Eric Cook DPE Checkride Gouges

Oral Emphasis

Eric consistently starts with Aeronautical Decision Making (ADM): hazardous attitudes, their antidotes, personal minimums, and risk mitigation frameworks like PAVE and IMSAFE. Multiple pilots report he asks whether you've personally witnessed hazardous attitudes in yourself or other pilots. He then works through the ACS sections methodically, with particular attention to topics you missed on your written exam. Airspace is a major focus area across both PPL and instrument checkrides. For the instrument rating, lost communications procedures and IFR-specific regulations (like Part 91 takeoff minimums) came up repeatedly. Commercial applicants should be ready to discuss privileges and limitations under 14 CFR 61.133.

Common Questions

• Name the hazardous attitudes, their antidotes, and give real-world examples you've seen or experienced.
• Walk through your personal minimums and explain the decision-making process you use for go/no-go decisions (he wants to hear specific acronyms like PAVE, IMSAFE, AV1ATES).
• Airspace rules — entry requirements, weather minimums, and equipment. This was flagged as his primary topic area for the PPL oral.
• Required documents to carry on your person and in the aircraft.
• For IFR: lost communications procedures (scenario-based), required equipment for IFR flight (ICEFLAGS or equivalent mnemonics), and Part 91 takeoff minimums.
• He targets questions around areas you missed on the knowledge test, so review your test report carefully.

Practical Focus

Pilots described the flight portion as fairly straightforward compared to the oral. For instrument checkrides, he sends the route to plan ahead of time so you can prepare. Expect standard approaches and maneuvers per the ACS. One IFR pilot reported a non-standard circling approach with a last-minute ATC instruction change — Eric noted afterward that the pilot almost failed for not writing down the amended clearance, but passed because the error was caught and corrected before entering the pattern. He values situational awareness and the discipline of writing things down in real time.

Examiner Style

• Friendly and conversational once the checkride begins, but described by one pilot as "stern" and "hard to read" — don't mistake his demeanor for disapproval.
• Very thorough on paperwork: he checks every solo endorsement date for legibility, wants a separate ground and flight training log (not just your logbook), and appreciates tabbed maintenance logs. Send maintenance records ahead of time if possible.
• Technology-friendly — he's fine with you using a laptop, looking up a reg, or even doing a quick Google search during the oral, as long as you arrive at the correct answer.
• If you're struggling, he'll nudge you in the right direction rather than let you spiral. Multiple pilots noted he doesn't expect perfection.
• He covers the Pilot Bill of Rights and his fee structure transparently before starting. Checkride fee is $1,000 at KPRB and higher ($1,250 reported) at KSNS.
• He will fail you if you commit to a wrong answer on a critical topic — one pilot was failed on lost comms procedures — but he's described as fair and not looking to trick anyone.

What Surprised Pilots

• The paperwork review can take 30 minutes or more. He scrutinizes endorsement dates, training logs, and aircraft records thoroughly — come over-prepared.
• He's willing to start early if you show up ahead of schedule.
• The oral can run long (around two hours reported for PPL), but pilots said it felt manageable because of his conversational approach.
• His willingness to let applicants use laptops and reference materials during the oral caught several pilots off guard — in a good way.
• He occasionally goes on tangents sharing personal flying experiences and real-world lessons, which pilots found both interesting and occasionally time-consuming.