Day 36, New Instrument Pilot

Sorry I haven't updated in a few days but its been very very hectic here. Two days ago I went out with Bill to shoot one of the possible profiles that I may have seen for my checkride. It was hands down the worst flight I've ever had as a student. I think I messed up almost all of my approaches that day and my confidence level went through the floor. After our flight we landed in Madison Co. AB for some lunch. When we got on the ground we saw Mr. Clyde Shelton, my examiner for the next days instrument checkride. We spoke to him for about 20 minutes and he remembered me and the fact that I was a Naval Academy grad. He told Bill how smooth my previous checkride had gone and in the back of my head all I could think about was how disappointed Clyde was going to me the next day (yesterday) based off my performance that day in the air with Bill.

Yesterday I flew back out to Alabama to take my checkride with Clyde and it wasn't as bad a flight as the day before but it certainly wasn't a great checkride. Several things happened that threw wrenches into my ride. Most of you won't understand what I'm talking about but I'm going to explain anyways, especially for those pilots that do understand. My checkride consisted of 2 non precision approaches and 1 precision approach. I was to do a full SDF partial panel approach w/ a circle to land with the published missed procedure, than an RNAV GPS approach at a second airport which IAF started right 2 miles from the published missed I'd already be holding at. Then after going missed on the RNAV GPS approach I'd be vectored by approach control for the ILS single engine approach into the same airport. After going missed again I'd quickly have to switch to the nearby VOR freq. to intercept the 070 radial outbound and conduct a 10 DME arc to the 044 radial and then shoot that inbound for some unusual attitudes and then he simulated a PAR approach into the airport where I'd land with my foggles on by him vectoring me and giving me descent rates and headings to come to. All of this would take about 50 minutes.... It was a very TIGHT course.

My first hiccup was when Approach cleared my for the full SDF approach, I was 1 minute from hitting the IAF to start timing for my procedure turn and Approach calls up to cancel my approach due to another a/c beating me in to the airport. So I held at my IAF, or at least started to. Approach called up as soon as I started my parallel entry and said I was cleared when able. Clyde wanted me to turn back to the right and conduct my procedure turn instead of continuing in the hold until in a better position, so I got established on my procedure turn but I had already started trying to clear out the active approach in my GPS because I was intending on holding at the IAF and not doing the procedure turn since our clearance had been cancelled. I finally got the GPS right and came inbound on the procedure turn. Then I got a call from approach saying you're cleared for the SDF approach, maintain at or above 2500 UNTIL ESTABLISHED, frequency change approved. I repeated it back to the controller and started to descend. Clyde asked why I was descending and I explained that the controlled cleared me to do so before being established and he said "no no no maintain 3000 until established." I climbed back up and started my descent once I was established. I understood where Clyde was coming from as that is the normal way approaches go down, and I should have played it safe and stayed at 3000 anyways until established but I guess since the controller for some reason said I could descend I figured I'd get ahead of the game by starting my descent early and not having to possibly chop and drop later in the approach. the rest of the approach went well enough, I circled to land, did a touch and go and took back off to do the published missed. After one circuit of the hold at the IAF we called to get clearance for the RNAV GPS approach into Madison Co. We got our clearance and as I'm descending on my step downs Clyde idles one of my engines... I went through my emergency procedures and maintained heading. He started getting fussy about maintaining my glide slope... First of all I knew he wasn't supposed to be simulating an engine out on this procedure and secondly there IS NO glide slope on an RNAV GPS approach because it's non precision. I turned to him and said, sir, this is an RNAV approach. He immediately realized that somehow he had forgotten what approach we were on and cut my engine one approach to soon. Needless to say the nerves, stress, tension, was getting thicker by the minute. I came around and conducted the rest of the ride well enough to standards but due to the time of day the sun had been glaring in my foggles most of the ride and it was driving me nuts because I couldn't see the instruments very well. I tried to make as best of the situation as I could given all the circumstances. But there was plenty I knew I needed to work on after the ride. The important thing is that I past the ride and hopefully these last couple days has made me a better pilot.

Tonight I'll be going on a cross country with Jermaine, an instructor. Tomorrow I'll start my cross country phase of ATP where I'll be building hours for my commercial certificate.