Aram Basmadjian DPE Checkride Gouges
Designated Pilot Examiner
Preparing for an FAA checkride with Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE) Aram Basmadjian? GougeHub has a first-hand Aram Basmadjian checkride gouge report from a pilot who tested. Read oral exam questions, flight test patterns, and examiner insights.
↓ View 1 available gouge reportAs of this writing, only one report is on file for Aram Basmadjian, and it covers a private pilot checkride. The pilot walked through a real oral and flight, so this gives you a solid look at what to expect. The biggest lesson from this report is preflight. One critical preflight mistake almost ended the checkride before it started.
Take the preflight seriously and slow down. The report shows that a missed item during the aircraft inspection nearly stopped the whole ride. Know your airplane and check every item the way the checklist tells you. Do not rush the walkaround just to get to the flying.
The oral covered specific topics that you should study cold. Weight and balance came up, so be ready to compute it and explain your numbers. The report names real oral subjects tied to the PPL ACS tasks. Plan to talk through systems, planning, and the documents that keep the aircraft and you legal.
The flight portion included the standard PPL maneuvers from the report. Fly them to ACS standards and call your altitudes and headings clearly. The examiner watched the maneuvers closely, so stay ahead of the airplane and keep your scan moving.
The short version: this is a fair but detailed checkride with a real focus on what happens before you take off. The pilot who filed this report came close to failing on the ground, not in the air. Build a careful preflight habit, nail your weight and balance, and know your systems. If you fly with Aram Basmadjian next week, treat the walkaround like part of the test, because it is.
Examiner Patterns
Preliminary insight — based on 1 report
- Weight & Balance: 1 pilot reported the examiner required a full W&B calculation
- Oral style: 1 pilot reported the examiner mixed recall and scenario questions
- Oral duration: 1 pilot reported — over 2 hours
- Flight duration: 1 pilot reported — 1.5 to 2 hours
- Navigation tools: 1 pilot reported the examiner accepted EFB use
- Logbook review: 1 pilot reported the examiner reviewed currency in detail
- Density altitude: 1 pilot reported the examiner did not cover density altitude
- Go/no-go discussion: 1 pilot reported the examiner discussed go/no-go as part of a scenario
- Equipment failure simulated: 1 pilot reported the examiner simulated another type of equipment failure
- Preflight briefing: 1 pilot reported the examiner gave a brief overview before flight
Based on self-reported pilot submissions. Data methodology
Analyzed across 113 site-wide Private Pilot checkrides in the GougeHub database, the same questions keep coming up. Here’s one of the 37 in the guide:
“What documents must you have on your person to act as pilot in command?”
📋 Examiner Insight: A guaranteed question — know it cold.
⚠ Common Pitfall: While not required on your person, your logbook should be available to demonstrate recent experience and currency if questioned. Not all forms of ID are acceptable — reference 61.3 for the acceptable forms.
All 37 questions, ranked by frequency, with Examiner Insights and Common Pitfalls from 113 real checkrides — written and reviewed by Andrew Gray, CFI-II.
Get the Private Pilot Oral Exam Guide — $14 →7-day money-back guarantee · Instant PDF download
Ratings & Checkride Types
- PPL (Private Pilot)
FAA Designee Information
FAA Oversight Office: Allentown FSDO
Status: Active Designee
- Private Pilot Examiner: Airplane Single Engine Land, Airplane Multi-Engine Land
- Commercial & Instrument Rating Examiner: Airplane Single Engine Land, Airplane Multi-Engine Land
- Flight Instructor Examiner: Airplane Single Engine, Airplane Multi-Engine
- Flight Instructor Examiner — Instrument: Airplane Single Engine
- Flight Proficiency Examiner
- Military Competency Examiner
- Ground Instructor Examiner
- Flight Instructor Rating Examiner
- Balloon Airman Examiner
- SMFT
Source: FAA Designee Management System · Verify on FAA.gov →
Transparency Disclaimer: This page summarizes patterns reported by applicants. It is not an endorsement, prediction, or guarantee of checkride outcome. Every checkride varies based on the applicant and circumstances.