Stage Checks and checkrides: General
Like most pilots, you probably don’t like the stress of evaluation events like stage checks and checkrides and would rather not do them. After having done stage checks for over a year and worked closely with a number of Designated Pilot Examiners (DPEs), I’ve come up with some advice that should help you make evaluation events a success.
Empathize with your evaluator
The first step to succeeding in an evaluation is empathizing with your evaluator and fully understanding their job and goals. The evaluator’s job is to make sure that you’re prepared for whatever comes next, whether it’s a pre-solo stage check or an entirely new certificate. The high-level question that the evaluator needs to answer is “Am I comfortable being the last signature in this person’s logbook before they go solo/private/instrument by themselves?” Everything you do should be an effort to prove that the answer should be a resounding “yes.” If the evaluator sees something that shows a lack of readiness on your part, then it’s their job to be a gatekeeper and fail you.
Most DPEs charge a fee for a checkride and have a pre-approved plan of action that includes a set of questions or topics that they need to evaluate you on the ground portion before you go fly. This means they are essentially on a fixed-price contract, so the faster you get through all the topics successfully, the faster the DPE can get on with their day, and the happier they are.
The first-time pass rates for most FAA checkrides hovers around 80%. Using the ACS as a yardstick, the examiners deem these 80% to be good enough to get the certificate. A careful read of the Commercial ACS page A-9 reveals passages for failure criteria like “Consistently exceeding tolerances stated in the skill elements of the Task” and “Failure to take prompt corrective action when tolerances are exceeded” that gives the DPE a bit of space to use their discretion. I’d be shocked if all of the 80% really had all their toes fully in the energy box 100% of the time on their checkrides. More probably, a good chunk flirted with the edge of the box, promptly fixed it, and the examiner concluded that they’re still good enough to get the certificate. Some standards are tricky to measure: how far off centerline counts as a bust for being off centerline? 1 foot? 2 feet? 3 feet? The reality is that the DPE is constantly looking at your performance and gauging your fitness, so you want to be demonstrating good decision making throughout the entire flight. If you’re demonstrating bad decision making, the DPE might “grab the hammer” and wait for you to step out the edge of the box so they have an objective reason to swing it. When you hear people complain that they “busted because my steep turn went to +120 but the rest was all fine,” the DPE would probably tell a story that involved a lack of clearing turns, poor traffic avoidance, sloppy checklist usage, etc. They just waited for the +120 because that’s an easy and objective bust.
To sum up, here are the key takeaways in understanding your evaluator:
Most DPEs charge a fee for a checkride and have a pre-approved plan of action that includes a set of questions or topics that they need to evaluate you on the ground portion before you go fly. This means they are essentially on a fixed-price contract, so the faster you get through all the topics successfully, the faster the DPE can get on with their day, and the happier they are.
The first-time pass rates for most FAA checkrides hovers around 80%. Using the ACS as a yardstick, the examiners deem these 80% to be good enough to get the certificate. A careful read of the Commercial ACS page A-9 reveals passages for failure criteria like “Consistently exceeding tolerances stated in the skill elements of the Task” and “Failure to take prompt corrective action when tolerances are exceeded” that gives the DPE a bit of space to use their discretion. I’d be shocked if all of the 80% really had all their toes fully in the energy box 100% of the time on their checkrides. More probably, a good chunk flirted with the edge of the box, promptly fixed it, and the examiner concluded that they’re still good enough to get the certificate. Some standards are tricky to measure: how far off centerline counts as a bust for being off centerline? 1 foot? 2 feet? 3 feet? The reality is that the DPE is constantly looking at your performance and gauging your fitness, so you want to be demonstrating good decision making throughout the entire flight. If you’re demonstrating bad decision making, the DPE might “grab the hammer” and wait for you to step out the edge of the box so they have an objective reason to swing it. When you hear people complain that they “busted because my steep turn went to +120 but the rest was all fine,” the DPE would probably tell a story that involved a lack of clearing turns, poor traffic avoidance, sloppy checklist usage, etc. They just waited for the +120 because that’s an easy and objective bust.
To sum up, here are the key takeaways in understanding your evaluator:
- Last Signature Principle (LSP): the DPE needs to make an assessment of your overall fitness.
- Discretion and “the hammer:” show good ADM or expect to bust when you make an error.
- Fixed-price contract (FPC): don’t waste your evaluator’s time.
Preparation and Presentation
I was once told that DPEs have about a 70% guess within the first 10 minutes of whether it will end well or poorly. Having done probably 100 stage checks by now, I’ve definitely seen a strong tendency for things that start well or poorly to continue in those respective directions. A student who shows up in sweat pants or PJs looking like they woke up 5 minutes ago busts a healthy percent of the time. The students who show up early looking professional and having color-coded logbook flags and their documents laid out tend to do better. Your eligibility is the first thing your DPE will look for, so you should set a target of presenting your case to them in no more than 5 minutes. That will put some points on the board early and get you done faster (FPC). If you waste time being disorganized, it’ll probably annoy the evaluator. Do you think an annoyed evaluator would be more or less likely to reach for that hammer later on…?
Some DPEs sent out a registration form ahead of time for applicants to fill out. I think the main reason they do that is to weed out people who are bad at following directions. If someone's got a long waitlist, why would they bother with someone who can't spend 30 minutes getting the right information together and filling in a form correctly?
As far as knowing your stuff, read the entire ACS or relevant flight school syllabus cover-to-cover to know what you're graded on. Ask your instructor any questions you have, because they're human too and may have missed something. Ultimately, you as the applicant are responsible for knowing what's in there, because it will be your pass or failure. Each ACS Task has a references section at the top, usually to relevant regulations, PHAK, AFH, etc. Review the relevant chapters and any definitions in there so you know what to expect. Equally important, pay attention to what's not in the ACS. Many maneuvers don't have time boxes, so don't rush your setup. There's always some FPC pressure, but that's always secondary to demonstrating good ADM. "I don't like my setup, I'm going to fix it before starting my maneuver" should be a line you're ready to use.
Some DPEs sent out a registration form ahead of time for applicants to fill out. I think the main reason they do that is to weed out people who are bad at following directions. If someone's got a long waitlist, why would they bother with someone who can't spend 30 minutes getting the right information together and filling in a form correctly?
As far as knowing your stuff, read the entire ACS or relevant flight school syllabus cover-to-cover to know what you're graded on. Ask your instructor any questions you have, because they're human too and may have missed something. Ultimately, you as the applicant are responsible for knowing what's in there, because it will be your pass or failure. Each ACS Task has a references section at the top, usually to relevant regulations, PHAK, AFH, etc. Review the relevant chapters and any definitions in there so you know what to expect. Equally important, pay attention to what's not in the ACS. Many maneuvers don't have time boxes, so don't rush your setup. There's always some FPC pressure, but that's always secondary to demonstrating good ADM. "I don't like my setup, I'm going to fix it before starting my maneuver" should be a line you're ready to use.
The Threat Box and digging holes
Your evaluator has a series of topics they want to get through in the allotted time, so you want to try and answer the questions they ask, and only the questions they ask. Keep the threat box as small as possible. If you plan to use common memory aids, go ahead and say what those are. If you seem knowledgeable, the evaluator might not keep going down that path. If your answer goes beyond the scope of the original question, they might double click on whatever else you brought up and then expose a gap. This process is called “digging a hole” and can often get you in trouble.
You should also think about knowledge in three buckets: must know, should know, and trivia. Must-know areas are limitations, cloud clearances and other operating rules that you need to know while in the plane that you can’t just look up. You don’t get to miss many of these, so make sure you know them. Should-know topics are things that you could look up in a pinch, like whether you’re allowed to change your own tire and where to find that (PM, Part 43). Try to limit the number of should-know lookups because it wastes time and looks unprofessional (FPC, P&P). Trivia topics are things like the supplier of the wiring harness or the fact that your airplane was built in Kansas. That’s not operationally useful, so don’t focus on that. Prioritize your studying accordingly.
You should also think about knowledge in three buckets: must know, should know, and trivia. Must-know areas are limitations, cloud clearances and other operating rules that you need to know while in the plane that you can’t just look up. You don’t get to miss many of these, so make sure you know them. Should-know topics are things that you could look up in a pinch, like whether you’re allowed to change your own tire and where to find that (PM, Part 43). Try to limit the number of should-know lookups because it wastes time and looks unprofessional (FPC, P&P). Trivia topics are things like the supplier of the wiring harness or the fact that your airplane was built in Kansas. That’s not operationally useful, so don’t focus on that. Prioritize your studying accordingly.
Debrief
Whether you passed or failed, you should always ask your evaluator what they saw and how to improve. Chances are they’ve been doing it a while and can offer you helpful tips that will make you a better pilot. Most of us really want students to pass, so if someone’s close but not quite there we usually give lots of feedback for how to get it right the next time.
Drill-downs
In the follow-on articles in this section there are some specific areas in the ACS and a few techniques to go through them. By no means are these exhaustive, so study whatever else you need to get sharp. The pilot privileges and limitations and airworthiness ones are mostly a bunch of mnemonics, so learn them to get those topics done quickly (FPC, P&P, and threat box).