So, my training program was coming to an end, and it was time to plan the date for the final exam. It’s worth mentioning that there’s always a queue for the Checkride with a designated examiner. In 2013, the county that includes Reid-Hillview Airport conducted budget optimizations and reduced the number of examiners, which increased the waiting time for exams. I had already bought a ticket to Russia to visit my parents and take care of some business, but now I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to complete everything before my trip, with only three weeks left.
Cecil suggested that I take the exam in a neighboring county where there were no issues with long wait times. The nearest airport in that county was Livermore, just a 20-minute flight north of our Reid-Hillview Airport. Cecil found an examiner and scheduled a date for the exam. Both the plane and I had to be at Livermore Airport at the appointed time.
By the way, the city of Livermore is known for its national laboratory, which has been engaged in nuclear research since 1952. There are only two such laboratories in America. The laboratory even has a chemical element named after it — element 116, Livermorium (Lv).
The logistics plan for the exam was optimized to the fullest extent :) The evening before, I ferried the plane to Livermore and left it there overnight. There are no issues with transient parking at general aviation airports; it is usually free or costs only $10–20 per night. The flight school dispatcher, Lisa, picked me up from there in her car. The next morning, I met with Cecil at Reid-Hillview. He personally drove me to Livermore and ensured all my aviation permits were properly in order and that nothing was missed. According to the final part of the plan, after the exam, I was going to fly back to Reid-Hillview, where I had parked my car earlier.
Livermore Airport is equipped with a control tower and two runways, 2,700 feet (820 meters) and 5,250 feet (1,600 meters) long. Many general aviation airports have a terminal building where pilots can find everything they need for flight preparation, such as a computer, telephone, navigation charts, and vending machines with drinks and snacks. The first part of my exam took place in one of the conference rooms in such a terminal.
Cecil made sure that all the paperwork was in order, wished me luck, and left. The examiner made a strong impression on me — he looked about 70 years old, a seasoned pilot of the old school. He carefully reviewed my documents and immediately noted that I had passed the written test with a score of 100%. Despite his stern appearance, he treated me very kindly. First, he explained the exam procedure and all possible outcomes. For example, I could pause the exam and continue it later. This would not be recorded in the system as an unsuccessful attempt. Additionally, if I couldn’t complete any exercise, I would be able to retake it separately.
The first part of the exam was in the form of a conversation and lasted almost three (!!!) hours. During this time, we discussed all topics: aircraft design, aerodynamics, the air code, aeronautical charts, cross-country flights, aeromedical factors, ATC services and communications, weather, and much more. The examiner described various scenarios and asked what I would do in each situation and what decisions I would make.
The day before the exam, he emailed me an assignment — to plan a flight to a specific airport. At the end of our conversation, I presented my flight plan. The examiner listened carefully and asked if I would fly there today or not. Although the weather was still technically flyable, a thunderstorm front was approaching the destination. I firmly said “no,” and with that, the theoretical part of the exam was over.
After a short break, I began the pre-flight preparation of the aircraft. I took the exam in a Cessna 172SP with a “classic” instrument panel. In aviation slang, it’s called a “6 pack” due to the number of indicators. The examiner came just as I was finishing the inspection of the aircraft. He asked a few questions about the components and systems, and we took our seats. By the way, the Checkride exam is logged as solo, despite the examiner-instructor being on board.
We took off from the long runway 25R and began following the route that I had just “defended” during the theoretical part of the exam. After passing the first waypoint, Mount Diablo, I made notes in the flight plan and tuned the radio to the ATIS weather frequency of the nearest airport, Buchanan. This was sufficient for the examiner, and he moved on to the next phase: instructing me to abort the current route and head to Stockton Airport. Within a minute, I calculated the new course, estimated distance, flight time, and fuel consumption. Using the aviation directory, I found information about the runways, traffic pattern altitude, radio frequencies, and other specifics of Stockton Airport.
Just as I was fully prepared to execute the flight and land in Stockton, the examiner gave the command “engine failure”, simultaneously reducing the engine power to idle. I urgently needed to choose a site for an emergency landing and perform the other emergency procedures. The most suitable option seemed to be an agricultural field. I determined the wind direction and the orientation of the furrows, and prepared to land in the appropriate direction. At that moment, the examiner pointed out an abandoned runway nearby. How could I have missed it! It would have been the perfect place to land. However, my altitude was already too low for a maneuver, so I decided to stick with my original plan. The examiner was pleased with my decision and moved on to the next phase of the exam.
We climbed back to a safe altitude and began performing exercises such as stalls, steep turns, unusual attitude recovery, and simulating instrument flight under the hood using special glasses that restrict part of the field of vision. I also had to contact the flight service station and request flight following.
After completing the altitude exercises, we returned to Livermore Airport. I made the approach and began demonstrating my landings. We simulated takeoffs and landings on a short runway, a grass strip, and performed landings without flaps using the slip technique to quickly lose altitude.
After completing the final landing, I began to clear the runway when suddenly the examiner sharply pressed the brakes. It turned out that in Livermore, unlike our Reid-Hillview Airport, the main taxiway is controlled by a different controller, so you must contact them first. My heart sank because it is generally believed that if the examiner has to take control, it means the exam has failed. Fortunately, it wasn’t considered a mistake and did not affect the outcome.
And so, we returned to the terminal building, where the examiner powered up his laptop, logged into the aviation system, completed several forms, and issued me a temporary pilot certificate! From that moment on, I was officially a pilot! The permanent plastic license, like all other documents in the U.S., is to be sent by mail.
Finally, the examiner congratulated me, gave me some parting advice, and presented me with a commemorative medal. It had his name engraved on it, along with key factors influencing flight safety. He also mentioned that he envied my aviation English. I was sure I had misheard and even asked him to repeat it. But he explained, “My English is ordinary, just regular American, while yours is clear, true aviation English”. This was unexpected and very flattering! It turns out, my Russian accent came in handy :)
After saying goodbye to the examiner and informing Cecil that everything had gone well, I took off back to Reid-Hillview Airport for the first time as a licensed pilot! And just as I was making my approach for landing, the tower controller congratulated me on obtaining my license over the radio. What a pleasant surprise!
Cecil presented me with a book, “A Gift of Wings” by Richard Bach, with an inscription and a wish to never lose the sense of inspiration that had brought me into aviation and given me wings.
I would like to heartily thank everyone who supported me on this journey. As of today, I’ve logged 270 flights to 30 different airports and shared the joy of flying with friends, friends of friends and friends of friends of friends :) Each new passenger brings lots of fresh emotions and excitement, and I really enjoy it.
In conclusion, I want to say that learning how to fly was one of the happiest times of my life. So, I encourage everyone enchanted by aviation to go for it and conquer the skies — you won’t regret it! And actually, it’s not as difficult as it might seem from my story :)
All Links:
Part 1 — Russian Origins
Part 2 — New Page in America
Part 3 — First Flights with the Instructor
Part 4 — First Solo Flight
Part 5 — Cross-Country Flights
Part 6 — Night Flight
Part 7–100% on Written Exam
Part 8 — Checkride and I am a pilot!
