Requirements for the Exam

General Check Ride Information:


Please send your knowledge test results as soon as possible. If you are a Part 141 student, please send your graduation certificate as well. 

Some tips for success:

  • Come to the briefing room with all required documents. This includes the airworthiness, registration, and POH from the plane. 
  • Ensure the aeronautical experience requirements and endorsements are easy to find in your logbook (or tabbed).
  • The oral portion of the exam will be tailored to your experience, background, and the deficient areas on your knowledge test. Make sure you are proficient in the areas missed on your knowledge test!
  • If you will be using reference publication or tool (such as an EFB), make sure you know how to use it and find the information you’re looking for.


If a flight plan or weight and balance is needed, it will be described in your scheduling email.

Please also make sure to bring:

  • Photo ID
  • ACRA username/password
  • Medical
  • Pilot certificate
  • Logbook (with the aeronautical experience requirements and endorsements easy to find)
  • Knowledge test results
  • Required endorsements - (i.e., 3 hours in the preceding 60 days, prepared for practical test, and deficient areas on the knowledge test)
  • 8710 filled out with recommending instructor (print and bring in case of an IACRA outage)


Aircraft requirements:

  • Required documents (AROW) – bring the airworthiness and registration with you to the briefing room.
  • Maintenance logbooks, with the requirements easy to find, including proof of:
    • Annual inspection
    • Transponder (if required)
    • Static (if required)
    • 100 hour inspection (if required)
    • AD compliance list
    • AFM or POH
    • Aircraft suitable for practical test


Applicant required equipment:

  • View limiting device (if required)
  • Current charts/EFB
  • Flight plan form, weight & balance, plotter


Notes:
EFBs will be allowed to meet all ACS tasks, but the GPS function must be turned off. All equipment in the airplane is allowed to be used, however you may be evaluated on systems failures and malfunctions as detailed in the ACS. If using an EFB, it is recommended that you also bring a form of backup, in the event of a failure of your EFB. If your EFB fails due to heat, dead battery, or mechanical failure and the required ACS tasks are unable to evaluated, then that will result in an unsatisfactory outcome. All electronic devices must comply with 91.21.

Cost: 
Can take a credit card with a 5% surcharge.

Duration:
This is dependent on the type of check ride.

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CLICK HERE  for instructions on how to disable pop-up blockers for an iPad.

If you are using an EFB, make sure all charts and reference materials are downloaded ahead of time and current. Make sure that your EFB has enough battery life. It's a good idea to have a backup as well. Make sure the aircraft database is current and ready for your check ride. Make sure to bring a view limiting device (if required) and/or instrument covers for the partial panel portion of your exam (if required). 

Don't come all the way to your check ride without everything you need! I hate to send people back when they are missing 0.5 of the required aeronautical experience requirements, or missing CFI signatures in their logbook. If we need to chase down the CFI and/or school to get the information, this likely results in delays or even an inability to complete the check ride. Have all the required experience flights tabbedor marked in some way. Electronic logbooks are great, but the Foreflight "Private Pilot ASEL progress toward check ride" can be misleading due to the way flights are entered, and we still need to verify each and every requirement with the individual flight data. The day of the check ride is not the day to find out that you lost your medical certificate! Make sure that you have all your documents in order and ready for the check ride.

Qualifications

Airplane

When you schedule your exam, you should get an email detailing a scenario that often includes a cross country and weight and balance. While electronic methods of flight planning area allowed, you may be asked to perform performance calculations manually and perform cross country flight planning. As required in the ACS, your flight plan must include real life wind information for calculations and must be done prior to the beginning of your practical exam. If any other items are required (such as lesson plans for a CFI candidate) they will be mentioned in the email.

More often than not, an applicant may be seeing the airplane logbooks for the first time on the day of the practical exam. Sometimes it can be difficult for applicants to find the required inspections since different maintenance shops log the maintenance differently. For example, some airplanes have an avionics logbook that is separate from the airframe logbook. In order to avoid confusion or being sent home for an aircraft that does not meet the requirements for a check ride, make sure to review and tab/mark the required inspections so they are easy to find. 

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Equipment for the Exam

Make sure all the required paperwork is completed, especially your IACRA and endorsements. I have seen applicants come without a completed or signed IACRA from their CFI. Also, make sure everything in IACRA is correct. You can select DO NOT USE for your social security number to help protect your personal information. If something in IACRA does not match your other documents, please reach out to me ahead of time so we can go over everything else you need. Make sure you have your medical and pilot certificate ready for your check ride.

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houston executive airport (ktme), 1900 CArdiff rd, brookshire tx 77423 | updated DECEMBER 2024

KENAI MUNICIPAL AIRPORT (PAEN), KENAI, ALASKA, 10672 KEnai spur hwy #112-248, kenai, ak 99611

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Paperwork Completion

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Qualifications

Applicant

Getting locked out of IACRA due to an incorrect password can create delays. Many people use EFBs and iPads with their password saved. You will need to access IACRA as part of your check ride. Please have your password written down or saved ahead of time. If you plan to use an iPad to access IACRA, a common issue is that pop ups are blocked.CLICK HERE for step by step instructions to turn off pop up blockers on your iPad. If using electronic payment methods for payment of the exam, please make sure you are enrolled ahead of time and not trying to sign up for a payment system the day of the check ride.

Prepare for your Check Ride with the following checklist:

​

1 - Qualifications - Applicant

2 - Qualifications - Airplane

3 - Paperwork Completion

4 - Technical

5 - Equipment for the exam

​6 - Requirements for the exam

Technical

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