"I'll meet you inside"

[KaiGywer]

Had my checkride today, after 12.5 years of training and 61.5 hrs total time prior to today. Did my oral and the examiner said "ok, we'll go fly".

Flew around, did the usual. Felt good on the majority of the maneuvers, but botched my turn around a point, realized and told the DPE I felt it was botched and that if he didn't mind I was going to reset and do another and he said go ahead. Flew back to the airport and did a soft field landing and takeoff, a no flaps landing with a forward slip but uh oh, something on the runway, so go around. Then another round in the pattern, a short field landing over an obstacle and after I slammed on the brakes told me to taxi to the FBO. Parked the plane, he unplugs the headset and said "we'll talk about some things inside, so I'll just meet you inside".

Wondering whether or not I passed, I walk through the door and see a friend of mine standing there with a bottle of champagne and lots of glasses and the FBO staff standing behind the counter smiling. DPE is nowhere to be seen, but at this point we're celebrating a pass or drowning my sorrows with champagne

Go into the conference room where I had my oral and my DPE is printing my temporary certificate

Glad to have this done and as the DPE said, here's your license to learn. So, instrument rating, here I come.

 

[Jim Logajan]

Congratulations!

Then another round in the pattern, a short field landing over an obstacle and after I slammed on the brakes told me to taxi to the FBO. Parked the plane, he unplugs the headset and said "we'll talk about some things inside, so I'll just meet you inside".

Not unlike how my check ride ended. I realized at the time that if I had failed he should have had to promptly say so, but I wasn't too thrilled by my performance and was annoyed with myself.

Oh - and it didn't help that near the end the DPE did say "my plane!" on a go-around. My instant reaction after "your airplane," was "Crap - what did I do wrong?" He said "Nothing - I just want to check something" and he looked to be checking something on the ground. He never did say what he was checking and I didn't press the issue.

I had known him, though, for a couple years prior to that check ride, so he may have felt less need to rigorously follow all the check ride conventions.