Travis Scott Major DPE Checkride Gouges

Travis Scott Major brings a deep background to his exams. He is a former chief pilot for American and previously flew for PSA. He runs many different exams, including aerial tanker checks. One applicant took the multi-engine add on with him and called it an amazing checkride. The theme is learning, so expect to walk away knowing more about multi-engine aircraft.

The oral runs about two hours, but he is not firing off endless questions. He spends the time expanding your knowledge rather than trapping you. He covers the basics along with systems, the engine, and the landing gear. He also goes into critical engine theory. Come ready to talk through those areas plainly.

The flight portion was described as a breeze. You start with a simulated rejected takeoff, then a short field landing. If you train at ATP, know that he dislikes the minimal flare idle power technique. He will not fail you for it, but he will comment on it. During climb out he gives a simulated engine failure and walks you through securing it.

For the engine failure, he wanted mixture, props, throttle, flaps up, then gear up. He had the applicant identify the dead engine and bring the throttle back on it. That was the only simulated failure on this ride, but he can do as many as he wants. The rest included steep turns, stalls, slow flight, and the VMC demo. He is very cautious on the VMC demo and briefs exactly how he wants it flown.

He took the applicant to Coolidge for the single engine instrument approach. After that they returned to Gateway for a normal landing and finished. As of this writing, only one report is on file for Travis Scott Major. Add yours after you fly with him.