Checkride#5
 Passed my checkride after 115 hours, one year in process.
Here is what I learned...
....It is of no use comparing your time to anyone else's. I did probably double the time I expected. But it was what time was necessary for me to learn what I needed to learn. Everybody - EVERYBODY - learns at his or her own rate, and it doesn't mean anything one way or the other whether one learns quickly or slowly as long as one learns.

....Patience is a necessary tool because nothing happens when it is expected, due to weather, due to CFIs, due to mechanics and a hundred other factors. I learned, after bunches of delays with getting to my solo, delays getting to my checkride, and delays which split my checkride into two separate sessions, that you can't fret over delays. In fact, the lesson in patience may save my life one day rather than try to rush into the air when weather or mechanics would dictate otherwise.

....Humility. Although I am a respected professional in my business, it is a humbling experience being a rank junior all over again, willing to learn from someone who is much younger than myself, and respecting his talents. I am humbled by the knowledge that I don't know what I don't know. Fortunately, I have years of flying to find out.

....Fear is a good thing. It shows me where there are gaps in my knowledge and drives me to continue to train and learn. Although I would love to fly as "easily" as my CFI, I hope I never become so complacent nor cocky as to think that the plane can't get ahead of me. Finally, I learned how important a support group of other student pilots is - as a collective mind and a virtual hug or pat on the back when needed. Thank you to all the participants of this news group. Particularly to Gene W. (http://) whose writings have been every bit as valuable as my books. I'll continue to stay with this group because I know my student days have really just begun. Blue Skies, especially to all the new students. 
Dan Katz, PP-SEL as of today!

Checkride #6
As promised, here's the story. I'll try to keep it brief.
The DE and I met on Thursday and completed the oral. It lasted about 2 hours and there were no surprises. He and I are about the same age (45) and were able to talk easily and found that we share some political and ideological views so that helped loosen things up a bit. However, I must say, he was a master at making conversation and picking my brain at the same time. He is very good at what he does! We covered everything you'd expect and spent a good deal of time on airspace in particular.

He seemed especially pleased that I had come prepared and that my flight plan and w/b were neat. We didn't get to do the practical part of the test that day because of the winds so I went home glad to have gotten the oral finished.

Saturday morning I got a call from the DE's wife who does all his scheduling that we could finish the test at 12:30! I was still lounging around in my jammies drinking coffee! Anyway, I managed to finagle the airplane for the afternoon, got a quick shower and ran out the door. Flew from my home field (DVO) to STS for the flight...no time to even get nervous. I won't recount every detail, except to say we covered everything in the PTS and he was fair and very professional. I did well with most everything, but power-on stalls (which have never been my favorite thing anyway) were only marginal and he told me so. He said they were passable, but recommended that I practice them a little more to "polish up" a bit.

My short and soft field landings were ok, but not my best so on the way back to STS he said he wanted "just a normal landing...and show me some finesse". So I did a smooth touchdown and he seemed happy.

When we got back to the parking area I shut down the airplane and he said Congratulations, you passed and then signed and handed me my certificate there in the airplane. He also gave me an 8x10 certificate to have framed for my home which is very nice.

Like I said...it was a great day. It sure felt good flying back to DVO with that little white piece of paper in my flight bag :)

Checkride #7
It rained relentlessly all weekend; no last-minute practice flying, though we did three hard hours of ground study. Today dawned clear and cool, perfect. By ten I was too nervous to stay home, so I hauled the books, flight bag and papers off to the airport. Wound up in a computer testing room, as every other surface was already covered with other students' paperwork. Turns out there were FOUR checkrides scheduled today! The examiner got there early, while I was in the throes of last-minute brain-freeze about weight & balance and fuel consumption calculations. He went off to visit buddies at the airport, I finished and did the preflight mostly to wear off the willies.

This same examiner flunked a guy last week on an airspace question, so we'd drilled that. The instructor asked if he could sit in, and (to my surprise) was allowed. I'd done the cross-country as four separate flight plans, to allow for a long stop for fuel on the way there and back again. It was clear to International Falls, and he didn't seem to mind seeing it broken into segments.

Glad I've seen people comment on how the examiner seems to skim over so much stuff: he only looked carefully enough to ensure my numbers were right, then did fifteen minutes on how I really KNEW how much fuel the plane burns per hour. "Are these calculations based on leaning it out above 3000 feet? Then how can they be good even if you think you're using a conservative estimate? Do you use exactly the same technique to lean it as they describe?"

The dreaded trick question: you're 20 miles from the final destination, and call for weather. (We did quite a bit on who you can contact from out there in the boondocks, and whether MSP Control can hear you even if they ARE the authority in that region) You're told the ceiling's 6000 but visibility is only 2 miles because of smoke. (There have been hundreds of wildfires this spring, and the Forest Service is preparing for forest fires because of a massive tornado that downed millions of trees in the northern forests.)

Bottom line: you're already out of Class E visibility. He let me sweat a while, then nudged me into realizing I could descend to 1200 feet and be in Class G…until the airport, which is E to the ground. Before our cram sessions, I would have failed to realize that not being a student any more; I could request Special VFR clearance to land there. That answer got me past that deadly spot.

Can you take cold pills, if they DON'T have warnings about drowsiness and operating machinery? (Have I mentioned how valuable all the discussion in this newsgroup has proven?) WHY do you use 2300 RPM as cruising speed?

With the instructor looking calm across the table, I was nearly speechless a couple times fighting the desire to say "I'd like to call a friend on that one."

He didn't say I'd flunked the oral, so we went to the plane. After I'd moved my seat way up, it suddenly slid back…and I'd swear he hit the latch. As a Short Person, I always check the seat lock first thing. But I humbly agreed with his lecture about making sure it's locked in position. Talking, I missed both the first checkpoints but calmly noted it about two minutes late each time and logged the time, comparing it with my plan. That was the right thing to do: "so your fuel-burn figures are good?" Yes.

We diverted to a small airport until I could swear I saw it, then did steep turns after adding clearing turns he didn't suggest, and making sure we were high enough, something he's nailed other people on. Slow flight was next ("why do you lose airspeed on turns?" Horizontal component of lift, whew) and right into a power-off stall with a decent recovery but enough nose-down to make him almost grab for it. I never stop at a mere "imminent." Then we did my very first ever-turning stall. I didn't tell him I'd never done one before. Didn't seem wise.

Altitude wandered badly while we cruised, but I kept it good for a few minutes of hood work and then headed to Anoka to drop him off. After a power-off landing and a couple plain ones, he noted my crosswind landings still need work, then patted my head and smiled for the first time: "but I'll pass you."

Checkride # 8
Finally had the checkride yesterday. Typical summer California weather, low clouds in the morning burning off. Really hectic day. My wife just became a citizen and had the swearing in ceremony in the morning. Had to go meet instructor for last minute logging of ground instruction. Then celebration lunch. Then over to the field to finish XC planning, landing and TO performance, W&B, final DUATS printout. Still in the process when DE walks in, 40 minutes early. I keep on working. Finally get done and we begin.

Start with the paperwork. ID, give my passport, if passport need another ID, try AOPA card, nope, needs picture, try expired driver's license (current was was stolen with flight bag when car broken into), no good not current address, maybe a gas bill, garbage, etc., nope, all at home, how about FBO file, try with copy of current DL, OK, good. Current medical, and logbook, dual time, solo, solo XC, long XC, night dual, sim inst, yadda, yadda, all OK (124 total, I'm over on EVERYTHING). Completed form 8710 (or whatever) OOPS, had left times blank to fill in after Monday's flight, furiously add up times while he goes for aircraft logs, looking completely disorganized in the process (it was at the top of my checklist too, bad boy, smack!). Sign and date. Asks about validity of my medical. OK.

Logbooks. Do AV1ATE. He asks me about the currency for the ELT inspection, not the battery. Don't know. Say I'll look up and he lets me, points out the relevant FAR. I find, one year. Goes into spiel about the usefulness of ADs as to keep in mind the possible failure modes of an aircraft one not familiar with. OK. Asks about documents on aircraft, recite AROW, fine. Asks about what I need. OK. We go on to cover power plant, effects of turning off master on same (i.e. nothing), vacuum driven instruments, flaps, flap failures (tells me to put back lever if no effect, in case it gets unstuck), V speeds.

On to physiological factors, hypoxia, hyper-ventilation, IMSAFE. No problems. Let's see XC flight plan. OK. Look on sectional. Trace out route. Investigate airs paces, visibility, cloud clearances, confuse E and G below 1200AGL but straighten it out. Asks about requirements to enter and operate in class C and B. Goof on that one. Said that I needed to talk to SFO Tower to enter SF class Bravo, correct is Norcal Approach, I though that the delimiter was the Class B itself, Tower inside, Approach outside. Not so. Learning already. Move to some Class E with 700AGL floor, Restricted, and what's this? Third goof. A-862 I think. Find in the legend and ident hours of operation, but not the type. Controlling agency is NO A/G (whatever that is) so no help. Worse, I'd gone through it on my long XC, so no excuses. He finally points out that it specifies ALERT in the heading. Doh!

Looks at performance and W&B numbers. Asks where the basic numbers were obtained, I answer from the W&B report in the plane, he looks happy at this. We look at the DUATS printout. Looks pretty good and improving, but an AIRMET for light to moderate turbulence in our whole area. He explains that at this point the practical has not started and that we can discontinue, or if we run into non-predicted adverse weather, but if there is known weather and it affects the flight it is a disapproval (don't know if it's a canned speech but it set alarm bells ringing in my head), I said that I would talk to briefer and let him know. Dial up FSS and tell the briefer that I'm going on checkride so to take no chances. Looks clearer than the printed, but still turbulence, decide to go. Tell DE and he says to go out and preflight, I'm surprised he didn't want to watch.

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