So, I’m set to take my checkride this Friday, after 25 years of dreaming & simming… And my daughter, who “decided to learn to fly” about 5 weeks ago, soloed last week! (Crazy how fast kids pick this stuff up.)
Saturday, she and I got to go up in the pattern at our Class Delta at the same time, and it was just incredible.
When she’d report to ATC “I’ve got that traffic in sight” I picked up on a smirk only a dad could detect.
I must have gotten dirt or something in my eye. 
I know the feeling, even though I was already a pilot I was very proud when my daughter got her pilot license.
Thank you for sharing this. It’s never going to happen to me and my daughter so I’m gonna go ahead and live vicariously through your story. Be proud, old man! 
Kids pick up motor skill stuff way better than adults. There is no way, as an adult, you could ever learn some of the skateboard tricks 8 to 10 year olds are capable of easily, as just one example.
Aside from the above, there were also videos about of a 6 year old girl doing basic approaches and also takeoff rotation in a Citation. A whole bunch of very jealous adults claimed it was fake and also reported it to the FAA (even though in the US any age can fly or do radio calls under supervision of an instructor) so sadly they were all taken down. She was very cute and spot on with the FMS and autopilot.
FWIW, There was a YT video of a 14 year old girl flying her ultralight from South Caroline, I think, to Oshkosh for the EAA convention.
What a great post. Thank you for sharing! Can you imagine what its gonna be like when both of you have your cert and can fly each other! Good luck on Friday! You’ll do fine, the best advice I can give you is remember, 1. The DPE wants you to pass. 2. You don’t have to be perfect. 3. Try to do really well on Oral and he/she will make your checkride a bit easier. 4. no matter what do not forget to do clearing turns before maneuvers, if he is gonna fail you, it will most likely be you didn’t do clearing turns. If you havent done a turning stall yet, try to get one in this week. Its fair game for the checkride
Thanks! I did a mock checkride with a CFI I’ve never flown with, and (hopefully) exposed what I need to work on.
40 hours to go.
But who’s counting? 
As per the edited title, I PASSED MY CHECKRIDE! For a brief moment I was the freshest pilot on the planet. 
Congrats to you and your daughter for your achievements, and for sharing this special thing together.
Congrats! What an achievement! Not a better feeling in the world than when your DPE said to you “it’s a pass”
So true, though mine didn’t actually tell me!!
After my final landing, we’re taxiing back and he says “Well I guess you want to refuel and get outta here.” 
For anyone who wants to know what it feels like…
I took the wife and daughter up this morning for my first flight carrying passengers! I promised my wife a long time ago that she’d be my first passenger, so she and I went for a lap in the pattern & then picked my daughter up from the ramp, for a little 70nm flight. Perfect weather (if not a little hot), and my daughter hopped up front on the second leg (right seat) and “helped” me with the comms.
Pretty awesome day. 
Some examiners like to add a little shock at the end…
At the conclusion of my instrument check ride he asked “so when would you like to reschedule this thing?” The pause before “just kidding” was humbling.
And for those of you preparing for the CFI (and also very good to know for anyone with a non-pilot flying in the other seat in a plane with dual controls):
Q: which control can you not overide the student on?
A: the brakes (assuming pedals, not the hand brake combo like on some Cherokees)
Congratulations N582TC !!
Oh, man… That was cruel!!!
I think I’d have barfed.
(And thank you!)
At the end of my private after I shut down engine, he asked me “So how do you think you did” now I know it was one of my worst flights due to nerves, but I also know he never asked me if i wanted to continue, so I said “It wasn’t my best performance, but I think i did well and flew safe” and then he said “Its a PASS, lets go debrief”