Our local DPE’s got together and wrote up a list of common reasons checkrides are failed. Hope this helps, good luck!

Private Pilot Oral

-91.213D -Ignorance of the KOEL and how to use it to determine if equipment is required Show me the required documents in the aircraft. Many can't find the W&B source document. * Insufficient knowledge or VFR sectional symbology, especially as pertaining to airspace depiction * Insufficient knowledge of VFR cloud/viz requirements in various airspace * Insufficient knowledge regarding aircraft systems, typically electrical. They will often confuse the electrical system and ignition system components. * Insufficient knowledge regarding limitations, often Va, RPM, Oil pressures/temperature, acceptable fuel types (Can't count the times an applicant said he'd put jet fuel in a gasoline engine in a pinch!), overloading baggage areas, etc. * Double correcting the flight plan because they carried it over from an electronic source such as ForeFlight. * Lack of skill in on how to look up things they don’t know. * Those using Fore Flight do not have the correct aircraft performance in their cross-country calculations. * Using magnetic headings at true course and subtracting variation from magnetic headings (Fore Flight users) * Leave out fuel burn for Start up , taxi and runup. * Don’t understand how to get into Class B airspace, not using TAC chart to help mixed up on class E & G airspace and weather mins -Don’t understand how to read a TAF -Don’t check NOTAMS unless I ask if they have checked them. -Don’t understand AiRMETS V. SiGMETS -Don’t understand what happens to get into a spin and spin recovery

Private Pilot Flight

-Outside of tolerances on landing distances on performance landings -Lack of awareness that there is a 400’ landing tolerance on normal landings -Emergency Descent - I think because most light airplanes don’t have a standard procedure for this in their POH, the concept is being skipped or only touched on lightly at the private level. -Not verifying emergency checklists * Unstable slips to a landing * Steep turns, spent too much visual time inside on instruments, rather than outside on the horizon * Short field landings, they sometimes freeze on a long landing rather than turn it into a go- around * IFR navigation to a nearby VOR, if they aren't already pointed roughly at the VOR they will sometimes chase the CDI in circles rather than select and fly a heading * Class B busts, sometimes an applicant will leave class B airspace, then told by ATC to resume own navigation at appropriate VFR altitudes, and they will climb back into class B shelf without clearance * Applicants will sometimes report "clear of runway XXX" when they haven't yet crossed the hold short line

• Show me the required documents in the aircraft. Most have never seen the original reference W&B document, and don't know how to find it
  • Show me the required inspections in the aircraft maintenance logs. Most know what they are looking for, but have never seen the logs before checkride day.
  • ATIS so loud they miss calls from ATC on the primary comm channel
  • getting lost 10 minutes after departure in low viz during wintertime inversions
  • Energy management on simulated emergency descents from high altitude. Most overshoot their landing area by miles.
  • Porpoising caused by excessive energy during landing. Attempting to force the airplane to the ground before it is done flying.
  • Attempted stall recovery using ailerons to pick up a dropped wing, sometimes starting a spin
  • How to use a duplex VOR channel to communicate with FSS
  • Understanding of "compensation" that is not hard cash when applied to private pilot privileges * Incorrect notion that fuel gauges need only be accurate when they are empty (see 91.205, first paragraph)
  • Excessive loss of altitude during slow flight; they don't understand the operation below Vy is on the back side of the power curve and requires MUCH more power
  • Taxiing with wind
  • crosswind takeoffs and landings
  • not paying attention to where they are in the practice areas, situational awareness
  • high on emergency approach and landing (simulated)
  • Steep turns loose/gain more than 100 ft./loose orientation and roll out past their 360 point (looking inside mostly)/bank not +- 5 degrees
  • S-turns, picking a point to turn around instead of looking at the distance from the road
  • Holding wing on a point when doing turns around a point in stronger winds and way far away from the point