William Gregory Hill DPE Checkride Gouges

Oral Emphasis

The oral exam runs about an hour and centers on a few key areas:

• Flight planning — be ready to walk through your plan in detail.
• Approach plate symbology — this was a major focus. Know your symbols cold.
• Required documents — he teaches the mnemonic SPARROW (ARROW plus S for Supplemental Type Certificate and P for Placards). Be prepared to discuss both additions.
• Weather reporting systems — know the differences between AWOS, ASOS, and ATIS variants (e.g., D-ATIS, AWOS-3PT and what distinguishes each type).
• ILS critical areas — understand why you hold short of an ILS critical area and be able to explain signal interference concepts.

Common Questions

• He asks about required aircraft documents early and expects more than the standard ARROW checklist.
• Expect questions about the purpose behind procedures, not just rote knowledge — for example, the reason behind holding short of an ILS critical area, not just the procedure itself.
• During unusual attitudes in flight, he asks about spatial disorientation — what causes it and the role of the vestibular system (fluid in the inner ears).
• Pilots reported he reads questions directly from a specific book — ask him which one ahead of time so you can study from the same source.

Practical Focus

• He tells you in advance which approaches you'll fly — no surprise approaches were reported.
• Unusual attitudes are part of the flight, and he uses that time to also quiz you verbally while you have your eyes closed (spatial disorientation topics).
• Expect a short-field landing at the end of the flight portion — he'll call for it after you've completed your approaches.

Examiner Style

• The oral is relatively brisk at about an hour — focused and efficient rather than drawn out.
• He's upfront and transparent about the flight plan — pilots appreciated knowing the approach sequence ahead of time.
• He seems to genuinely enjoy the flying portion, especially during unusual attitudes.
• He applies practical judgment on standards — one pilot reported a rough short-field landing and still received a pass, suggesting he evaluates the overall picture rather than failing on a single imperfect maneuver.

What Surprised Pilots

• The SPARROW mnemonic for required documents caught pilots off guard — most only knew ARROW.
• Being quizzed on spatial disorientation during unusual attitudes (eyes closed) was unexpected — prepare for multitasking under the hood.
• The ILS critical area question tripped up at least one pilot — it's a detail worth reviewing.
• Despite a self-described busted short-field landing, the pilot still passed — the outcome was a pleasant surprise, suggesting Hill weighs overall performance and judgment.