I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to announce, but…
I passed my checkride!!
I’m finally a real pilot!! After about 2 1/2 years and more money than I’d care to admit, I got my private pilot license yesterday!
Everything was originally supposed to happen Saturday, but the weather didn’t allow us to fly. For those who have no idea what I’m talking about, the final step for getting a private license (or any, for that matter) is the dreaded oral exam and checkride with a FAA Designated Pilot Examiner. “Dreaded” because many students tend to get really nervous and forget everything they’ve spent months/years learning. In fact, the examiner is just like any other instructor; he’s there to make sure you operate the plane in a safe manner, not fail you the second your altitude drops 101 feet below the assigned altitude.
So in my case, I planned a flight from our school to Easton, MD, but Saturday morning the ceiling was only around 1000’, so we chose to do the oral exam only. I knew almost all the answers; the only ones I stumbled through were the prescription drug and runway light questions.
Now I was far more nervous for the actual flight, because I tend to get distracted by the constant radio chatter or worrying about other traffic. I had a fairly rough takeoff, which I blamed on the 12-knot crosswinds, but once we got on course I got us to Easton easily. I got a little nervous because I’d never actually landed there before, but it’s an airport like any other. I even did a short-field takeoff and landing well in the windy conditions. The other flight maneuvers were the part that worried me, because my steep turns and departure stalls tend to be erratic. He let me do the stall again, telling me that it is a failure point. We headed back, and I got to show off my crosswind landing technique.
When we got out, I saw him talking to my instructor before heading into the office. When I came over my instructor told me, “don’t look so nervous, you passed! Congratulations, you’re a private pilot.” Of course, the school doesn’t stand on much ceremony there… once I was done with the examiner and paperwork, most of the instructors were with their next students. No fanfare, balloons, photos or anything. Oh well, maybe I’ll go over later and stage my own photos. Until then, I’m just enjoying the feeling.