Passed the Written Exam!

Well it is with elation that I can report that I have passed my Private Pilot Airplane (PAR) written knowledge exam! Over a month of studying paid off, and I did very well, I only missed 4 questions out of 60, yielding a 93% pass (I needed a 70% or greater to pass).

Laura came with, which was great since I was a bit tired from the night before and she did her level best to distract me on the way there so I wouldn't stress out. We had to go all the way into Minnesota, it was the closest testing center, even Marshfield would have been a longer trek.

Laura had a good time too, the test administrator was an FBO in Lake Elmo, MN called Valters Aviation. She watched the planes take off and land and they took her around the hangar to see the type of airplane I would be flying. She was astonished how young the pilots were flying, some as young as 21. Actually the minimum age required to be eligible to take your private pilot checkride is only 17. After I found out I passed she admitted how worried she was for me.... she kept on saying "please let him pass, please let him pass..."

The exam was pretty much what I expected, I had seen almost all the questions before, although there was about 3 I had not seen before and was genuinely uncertain, I reasoned them out and I got 2/3 of those correct. After starting the test, I got myself a little flustered trying to organize my test taking rhythm. I got worked up when I looked at the question and it was only #6 and I remember saying to myself that this is going a lot slower than the practice tests. Eventually, I finished the test in about 1:20 minutes, well within the 2:30 limit.

With the results, you are told what topics you missed. Being the perfectionist I am sometimes, I honestly wanted to figure out which questions I got wrong, I had a pretty good idea which ones tripped me up. So here are my stumbles...

• PLT014 - Calculate distance / bearing from/to a station.
  (Refer to figure 30, illustration 2.) Determine the approximate heading to intercept the 180° bearing TO the station.
  A) 040°.
  B) 160°.
  C) 220°.
  I got pretty good at calculating distances and bearings and there were several on the test, but this one I had a brain fart. The illustration they refer to is a movable ADF with an airplane heading of 315 and the station bearing 190. Somehow I managed to rationalize the 160 degree heading, I even drew a picture. I have no idea how I managed to do that, you turn 160, you'll never hit the 180 radial of a station to the south, the answer is obviously 220, don't know how I let that one slip by.
  
  
  EDIT: I had a question posed by a reader to explain this a little further, here is a diagram that should help! Please note I am slightly vague in the diagram, when I say the station is bearing 190*, I mean the station has a MAGNETIC bearing (from magnetic north) of 190* based on my current position. Do not confuse this with a fixed ADF which would give a RELATIVE bearing, this is not the case! On a side note, I find this topic on the test to be amusing, most planes that new pilots would be training in wouldn't likely have an ADF!
  
  
  
  
  


• PLT161 - Recall airspace classes - limits / requirements / restrictions / airspeeds /
  equipment.
  The normal radius of the outer area of Class C airspace is
  A) 5 nautical miles.
  B) 15 nautical miles.
  C) 20 nautical miles.
  This was one I hadn't seen before, I remember trying to measure the Savannah airspace on an example sectional chart in the supplement, and I was getting 6 nm, but I knew that wasn't correct. I guessed 15 nm. Bzzt!! It's 20nm.
  
  


• PLT366 - Recall regulations - accident / incident reporting and preserving wreckage.
  Which incident requires an immediate notification to the nearest NTSB field office?
  A) A forced landing due to engine failure.
  B) Landing gear damage, due to a hard landing.
  C) Flight control system malfunction or failure.
  I got caught in my practice exams before on this one and it just didn't stick. I incorrectly answered A, it was C. A force landing due to engine failure might not result in any damage, but a flight control problem, that is something the NTSB really wants to know about. Duh.
  
  


• PLT414 - Recall regulations - general right-of-way rules.
  Which aircraft has the right-of-way over the other aircraft listed?
  A) Glider.
  B) Airship.
  C) Aircraft refueling other aircraft.
  This is probably the one question I am most annoyed at myself, its a trick question. I answered C, because an aircraft refueling any other aircraft has right of way over any powered aircraft. They threw in glider! Obviously gliders aren't powered, and they have right of way over everything unless its head-on collision course, I knew this!! Grrrr.
  
  

Well, I understand my mistakes, and I am wiser for it. They say the art of flying is the balance between your luck and experience. The key is to accrue enough experience before you run out of luck. I'll go a step further, I'll be happy to add to my experience without having to draw upon luck!

Thanks all for reading, next up will be getting that medical and beginning actual flying. Laura and I have a vacation to NY next week to attend a wedding, so I don't anticipate any lessons until after that!