Robert Alan Clausen DPE Checkride Gouges

Oral Emphasis

Rob's oral exam leans heavily into aircraft systems and pilot decision-making. Pilots reported spending significant time on:

• Engine and aircraft systems: How the engine works (type, cycle of operation), the six-pack instruments and how they function, hydraulic systems, and how the AC/heating system operates.
• Airworthiness and required equipment: Documents required to make the aircraft legal to fly, what makes an aircraft airworthy, required equipment for day and night flight (ATOMATOFLAMES / FLAPS), MELs, and how to handle inoperative equipment — including items not on the required equipment list.
• Pilot qualifications and fitness: Documents needed on your person, medical certificate classes and their durations, the difference between proficiency and currency, and IMSAFE.
• Passenger management: Scenario-based questions about handling passengers who become ill or nervous in-flight, and how to evaluate whether a passenger is safe to fly before departure.

Common Questions

Rob's questioning style is scenario-driven and practical rather than rote memorization. Pilots reported being asked to:

• Describe the engine type and walk through how it produces power in plain terms.
• Explain each instrument in the six-pack — what it tells you and the basics of how it works.
• Write out required day and night equipment on a whiteboard from memory.
• Explain what you'd do if equipment not on the required list (like autopilot or a seatbelt) becomes inoperative — this caught at least one pilot off guard.
• Walk through how you'd handle a passenger who gets sick or anxious mid-flight, and how you'd assess a passenger's fitness before the flight.

Examiner Style

Rob starts the checkride with a relaxed personal conversation — expect him to ask about your background, why you got into flying, and your aviation goals. This sets a friendly, peer-level tone for the rest of the exam. The oral is conversational rather than interrogative; he lets you talk through topics and follows up with deeper questions based on your answers. He uses a whiteboard for some exercises, so be ready to organize your thoughts visually. Overall, pilots described the experience as thorough but not adversarial.

What Surprised Pilots

• No aerodynamics questions: At least one pilot reported that Rob did not ask about aerodynamics at all during the oral, despite expecting it. That said, this may vary — don't skip your aero prep.
• Inoperative equipment curveballs: Rob asked about inoperative items beyond the standard required equipment lists, like what happens when a seatbelt is broken. Pilots noted this was unexpected and tricky — know the logic behind 91.213 and how to work through scenarios that aren't covered by an MEL.
• Passenger-focused scenarios: The depth of questioning about passenger management and decision-making surprised pilots. Rob clearly cares about how you'd handle real-world people problems, not just airplane problems.