Brian Kilcullen DPE Checkride Gouges
Designated Pilot Examiner • (Brian Anthony Kilcullen)
Preparing for an FAA checkride with Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE) Brian Kilcullen? GougeHub has a first-hand Brian Kilcullen 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 Brian Kilcullen, and it comes from a private pilot checkride. The detail is thin, so set your expectations accordingly. The report gives a rough list of topics covered during the ride. It does not spell out how each question was framed or what answers Brian wanted to hear.
Because the single report stays general, treat it as a starting point rather than a full picture. The pilot noted the subjects that came up but skipped the specifics that make a gouge truly useful. There is no breakdown of the oral by ACS task. There is no rundown of which systems or documents drew the most attention.
What the report does confirm is that the checklist of topics matched a standard private pilot oral and flight. The pilot walked through the areas you would expect to see on a PPL ride. The write-up just does not say which ones Brian pressed hardest or where applicants tend to stumble.
For now, prepare the way you would for any private pilot checkride. Know your aircraft systems cold. Have your weight and balance, performance numbers, and required documents organized and ready. Be solid on your cross country planning and weather decisions, since those come up on nearly every ride.
If you fly with Brian Kilcullen soon, your report would add real value here. Name the oral topics he emphasized, the maneuvers he asked for, and how he ran the flight portion. The current report covers the what but leaves out the how. A second voice would help the next applicant know exactly what to study.
Examiner Patterns
Preliminary insight — based on 1 report
- Oral style: 1 pilot reported the examiner walked through ACS task areas sequentially
- Navigation tools: 1 pilot reported the examiner required paper charts
- Density altitude: 1 pilot reported the examiner briefly mentioned 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 an electrical 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:
“When does your medical certificate expire, and what class do you hold?”
📋 Examiner Insight: A guaranteed question — and examiners have been digging into BasicMed lately, so know that too.
⚠ Common Pitfall: First- and second-class certificates do not lapse into a third-class certificate — their privileges lapse to second and then third class. A first-class certificate that is 59 calendar months old is still a first-class certificate, but its privileges have stepped down to third class, which is valid for private-pilot use.
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: South Florida FSDO
Status: Active Designee
- Private Pilot Examiner: Airplane Single Engine Land
- Commercial & Instrument Rating Examiner: Airplane Single Engine Land
- Flight Instructor Examiner: Airplane Single Engine
- Flight Instructor Examiner — Instrument: Airplane Single Engine
- Flight Proficiency Examiner
- Flight Instructor Rating Examiner
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.