need help on instrument checkride

Reprint of a letter to Rod Machado(Instructor in MSFS) about MSFS 2004:
I finally passed the FS2004 Instrument Check ride and got my certificate....
Let me explain:
1. The program is looking for the pilot to hold SE of SEA on the 140 radial. This is consistent with the examiner's instructions: "Hold on the 140 radial from SEA.." But it is inconsistent with the "Flight Criteria" supplied with the check ride that says you must "intercept the 140 degree course inbound...."
2. Just before PARKK the examiner says to "turn left to a heading of 160." The program then checks to see when your actual heading gets between 150 and 170. When it does, the examiner tells you to "fly direct to SEA and hold on the 140 degree radial." While the examiner is uttering those words, the computer begins to check whether or not you have crossed the VOR. The way it does that in this case is to look for the TO/FROM flag to be FROM. Because the computer is doing this evaluation while it is telling you to go direct to SEA, you haven't had a chance to reset the OBS to the inbound direct course to SEA (approx 155 or whatever) and so the TO/FROM flag is already (still) FROM (from the missed approach). Therefore, the computer thinks you have crossed the SEA VOR when in fact you are six to eight miles away. Further, it then starts a timer (and this is significant).
3. The next thing the computer checks is that you are crossing the VOR inbound on a 320 course within five minutes of crossing the VOR the first time. It really doesn't matter what kind of entry you do (as far as the program is concerned [parallel is correct]) as long as you cross the VOR inbound on the 320 course within five minutes. The problem is that the computer started the timer long before you actually crossed the VOR (see number 2 above) so you have no chance to fly an entry and get back to the VOR within the five minutes. In my case, almost four minutes have elapsed before I get to the VOR. So I would cross the VOR and try a parallel entry to a hold SE, or try a direct entry to a hold NW and about a minute or so later the timer expires and the computer says, "Sorry, you fail. You didn't enter the hold correctly." In reality, I failed because the five minute timer expired!
4. Now, if you've been flying the check ride for a while so you know what is coming, as soon as the examiner says "turn left to a heading of 160" and before she tells to you "fly direct to SEA" you reset your OBS so that the TO flag shows, the timer will not start until you actually pass the VOR. So, if you anticipate the direct to SEA instruction and reset the OBS early you will not get the message "failed to enter the hold correctly," but if you wait until instructed to fly direct to SEA before turning the OBS you will get the message :"failed to enter the hold correctly." It could drive you nuts. Whether or not you entered the hold correctly (from the computer's perspective) actually has nothing to do with how you entered the hold but rather with whether or not you anticipated a "direct to" instruction and reset your OBS early. I actually feel like I'm a little bit nuts. I have to say that all in all these check rides are far superior to those in previous versions of Flight Simulator. All the checking and attempts to explain what the pilot is doing wrong are great and, of course, far superior to the old "Check ride Failed" with no further explanation. I hope this information is useful to you....

hey thanks for that bit of information. the truth is is that i cant even get past the first part. the part where i am at the PARKK intersection, and then she says i failed the checkride. i know that i cant get any golden messeges, but that isnt the problem. WHENEVER i fail, she ALWAYS says i passed MILLT intersection below 3000 feet and i passed the outer marker below 1600 feet, when i am SURE that i didnt do those things at all. i am thinking of just printing out the written curriculum in the briefing, follow that on a created flight by myself, follow it completely, and rate myself as an instrument pilot. but after all that work, i would like to get my hands on the certificate somehow. anyway, if anyone could help me out at all with any of this that would be great, thanks!!!

all is confusing. i would love to learn it but i never have time with homework and all. you definatley have to be 16 and take lessons to really get it. i have friends whose parents are pilots and they say sims are very different than real life. i wish professional simulators cpuld be affordable and fit in my house. o well... good luck passing your checkride. ive only passed my private pilot checkride.

I believe that there are bugs in the Instrument check ride. Don't sweat it. Enjoy flying. The checks rides are not the same as real life anyways. You can down load the real Instrument rating Practical Test Standards (PTS) to see how you rate.

To earthqu8kes:

Yes flying is confusing even if your not 11. Just enjoy flying and playing with the sim. As you get older and if you want to, get more into the technical aspects of flying. For now, just have FUN! Fly the Cessna 172. It's easy to fly and one of the best aircraft ever built. Sight see, fly under bridges, land on the aircraft carrier off the coast of San Francisco. (KSFO) Let me know and I can suggest many more fun things that you can do in Flight Simulator that don't involve big jets, ILS approaches or SID and STARS. Have FUN! Getting all wrapped up in ILS approaches and FMC navigation is hard. It is rewarding to be able to execute an ILS to minimums in bad weather but it is more important that you have FUN. Flying is so much more than just a Boeing, Airbus and FMC's.

i'm actually doing a school project on ils approches. so i'm trying to learn as much as possible.

I understand. 🙂

Anonymous wrote:

hey thanks for that bit of information. the truth is is that i cant even get past the first part. the part where i am at the PARKK intersection, and then she says i failed the checkride. i know that i cant get any golden messeges, but that isnt the problem. WHENEVER i fail, she ALWAYS says i passed MILLT intersection below 3000 feet and i passed the outer marker below 1600 feet, when i am SURE that i didnt do those things at all. i am thinking of just printing out the written curriculum in the briefing, follow that on a created flight by myself, follow it completely, and rate myself as an instrument pilot. but after all that work, i would like to get my hands on the certificate somehow. anyway, if anyone could help me out at all with any of this that would be great, thanks!!!

Hi,
I've also experienced a great deal of trouble passing the IR checkride, but I eventually managed to pass using a walkthrough I found on the internet, it is quite lengthy but it did get me through it.
Unfortunately I can't find a link to it right now but if you'd leave me your emailaddress I could certainly email it to you.

Ardjan

ARD-DC wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

hey thanks for that bit of information. the truth is is that i cant even get past the first part. the part where i am at the PARKK intersection, and then she says i failed the checkride. i know that i cant get any golden messeges, but that isnt the problem. WHENEVER i fail, she ALWAYS says i passed MILLT intersection below 3000 feet and i passed the outer marker below 1600 feet, when i am SURE that i didnt do those things at all. i am thinking of just printing out the written curriculum in the briefing, follow that on a created flight by myself, follow it completely, and rate myself as an instrument pilot. but after all that work, i would like to get my hands on the certificate somehow. anyway, if anyone could help me out at all with any of this that would be great, thanks!!!

Hi,
I've also experienced a great deal of trouble passing the IR checkride, but I eventually managed to pass using a walkthrough I found on the internet, it is quite lengthy but it did get me through it.
Unfortunately I can't find a link to it right now but if you'd leave me your emailaddress I could certainly email it to you.

Ardjan

hate to bump and old thread but im having the same trouble with this checkride, if by any chance you still have the walkthrough (ive been searching for one with no luck) pls link me to it or e-mail it to me. bglogan@gmail.com

CRJCapt wrote:

Reprint of a letter to Rod Machado(Instructor in MSFS) about MSFS 2004:
I finally passed the FS2004 Instrument Check ride and got my certificate....
Let me explain:
1. The program is looking for the pilot to hold SE of SEA on the 140 radial. This is consistent with the examiner's instructions: "Hold on the 140 radial from SEA.." But it is inconsistent with the "Flight Criteria" supplied with the check ride that says you must "intercept the 140 degree course inbound...."
2. Just before PARKK the examiner says to "turn left to a heading of 160." The program then checks to see when your actual heading gets between 150 and 170. When it does, the examiner tells you to "fly direct to SEA and hold on the 140 degree radial." While the examiner is uttering those words, the computer begins to check whether or not you have crossed the VOR. The way it does that in this case is to look for the TO/FROM flag to be FROM. Because the computer is doing this evaluation while it is telling you to go direct to SEA, you haven't had a chance to reset the OBS to the inbound direct course to SEA (approx 155 or whatever) and so the TO/FROM flag is already (still) FROM (from the missed approach). Therefore, the computer thinks you have crossed the SEA VOR when in fact you are six to eight miles away. Further, it then starts a timer (and this is significant).
3. The next thing the computer checks is that you are crossing the VOR inbound on a 320 course within five minutes of crossing the VOR the first time. It really doesn't matter what kind of entry you do (as far as the program is concerned [parallel is correct]) as long as you cross the VOR inbound on the 320 course within five minutes. The problem is that the computer started the timer long before you actually crossed the VOR (see number 2 above) so you have no chance to fly an entry and get back to the VOR within the five minutes. In my case, almost four minutes have elapsed before I get to the VOR. So I would cross the VOR and try a parallel entry to a hold SE, or try a direct entry to a hold NW and about a minute or so later the timer expires and the computer says, "Sorry, you fail. You didn't enter the hold correctly." In reality, I failed because the five minute timer expired!
4. Now, if you've been flying the check ride for a while so you know what is coming, as soon as the examiner says "turn left to a heading of 160" and before she tells to you "fly direct to SEA" you reset your OBS so that the TO flag shows, the timer will not start until you actually pass the VOR. So, if you anticipate the direct to SEA instruction and reset the OBS early you will not get the message "failed to enter the hold correctly," but if you wait until instructed to fly direct to SEA before turning the OBS you will get the message :"failed to enter the hold correctly." It could drive you nuts. Whether or not you entered the hold correctly (from the computer's perspective) actually has nothing to do with how you entered the hold but rather with whether or not you anticipated a "direct to" instruction and reset your OBS early. I actually feel like I'm a little bit nuts. I have to say that all in all these check rides are far superior to those in previous versions of Flight Simulator. All the checking and attempts to explain what the pilot is doing wrong are great and, of course, far superior to the old "Check ride Failed" with no further explanation. I hope this information is useful to you....

is that the same in fsx aswell or just fs 2004?

Anonymous wrote:

is that the same in fsx aswell or just fs 2004?

I can't say for certain but I think it is, they seem to have carried forward many details from FS9.

HI,

Ive been trying to pass this checkride for months and know i underestand everything there's just one problem.(apart from the examiner

how do i intercept exactly the 338 course and get aligned with the runway (get the needle centered)

Thanks

(this forum is good)

PS: FIRST TIME!!!!IN THE FORUM

Good morning, fellow flight simmers.

My only concern in the instrument checkride is maintaining both the 338 degree course inbound and 339 course outbound. It is only this particular issue that prevents the examiner from allowing me to continue to the holding pattern at the end of the missed approach in part one.