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Feb. 16, 2025 - Air Force One flew right over my daughter’s friends house on the way to KDAB.
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I’ve had this poster since I was a tiny child, is it a 747 cockpit?
https://redd.it/1o2pcah
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https://redd.it/1o2pcah
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SwissAir A350-900 departing from Toulouse on its delivery flight performs a wing wave
https://redd.it/1o2wdcb
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https://redd.it/1o2wdcb
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Tips to (hopefully) NOT fail your checkride
After watching the Eagles lose I need something else to put my mind on so here we go. I'm finishing up my CFI initial about 1800 hours late in the game (kids will soon be old enough to somewhat learn so it's about time) and these are some pointers I've garnered over the years. Feel free to throw in your opinions and/or experiences, my goal is to help out as many checkride-bound students as possible here.
1. For the love of God, do not take your checkride at an unfamiliar airport without some solid prep.
If you're paying DPE Douchebag your mortgage payment to give you a driver's test, you should do a little more legwork to avoid heartbreak. Go spend those last three hours of prep there (if not more) at your checkride airport to familiarize yourself with the area if you can. And even if you can't, you should still pull up the AFD, study the taxiway/runway layout, check out the satellite view, and even pull the field up on a flight sim to really get a feel for what to expect visually. If you usually train at a towered/untowered airport and your checkride airport is the opposite, practice your calls religiously to avoid any hiccups in the air. And for all things holy don't get ramp checked... but if you do, you know the drill.
2. You aren't going to learn anything new the night prior, so don't waste your time.
Wanna review topics you already know? Go for it. But if you're just learning about the TCDS on five hours of sleep, it ain't gonna work out too well for ya. Eat decent meals, stop overthinking, and get some rest. And I know it's hard to do any of that the night prior so at a minimum just lay there in silence, no flipping through your study material, no watching videos from your favorite Youtube CFI, just get some rest. Jason Schappert WILL talk to you in your dreams, so worry not.
3. SHUT THE FUCK UP.
There's a classic Youtube video called "Don't Talk to the Police" which I highly suggest you watch not just to prep for your checkride but for your own sake too. Unfortunately, you can't plead the fifth and demand a lawyer when your DPE starts the questions, but you do yourself ZERO favors by answering with a single word more than necessary. The DPE simply wants a response that's good enough to check the box as per the ACS- there are no cookies, no bonus points, no promises of compensation of any kind for rambling on. The only reward you'll get is a barrage of follow up questions because you slipped up while elaborating. Answer simply but concisely and move on.
4. Ask the DPE how they want THEIR checkride flown.
No you aren't evaluating the DPE, but you should ask them directly how they want things done once you make it to the flying portion. Do they want to watch you preflight? Do they want simulated or actual maximum breaking on your short field landing? Do they want in-flight refreshments... or perhaps some weed? Confirm with your DPE how they want tasks performed before you perform them to leave absolutely zero doubt as to what you are doing. Don't be another horror story of failing because of some BS nitpick that could have been prevented with a quick "Hey Sir/Ma'am".
5. Do not doubt yourself, but do not push your limits.
Answer the questions confidently and fly as best you can. You may feel flustered, you may feel nervous, and that is totally okay. Millions have been where you are and more will follow. However, if your anxiety is crippling your ability to perform, the DPE's behavior is throwing you way off, the weather is creeping close to your personal minimums, whatever the case may be- pull the plug and come back later. Do not be pressured by anyone into believing that you should never use the discontinuation card. Avoid overthinking your way out of a checkride, but trust your gut- don't fail because of your ego.
Again, these are just drunk late night ramblings but I hope someone out there finds something useful from this. No student, CFI, DPE, or checkride is perfect but you can do your part to get pretty damn close.
After watching the Eagles lose I need something else to put my mind on so here we go. I'm finishing up my CFI initial about 1800 hours late in the game (kids will soon be old enough to somewhat learn so it's about time) and these are some pointers I've garnered over the years. Feel free to throw in your opinions and/or experiences, my goal is to help out as many checkride-bound students as possible here.
1. For the love of God, do not take your checkride at an unfamiliar airport without some solid prep.
If you're paying DPE Douchebag your mortgage payment to give you a driver's test, you should do a little more legwork to avoid heartbreak. Go spend those last three hours of prep there (if not more) at your checkride airport to familiarize yourself with the area if you can. And even if you can't, you should still pull up the AFD, study the taxiway/runway layout, check out the satellite view, and even pull the field up on a flight sim to really get a feel for what to expect visually. If you usually train at a towered/untowered airport and your checkride airport is the opposite, practice your calls religiously to avoid any hiccups in the air. And for all things holy don't get ramp checked... but if you do, you know the drill.
2. You aren't going to learn anything new the night prior, so don't waste your time.
Wanna review topics you already know? Go for it. But if you're just learning about the TCDS on five hours of sleep, it ain't gonna work out too well for ya. Eat decent meals, stop overthinking, and get some rest. And I know it's hard to do any of that the night prior so at a minimum just lay there in silence, no flipping through your study material, no watching videos from your favorite Youtube CFI, just get some rest. Jason Schappert WILL talk to you in your dreams, so worry not.
3. SHUT THE FUCK UP.
There's a classic Youtube video called "Don't Talk to the Police" which I highly suggest you watch not just to prep for your checkride but for your own sake too. Unfortunately, you can't plead the fifth and demand a lawyer when your DPE starts the questions, but you do yourself ZERO favors by answering with a single word more than necessary. The DPE simply wants a response that's good enough to check the box as per the ACS- there are no cookies, no bonus points, no promises of compensation of any kind for rambling on. The only reward you'll get is a barrage of follow up questions because you slipped up while elaborating. Answer simply but concisely and move on.
4. Ask the DPE how they want THEIR checkride flown.
No you aren't evaluating the DPE, but you should ask them directly how they want things done once you make it to the flying portion. Do they want to watch you preflight? Do they want simulated or actual maximum breaking on your short field landing? Do they want in-flight refreshments... or perhaps some weed? Confirm with your DPE how they want tasks performed before you perform them to leave absolutely zero doubt as to what you are doing. Don't be another horror story of failing because of some BS nitpick that could have been prevented with a quick "Hey Sir/Ma'am".
5. Do not doubt yourself, but do not push your limits.
Answer the questions confidently and fly as best you can. You may feel flustered, you may feel nervous, and that is totally okay. Millions have been where you are and more will follow. However, if your anxiety is crippling your ability to perform, the DPE's behavior is throwing you way off, the weather is creeping close to your personal minimums, whatever the case may be- pull the plug and come back later. Do not be pressured by anyone into believing that you should never use the discontinuation card. Avoid overthinking your way out of a checkride, but trust your gut- don't fail because of your ego.
Again, these are just drunk late night ramblings but I hope someone out there finds something useful from this. No student, CFI, DPE, or checkride is perfect but you can do your part to get pretty damn close.
Pan Am Begins Certification Process With FAA
https://airlinegeeks.com/2025/10/09/pan-am-begins-certification-process-with-faa/
I'm curious what the community thinks about this. It seems potentially exciting. I know the airline industry is a tough industry to make a profit in because so much of the costs are fixed and hinge on what percentage of seats they can consistently fill up (versus some industries that have some overhead but the rest is cost of goods sold or cost of raw materials, etc).
Anyway, the article says an aviation merchant bank and consulting firm has completed a comprehensive business plan to relaunch Pan Am with a fleet of Airbus aircraft and is applying to be reestablished as a Part 121 scheduled carrier.
https://redd.it/1o2tijn
@r_aviation
https://airlinegeeks.com/2025/10/09/pan-am-begins-certification-process-with-faa/
I'm curious what the community thinks about this. It seems potentially exciting. I know the airline industry is a tough industry to make a profit in because so much of the costs are fixed and hinge on what percentage of seats they can consistently fill up (versus some industries that have some overhead but the rest is cost of goods sold or cost of raw materials, etc).
Anyway, the article says an aviation merchant bank and consulting firm has completed a comprehensive business plan to relaunch Pan Am with a fleet of Airbus aircraft and is applying to be reestablished as a Part 121 scheduled carrier.
https://redd.it/1o2tijn
@r_aviation
AirlineGeeks.com
Pan Am Begins Certification Process With FAA
Plans call for a revived Pan Am to operate a fleet of Airbus aircraft.
Cirrus Reliability
I just realized a huge childhood dream and bought my first plane. I picked up my brand new Cirrus SR20 in Knoxville on Sept 8 and flew it back to California. Since that time the plane has been grounded continuously. The battery won't hold a charge, they now think it's the starter. Since this is my first plane I wonder if a group like this could give me an opinion of how normal this is? I'm exceedingly concerned I got a lemon. I thought Cirrus was known for more reliability.
https://redd.it/1o32a05
@r_aviation
I just realized a huge childhood dream and bought my first plane. I picked up my brand new Cirrus SR20 in Knoxville on Sept 8 and flew it back to California. Since that time the plane has been grounded continuously. The battery won't hold a charge, they now think it's the starter. Since this is my first plane I wonder if a group like this could give me an opinion of how normal this is? I'm exceedingly concerned I got a lemon. I thought Cirrus was known for more reliability.
https://redd.it/1o32a05
@r_aviation
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KCM sucks
What even is the point in trying anymore? I’ve been randomed more than I have succeeded in getting through. This program doesn’t feel beneficial anymore other than slightly faster security times if you do end up getting randomed.
https://redd.it/1o34p6k
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What even is the point in trying anymore? I’ve been randomed more than I have succeeded in getting through. This program doesn’t feel beneficial anymore other than slightly faster security times if you do end up getting randomed.
https://redd.it/1o34p6k
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