CHECK RIDE INFORMATION

Rates and Policies:

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• Waiting Time:       $150.00 per hour
  This applies if the applicant is late or if we have to do extra work to confirm that the applicant is eligible to test or if we need additional information from the CFI.

• Rates are subject to change

• Payment is by cash or money order only and will be collected at the beginning of the appointment.

 

Examination Process:

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Schedule Exam:

• Download Applicant form and email to childsdpe@gmail.com and I will call you or telephone 956-247-9464 with questions and/or to schedule an appointment.

 

Week Prior to Exam:

• An Email with all information pertaining to exam will be sent to you.

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Day of Exam:

• Arrive at designated airport at the agreed time.

• The ground portion of the exam MUST be conducted first.

• The flight portion of the exam will only take place once the ground portion is successfully completed (remember the entire test is an exam as well, and oral questioning may still take place)

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Three Possible Outcomes:

• Successful Test- This occurs when both the ground portion and flight portion has met all of the standards of the ACS and you will receive a temporary certificate to exercise privileges.

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• Discontinuance- This may occur due to weather being outside of the minimums of the airmen, aircraft or examiner, the aircraft has a maintenance issue, or for safety reasons. This can happen after the ground portion is completed, but prior to takeoff or it may happen once in the air if unforeseen weather takes place and we must return to the airport. The test is picked up at a later date when conditions are met to finish exam. This can be completed with myself or with any other examiner. Additional fees may be required.

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• Disapproval- This occurs when either the ground portion or the flight portion has not met the standards of the ACS. The applicant will get credit for all successful items and will need to retest on AT LEAST the items that did not meet the standards. This can be completed with myself of with any other examiner. A retest fee will be required upon return.

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• If a Discontinuance or Disapproval takes place the Applicant will have 60 days from the date of the first attempt to complete the exam. If the process takes longer than 60 days to complete the Applicant will have to retest the ENTIRE EXAM. (This will require a full examination fee)

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Please:

• Print the "Appointment Checklist" PDF below and use it to organize your materials for the check ride. Note that some items are not applicable to every check ride: e.g. graduation certificate for a Part 61 applicant, or IFR aircraft inspections for a private pilot check ride. The applicant does not need to bring the checklist to the check ride.

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• Download the “Applicant Data Form” PDF below and complete all fields using Adobe Acrobat Reader, a free download.

  • Email completed PDF to childsdpe@gmail.com by no later than seven business days prior to the check ride.

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• CRITICAL NOTE: The applicant must be able to log into IACRA at the time of the check ride. This requires the applicant have with them their username and password. Note that the username is different than the FTN.

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CHECKRIDE APPLICANT DATA FORM

 

STUDENT FILE FOLDER FORMAT FOR FAA TEST

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PRACTICAL TEST APPLICANT CHECKLIST

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Weight and Balance/ Cross-Country Flight Planning

• Many check rides require a pre-planned cross-country flight be assigned. If this is the case, two sets of weight and balance data must be calculated:

  • One for the planned cross-country with an assigned (by me) passenger and baggage load and as much fuel as could be loaded in the assigned scenario, and

  • One for the actual check ride loading conditions. For actual weight and balance purposes, I am 190 pounds. Please have the aircraft fully fueled, if this is possible given W & B restrictions.

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Helpful Information

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• Check rides are conducted according to the applicable airman certification standards (ACS). It is imperative that the instructor and applicant are intimately familiar with the content of the current ACS to be properly prepared for the check ride. Please note that the contents of ACS change frequently. ACS can be downloaded for free from the FAA website here.

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• Some check rides required examination of airport signs and markings. I typically ask questions from this FAA publication.

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• Reminder for instrument rating check rides. The ACS requires that:

  • If the aircraft has an IFR GPS unit, the database must be current, and one of the non-precision approaches must be a GPS/ RNAV approach.

  • If the aircraft has an autopilot, one of the non-precision approaches must be flown via the autopilot.

  • One of the non-precision approaches must be flown without the use of the primary flight instrument indicators. For conventional instrumented aircraft this will typically be accomplished by failure of aircraft vacuum system, or attitude indicator alone if the AI is electrically powered. For glass cockpit aircraft, this will be accomplished by simulating failure of the primary flight display (PFD).

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• Special note for instructors on endorsements:

  • For most check rides, two logbook/ training record endorsements are required by the FAA:

    • One is required by part 61.39(6), and must include specific language. An example of an endorsement that contains all the required language is:
      "I certify that ________________________ has received and logged training time within 2 calendar months preceding the month of application in preparation for the practical test; is prepared for the required practical test; and has demonstrated satisfactory knowledge of the subject areas in which the applicant was deficient on the airman knowledge test."

    • The other is required by the section of FAR 61 that is relevant to the rating being applied for. Using the example of a Private Pilot applicant, the relevant FAR is 61.103(f), and an example of a compliant endorsement is:
      "I certify that I conducted the training in the areas of operation listed in §61.107(b) of this part that apply to the aircraft rating sought; and certify that ______________________ is prepared for the required practical test."

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• If all of the required pieces are not present, the check ride can not begin. In particular, the language I find most often missing is either the certification relating to training in the past 2 months, or the language stating the applicant is now satisfactory in the areas that were deficient on the knowledge exam. Please do NOT simply use the blank endorsements commonly found in the back of logbooks without confirming they are complete.​