<p>Checkride prep reality check with CFII Erica Gilbert! Brian passes his instrument written (&quot;a solid grilled cheese sandwich with slightly better ingredients than Kraft singles&quot;), Ben confesses his multi-engine notice of disapproval after chasing the CDI below the glide slope—then passed two days later—and Erica reveals her 100% initial pass rate secrets: mock orals should be 3-4 hours of pain, Day One starts with defining PIC, and exact FAA phraseology matters on every rating. Plus: 1DullGeek&#39;s Thanksgiving rant about flying with friends (the fuel leak meow incident at Clarksburg), why &quot;what are the next two things?&quot; might save your check ride, and the hard truth about midlife pilots—you&#39;ve forgotten how to study and haven&#39;t done anything you suck at in a long time. It&#39;s a marathon, not a sprint.</p><p><strong>Audio note:</strong> Technical difficulties with our guest&#39;s audio—it&#39;s listenable but not perfect!</p><li><br></li><p><strong>Erica Gilbert&#39;s check ride prep secrets:</strong></p><ul><li>Day one: Lay out ACS, FAR/AIM—&quot;Shocking how many students had never seen the ACS&quot;</li><li>&quot;Anyone going through training needs to be their own best advocate&quot;</li><li>Find an instructor who uses a syllabus and transitions canceled flights into ground lessons</li><li>Stage checks with senior CFIs at solo, solo cross-country, and pre-check ride</li><li>Mock oral should be 3-4 hours (your actual oral will be 1.5 hours if you know your stuff)</li><li>&quot;You&#39;d rather spend the money with an instructor than an evaluator&quot;</li><li>Practice active recall with exact FAA phraseology out loud</li><li>PIC authority starts lesson one: &quot;Make the plane do what you want it to do&quot;</li><li>In midlife: &quot;You&#39;ve forgotten how to study and haven&#39;t done anything you suck at in a long time&quot;</li><li>The marathon mindset: &quot;Will we stop for lunch? Take a breather if your adrenaline can handle it&quot;</li></ul><p><br></p><p><strong>Mentioned on the Show:</strong></p><ul><li>* Erica Gilbert, Aerosafe: https://www.gilbertaviation.com/aerosafe</li><li>* Erica Gilbert, IFR course: https://www.gilbertaviation.com/ifr</li><li>* Midlife Pilot Podcast- Thaden Invasion 2026: https://midlifepilotpodcast.com/thadeninvasion</li><li>* Keith O&#39;Brien, Fly Girls (includes Louis Thaden): https://bookshop.org/p/books/fly-girls-how-five-daring-women-defied-all-odds-and-made-aviation-history-keith-o-brien/8152b66cad2a720c?ean=9781328592798</li><li>* Seth Lake&#39;s VBT overview: https://arflightsafety.com/VBT.html</li><li>* Avoiding brianrot (New York Times): https://www.soundsclassic.com/receivers.html</li><li>* Sandel displays: https://www.pacificcoastavionics.com/collections/sandel</li><li>* Old Marantz stereos: https://www.soundsclassic.com/receivers.html</li><li>* Rear projection TVs: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rear-projection_television</li><li>* Private Pilot ACS (PDF): https://www.faa.gov/training_testing/testing/acs/private_airplane_acs_6.pdf</li></ul><p><strong>Support the Show:</strong></p><ul><li><a href="https://www.patreon.com/midlifepilotpodcast" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Patreon.com/MidlifePilotPodcast</a> - Discord access, exclusive content, and check ride debriefs!</li></ul><ul><li><a href="https://midlifepilotpodcast.com/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">MidlifePilotPodcast.com</a> - Merch, Thaden Invasion RSVP, feedback</li></ul><p><em>Happy Thanksgiving from the Midlife Pilot Podcast crew. We&#39;re thankful for every single one of you who listens, supports, and shares this journey with us.</em></p><p><strong>🎯 THE THADEN INVASION: March 13-15, 2026 | VBT | Bentonville, Arkansas</strong></p><p><br></p>