MockCheckride.com

Y'all know I won't shut up about mountain flying hazards...glad to see this new product to make people more aware of mountain wave risks.

-Scott @ MockCheckride.com

The Aviation Weather Center (AWC) has officially added mountain wave turbulence to its turbulence product suite!

Following the April 30 launch, the first G-AIRMET with the mountain wave tag was issued on May 4. This enhancement provides pilots and dispatchers with more precise data for safer flight planning.

Finishing up some analysis on the 2025 FAA Airman Statistics. No huge surprises, but a few interesting insights into trends in hiring and the job market for low-time CFIs and Commercial pilots. More on Thursday...

-Scott @ MockCheckride.com

MockCheckride.com – FAA Checkride Preparation An FAA Private Pilot checkride typically costs between $600 and $1,500. Flight Instructor checkrides can cost up to $3,000. A failure during the oral examination portion of the checkride means just that; a failure. There are no refunds.A comprehensive mock checkride is the best way to verify that yo...

Question from a client yesterday:
"Oh, wow, it looks like you have quite the podcaster setup there! Is this appointment going to end up on YouTube?!?"

Answer:
Absolutely not! Your privacy is valuable, and your session is solely between you and your MockCheckride.com instructor.

We encourage clients to speak freely during sessions -- ask questions, express frustrations, and above all, take the appointment time as an opportunity to practice and learn without judgment.
Checkride preparation is stressful enough without worrying about what an anonymous YouTube commenter is going to say!

So, yes, it's 100% true that we've invested in an extensive audio-visual setup (4k cameras, high-quality studio microphone, multiple screens, iPad with ForeFlight, etc.) to be able to effectively deliver online instruction. We do occasionally record sessions (with client consent) in order to help us more effectively prepare written debriefs. These recordings don't leave our office, and we're proud of that.

Your session isn't (and shouldn't be!) marketing material!

-Scott @ MockCheckride.com

P.S. We are happy to debrief with your CFI as part of the value we offer to both clients and recommending instructors (see https://mockcheckride.com/for-cfis/), but we'll always get your permission before doing so!

Good start to the weekend to wake up to two "I passed!" emails - one a Commercial candidate in Wyoming, the other a Private candidate in New Mexico. Excuse me, they're no longer just candidates - we've got a new Commercial Pilot and a new Private Pilot. Both were well prepared before their mock checkrides, so their successes were no surprise. Hard work pays off.

Congraulations, Jake and Claire!

-Scott @ MockCheckride.com

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9:30 p.m. on a Sunday and that's a wrap for another week of helping candidates prepare for their checkrides.

Fun appointment scenario this evening - a commercial candidate tasked with some very specific requests from some very...ah...exacting... clients:

"Please plan a VFR cross-country flight to (MISSOULA, KMSO). You’ve been hired by a self-described “social media influencer” couple to fly them, in their airplane, to Missoula for their anniversary. They have requested a very specific route for the latter half of the trip. They’d like you fly as low as possible from Anaconda (3U3) to Georgetown Lake, then on to Philipsburg (U05), before continuing to Missoula. They want to be over Philipsburg (where they met one another) at sunset so they can take selfies and video with the town and mountains in the background.
Once you arrive in Missoula, you’ll stay in a two-star airport motel while they spend the weekend at the exclusive Paws Up Montana near Missoula (https://www.pawsup.com/). Ah, the commercial pilot life! Plan as if we are leaving at (whatever time makes sense to have them arriving over Philipsburg at sunset)."

Credit to the candidate who considered the customer satisfaction aspect of the mission. He explained that he'd place the two clients in the rear seat of the Cessna 172N, so that they could be in the best position for taking photos of one another. Good idea, and it worked out fine for weight and balance (he also noted we'd benefit from better performance; nice bonus!).

He also explained that he'd planned for a stop just before the sunset photo leg -- where the clients could get out, stretch their legs, and prepare the photo plan. We could then launch from nearby the photo location, so we'd be sure to get the "at sunset" timing exactly right.

Neither of these two things were "required" but that's a great job of creating a plan that will encourage these clients to re-hire him, and/or recommend him to others looking for similar piloting services.

It's carb ice season in much of the country!

Working with several CFI candidates who are getting close to their checkride dates. This will be part of their mock checkrides in early April. And yes, it's part of the CFI ACS. :)

Area of Operation II. Technical Subject Areas
Task D. Principles of Flight
AI.II.D.K1 Airfoil design characteristics.

Remember that the lift equation says "lift (L) is determined through the relationship of the air density (ρ), the airfoil velocity (V), the surface area of the wing (S) and the coefficient of lift (CL) for a given airfoil."

Are the coefficients of lift (CL) the same for these two airfoils? Which has a greater CL, and why?

FAA employee Matt is forever a part of the FAA's Glider Flying Handbook (read caption of Figure 5-16).

He did do his job with the tangent lines, though. 😁

We had three out of these four show up yesterday on a surface analysis chart for a commercial candidate in the St. Louis area!

The squall line, in particular, was textbook -- about 150 miles ahead of a fast-moving cold front. When we turned on the radar layer, we saw cell tops to FL450, mesocyclone activity, hail, and lightning; no surprise with that sort of volatile weather situation.

https://www.weather.gov/lmk/squallbow

It's Sunday (also magazine deadline day)!

Article by yours truly, appearing in the April 2026 issue of Piper Flyer magazine.

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Propeller tip vortices on a Cessna 172.