Well, I took my FAA ASEL Private Pilot Certificate exam and checkride and passed it with no problems! (Whew!) I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous. The examiner, Robert Howell (on right in photo), was very professional and a joy to fly with. We went over all the required information on the ground and during the checkride he continued to test my knowledge and abilities through both procedures and questions.

The entire event lasted just under 4 hours; two hours on the ground, and two in the air. After the first 30 minutes of the oral exam I became more comfortable with Bob and things went really smoothly. In the air, I flew as well as I ever have and was very thorough with my procedures. According to Bob, the only thing I did wrong the entire flight was to accidentily gain altitude one time around the airport pattern, where I leveled off closer to 2,200 feet instead of 2,100 feet. I did notice this and correct for it, though, which is why he didn't mention it until after the flight. Bob also comended me on my situational awareness, stating that it was "well above average."

My friend (and fellow pilot) Jim came out to the field to suprise me as I was taxiing back from the checkride. (Good thing I passed!) We went out to lunch and recounted the checkride play-by-play.

All in all, it was a wonderful and memorable experience. (Definitely a Halloween I won't forget!)

- K.C.

The picture above shows myself and Robert Howell, FAA Designated Examiner, posing in front of Cessna N3976Q. The aircraft is a 1972 Cessna 172L and belongs to The Flight School of Gwinnett, where I took lessons from Paul Nicholas.