Instrument Check Ride

8/27/2012


Well I have been putting a lot of time and effort into the Instrument Rating and I have finally finished up.  On August 27th 2012 I earned my instrument rating!!  I was very nervous and made a lot of little mistakes.  It is a nerve racking event but I made it through.

The night before I received a call from Mary Crinendon at 7:30pm to give me the fictitious weather (the real weather was too good).  She tole me to plan an IFR flight to Pasco, WA.  The weather was pretty bad.  800' ceiling over the entire area.  I got to work on the flight plan and picked my alternate, double checked everything and went to bed.

On the day of the exam I got up early, did my pre-flight and awaited the arrival of the examiner.  The oral part of the exam went very well.  Mostly weather questions and chart symbol identification.   After several hours of questions, she said that she was satisfied and that we should go fly.   I was given a route of BTG to SPB VOR to a missed, SPB GPS to a missed and HIO ILS to a missed.  I called flight service and put the plan on file.

In all of this I failed to plan on getting any food.  That was a mistake.  I was starving by the time we were out to the airplane.  We took off and flew the planned route.  The last part of the exam was unusual attitude recovery.  That went very well and I flew back to Pearson Field.   I got out and we went upstairs to complete paperwork.  She congratulated me and I was on my way.   I am really looking forward to being able to fly more in the winter here in the Pacific Northwest!!