Pillar Guides
Deep guides to your FAA checkride.
Long-form guides grounded in FAA primary sources, each cross-linked to focused ACS task and FAR explainer pages. MockDPE currently supports the Instrument Rating and Commercial Pilot oral exams. The guides below cover Instrument Rating preparation today, with more ratings on the way.
The Complete FAA Instrument Rating Checkride Guide
Everything you need to pass the FAA Instrument Rating checkride: eligibility, ACS structure, oral exam, flight test, common failure points, and a structured ACS-aligned study path.
The IFR Oral Exam Guide: What DPEs Actually Ask
A practical guide to the IFR oral exam: what the DPE wants to hear, how to structure answers, regulatory citations to memorize, and the questions that trip up the most candidates.
The FAA Instrument Rating ACS, Explained End-to-End
A full walkthrough of FAA-S-ACS-8C: every Area of Operation, every Task, every Knowledge/Risk/Skill element with FAR/AIM citations.
Instrument Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-15B): A Pilot's Reading Map
Chapter-by-chapter walkthrough of the FAA Instrument Flying Handbook with study tips, the highest-yield sections for the oral exam, and links to deeper guides.
IFR Cross-Country Planning: From Flight Plan to Filed Route
How to plan an IFR cross-country flight from start to finish: weather analysis, route selection, alternate planning, fuel reserves, and the regulatory framework in 14 CFR 91.167-91.169.
IFR Weather Minimums: Takeoff, Approach, and Alternate Standards
A deep-dive on IFR weather minimums, Part 91 vs Part 121/135 takeoff, 91.175(c) descent below DA/MDA, 91.169 alternate minimums, and the 1-2-3 rule.
IFR Holding Patterns: Entry, Timing, Speeds, and ACS Tolerances
Holding pattern entries (direct/teardrop/parallel), timing, max holding speeds, EFC, wind correction, and the FAA AIM 5-3-8 + ACS standards in plain English.
Missed Approach Decision-Making: When to Go Around and How
When 14 CFR 91.175(e) requires a missed approach, how to execute it cleanly, and the decision-making patterns that separate confident IFR pilots from hesitant ones.
IFR Lost Communications: A Pilot's Complete Guide to 14 CFR 91.185
Route (AVE-F), altitude (highest of MEA/Expected/Assigned), leave-clearance-limit timing, squawk 7600, and worked scenarios from 14 CFR 91.185 + AIM 6-4-1.
Partial Panel and Instrument Failure: Identification, Scan, and Recovery
Vacuum vs. electrical failure modes, glass cockpit reversionary modes, ANDS/UNOS compass errors, scan substitution, and the IFR partial-panel mindset.
IFR Mandatory Reports, The Complete List Every Pilot Must Know
The complete AIM 5-3-3 list of IFR mandatory ATC reports: which reports are required regardless of radar contact and which only when not in radar contact.
Is AI Accurate for IFR Checkride Prep? What Pilots Should Know
Why generic AI chatbots hallucinate technical answers, how MockDPE's ACS-grounded architecture is different, and how to sanity-check any AI-generated study answer against primary sources.