Meta Description: Master your multi-engine checkride with insider secrets from active DPE Jeff Gerencser. Learn what examiners really look for in the oral and flight portions to ace your rating. I’ve spent over 30 years in the cockpit and, as an active Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE), I’ve sat in the right seat for hundreds of […]

Thinking about adding a multi-engine rating? Here’s an honest look at how long it really takes, what drives the timeline, and how to shorten it — from an FAA Designated Pilot Examiner.

A Designated Pilot Examiner walks you through exactly how to prepare for your AMEL checkride — documents, the oral, the maneuvers, and the mindset that separates a pass from a pink slip.

Checkride delays are frustrating, but they do not have to derail your progress. After decades in aviation and hundreds of checkrides observed from the examiner’s side of the table, one thing is clear: many delays are preventable, and the ones you cannot prevent do not have to cost you your edge. I’ve seen applicants arrive […]

Meta Description: Get insider secrets for your Multi-Engine checkride from active Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE) Jeff Gerencser. Learn what examiners look for beyond the ACS and how to ace your rating. Let’s be real for a second: stepping up to a multi-engine rating is one of the most exciting moments in a pilot’s career. You’re […]

Meta Description: Master the new Multi-Engine Airman Certification Standards (ACS). Learn how the regulatory shift from PTS to ACS affects your multi-engine rating and how to use the "Blueprint" to ace your checkride with a retired DPE’s insider tips. Listen, if you’re prepping for your multi-engine rating, you’ve probably heard the rumors. People are talking […]

If you’re preparing for your multi-engine checkride, there’s one maneuver that likely occupies more of your brain space than any other: the Vmc demonstration. In my 30 years of aviation: including my time as a retired Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE): I’ve sat in the right seat for hundreds of multi-engine ratings. I’ve seen pilots nail […]

The multi-engine checkride is less about flying a new airplane and more about proving you understand why a twin behaves the way it does when things go wrong. Examiners want to see that you can explain the aerodynamics, the systems, and the performance numbers cold, and then demonstrate that knowledge in the air. This checklist […]

You’ve already checked the boxes. You have your Commercial Single-Engine Land (CSEL) certificate. You’ve logged the hours, mastered the maneuvers, and proven you can fly to professional standards. Now, you’re standing at the threshold of the Multi-Engine Add-On. To most pilots, the multi-engine rating is seen as a "check-the-box" requirement for the airlines: a quick […]

The checkride does not begin when the engine starts. It does not even begin when the oral exam starts. For a flight instructor, the checkride begins the moment you and your student sit down with the Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE) to review the paperwork. If the paperwork is wrong, the checkride is over before it […]