Julie Keane DPE Checkride Gouges

Julie gets praised for being nice, fair, and thorough. She starts most rides with a scenario flight, often KMYF to a place like Santa Paula, El Monte, or El Cajon, with passengers and a set baggage weight. She reviews your logbook, IACRA, certificate, ID, and medical, then goes over every missed knowledge test question. She hands out the Pilot's Bill of Rights and explains the possible outcomes before testing begins.

The oral leans hard on airspace and charts. She points to places on the sectional or terminal chart and asks what is there, at what altitudes, and what weather and comms apply. One applicant called this the hardest part and said to study the entire chart legend cold. Know the difference between true and magnetic, the altitude rule for magnetic course, Class B and C requirements, and what airport numbers and the R on an FSS box mean.

Expect heavy decision making and safety questions. She probes personal minimums, fuel reserves above the minimum, PAVE, and what you would do if a friend offered to pay for the flight. She digs into airworthiness through the maintenance logs, AD entries and their recurring dates, inoperative equipment using 91.205, 91.213, KOEL, AD, and POH, and inop landing lights. Systems come up too: engine, fuel, electrical, magnetos, carb icing and the venturi tube, pitot static, and GPS with WAAS and RAIM.

Plan to brief weather products in raw ATIS and TAF, run a density altitude and weight and balance for your scenario, and use the performance charts. For instrument rides she covers ODPs versus SIDs, alternate minimums, gyro and vacuum failures, and partial panel.

On the flight she may divert you, ask for heading, distance, and time, then drop an oil pressure or engine problem to test your judgment. Nine reports are on file.