Bernie Consol DPE Checkride Gouges

Oral Emphasis

Bernie's CFII oral consistently centers on a core set of topics. Nearly every pilot reports being asked about the following areas, often in depth:

• Weather sources and products: How you obtain weather, what official sources you use, and specific products like TAFs, prog charts, GFAs, AIRMETs, SIGMETs, and Convective SIGMETs — including their validity times and differences between them.
• Icing: Types of icing and how they affect the aircraft. Freezing layers came up repeatedly.
• Low enroute IFR chart symbology: Expect him to pull up a chart and point at symbols — MCA (x-flag), MEA, GPS MEA, MOCA, NDB, center frequency boxes, underlined frequencies (receive-only), and FSS communication procedures.
• Approach plate briefing and symbology: He will have you brief an approach plate in detail. He asks about nearly every symbol: ALS indicators (the black dot above ALS meaning sequenced flashing lights), declared distance (shaded D), circled P for PAPI, HIRL/CL/TDZ markings, TDZE vs. airport elevation (airport elevation is the highest point on the airport), and expanded circling minimums with category letters.
• VDP (Visual Descent Point): This is one of Bernie's biggest focus areas. Know how to define it, calculate it, use it, and what to do when an approach doesn't have a published VDP. Multiple pilots noted he wants you at or near MDA when crossing the VDP — not below it before, and not significantly above it.
• Lost communications: Expect a detailed lost comms scenario, including AVEF and AME memory aids, altitude and route selection, and how you'd handle it on a specific approach with holding at an IAF. Reference 91.185.
• Takeoff and alternate minimums: Standard takeoff minimums, where to find them in the FARs (91.175), the 1-2-3 alternate rule, standard alternate minimums for precision vs. non-precision approaches, fuel requirements, and scenarios where a destination has no approach.
• LNAV vs. LNAV/VNAV vs. LPV vs. LP: Know the differences between these approach types, the required equipment for each, and why an MDA might be lower than a DA on the same plate.
• IFR currency and IPC: Where to find IPC requirements (61.57(d) and the back of the IFR ACS), and what you need to know to administer proficiency checks.
• WAAS, RAIM, and DME differences.

Common Questions

Pilots reported these recurring question styles and scenarios:

• He asks you to brief an approach plate to a specific airport (commonly KAVC LOC 01 or KSLC RNAV 17) and then drills into the symbology and numbers — for example, explaining what the visibility and altitude numbers mean in the minimums section (e.g., the meaning behind values like "760-1" or "343(400-1)").
• He presents lost comms scenarios and wants you to walk through the entire decision process, including holding, altitude selection, and approach execution.
• He asks about situations where a destination has no instrument approach — whether you need an alternate and what VFR visibility rules apply based on airspace class.
• He asks how to obtain a clearance at an uncontrolled airport and about clearance void times.
• He asks about the difference between TDZE and airport elevation, and he wants more than a textbook definition — he expects you to explain how each is determined and where each is found.
• He may ask you to plan a cross-country (commonly KIXA to KGSO or KIXA to KBWI) and explain your route, altitude, and weather decision-making.

Practical Focus

The flight portion follows a very consistent pattern across all reports:

• Unusual attitudes: Done on the way to KAVC. Bernie gives you one to recover from, then you put him in one and teach the recovery — verbalize the process as you go.
• Hold: Published hold at WUKMU (IAF for LOC 01 at KAVC), typically one lap with a direct entry.
• LOC 01 at KAVC: Fly the localizer approach. May include a circle to runway 19 (circle to the right). Use DME for fixes. He pays attention to your altitude at the VDP.
• RNAV 20 at KIXA: Flown as LNAV, often with partial panel (G5 failures, using the G430 for lateral nav). He vectors you to the FAF. May include a circle to 02 or a missed approach.
• RNAV 02 at KIXA: Flown as LPV to a full stop landing. On this approach, you vector yourself — he expects you to manage your own vectors back to the final approach course.
• Missed approaches: At least one missed approach is flown, though he may vector you off the published missed early once you're established toward the MAP.
• Partial panel: Expect instrument failures, typically the G5 glass panel displays.
• Teaching throughout: Multiple pilots emphasize that Bernie wants you verbalizing constantly — what you're doing, what's next, what corrections you're making, and tips you'd give a student. This is a CFII checkride, so instructional awareness matters.

Examiner Style

• Bernie is conversational and relaxed. Multiple pilots described the oral as "easy" not because it lacked depth, but because Bernie does a lot of the talking — reportedly 80% in some cases. He guides the conversation rather than firing rapid questions.
• He is not adversarial. Pilots consistently describe him as approachable, and several noted the checkride felt more like a discussion than an interrogation.
• For CFII add-on rides, there are no FOI questions or teaching presentations — it's essentially an instrument rating oral with instructor-level knowledge expected.
• He appreciates when you come with a plan of action for the flight. Showing up organized and having a proposed sequence of approaches and routing earns his respect.
• He is thorough but fair on standards. He will note if you're above MDA at the VDP or if your fixes need tighter tracking, but he delivers feedback constructively.
• Check with Bernie before the ride on whether he wants a cross-country planned and whether to bring aircraft maintenance and inspection logbooks — he has asked for both.

What Surprised Pilots

• Several pilots were surprised by how much Bernie talked during the oral. Some barely touched their lesson plans. The oral felt like a guided conversation rather than a formal Q&A.
• The depth of approach plate symbology questions surprised some — he asks about small details like the black dot above the ALS symbol, the shaded D for declared distances, and boxed category letters next to circling minimums.
• His emphasis on VDP stood out to nearly everyone. It's clearly a signature topic — know the calculation method and the practical application, not just the definition.
• Pilots were surprised that on the final approach (RNAV 02 LPV), they were expected to vector themselves back to the FAF rather than receiving vectors from Bernie.
• The requirement to both receive and give unusual attitudes — and to teach the recovery while doing it — caught some pilots off guard. Treat it as a teaching moment, not just a maneuver.