Nick Gregory DPE Checkride Gouges
Designated Pilot Examiner • (Nicholas John Gregory)
Preparing for an FAA checkride with Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE) Nick Gregory? GougeHub has 2 first-hand Nick Gregory checkride gouge reports from pilots who tested. Review oral exam questions, flight test patterns, and examiner insights for CFI and PPL checkrides.
↓ View 2 available gouge reportsTwo reports are on file for Nicholas John Gregory, one for the PPL and one for the CFI. The CFI report covers the oral in detail, since the flight portion got discontinued due to weather on April 25. So most of what we know about this examiner comes from how he runs the ground discussion.
On the CFI oral, Gregory works through the Fundamentals of Instruction thoroughly. He asks for Maslow's hierarchy and wants all the levels listed with examples. He uses scenarios, like a learner who loses 250 feet in every steep turn and blames the weather, then asks which defense mechanism that shows. He expects you to list more defense mechanisms after that.
The learning theory questions run deep. He asks about behaviorism and cognitive theory and the differences between them. He wants the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains with examples, plus the levels of the cognitive domain: rote, understanding, application, and correlation. Expect questions on characteristics of learning, types of memory, theories of forgetting, and retention principles. He also asks about positive and negative transfer of learning with examples.
Communication and lesson planning get full coverage too. He asks about barriers and traits of effective communication, parts of a lesson plan, and types of objectives with performance and decision based examples. He discusses scenario based training, problem based learning, and delivery methods like lectures, guided discussions, and group learning. Be ready on slips and mistakes and how to reduce errors.
Assessment topics close out the FOI section. He asks the purpose of assessments, types of assessments, and characteristics of effective questions on a written test. He covers questions to avoid, types of critiques, and instructor responsibilities. When he asks what helps a learner self critique, he wants to hear the ACS. After FOIs, the discussion moves to endorsements.
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:
“How do you calculate your takeoff and landing distances for today’s flight?”
⚠ Common Pitfall: Read the chart limitations closely. They often say things like “assumes a paved surface” or “assumes 10° of flaps for takeoff.” Use less flap or a grass strip and the chart may no longer apply.
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
- CFI (Certified Flight Instructor)
- PPL (Private Pilot)
FAA Designee Information
FAA Oversight Office: Farmingdale FSDO
Status: Active Designee
- Private Pilot Examiner: Airplane Single Engine Land
- Commercial & Instrument Rating Examiner: Airplane Single Engine Land
- Flight Instructor Examiner: Airplane Single Engine
- Flight Instructor Examiner — Instrument: Airplane Single Engine
- Flight Proficiency Examiner
- Military Competency Examiner
- Ground Instructor Examiner
- Flight Instructor Rating Examiner
- Balloon Airman Examiner
Source: FAA Designee Management System · Verify on FAA.gov →
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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.