Oral Exam on Feb 2, 2017. Discontinuance after completing the oral exam due to DPE schedule conflict. Flight completed and certificate issued on Feb 19, 2017.

Summary: The DPE was decisively and repeatedly more interested in how things related to teaching than my knowledge of a subject. Basic guidance – consider every topic from that of a teacher and evaluator. He assumes you know the information. Can you convey it?

Ultimately he said I performed above average and seemed happiest not when I knew something, but rather when I was able to relate topics to a scenario, real world experience, or teachable moment. I cannot overemphasize the importance of teaching in every part of the oral exam. Further, in the flight portion I would also submit that he was more concerned with teaching than PTS performance. In fact, I would almost go as far to say as making mistakes is almost more forgivable during this practical than others provided that you; turn the mistake into a teachable moment (demonstrate why you made the error and how to correct it) and that the mistake is not a safety of flight issue.

Oral Exam:

(5.5 hours plus some time for paperwork)

General Notes:

• My Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE) was Mike DeRuggiero. Mike is both a helicopter and airplane pilot, and a senior pilot with the Maryland State Troopers. If you Google him, you’ll see a couple disgruntled posts by students, who I can only guess, didn’t pass. Additionally, I have heard some bad rumors from some CFIs about Mike. However, I found Mike to be polite, enjoyable, insightful and positive. In short he was everything you should expect from a professional DPE. Other than being a nerve racking experience I thought he did an excellent job. No tricks. No games. When my nerves were calm it was even enjoyable conversation. I would also add that Mike did give me some pointers of how to do a few things better. In fact, his instructions on doing a lazy-eight were the simplest and best I’ve received.
• Starting off he asked me to describe my process for performing a BFR. I showed him my website (wiki.papalimabravo.com) that details my BFR process to include the aeronautical history and then walked through my concerns and how I would design the Flight Review. He had no questions and seemed very happy with my approach.
• Teaching and finding the information were far more important than knowing the answer.
• Speaking confidently, dressing appropriately, and presenting yourself well will, in my opinion, help with your DPEs.
• From some of the comments he made I do however suspect that the younger a CFI applicant is – the harder he may be on While I don’t think I experienced it, I could possibly see that he could pull a thread pretty hard and far if you are either 1) unprepared, or perhaps more importantly 2) prepared but not confident. My general feeling with Mike was that confidence and attitude will take you a long way.
• He is a fan of technology. You will not be dinged for showing videos, having homework assignments, or online lesson plans. Quite the contrary. I believe any DPE will appreciate all of this and I would recommend it. In total, you’ll probably score higher having a thorough understanding of how to use electronic media than you will with everything in a binder. The simple fact is that the world is moving towards digital media, and there are a variety of digital educational tools that are very effective.

Fundamentals of Instruction: No real surprises here. He asked about the laws of learning – with special repeated emphasis throughout on primacy. Specifically, that it’s not the first thing presented but rather the first thing learned / first thing remembered. He repeatedly tied this to the importance of teaching things properly the first time. The example he used is a CFI teaching students to push the nose down for stall recovery. He said they should be taught to reduce the angle of attack. We covered instructor responsibilities in detail. No surprises. He likes the 5 P model – so know that.

Runway Incursion Avoidance: He placed a fair amount of emphasis on the PHAK Appendix 1: Runway Incursion Avoidance. Specifically a table in there that details the various light configurations. Be sure to speak about Hotspots. What they are and why they exists. I started with a new pilot in the plane and described the challenges working my way out. Starting with the controls internal to the plane – outwards to the wings sticking out and eventually to airport configuration and communication. He was very happy with this approach. He did have me take an online runway marking quiz. A little googling found it to be the following quiz: https://www.faa.gov/airports/runway_safety/equiz/?fuseaction=start

I got 10 out of 10 correct and he was very happy.

Logbook Entries and Certificates: We spent a lot of time here. We talked about the requirements for each stage of training from student to solo to XC solo to private pilot and went through each endorsement. Then he presented me with the scenario “A Commercial Helicopter pilot with 0 hrs in an airplane comes to you to get an airplane add-on” What are the requirements. I didn’t know the answer rote, but I was able to reference the FAR and determine the answer in detail. He gave me time to do this and was happy that I did NOT give a cursory answer and that I fully detailed the requirements. He said afterwards that he would have no expectation for me to know that answer off hand but that I should be able to thoroughly determine the requirements.

Several topics combined into one: We also covered airworthiness requirements, certificates and documents, weather information, and operation of systems. These were interwoven among several other topics and were mostly teaching or scenario based. For the airworthiness requirements he was big on the MEL and the process associated with that. Definitely a weak area for me, but he was unconcerned. He said it is one of the areas most candidates are weak in. Operation of systems was straightforward. Talk to me about the engine (I just bought an engine… so there was nothing he could catch me on) We spent time on the constant speed prop. He liked analogies. Jason’s analogy about the transmission went over well. He wanted me to explain how and why the constant speed prop works. Then I had to explain how the hydraulic landing gear system on the arrow works. While on the topic of systems we bled into the POH. This was a hot topic for him You’ll definitely score points by knowing what each section has in it (without reference – but you won’t be dinged hard if you don’t) Specifically the relationship between limitations and other sections. For example if it has a GPS – that may require a Quick Reference guide per section 9. Thus the airplane is not airworthy without it. Regardless more emphasis than I expected on this book. Read the opening paragraph of section 2. Know section 9. Know what is a limitation and what is not (not rote just limitations in general). On the topic of airworthiness – this was somewhat unexpected. He had me not teach, but rather simply assess a student pilot who is ready for endorsement for his private pilot practical based on a task out of the ACS. I used the scenario of you have equipment out necessitating a special flight permit. He liked it – but in all honesty I could have done a better job shaping the scenario. I would practice doing a couple lessons that aren’t lessons, but pure assessment.

Maneuver Lesson: Finally we ended with teaching the lesson on the Power Off 180 Accuracy Landing. This was probably the strongest single event. I nailed the topic and he gave multiple compliments. Key things I did well: 1) I asked him, the student, tons of questions and made him explain things as I went along. 2) I wrote out checklists of standards and common errors, but I didn’t cover them as a list – I covered them throughout the course of the lesson and checked them off as I went. He really liked this as well. In fact I was able to check off half the errors based off of the answers he gave me to the scenarios I proposed to him as the student. Bottom line. The lesson was absolutely all about teaching. No need to be super complicated, but practice good teaching skills. I also added in some background on how and why we do the pattern differently in the military (box vs oval pattern) and the strengths and weaknesses of each. He also was very happy with this addition. I ended the lesson by laying out my expectations of the student in performing the maneuver.

Flight:

(1.8 hours Flight, 1 hour Ground)

Manuals: He was big on teaching students how to find the correct logs – not enabling via tabs. Teach students what they should find and how they should find it. Details like starting at the back of the log. Otherwise his review of performance, notams, weather, and weight and balance were cursory at best. Make sure you do full fuel and zero fuel calculations. Additionally, make sure your POH contains any ancillary documentation required such as that required for the GPS.

Pre-flight: He gave me the scenario of what would I expect to teach when instructing a new complex pilot. Also, was concerned with the safety of pre-flight. Should I pre-flight separately if teaching pre-flight for the first time? Yes.

What things should I always check even with a competent student (fuel, oil, general condition). When should pre-flight begin – when you are walking to the plane from far away. What lights should you have on? Again refer to the Appendix 1 – runway incursion table referenced earlier, however – all the lights is also a pretty acceptable answer. (Lets be honest – you’re not blinding anyone with the candle- powered landing lights in these aircraft) Primacy in relation to flight training came up yet again.

 Flight execution (in order):

• Taxi for takeoff – How to teach a new student to steer with the rudder
• Ground safety – Cursory review of hotspots and collision
• Short field T/O. He will call when clear of any (Basically when to transition from Vx to Vy)
• Enroute to practice area – explain VFR visual references for straight and level /
• Slow flight – demonstrate and relate to pattern work.
• Power off & power on stalls – No surprises.
• Demonstrate a secondary stall. Only to stall First indication.
• Steep turns demonstration. Talk through common
• Evaluate his steep turns. He performed his extremely There was very little to say or critique and so I did just that. He was happy that I didn’t try to make stuff up or over teach. iI it was a good maneuver – its a good maneuver – don’t over complicate it.
• Lazy eights – he doesn’t like the whole 45 90 135 180 He says trace the nose high and then low in a figure eight. Forget the checkpoint besides hitting your nose high and bank references outside the cockpit. I completely agree – and actually improved my own lazy eight considerably using his technique. The lazy eight is basically a very mild wingover. We’re probably overly emphasizing these checkpoints. Yes it’s in the manual – but there is a feel and pattern outside the cockpit that doesn’t correlate well to learners.
• Modified steep spiral to emergency landing. He’d prefer you do these to the student’s side (turn left). Otherwise he was happy with my approach and I was able to hit my
• Turns around a point immediately into eights on pylons. He mentioned over and over again – don’t get caught up on the perfect two Don’t worry about the second pylon until you find the first pylon. Much more important to find the wind – get altitude and speed correct. My eights on pylons were flawless – best I’ve done.
• Back to the field – enroute – describe magnetic compass variations and how to deal with them
• At the field short field landing followed by soft field takeoff to power off 180. I had to do a go-around on my first DO NOT press a bad or poor landing. DO NOT fear going around. They are free and he’ll be happy to see it as he was mine. All landings and takeoffs went well after that. I was a little right of centerline on the short field landing.
• Back to the ramp. One question about post-flight and inside to sign the

My buddy Mike invited me to go to Sun N Fun with him in his RV-7. Well, actually, it was my idea! We intended to go last year, but schedules didn’t work out. This year everything came together (except media passes, but thats another story). Weather forced us to go early, and we packed up bright and early on a Wednesday morning April 6th. The RV-7 holds a ton of gear. We decided sharing a tent was for paupers, so I brought a separate three man tent.

Plenty of room for Mike’s bimmer and my wife’s Mazda.

It was early, but we were bright eyed and bushy tailed.

The flight down was absolutely wonderful. The early morning air was silk smooth, and we had a slight tail wind for about a third of the journey. The visibility and scenery was quite spectacular.

Darlington Race Track below!

Mike has never been to South Carolina! one of the greatest state’s in the union, and home of my alma mater, The Citadel!

We stopped in Baxley Georgia for cheap ($3.00) fuel and free food. The folks at the FBO were extremely nice, and the FBO is well appointed. There are two bedrooms upstairs that are available on a first come first serve basis.

Here is one of the bedrooms. The other one had a queen or king size bed. Both had individual bathrooms! I’d definitely stay over night here if I was on a long haul.

I did have a scare at Baxley. I thought I had left my wallet in Maryland. Mike captured the epiphany well.

But, alas, I found it. It slipped out of my pocket. Thank heavens. I was not looking forward to being without my wallet.

We once again attempted to capture our arrival. This time, the failure was Mike’s fault. The GoPro footage was very cloudy, so we didn’t have much to show. Once on the ground we set up camp.

Here is Mike’s tent. Note that the boy scout put his rain fly on backwards. It rained the first night. Draw your own conclusions about his interior.

My tent, on the other hand, while cheap was assembled properly and stayed perfectly dry.

Plenty of room inside!

Time to get our drink on! First thing you’ll notice about Sun N Fun versus Oshkosh is that the food is far superior, and the alcohol is far more plentiful! Both big pluses for Sun N Fun!

We tooled around to all the exibits. Here is the now famous RV-8R with the Rotec radial engine. This is fantastic craftsmanship! I love the detail on the interior.

Mitch Lock’s RV-14 was also on display. Sorry folks, but I don’t get the RV-14. Its a huge price premium on an RV-7 for only a little more capability. Maybe its because I’m only 5’6″ and 135lbs, but I’d be perfectly fine with an RV-7.

Mike and Chad Jensen. Second time I’ve met Chad. Super nice guy, and he hooked us up with t-shirts and hats!

The Vertical Power booth had a school project in their booth. Say hello to a homebrewed MFD PFD using the Raspberry Pi! Here is the next revolution in experimental aviation. Role your own avionics. Its coming folks, and its going to be yet another revolution.

We stopped by GRT and Garmin. My two top contenders for avionics in my RV-8. I love the Garmin gear. Its well integrated, beautifully designed, and includes a ton of functionality. However, I came into the show wanting GRT. I was really impressed by GRT’s attitude and the time they took to talk with us. Garmin’s business practices make me a little off-put, but I can’t blame them. I would do exactly what they are doing were I in their shoes.

GRT is brewing a cheaper TSO compliant GPS. Tentatively available this winter. Combined with a NAV/COM radio, you’re looking at a 50% reduction from a Garmin 650. I’ll be watching this closely.

I recently graduated with my MBA from the Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland. One of my fellow classmates, Robert, owns the restaurant at Lakeland. He is also a former Florida State Wide Receiver. The food at Hallback’s Grill was phenomenal. I highly recommend stopping here for a bite to eat if you fly through the area.

I noticed that Patty Wagstaff was flying the Extra LX330. This is going to be the inspiration for my paint scheme, and I had to go check out the plane.

Our timing was perfect, as Patty Wagstaff happened to be walking by!

Mike is proud of his self appointed call sign of “half price.” You can’t have a call sign you like. Plus, this one is no longer accurate.

Getting around Sun N Fun is easy. Its smaller than Osh, but still plenty to see.

Without a doubt, the best part of Sun N Fun is the Homebuilt Camping set up by Mary Jane. She and her volunteers provide three meals a day, coolers full of beer, water, and sodas. Coffee and donuts in the morning, and all paid for by donations. On Friday night Mary Jane set up a Steak or Salmon dinner. I had the Salmon, and it was phenomenal.

We were able to kick back, drink some Yuengling, and enjoy the airshows.

We took off for the North on Saturday. I’m glad we split the return trip into two days. We were pretty tired from the event.

The trip from Lakeland to north of Atlanta had a strong headwind and a lot of turbulence. It wasn’t a fun trip. Here our the happy-turbulence faces.

On our way up back north, I snapped this photo. My wife is a horse-nut, and I wanted to show her how many tracks there are in the Ocala area. There are actually more tracks than arrows!

We stopped north of Atlanta to visit one of my classmate’s, and one of the best guys on the planet, Justin Katko. I hadn’t seen Justin since his wedding three years ago. It was great to reconnect, and Mike made a new friend for life!

Here’s Justin and I before we departed to the north the next day. 

Overall Sun N Fun was spectacular. For me, I much prefer this event over Oshkosh. Don’t get me wrong, I very much enjoy Osh, but Sun N Fun is more my style. More laid back, great time of year, fantastic food, readily available alcohol, and less crowds. All things I love. All the main exhibitors are there, and the airshows are essentially the same. However, the number of experimentals is far smaller, and there is less of many things. Each are different, and awesome in their own right, but Sun N Fun is hard to beat!

In early January, I traveled to Santiago, Chile as part of a short term study abroad trip for my MBA program.

When I travel, I try to meet new people wherever I can. RV builders and pilots are an added bonus! Knowing the trip was coming, I contacted Fernando Abasolo via VAF to see if he’d be interested in grabbing a beer while I was in Santiago. Fernando did much better than that. I was able to bum a ride and go flying directly over Santiago!

Fernando was nice enough to pick me up at my hotel and drive me to his hangar where CC-PXG waited. The airport is Eulogio Sánchez Airport (ICAO: SCTB), also known as Tobalaba Airport. Interestingly the airport is owned by two flying clubs, with one being the Club Aéreo de Carabineros de Chile. Carabineros, a name derived from cavalry units, are the national police in Chile. The first thing I immediately noticed was a fantastic paint job! But Fernando’s attention to detail didn’t stop there. He has incorporated several unique modifications.

First among these modifications is his oil filler door. He has made a hidden latch inside the air intakes of the cowl. (Shown here)

Additionally, he has modified the inside of the door to prevent flex and opening in flight.

Also modified are his front and rear rudder pedals, unfortunately I don’t have pictures of these modifications just yet.

After a little plane clean up and hangar talk it was time to take to the air. I was very excited to see the landscape from the air. Fernando is a Captain with LAN Airlines flying the Airbus A320, and his proficiency and professionalism was immediately apparent in the air. Further, he has had quite the saga with his plane. There are now a handful of RV’s in Chile, but the path for experimental has been difficult. Fernando was the first to receive permission to fly aerobatics. Experimental aviation is impacting aviation worldwide, and in an industry besieged by rising costs and regulation it’s exciting to see breakthroughs like this. (Video of the flight is available here on Vimeo.)

Santiago is a big city with a third of the population of the country and with nearly 8 million people there is quite a lot of sprawl. The city is modern and has absolutely beautiful scenery. It sure beats Charm City!

Santiago is absolutely gorgeous, both on the ground and in the air. In this photo you can see the Gran Torre Skyscraper, which at 64 floors is the highest skyscraper in Latin America. Additionally at the base, you can see another large square building. This is a 6 story epically big shopping mall. In fact, its the biggest shopping mall in Latin America. My friends and I visited it, and it was quite a spectacle on its own.

During the school portion of our trip we stayed at the swank W Hotel Santiago, which you can see here. The rooftop pool has a spectacular view!

In addition to flying, I had a great time in Chile. Fernando took me out drinking one night, and my fellow students and I from Baltimore had a terrific time. We found Chilenos to be generous and friendly. I’ll have a soft spot for Chile in the next World Cup. Pictured here are the members of the Baltimore cohort from the Smith School of Business at The University of Maryland. Sarah, Myself, Brennan, Chuck, Elizabeth, Drew and Julia. A great group!

Fortunately my wife was able to join me towards the end of the school activities, and here we are at Kingston Family Vineyards. For the sommeliers who may be reading this post, the Kingston Family is from California and they operate a small vineyard near Santiago. They were the first vineyard to introduce Pinot Noir to Chile, and have some excellent examples that I highly recommend.

As if Chile wasn’t enough, my wife and I continued on to Lima Peru for a four day stay in Miraflores. The food lived up to the hype. We ate enough ceviche and fresh seafood to feed a village.

And finally, two more photos of my beautiful bride of seven years! Here she is at a brew pub in Lima. If you’re a fan of beer, I recommend you check out www.untappd.com and download their app from the App Store. Maria is drinking a Pisco Sour, the national drink of both Chile and Peru. (Be careful… both Chilenos and Peruvians think the other nation stole Pisco from them). Pisco is a distilled liquor made from grapes… and it sure is good!