Cross Country Destination: Your destination will be assigned when you schedule your test. 

​

Examiner Weight: 165 Pounds

​

Baggage Weight: 10 pounds, plus whatever you normally keep in the airplane.

​

Test Fee: Please refer to the Rates page for current test fee information.

​

Scheduling and Weather Policy: Please refer to the Scheduling page for details.

​

Required Endorsements:

Please refer to the current edition of advisory circular 61-65.  At the time of writing, 61-65H is current.  You will need the following endorsements in order to take your Instrument Airplane practical test.  Please have your instructor review your logbook to ensure that these endorsements are complete and current.  Missing endorsements may prevent your test from being completed on schedule.  Other endorsements may apply, but at the minimum we will need the following:

​

-A.1 Prerequisites for Practical Test (61.39)

​

-A.2 Review of deficiencies on Knowledge Test (61.39)

​

-A.38 Aeronautical Knowledge Test (61.35 A1 and 61.65A & B)

​

-A.39 Flight proficiency and practical test (61.65 A6)

​

-A.65 Completion of a flight review (61.56) (Yes, you need a current flight review in order to take this test.  If you have a previous checkride you're using to meet 61.56, bring that logbook with you so I can verify it, please.)

​

-A.73 Retesting after failure of a practical or knowledge test (61.49) (NOTE: Only required for a retest)

​

Required Documents:

Please ensure that you have ALL of the following documents, in addition to the required endorsements listed above.  If you're missing documents or paperwork, I won't be able to conduct your test and we'll need to reschedule for another day.  That's not fun for anyone.

​

-Completed application in IACRA

​

-Please have your IACRA login credentials readily accessible.

​

-Paper copy of the 8710-1 printed from IACRA after CFI signature.  (Please use the "View/Print PDF" button, not the "Print" button)

​

-Knowledge test results

​

-Pilot logbook with all pages totaled

​

-Record of ground instruction received (This is missing all the time.  I can't do the test without it.  You're paying your CFI to give you ground training, make them log it for you!)

​

-Government issued photo Identification.  Passport, US driver's license, Military ID, etc.  Foreign Driver Licenses are not acceptable.

​

-Valid, unexpired medical certificate (Third Class or higher) OR Basicmed

​

-Pilot certificate

​

-All aircraft documentation (ARROW, as applicable)

​

-All aircraft maintenance records (AV1ATES, as applicable. Please confirm any pertinent AD compliance!)

​

-Completed cross-country navlog, with supporting documentation (charts, weather briefing information, performance data, etc)

​

Test Advice:

-Go through the maintenance records well in advance of the test date. Verify that all the inspections are up to date, ESPECIALLY the airworthiness directives. Remember, 91.7 says that it is your responsibility as PIC to make sure the airplane is airworthy. While it is the owner's responsibility to keep it airworthy under 91.405, it is your job to make sure the owner is doing their job. Please review 91.417 carefully.  AD Compliance is a consistent issue. If they are not documented correctly, I can not and will not fly your airplane, which means your test is cancelled.  Blanket statements such as "All AD's are current" are not acceptable.  The FAA is very clear about the requirements. For further detail, you can read the Easter-Precision Letter.  Remember that recurring AD's need to have their next due date listed too.  This has been enough of an issue recently that I have adopted a no-show policy, and I will probably charge you a cancellation fee if your test can't be conducted as a result of information that, in reality, is part of the test.

​

-Read the manual for your airplane, especially the systems section. Read the supplements and pilot guides for the avionics installed in your airplane.  80% of all the failures that happen on instrument checkrides can be boiled down to systems knowledge.  You need to have a solid understanding of what your avionics are doing, and what buttons to push to make it do what you want.  One of the most common failure items on this test is a Hold As Published at the IAF.  The hold itself is simple, but if you don't understand what your system is trying to do, it's easy to make a mistake.  You really should be a systems expert before you take the airplane into the clouds.  Part of my job during this test is making sure you can respond appropriately to unexpected situations, and that involves being able to quickly and effectively handle your avionics.

​

-Read the ACS.  The whole thing.  ESPECIALLY appendix 5.  Everyone skips this section.  This describes how your test will be conducted and what the expectations are.  I'll cover this with you before starting the test, but there's a lot of details and it's better to be familiar with it up front.

​

-Electronic flight bags like Foreflight or Garmin Pilot are fine, but be sure that you're comfortable with the technology and how to use it.  You'll be tested on the tools you bring to the test.

​

-I strongly recommend getting an "official" weather briefing from Flight Service, Foreflight, or some equivalent program.  Printing METARs and TAFs from aviationweather.gov almost always leads to missing information.  As a good rule of thumb, if you didn't have to give someone your aircraft registration number in order to receive your briefing, you're probably missing information that you're going to need during the test and during your flight. 

 

-Don't forget to look at the NOTAMs.  Instrument pilots live and die by the NOTAMs.  If the minimums have changed, we need to know about that.  Missing this stuff gets people killed. 

​

-Know where to find extra information about airports, alternates, etc.  Look at the details.  It is your responsibility to know all the pertinent data about your flight.  You have non-standard alternate minimums at your alternate?  What is non-standard about them?

​

-Please dress comfortably.  There's no need to "dress to impress."  Shorts are perfectly fine.

​

-Bring a snack or some lunch.  Sometimes the test runs long, especially if we have any weather delays.  No one flies well when they're hungry.

​

-Take your time.  A lot of the mistakes I see during tests are simply the result of people rushing into things without thinking about what they're doing.  If you take an extra 10 minutes to finish the test, that's fine.  Watch the details. Use a checklist.  I see a lot of silly mistakes simply because we didn't verify that we had completed loading or briefing a procedure and now we're in the wrong mode, wrong frequency, etc.

​

-If it doesn't look right, go around.  Let me say that again: Go around.  Many accidents can be avoided simply by going around. If something is obviously wrong, descending down the approach isn't going to make it better.  Call the missed and admit the mistake. I can't promise that you'll go home happy, but you will go home alive and that's the important part.

​

-As of the May 2024 ACS update, it is now permissible to utilize only RNAV approaches for the test. However, you are expected to be proficient in all the navigation systems installed in the aircraft. If you have a VOR reciever, then you're expected to be able to fly a VOR approach. Expect that your test will include ILS, LOC, VOR approaches, DME arcs if they're nearby, and the potential for published and unpublished holding procedures using those same systems.

​

-The landings are a gradable item.  Landing from an instrument approach is a mandatory task.  I'm looking for you to execute a normal landing at the end of the approach, and that means that the landing should be on center line, at the right pitch attitude, with the proper crosswind corrections applied.  If you do a textbook perfect ILS and then crash at the bottom, it doesn't really do us much good. Make sure we land on the mains, not on the nose wheel! Nose wheel first touch downs are not satisfactory.

​

Questions?

Text me and ask!  I'm here to help.  You can try calling me too, but I do spend a lot of time in airplanes and I'm not always available to answer.  A text message is the most reliable and preferred way to reach me.  You can also take a look at some of the frequently asked questions page.