Nicholas John Gregory DPE Checkride Gouges

Oral Emphasis

Gregory's oral leans heavily into regulations, privileges, and limitations. Pilots reported extensive coverage of:

• Private pilot privileges and limitations — Know P-SCRIPT cold, and pay special attention to common purpose, which he reportedly emphasizes more than other topics.
• Airworthiness and maintenance responsibility — He draws a clear line between what falls on the PIC versus the owner/operator. Expect questions about ADs (types, not necessarily where to find them), inop equipment procedures (know the MEL/KATS flow), and special flight permits — including when you'd need one.
• Medical certificates and BasicMed — He asked about the specific medical held and BasicMed requirements and limitations, but did not reportedly drill into trickle-down medical privileges.
• Fuel, oxygen, and personal minimums — Legal fuel minimums are fair game, but he also wants to hear your recommended minimums (he suggested at least doubling legal reserves). Know the legal and recommended supplemental oxygen altitudes (he referenced 10,000 ft day / 5,000 ft night as recommended). Be ready to discuss the three important night-time definitions.
• Alcohol limitations — Covered, though drug/medication and scuba diving rules were not reported as topics.
• Airport operations — He asked about LASHO and the consequences of busting the LASH line (runway incursion). Right-of-way in the traffic pattern came up, though converging and aircraft-category right-of-way rules did not.

Common Questions

Gregory favors targeted, specific questions over exhaustive acronym recitals. Pilots noted he does not necessarily walk through every item in long checklists like ATOMATOFLAMES or NWKRAFT. Instead, he picks particular items — for example, he asked about anti-collision lights and FLAPS rather than the full required-equipment list.

He uses scenario-based questions to test practical understanding. One reported scenario involved being stuck in Florida under IFR weather while your aircraft's annual inspection lapsed — he was looking for you to identify the need for a special flight permit and talk through the process.

He asked about PIME but did not go into the full PAVE model. He also asked about high-performance aircraft (definition only) and whether a radio operator's permit is needed.

Practical Focus

Limited detail was provided on the flight portion in this report. No specific maneuvers, areas, or standards were described.

Examiner Style

Gregory comes across as efficient and low-friction on the administrative side — he went through the logbook himself and handled the requirements review, only asking the applicant to provide required documents. Pilots did not need to prove AD compliance item by item.

His questioning style is selective rather than encyclopedic. He hones in on concepts he considers most important and skips areas he deems less critical, which keeps the oral focused but means you need genuine understanding of the topics he does cover — surface-level memorization may not be enough when he follows up with scenarios.

What Surprised Pilots

• He handled much of the logbook and paperwork review himself, which reduced the usual stress around documentation prep.
• He did not cover several topics pilots typically over-prepare for — no NWKRAFT, no scuba diving limits, no full ATOMATOFLAMES, no pilot-performed preventive maintenance, and no PAVE model.
• His emphasis on recommended (not just legal) oxygen altitudes and fuel reserves stood out — he clearly cares that you think beyond bare legal minimums.
• The strong focus on common purpose surprised at least one pilot, suggesting it's a concept he feels is often misunderstood.