The FAA are out of their mind......

So there I was a few days ago, hanging out at the FBO where my school is.

I run into this little bloke who has an interest in aviation.

Nosey bugger, starts asking me all these questions, on and on he goes...finally he says

"I need a ride to airport XXXX, can you help" ??.

I just happened to have been at the FBO couple of hours before, had the plane fueled, done the preflight and even had the destination planned

Interesting guy, he had all these instructions and requests about going here and there, doing this and that, I thought he was very critical for a bloke that was just sitting back and writing stuff down.

Told me he had heard about these different maneuvers, slow flight, steep turns, power on, power off stalls, and could I show him some......sure thing

He had me take him over to Camarillo and do 3 or 4 different landings, then asked if I had ever been over to Santa Paula ? "once" I told him.

He had me take him over there, crazy place, but he was obviously was very familiar with KSZP, as he knew were he was, the pattern entry and all that good stuff ( KSZP in very unique)

After we landed he had me taxi off the active and shut down...

He got out and asked if I could get back to Van Nuys on my own...Sure I said, to which he reached out his hand to shake mine and said "congratulations Pilot"

So that was my check ride.....to think that I'm now qualified to fly an airplane, makes me think there is something wrong with the system...

I thought I did absolutely crap, it was a bit bumpy in socal, during the ride, but nothing crazy.

As is always the case the things you think you have down, you mess up when tested, and the stuff you think you don't know and will blow it, you don't ,apparently I did just fine.

On steep turns, for some reason in the G1000 plane I struggle staying within PTS on altitude, but he didn't even have me do full 360's and I was bang on...the tape didn't even move... hit my own wake in both directions.

As for the power on stalls......that's a totally different story....I have never had a problem with them since the first one I did, in fact I enjoy them, but I screwed the pooch on this, I couldn't get coordinated to safe my life...we lived, and he didn't have to grab the controls, but I knew I F..ed up...DPE covered the PFD and said give me a power on stall...............perfect was his next comment. Go figure, pressure ??

Unusual attitude recoveries under the hood, something I'm not totally sure about, he said were some of the best he's ever seen ...go figure...

I didn't think my landings where great.

We did a short field landing, touch and straight into a soft field take off.

Then a no flap landing, then a normal landing that tower requested if we would do a short approach which turned into a "show me a side slip", worked out ok I guess as all wheels are still on the wagon.

Then off to Santa Paula, which is a world unto its own...people that fly from there don't like pilots that are not from there, and the rest of the world think the locals on that airport are crazy.

The DPE gave me a few pointers, and for sure I learned a lot on the ride.

After all that he tells me, " oh the test was over 30 minutes ago, I just needed a ride over here for a commercial check ride"


Getting ready to go back to VNY, I have never check the same thing so many times over and over, but i did just to reassure myself.. I knew I had enough fuel and oil but dipped it 3 times anyway..
I did a short field take off and departure, no worries, on departure I finally got on the right SoCal approach frequency to get traffic advisories into Van Nuys, they acted like I knew what I was doing....

VNY told me to make best speed and go straight for the numbers...mmmmm no big deal right ?
I got down and over the numbers ok....thought I was floating bit so did a go around, reported down wind abeam and came back in.....not my best by a long shot but here to tell the tail...told the tower thanks for the help, that was my first landing as a private pilot.....I got a congratulations great job.....

I taxi back to my school and they ask what I did with the DPE....LOL

 

Congrats! Amazing achievement! I guess you now have a 'license to learn'! Stay safe and enjoy.

 

Awesome brother...so happy for you. Enjoy it!


"It's always better to get there late than never at all." -a little something I try to remember whenever I'm feeling rushed.

 

Congratulations!

 

Well done!!!!!! Welcome to the club. Enjoy the feeling. It never really goes away....

 

You had me going for a minute. I'm thinking you already had your ticket and with less than a month as a newly minted PP you were caught in a FAA sting operation. Apparently you out-smarted them.

Congrats! It is a few moments of your life you will never forget.

 

Congratulations!

 

Way to go! Congratulations. I'll call you next time in LA.

 

Congrats!

(BTW - The FAA should have busted you for giving a ride to a "passenger" as a student, lucky for you he turned out to be a DPE. Sneaky bastard! )

 

Congratulations on your checkride. Almost sounds like a no-notice.

 

Congratulations....sounds like he ran you pretty hard.

Dogdish

 

So...

Did he chip in for fuel?

Congrats.

 

You know what's funny, is I pasted the exact same story on a couple of aviation forums and am getting raped over the coals for giving a passenger a ride, while not qualified, etc etc....sarcasm is just lost on some people I guess

Not only did he not chip in for fuel, I had to pay him for the privilege of giving him a ride

 

Congrats. DPE sounds like Mark Boss.

 

Awesome! Congrats! Time for that $100 burger!!

 

Congratulations.

It took me a while for it to sink in when I passed my PPL checkride that I had "officially become a pilot".

I was so excited ... ... I bought an airplane!
.

 

Congratulations! One of the best feelings there is. It's been said before, but remember, it's a license to learn.....

 

Very happy for you D - I know you've put a ton of time, effort and thought into this. Hopefully the skies are always friendly to you.

>8^)
ER

 

Thanks guys.

Now just got to figure out where to go and with who.....cant wait

 

Congrats, now time for your IFR Ticket

 

Congrats!

 

Congrats!

It's unusual for an examiner to give comments, you had a good one. Relax (a little) and have fun. And never fly with someone braver than you!

 

Interesting advice. Agree with it in most cases.
The worst is going up with someone who doesn't think the rules apply to them.
You run into these pilots every once in a while.
They like to bend your ear about their flying "adventures".
.

 

Congrats! You will never forget the day you get your Private Pilots license.

So you are a Ferrari Tech....and fly out of Van Nuys......I smell a bribe coming on. PM me, I always get last minute calls to reposition our Gulfstreams around So-Cal.

 

I wouldn't pass that up.....