Carol Zerbe DPE Checkride Gouges
Designated Pilot Examiner
Preparing for an FAA checkride with Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE) Carol Zerbe? GougeHub has 2 first-hand Carol Zerbe checkride gouge reports from pilots who tested. Review oral exam questions, flight test patterns, and examiner insights for PPL checkrides.
↓ View 2 available gouge reportsTwo PPL reports are on file for Carol Zerbe, and both paint her as a fair, standardized examiner. One applicant put it plainly: get an oral exam guide book, know it well, and you will not get a surprise question. She is described as fun, personable, and quick with a sense of humor, so be friendly back. Pack a lunch, and bring ForeFlight plus a paper backup in case your iPad dies.
Her oral leans on scenarios with embedded questions. Expect a currency scenario, like flying a friend 80 days after your PPL with recent takeoffs and landings in a G1000 Cessna 172 you have not used before. She follows up on night currency, where landings must be to a full stop. Another scenario has an FAA official asking for your documents, so know your medical, government photo ID, and pilot certificate, plus ARROW for the aircraft. She tests 91.205 with a failed attitude indicator, the vacuum and gyro system, and the inop equipment process in the FARs.
Know 61.103 and 61.113 well. She spends real time on the VFR nav log, so be ready to explain where every number comes from. Wind comes from the winds aloft briefing, and you should trace KIAS to KCAS to KTAS to groundspeed. Print and highlight your POH performance charts, show your work, and mark your weight and balance on the charts. Put your NWKRAFT notes in ForeFlight and be thorough.
One flight ran from KGOO to KO05. You fly the first leg early, so hold a steady climb rate and level off where she asks. She does not punish a missed level-off, but nailing it sets a good tone. Run a full ForeFlight briefing and read every chart, including the surface analysis chart for an outlook briefing and turbulence charts.
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 privileges and limitations do you have as a newly certificated private pilot?”
📋 Examiner Insight: A near-guaranteed question — examiners want to know you understand the limits of your certificate and won’t go offering rides for hire. Know it cold.
All 37 questions, ranked by frequency, with Examiner Insights and Common Pitfalls from 113 real checkrides — written and reviewed by Andrew Gray, CFI-II.
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Ratings & Checkride Types
- PPL (Private Pilot)
FAA Designee Information
FAA Oversight Office: Anchorage FSDO
Status: Active Designee
- Flight Instructor Examiner — Instrument: Airplane Single Engine, Airplane Multi-Engine
- Private Pilot Examiner: Airplane Single Engine Land, Airplane Single Engine Sea
- Commercial & Instrument Rating Examiner: Airplane Single Engine Land, Airplane Single Engine Sea
- Flight Instructor Examiner: Airplane Single Engine
Source: FAA Designee Management System · Verify on FAA.gov →
Other DPEs in Hawaii & Alaska
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.