Max Peter Gurgew DPE Checkride Gouges
Designated Pilot Examiner
Preparing for an FAA checkride with Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE) Max Peter Gurgew? GougeHub has a first-hand Max Peter Gurgew checkride gouge report from a pilot who tested. Read oral exam questions, flight test patterns, and examiner insights.
↓ View 1 available gouge reportMax Gurgew gives a private pilot checkride built around scenarios rather than rote recall. One pilot reported that the oral leaned on performance charts and flight planning. The questions came in a scenario form, so you apply knowledge instead of reciting it. The pilot found him supportive throughout the session.
His teaching style stands out in the oral. When the pilot struggled, Gurgew rephrased the question to help them work toward it. He will not give you the direct answer, so you still have to reason it out. That approach rewards a pilot who understands the material instead of memorizing lines.
For the oral, focus your prep on performance charts and the math behind them. Know how to read and apply the numbers from your aircraft's charts. Build a real flight plan and be ready to defend your choices. The scenario format means he can shift the situation and ask what you would do next.
The flight covered a mix of standard PPL tasks. The pilot flew a diversion to KFYM and ran through the planning that goes with it. An emergency descent was part of the flight as well. The pilot also performed various maneuvers during the ride, so practice the full ACS task list before you go.
The overall read is an examiner who wants you to succeed and keeps a calm, supportive tone. He gives you room to think and will reword a question, but the work stays yours. Prepare your charts, your cross country plan, and your diversion procedure, then drill the emergency descent and your maneuvers. As of this writing, only one report sits on file for Gurgew, so add yours after the checkride to help the next pilot.
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 weather briefing did you get for today’s flight, and how did you get it?”
⚠ Common Pitfall: ForeFlight and other EFBs can count as a standard brief, but they must meet 91.103. See AC 91-92 for what belongs in a standard brief. ForeFlight keeps a record of your briefing for 120 days — not required, but useful to prove you were briefed if it’s ever questioned.
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: Alabama And Northwest Florida FSDO
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 Single Engine Land, Airplane Multi-Engine Land
- Flight Instructor Examiner: Airplane Single Engine, Airplane Multi-Engine
- Flight Instructor Examiner — Instrument: Airplane Single Engine, Airplane Multi-Engine
- TYPE: CE-525S
- Flight Instructor Rating Examiner
- SMFT
Source: FAA Designee Management System · Verify on FAA.gov →
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.