Dwayne Alan Hoss DPE Checkride Gouges
Designated Pilot Examiner
Preparing for an FAA checkride with Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE) Dwayne Alan Hoss? GougeHub has 2 first-hand Dwayne Alan Hoss checkride gouge reports from pilots who tested. Review oral exam questions, flight test patterns, and examiner insights for IFR and PPL checkrides.
↓ View 2 available gouge reportsDwayne Alan Hoss is a thorough examiner who works in Iowa. Two reports are on file for him, one IFR and one PPL. Both describe an examiner who demands real mastery, not surface answers. Prepare extensively before you fly with him.
On the instrument oral, expect tough niche questions. The IFR report calls out service volumes as a topic Hoss probes hard. Know the standard service volumes for navaids and how they apply to your route. Holding procedures came up too, so be ready to explain entries, timing, and how you set up a hold. The report describes questions that go past the common talking points.
On the private oral, Hoss wants command of the regulations and the aircraft systems. Study the rules cold and know how each system on your airplane works. The PPL report frames this as mastery, not familiarity. Vague answers will not pass.
The flight portion holds a known surprise. The PPL report names surprise power-off events, so expect Hoss to pull the power without warning. Practice your engine-out flow, your best glide speed, and your field selection until they are automatic. He wants to see that you react correctly under pressure, not when you are expecting it.
The common thread across both reports is depth. Hoss asks tough questions and expects you to back up every answer. Prepare extensively or fail, as one report puts it plainly. Drill regulations, systems, service volumes, holding, and power-off procedures before your checkride. If you have flown with Dwayne Alan Hoss, add your own report so the next pilot knows what to study.
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:
“How do you calculate your takeoff and landing distances for today’s flight?”
⚠ Common Pitfall: Read the chart limitations closely. They often say things like “assumes a paved surface” or “assumes 10° of flaps for takeoff.” Use less flap or a grass strip and the chart may no longer apply.
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
- IFR (Instrument Rating)
- PPL (Private Pilot)
FAA Designee Information
FAA Oversight Office: Delegation And Resource Branch, Afg-970
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
- ATPE: Airplane Multi-Engine Land
- Flight Instructor Examiner: Airplane Single Engine, Airplane Multi-Engine
- Ground Instructor Examiner
- Flight Instructor Rating Examiner
- Balloon Airman Examiner
Source: FAA Designee Management System · Verify on FAA.gov →
Other DPEs in Iowa
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.