations. Nothing at this
point on aerodynamics or aircraft systems. Reviewed aircraft documents and
had to fish for the last ELT battery expiration date entry. It wasn't
listed in the last annual/100 hr. inspection. Start looking backwards in
the aircraft log, find it and wonder why it wasn't noted a bit better.
Trick question re: aircraft log for this plane: What about the Pitot-Static
system inspection/calibration? Answer: Not necessary as this isn't an IFR
certified aircraft. How did I know that? I have no idea, just one of those
little facts that stuck in my brain somewhere along the line (and one that I
could recall when asked).

Other stuff I can remember since then:

- Explain air space and symbols from a current sectional. Examiner covered
just about everything there was on the chart.
- Could I fly for hire under any circumstances?
- What would be required if I had an airplane with any piece of broken
equipment required for day VFR flight if the only way I could get the
equipment fixed was to fly the plane somewhere?
- Explain my cross country plan, weight/balance calculations, landing
distance calculations. These questions were provided in advance of the
exam. It paid to have them neatly worked out.

I hope this helps. Good luck on the XC flights and the test preparation.
Keep us posted as to how things go.

--
Jack Allison
PP-ASEL

"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the Earth
with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there
you will always long to return"
- Leonardo Da Vinci

(Remove the obvious from address to reply via e-mail)

"Pete" > wrote in message
...
> Hey All,
>
> Just started reading this group, and as soon as I complete my X
> countries, I'll be more focused on my oral test prep.
>
> I wanted to hear about others experiences during their Oral portion. So
if
> you would, share :)
>
> Cheers
> Pete
>
>
>

[Snowbird]

"Pete" > wrote in message >...

> I wanted to hear about others experiences during their Oral portion. So if
> you would, share :)

One of the most useful things I did was to read the FARs and AIM
sections. ASA version has a list of which are relevant, and I
read every one on the list. It made me very comfortable not just
giving answers but being able to quickly find anything I didn't
quite remember.

The other comment FWIW is I got asked a lot of questions about
the engine and the systems. Perhaps because the DE didn't expect
a girl to know them as well, I dunno.

Cheers,
Sydney

[Robert M. Gary]

"Pete" > wrote in message >...
> Hey All,
>
> Just started reading this group, and as soon as I complete my X
> countries, I'll be more focused on my oral test prep.
>
> I wanted to hear about others experiences during their Oral portion. So if
> you would, share :)

King has a good DVD that shows you an "actual" oral exam.

[Martin]

Study your sectional!!

Obviously it can vary a lot by examiner, but I would say most are
going to really hit you hard on the practical stuff, the useful stuff
that you really should know, and they'll go lighter on the more
extraneous stuff.
Sectional stuff, rules for private pilots (the whole flying for hire,
BFRs, that sort of stuff), airspace (and weather minimums for diff
classes), and general aircraft systems. Be comfortable with the A/C
maintenance logbook as well (flip through the one for the aircraft
youll be using before the test if possible, know where everything is,
make sure its all in order).
Pulling out the trusty ole FAR/AIM certainly cant hurt, but that might
be overkill, know the key sections for sure though (most instructors
will be able to rattle off a handful of sections that are just
generally important to know... 91.103!)

While there are plenty of hardasses out there, most examiners are
pretty good people. Ask instructors to recommend a good one to make
sure you dont get stuck with the one in your area that will stick it
to ya!

Best of luck to ya, its the kind of thing youll do fine on as long as
you care enough to put in the effort, which it seems you are doing.

[John Gaquin]

"Pete" > wrote in message
>
> I wanted to hear about others experiences during their Oral portion. So
if
> you would, share :)

Pete.....
Orals present two different problems -- 1) knowing the information, and 2)
presenting the information. It is #2 that usually trips up most people
early on, because that's what you learn through experience. My 727 & 747
orals lasted about 3-1/2 hours each, but I was more comfortable throughout
than during my Private Pilot oral.

Knowing your stuff is not difficult, if you put in the effort. Remember,
you don't have to memorize *everything*. Very few things, in fact. You can
refer to a sectional, you can refer to an AIM, etc. You don't have to know
*all* the answers, but you do have to know where to find the answers. If
you're asked something you don't know, don't fumble and sweat and try to
remember. Say "I don't know, but that's in the AIM and I can look it up."
In politics, you get high marks for bs-ing your way through a situation; in
aviation, people can get dead. That's the difference.

It's the presentation that gets most people. When people are new to
something, it is very easy to get tongue-tied or intimidated. Self-doubt
creeps in, and from there the downhill slide commences. Practice, and try
some tricks. Practice: Get together with a friend, and explain the x-c
planning process, with charts, etc. There's no better way to learn
something than to teach it to someone else. Explain how to find data in the
AIM. Explain to the friend what paperwork is required on the plane, and
why, and where it is kept. You get the point. Use different friends if
they get bored. When you're comfortable explaining these things to others,
the examiner becomes just another "other". Tricks: act like the teacher
you've become. There's no rule that says you have to be glued to a seat
during an oral. Stand up and move around while you're talking. Many people
are more comfortable that way; I found that I am. Plus, you gain a
psychological advantage when explaining things, in that your eye level is
above the examiners. For example, when showing your x-c planning, walk
around the table so both you and the examiner are looking at the chart
right-side-up. It is handy to be able to read a chart upside-down, but I
don't think it is required.


Regards,

John Gaquin
B727, B747

[Corky Scott]

On Sun, 30 Nov 2003 13:07:53 GMT, "Pete"
> wrote:

>Hey All,
>
> Just started reading this group, and as soon as I complete my X
>countries, I'll be more focused on my oral test prep.
>
>I wanted to hear about others experiences during their Oral portion. So if
>you would, share :)
>
>Cheers
>Pete

Hi Pete. The best prepping I got for the Oral exam from my CFI was:
"Just answer the questions, DON'T VOLUNTEER INFORMATION. I only wish
I did exactly that.

I did only answer the questions for the most part, but every once in a
while we'd come to a topic I felt I REALLY knew well and would add
some information not requested, to illustrate a point.

Almost inevitably, that additional information came back to haunt me
when we debriefed.

Also, I was given a trick trip to plan for. I was told to plan a
flight from Lebanon NH to Lake Placid, taking off at 1800 hours. That
means a night flight over really rough country. I went ahead with the
flight planning but then, as was suggested by my CFI, told him I would
really not make the flight as it was too dangerous. What he'd wanted
though, was for me to flight plan along the few valleys, and head up
along Lake Champlain till we got to a position north of Lake Placid,
and then turning south and approaching from that direction, which
generally avoids flying over the really hazardous terrain. I guess it
didn't matter enormously, or he accepted my explanation that I would
not have attempted the flight as planned, because we moved on.

I also found out that it was important to know how to use the E6B wizz
wheel. Or at least the examiner felt it was important. I really
wasn't very good at it. I had a flight computer instead which I found
much easier to use and showed it to him. He took it, examined it and
then popped the battery cover, emptied all the batteries out and told
me they'd failed. I showed him the box of batteries I'd brought with
me and told him I had another box in my other pocket.

He laughed and told me to load them in and we'd try it. I managed to
get exactly the same results with the flight computer as he did with
his E6B. Mine were to several decimals sometimes, which elicited a
remark that he always tries to fly to the nearest decimal point. :-)

But I got through it all and we went to lunch and then took off for
the flight exam which went really well.

Corky Scott