John Hardy DPE Checkride Gouges

Oral Emphasis

Hardy's oral exams are heavily scenario-driven, almost always built around a cross-country flight plan from Montgomery Field (MYF) to Ontario (ONT) with Victorville (VCV) as the alternate. He methodically works through the following topic areas:

• Performance and climb calculations: This is a major focus. He wants you to demonstrate from the POH that the aircraft can meet minimum climb gradients — specifically 200 ft/NM or at least 500 fpm — and that you can show compliance with the ODP at your departure airport. He expects you to calculate takeoff and landing distances for departure, destination, and alternate, and he wants conservative rounding (e.g., rounding field elevation and temperature up for safety margins).
• Weight and balance: Be prepared to walk through your W&B figures and show you are within CG limits and below max takeoff weight.
• Fuel requirements: Destination + alternate + 45 minutes at normal cruise for IFR. He will quiz you on this.
• Alternate airport requirements: When you need to file an alternate (1-2-3 rule), what minimums apply when none are published, and routing from the missed approach to the alternate IAF.
• Instrument systems in detail: How the pitot-static system works (airspeed indicator, VSI, altimeter), gyroscopic instruments, vacuum system failures, magnetic compass errors, and what happens when specific components are blocked or iced over. For glass cockpit aircraft (G1000), he expects knowledge of component failures, RNP levels, and WAAS capabilities.
• Aircraft maintenance and airworthiness: He wants logbooks tabbed and ready. He will check AD compliance, annual/100-hr inspections, ELT, transponder, pitot-static, and VOR checks. Know the AROW and required-equipment lists, and be able to show IFR compliance in the aircraft logs. Don't blindly trust a scheduling system's status sheet — verify AD compliance yourself.
• IFR currency and pilot qualifications: 6 approaches/6 months (6 HIT), what happens when currency lapses, the updated 61.57 proficiency check requirement after the grace period, and VFR currency as well.
• NOTAMs and weather: He expects thorough review of NOTAMs and TFRs for departure, destination, alternate, and enroute. Weather products include METARs, TAFs, prog charts, winds aloft, AIRMETs (Tango, Sierra, Zulu), SIGMETs, and PIREPs. For PPL applicants, he also covers frontal systems, pressure gradients, and chart interpretation.
• Icing conditions: What conditions cause icing, how to avoid it, relevant weather briefing items, and procedures for pitot tube icing, static port icing, and use of alternate static source.
• Lost communications: He will have you walk through the AVEF/MEA procedure from the FAR/AIM in detail. He wants you to explain the reasoning — that following AVEF/MEA makes you predictable to ATC.
• GPS knowledge: Types of approaches (precision vs. non-precision), RAIM, WAAS, and enroute/terminal/approach modes.

Common Questions

Pilots consistently reported being asked questions in these styles and on these topics:

• Walk me through how you obtained your weight and balance and performance figures.
• Show me in the POH that the airplane can meet the ODP climb gradient for this departure.
• What are the fuel requirements for this IFR flight?
• When do you need to file an alternate, and what minimums apply?
• How does the airspeed indicator / VSI / altimeter work? What happens if the pitot tube or static port ices over?
• How do you know you've lost vacuum, and what do you do about it?
• Scenario-based clearance copying: He may act as ATC and issue a departure clearance, then ask you to determine whether you can fly it based on aircraft performance.
• What required inspections apply to this aircraft, and can you show me compliance in the logs?
• Explain the lost comms procedure and why AVEF/MEA exists.
• Show me the safe sector altitudes and obstacle clearance on the chart — not just the OROCA.
• For PPL: Explain fuel systems, electrical systems, magneto grounding, carb heat effects, and pilot limitations regarding flying for compensation.
• For CFII: He evaluates your lesson plans and presentations as if you'll use them for real students. Insufficient detail in slides or missing key visuals can lead to a discontinuance.
• For multi-engine: Specific V-speeds, accelerate-stop and accelerate-go distances and definitions, OEI climb performance, and scenario questions about engine failure below VYSE.

Practical Focus

The flight portion is conducted in the San Diego area, typically involving approaches at nearby airports like Brown Field (SDM), Gillespie (SEE), and MYF itself. Key observations from pilots:

• Approaches: Expect a mix — VOR approaches, LOC approaches, and an ILS. He may request a VOR-A, LOC-D, or similar non-precision approach plus an ILS. If practice approaches are unavailable at one field, he adapts on the fly.
• Cross-checking at the FAF: At the Final Approach Fix (Maltese cross), he wants you to verify altitude and DME match the approach plate, regardless of whether you're on the glideslope. This is to check for setup or instrument errors.
• Partial panel: Multiple pilots reported instrument failures during the flight. He has failed the PFD/G5 while leaving the DG/HSI available, requiring use of backup instruments. One pilot experienced partial panel during the outbound leg of an approach.
• Missed approaches: He wants to see that if you make a significant error, you go missed — just like in real life. Making that decision can save the checkride.
• Circle-to-land: He asks questions during the circling maneuver about rules for descent below MDA, required obstacle clearance, and protected area boundaries.
• Diversion planning: For PPL applicants, he may give you the expected diversion airport before the flight. Pilots recommend pre-calculating rough headings and distances from each leg of your cross-country. Verify your numbers in flight when the diversion is called.
• Communication: He generally does not want you to narrate the flight. He prefers you fly quietly and let him observe. He warned at least one pilot about talking too much and potentially missing ATC calls. On occasion he may take over some radio duties once established with ATC, but prepare to handle all comms yourself.
• Passenger briefing: He expects a thorough passenger/safety briefing before the flight and may ask follow-up questions about it.
• Preflight: He expects you to complete all normal preflight checks; he will meet you at the airplane after.

Examiner Style

• Professional and fair: Multiple pilots emphasized that Hardy is not out to get you. He is thorough but reasonable. He tests to the ACS standards and expects competence, not perfection.
• Detail-oriented: He writes down your answers and knows exactly what numbers make sense for the aircraft. If you're guessing, he'll notice. Come prepared with calculations written out in advance.
• Scenario-based: The oral flows from the cross-country plan rather than being a random question-and-answer session. Topics arise naturally from the flight scenario.
• Quiet during the flight: He observes more than he talks in the air. He prefers you don't narrate. He will interject distractions at critical moments (like glideslope intercept) to see if you prioritize flying the airplane.
• Willing to discontinue rather than disapprove: For CFII applicants especially, if he sees good knowledge and teaching ability but incomplete lesson plan materials, he will discontinue and let you come back to finish rather than issuing a disapproval. A disapproval is reserved for presenting false information or demonstrating poor teaching fundamentals.
• Cash only: At least one pilot noted he accepts cash only, though he may be exploring digital payment with the student covering fees.

What Surprised Pilots

• Depth of performance calculation questions: Several pilots were caught off guard by how much emphasis Hardy places on proving — from the POH — that the airplane can meet climb gradients and ODP requirements. This goes beyond what many students prepare for.
• Conservative rounding on performance: He expects you to round up field elevation and temperature for safety when calculating takeoff performance (e.g., 1,100 ft becomes 2,000 ft, 17°C becomes 20°C).
• Lost comms depth: Even when a pilot gave a correct answer on lost comms, Hardy had them walk through the full FAR/AIM procedure in detail to ensure understanding of the reasoning behind AVEF/MEA.
• He may take over comms in flight: One pilot reported Hardy took over some radio communications with SoCal approach, which lightened the workload but was unexpected.
• Intentional distractions at critical moments: Pilots reported Hardy introducing distractions near glideslope intercept or other critical phases to test prioritization.
• Pre-flight diversion heads-up (PPL): He may tell you the diversion airport before you even go fly, giving you time to plan — but you still need to verify in the air.
• PPL-level knowledge on IFR checkrides: He expects instrument students to still know V-speeds, aircraft systems, and climb performance at the private pilot level. Don't neglect the basics.