How can we better prepare for our private pilot checkride?
Hey, MZeroA Nation, Jason Schappert here of MZeroA.com,
and you are listening to the Private Pilot Podcast,
brought to you by our number one-rated online ground school.
Visit MZeroA.com to check that out and learn more.
Welcome into Mock Checkride May.
If you are watching this on YouTube, Facebook, I'm waving back at you.
If you're listening this on iTunes, I'm still waving at you,
anyways, even though you can't see me.
Thank you for making this one of the top all-time podcasts
in the aviation category on iTunes.
It is just such a pleasure and blessing to serve you all.
You are such a relentless bunch.
Here we are, still in the midst of a pandemic,
and just all this craziness going on.
And, let me tell you something.
Aviation is relentless.
You are relentless.
You are taking this time to learn.
You are taking this time to grow, invest in yourself.
And, there's nothing better you could be doing.
I hope you had a chance to go back and watch Tuesday's video.
If you're listening to this or watching this at a later time,
it'll be the very first video of Mock Checkride May 2021.
Crazy to think, huh?
And, I talk about what to do and how to prepare
for your private pilot checkride.
Originally, I'm just going to do a bunch of mock checkrides.
And, we're going to get in some
mock checkride-related questions here,
but I'd also encourage you, do grab a copy of
"Pass Your Private Pilot Checkride" on Audible.
You can grab a copy of that over there.
And, you can listen to two and a half hours.
I'm going to be giving you a mock checkride
and reading the book to you.
Again, it's meant to serve you with that.
On Tuesday, I talked a lot about getting ready,
preparing for your actual checkride, what to do the two weeks before,
everything else.
And, I want to talk to you, in the podcast,
a little bit about the materials you need to have with you.
And, then, we'll dive into some of those materials
and ask the actual questions.
And, you know me, I love stories.
I'm going to open up with a story.
One of my very first students I'll never forget
was actually a very, very good student.
Well, is still a very good student, and was, even up to his checkride,
just made one little error.
At that time, I probably had version one of the online ground school.
He was going through that.
I said, "Listen, there's some materials you need."
iPads are still relatively newish, so we had paper charts, FAR/AIM,
Pilots' Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge, the classic FAA publications.
And, I said, "Listen, on the day of your checkride,
bring everything aviation you have, all your books, everything else."
The kids at my flight school used to make fun of me
because I had two big milk crates of books, and I would come in there
and put them all on the desk and organize them, stack of books.
And, I remember, one DPE asked me, and this is where this came from, he said,
"Do you know everything in those books?"
I'm telling you, it was impressive.
It was just stacks on stacks of books.
And, I didn't do it to be impressive.
I did it so I had all my resources there.
And, he said, "Do you know everything in those books?"
I said, "No, sir.
But, I know how to use them and I know where to find them."
And, he said, "I like that answer."
And, what is it?
Fifteen years later now, I'm still teaching,
you don't have to know everything, but you need to know where to find it.
And, that proves so important.
So, this student brought his FAR/AIM to the checkride,
and we're getting all set up.
And, he sets his FAR/AIM down on the table he's going to do his checkride at me.
Again, I encourage all my students to always get there early.
There's no room for tardiness.
In fact, anything less than 30 minutes early is late to me.
If you're 29 minutes early, you're late.
You should be 30 minutes early, 45 minutes early, preferably,
so you can get in there, chill, everything else.
More on that in upcoming episodes.
He shows up.
He's early like he's supposed to.
Dressed professionally.
Everything is great.
Puts his FAR/AIM on the desk, and it's still in the shrink wrap.
It is still in the shrink wrap.
I said, "You haven't opened your FAR/AIM?"
He said, "No, Jason.
You just told me I needed to get one."
"Well, you're right, I told you, you need to get a FAR/AIM.
I should have said you should use your FAR/AIM as well."
So, again, don't hold this against me now.
I took the FAR/AIM--
If you show up with your FAR/AIM in the shrink wrap to a checkride,
your better look a little used on your checkride,
has some sticky notes hanging out of it.
It should be a little beat-up.
The spine should be starting to crease, unless you just got a brand-new one.
Bring the old one, too, to back it up.
I went out.
I took the shrink wrap off of it.
I can't make this up.
I feel bad telling you this.
I went out to the parking lot.
And, it was that rough asphalt.
And, I put the cover face down on it,
and I scraped it against the pavement.
And, I put it up on its spine and I scraped it against the pavement.
I went into Part 91 and I dog-eared some pages,
and we grabbed some sticky notes and made some highlights.
I think I even ripped a page.
I hand him his FAR/AIM back.
If you're listening to this, you can't see it,
but I've got my beat-up FAR/AIM here.
I hand that back to him with the cover curved
and everything else like this.
And, he said, "Wow, thanks, Jason."
He said, "Dang, you know how to use it."
And, when it comes time for instrument, because he went on to do his instrument,
hopefully, it'll be a new FAR/AIM by then, because it's towards the end of the year.
But, make sure it's well-used.
So, that's my advice to you.
This is what my FAR/AIM looks like,
and I'm recording this in the month of April.
So, I've only had this one three or four months,
and it's already getting well-used.
You should see some of my old, old FAR/AIM.
Those things are hanging on by a thread.
This is a well-used book.
I still love the paperback, oddly enough.
The paperback is still my jam.
So, it's just so easy and fun to really thumb through.
I'll go off some of these sticky notes I have here today
when I work through to quiz you.
But, one thing you need to know is you must show up
with all your books, all your gear.
Have everything ready.
Yes, you can bring a copy of "Pass Your Private Pilot Checkride" in,
if you have a paper bag.
Yeah, bring your "Private Pilot Blueprint."
Whatever it is, anything aviation-related,
bring it in with you, because like I said,
you don't have to know everything,
but you need to know where to find it.
And, that's what's going to prove so very important,
that you know where to find everything.
So, that's what I need you to focus on.
That's what I need you to ponder and continue to think about.
And, you should have things highlighted, and everything else.
Yes, you can bring in your iPad if your books are electronic.
That might make it easier to search the FAR/AIM.
Whatever is easiest for you.
My point of sharing this is you need to not know everything
but have everything and know where to find it with you.
Let's dive into some FAR/AIM-related mock checkride questions.
What are the rules on dropping objects from an airplane?
Excuse me one second.
I used that as an excuse to drink some water.
What are the rules on dropping objects from an airplane?
91.15, I'm going to give it to you from the FAR/AIM,
and I'm going to break it to you in plain English.
You ready?
"No pilot-in-command of a civil aircraft may allow any object to be dropped
from that aircraft in flight that creates a hazard to persons or property."
That's how the regulation used to read.
So, let me read it to you again.
If I can go pull up in my FAR/AIM history, the regulation used to read just this.
"No pilot-in-command of a civil aircraft may allow any object to be dropped
from that aircraft in flight that creates a hazards to person or property."
And, people used to get confused and go,
"Well, it says no, but then it says as long as it doesn't create a hazard
to person or property.
So, I think I can--"
And, again, it's classic FAA legalism and gray area.
So, a few years ago, they added the second sentence.
"However, this section does not prohibit the dropping of an object, of any object,"
I'm sorry, "if reasonable precautions are taken to avoid injury or damage
to persons or property."
Yes, I can drop something from an airplane as long as I, the pilot-in-command,
take reasonable precautions
to avoid injury or damage to persons, plural or property.
Speaking of the pilot-in-command,
what is the responsibility and authority of me, the pilot-in-command,
or you, the pilot-in-command?
Going back a regulation, one of my favorites, 91.3,
Responsibility and Authority of the Pilot-in-Command.
Paragraph A says, "The pilot-in-command of an aircraft
is directly responsible for and has the final authority
as to the operation of that aircraft."
B, "In an in-flight emergency requiring immediate action,
the pilot-in-command may deviate from any rule of this part
to the extent required to meet that emergency."
Last, paragraph C,
"Each pilot-in-command who deviates from a rule under paragraph B,"
using paragraph B we just spoke about,
"of this section shall, upon the request of the administrator,"
that's the FAA,
"send a written report of that deviation to the administrator."
Again, that's the FAA.
So, what is it saying?
B and C are very similar.
Paragraph A is saying, "The pilot-in-command of an aircraft
is directly responsible for and has the final authority
as to the operation of that aircraft."
"Hey, I don't really like the way the weather looks today.
So, we're not going to go."
That's my authority.
It's also my responsibility.
"Hey, I know we're friends and everything, but you're clearly hungover, man.
I'm not taking you flying when you're in this condition.
That's not smart."
That's my pilot-in-command responsibility.
Do you see it there?
You can see, that is the power, that's the authority,
that's the responsibility that I have.
It then takes a step further.
B, "In an in-flight emergency requiring immediate action,
the pilot-in-command may deviate from any rule,"
from any rule of this part, Part 91,
"may deviate from any rule of this part to the extent required
to meet that emergency."
Any rule, okay?
Careless or Reckless Operation,
"Aircraft operations for the purpose of air navigation.
No person may operate an aircraft in a careless or reckless manner
as to endanger life or property of another."
But, 91.3 paragraph B says, "I have an in-flight emergency.
I need to land in this farmer's field.
Whereas, if it wasn't an emergency,
landing in some farmer's field unapproved is careless and reckless operation.
91.3 allows me to supersede that.
I have that power.
I have that authority."
Paragraph C of 91.3 says, "Upon request,
I need to send information to the administrator."
Say it with me, that is the FAA.
Alright, so do you follow me with these sort of things?
Again, 91.113s are right-of-way rules.
But, if I have an emergency and there's someone else in front of me,
I have the power, I need to let them know,
if able, I'm cutting them off because I have an emergency.
Yes, I violated right-of-way rules, but I did so under the context
of my pilot-in-command responsibility and authority.
Does that make sense?
This is not to be abused, by the way.
This is in an in-flight emergency.
There will be, perhaps, some paperwork to handle after this.
You need to be ready for such, with all of that.
Let's look through some more questions here.
What's this one?
Operations in Class B Airspace.
We may not even sure we're familiar with that.
VFR flight plan.
Here's a good one.
Tell me a little bit about, in your own words, special VFR.
Special VFR.
What is special VFR?
When would you use special VFR?
I can tell you manned avia--
I can't say manned aviation.
In a fixed-wing aviation, I have used special VFR just once.
In rotorcraft and helicopters, I've used special VFR.
Maybe, a handful, sometimes.
It's a little more common in helicopter-flying.
But, again, in a helicopter,
I can slow that thing down to a crawl of things,
if visibility is not what I like.
And, airplanes must keep moving forward.
Special VFR, alright.
So, first, to understand the special VFR, we need to understand 91.155,
which is basic VFR weather minimums, which is our "3152,"
3 statute miles of visibility, 1,000 feet above the clouds,
500 feet below the clouds, 2,000 feet horizontally from the clouds.
That's what I need to maintain for my VFR, in most types of airspace.
We, then, get into special VFR.
And, special VFR allows me to operate outside of those parameters,
outside those limitations.
The AIM says--
I'm sorry, the FAR says,
"Except as provided in appendix D, section three, of this part,
special VFR operations may be conducted under the weather minimums
and requirements of this section," 91.155,
"instead of those contained in,"
there we go, "91.155, below 10,000 feet MSL within the airspace contained
by the upward extension of the lateral boundaries
of the controlled airspace designated to the service of an airport.
Special VFR operations may only be conducted,
one, with ATC clearance;
two, clear of clouds;
three, except for helicopters,
when visibility is at least 1 statute miles."
This is interesting here.
Did you know this one?
"Except for helicopters between sunrise and sunset,
or, in Alaska, when the sun is 6 degrees or more below the horizon."
Alaskans, I hope you're listening there.
"The person being granted the ATC clearance meets
the applicable requirements for instrument flight under this chapter,
under Part 61.
The aircraft is equipped as required in Part 91.205, paragraph D."
So, we need to go 91.205.
What's 91.205, by the way?
91.205s are Required Day Instruments.
91.205 D is Instrument Flight Rules.
So, 91.205 D, the aircraft is equipped as required.
So, the aircraft must be equipped for IFR flight or minimum required.
91.205 is our minimum requirements for that.
"No person may take off or land other than a helicopter under special VFR,
unless the ground visibility is at least 1 statute mile.
If ground visibility is not reported,
unless flight visibility is at least 1 statute mile
for the procedures of this paragraph, the term, "flight visibility,"
includes the visibility from the cockpit of an aircraft in takeoff position,"
just so we have that.
It goes on, what if I can't get a weather report, all this sort of things.
I'm telling you, special VFR,
obviously, you need to know about it.
I'm telling you, in all my flying, I've only had to use it once.
And, it was because smoke, actually.
I was on, probably, a mile, 2 mile final,
there was a forest fire and the wind was blowing the smoke,
and it had covered the tower and about half the airport.
But, the chunk that I was landing on was still perfect, gorgeous VFR.
The field went IFR, and they said, I was in 5-1-2-Romeo,
"5-1-2-Romeo, what do you want to do?"
I said, "I can see the runway.
Can I do a special, please?"
Then, they gave me a special VFR to land.
And, I landed, literally,
about the midpoint of the runway was going under the smoke after that.
And, again, half the field was IFR.
Half the field was gorgeous VFR
because of this smoke cloud that was working its way over the field.
So, that's the only time in fixed-wing aircraft.
So, MZeroA Nation, I know I rambled a bit there.
I apologize for that.
But, hopefully, some good nuggets of wisdom come out of there.
We're going to be doing more and more mock checkrides.
Our big Zoom public webinar is going to be an open mock checkride
at the end of this month.
I'm going to unmute a few of you.
I'm going to ask you the questions.
If you get that answer right,
well, we'll send you something.
I don't know what the gift is going to be just yet.
The MZeroA team will be working on that, to see what we can send you there.
But, I just want to thank you.
Thank you for making this one of the most listened-to
all-time podcast in the iTunes' aviation category.
You all are just such an outstanding blessing to us.
If there is anything,
anything at all we can do today, tomorrow, whenever that may be,
this year, next year, it doesn't matter,
if it's making you a safer, smarter pilot, we are all about that investment.
So, let us know.
Have an amazing rest of your day.
And most importantly, remember,
that a good pilot is always learning.
Have a great day, everyone. We'll see you.