Checkride policies & applicant guide

1. Fees

A retest costs half of the original checkride fee. DPE fees are set by the examiner, not by the FAA, and are paid directly to the examiner.

[Optional surcharges, if any: e.g. weekend/holiday checkride +$___; card processing fee ___%; paper application (non-IACRA) +$___. Delete this line if none.]

2. Service area & travel

• Home airport(s), no travel fee: [KXXX — airport name, city]
• Service area: [e.g. airports within ___ nm of ___]
• Travel fee outside the home airport(s): [Travel fee: $___ (flat per airport / per hour / per mile)]
• Travel expenses beyond that: [e.g. airline tickets, lodging or rental car at cost for locations more than ___ nm away; or “none”]

The travel fee, if any, is added to the checkride fee and is [refundable / not refundable] if the test is cancelled after I’ve travelled.

3. Booking, deposit & payment

1. Request. You or your instructor send the checkride request form. I reply by email [within ___ business days].
2. Hold the date. [Deposit: $___, due ___ to hold the date, credited toward the checkride fee. Refundable: yes/no/conditions.] [Or: “No deposit is required.”]
3. FAA authorization. Before every practical test I must request authorization from the FAA through the Designee Management System (DMS). For that I need your FTN, your completed IACRA application and the aircraft details. The date is confirmed only after that authorization is in place.
4. Payment. Accepted: [Accepted payment methods: e.g. cash, check, Zelle, card via Stripe link]. The balance is due [e.g. before the test begins on checkride day / when the date is confirmed].

The fee pays for the examiner’s time and evaluation. It is owed whether the result is a temporary certificate, a Notice of Disapproval or a Letter of Discontinuance. [Confirm this wording, or change it.]

4. Cancelling & rescheduling (applicant)

Life happens. Please tell me as early as you can. Weather and unexpected maintenance are covered separately in section 5.

If I have to cancel or reschedule, [e.g. there’s no charge to you, any deposit is refunded or moved to the new date, and you get priority for the next available slot].

5. Weather, maintenance & Letter of Discontinuance

Safety comes first. If the weather or the aircraft won’t allow the test to be completed safely, we don’t fly.

• Before the test starts: if it’s clear the day won’t work (forecast weather, aircraft out of service), we reschedule. [Fee: none / $___ admin fee.]
• After the test has started: the examiner or the applicant may discontinue a practical test for inclement weather, aircraft airworthiness or any other safety-of-flight concern (14 CFR 61.43(e)). In that case I issue a Letter of Discontinuance, and you get credit for the areas of operation you already passed.
• Finishing a discontinued test (61.43(f)): to keep that credit you must pass the rest of the test within 60 days of the discontinuance. You must bring the original Letter of Discontinuance and a properly completed and signed application, and complete any additional training and instructor endorsement that’s needed.
• Fee to complete a discontinued test: [Continuance fee: no charge for weather/maintenance within 60 days / $___ / hourly at $___]. If a discontinued test can’t be finished within 60 days, the whole test has to be retaken: [fee: ___].
• A discontinuance caused by the applicant (for example illness on the day, or missing documents found after the test has started) is handled as [same as weather / a reschedule under section 4 / $___].

6. Retests

If any area of operation is unsatisfactory, the practical test is failed (61.43(c)) and I issue a Notice of Disapproval (FAA Form 8060-5). Before the retest, you need:

• Additional training from an authorized instructor who has determined you are proficient to pass, and that instructor’s endorsement for the retest (61.49(a)).
• The original Notice of Disapproval, plus a properly completed and signed application in IACRA. Retest within 60 days and you keep credit for the areas you passed (61.43(f)).
• CFI airplane applicants who failed because of instructional proficiency on stall awareness, spin entry, spins or spin recovery must bring an aircraft that is certificated for spins to the retest and demonstrate those tasks (61.49(b)).

Retest fee: half of the original checkride fee: $750, or $1,500 for an Initial CFI retest.

Retest after another examiner’s disapproval: [Proposed wording: “I’m happy to complete a retest that began with another examiner. If the areas still to be tested include the ground portion, the fee is $___; if only flight tasks remain, the fee is $___.” Choose your amounts, or say “the full checkride fee applies”.] Please send a copy of the Notice of Disapproval with your request so I can see which areas remain.

7. Eligibility on checkride day

Before we start, I verify your eligibility and the aircraft’s airworthiness. I can’t begin the test if anything required is missing or incorrect: for example an unsigned IACRA application, a missing endorsement, required aeronautical experience not met, an expired knowledge test report (generally 24 calendar months, 61.39), or an aircraft with an overdue inspection or AD.

If the test can’t start for one of these reasons: [e.g. “a $___ fee applies and we reschedule” / “the deposit is kept” / “treated as a late cancellation under section 4”]. [Optional: offer a free pre-check, e.g. “Email photos of your endorsements and the aircraft’s inspection entries at least ___ days before the test and I’ll flag problems in advance.”]

8. IACRA & prep checklist

1. Register in IACRA (iacra.faa.gov) as an applicant and write down your FAA Tracking Number (FTN): one letter followed by seven digits, for example A1234567. You already have one if you’ve taken a knowledge test or held an FAA certificate.
2. Start the application for the certificate or rating you’re testing for (FAA Form 8710-1 in IACRA). Your name, date of birth and address must match your photo ID and medical certificate exactly.
3. Enter your flight time accurately from your logbook, and your knowledge test information if a knowledge test is required.
4. Have your recommending instructor review your application in IACRA and sign the recommendation.
5. Send me your FTN and IACRA application ID (on the request form, or by email) so I can request FAA authorization.
6. Check your endorsements against 14 CFR Part 61 and AC 61-65 with your instructor, including the 61.39 practical test endorsement (training within the preceding 2 calendar months, prepared for the test, and any knowledge-test deficiencies reviewed).
7. Check the aircraft: inspections and ADs current, documents on board, equipment working for the tasks on your test.
8. Review the ACS (or PTS) for your test. Prepare the cross-country flight plan I assign [e.g. “I email the scenario ___ days before the test”].
9. Bring your IACRA username and password. You’ll log in during the checkride to review and sign.

9. What to bring

Based on the “Applicant’s Practical Test Checklist” in the FAA Airman Certification Standards and FAA identification guidance. Your test may need more, depending on the certificate, rating and aircraft.

10. FAQ

This page is general information, not legal or regulatory advice. Requirements come from 14 CFR Part 61, the applicable ACS/PTS and FAA orders, and can change. Your instructor and examiner will confirm what applies to your test. Section links open the text from eCFR in our Regulations tab.