New to Diamond

[BkFlyer]

I've found the King G1000 video course to be pretty good if you're somebody like me who won't make it through a 600 page technical manual (the course does cost $$ though, vs free manual). There are some practical pro-tips that the manual will not tell you.

[Thegoz007]

Checkride Completed

I first went to Oklahoma due to weather could not get one done in Texas. The gentleman informed me he is a 30 year FAA retired inspector. At that point I knew I had made a HUGH mistake going from Texas to Oklahoma for a checkride..

Now let us just say the oral portion lasted for 5 1/2 hours till he said I did not pass. I could not name the 4 different types of Hypoxia, along with all the symptoms, just to give you an example of questions he asked me.

Couple of weeks later I completed my checkride with a DPE from Houston. She was AWESOME... Made me feel at ease, asked me a lot of questions to which I did seem to know most if not all. After looking at my logbook she said you sure do have a lot of hours. I had about 152 hours flying with 120+ in the diamond... I told her I wanted a lot of experience with my instructor so I could be the safest pilot in the sky.... Then we went to fly....

Here is where it gets funny..
On our checkride we passed her house as she pointed it out... I stated you have a runway in your back yard.. She said yes and we talked a bit about it... Next we do slow flight, a couple of maneuvers then the Engine Failure. I said at this altitude we have about 11 minutes till we are on the ground, as I am pitching, read through checklist, then proceeded to say the following... Mrs. Grader my closet and safest landing is in your back yard. So I informed her I was landing in her back yard. I said I need to do a 180 as I was traveling upwind. I informed her that I am traveling upwind and that I am going to do a 180 and fly past her house and then land in her back yard.

I then turned downwind, prepared for landing, asked her to stuff my flight bag in the canopy so it doesn't get stuck upon landing about that time she said recover. Lets go back and do a couple of touch and goes. Got out and she said one thing is for sure you can fly this plane.
I passed and am currently working on my Instrument rating so with a long time waiting I finally passed.
Took wife on 1 flight, following week plane goes in for annual, following week I had PRK corrective surgery on eyes. I am recovering just fine. Annual as of today is completed. I am ready to fly again... Thanks for reading my

[BkFlyer]

Awesome! Congratulations! Wish I had a runway in my backyard. That's so cool.

I am shocked and appalled at a 5.5 hours oral exam. Maybe an hour at most... and that question! Besides a private pilot, I have EMT certifications in two states and can't name 4 distinct "types" of hypoxia.

[CFIDave]

Congratulations!

The longest oral exam I've ever experienced was for my flight instructor CFI-Airplane checkride: also more than 5 hours. It was so grueling and intense that the FAA safety inspector and I agreed that it made sense to postpone the flying part of the CFI checkride until the next day.

Maybe since your Oklahoma examiner was an ex-FAA safety inspector instead of a DPE, he was used to giving 5 hour oral exams.

Enjoy your "license to learn."

[jb642DA]

Congratulations David!!!