Cheap people and the examiner fee!!

[FlyingToIST]

I got a call from a parent of a student that is going to go through PPL flight check. The examiner charges $350 for each check ride. The parent , who up to this point spent close to $6000 for the training, flipped when we told him that the examiner fee is $350. First he thought that it was something we charge, but we assured him that it's something that the examiner charges..

Now the guy is calling FSDO so that he can get a free examiner.

If this was a poor guy I'd understand but it is quite the opposite.

Here, got it off my chest

 

[NTXPilot]

If this was a poor guy I'd understand but it is quite the opposite.

Exactly how they kept from being a poor guy--watched and understood exactly where their money is going. They probably flipped from lack of realizing the additional examiner's fee upfront. The funny thing is the $6 g's probably doesn't bother them as much because they see where the costs are going.

C'est la vie.

 

[Way2Broke]

Isn't it going to cost him an arm and a leg to fly the plane TO the FSDO? Maybe you should point that out to them. Have you also informed him that DEs are typically more forgiving than the FAA? How many times does he want to have to fly that plane to the FSDO and pay for it? Maybe you could make him take you and pay for your time while you wait on him to do the checkride. Most FSDOs are at Class B airports. I don't know how comfortable I would feel signing off a solo student to go to a class B airport alone. Anything to keep him from going to the feds. Don't they value your opinion enough to pay the 350? Don't forget it is YOUR pass rate, not just his checkride. Sonds like the parents are a couple of tools. Oh well, good luck with him.

 

[Immelman]

On the other hand, for certain checkrides I do think $350 is too much... the guy who did my commercial charged that. I think the whole ordeal was 2 hours long...

 

[RichardRambone]

Gotta become a DE. 350 for maybe 3-4 hours of timeis great.

 

[flydrummer]

I got a call from a parent of a student that is going to go through PPL flight check. The examiner charges $350 for each check ride. The parent , who up to this point spent close to $6000 for the training, flipped when we told him that the examiner fee is $350. First he thought that it was something we charge, but we assured him that it's something that the examiner charges..

Now the guy is calling FSDO so that he can get a free examiner.

If this was a poor guy I'd understand but it is quite the opposite.

Here, got it off my chest

Tell them they should be glad that they only spent $6000 on training. In my area $6000 is the base price. $8 to $10K is more realistic.

 

[boeingaaa]

Gotta become a DE. 350 for maybe 3-4 hours of timeis great.

For my private pilot checkride, it ended up costing me $600, and the checkride wasn't all that long because I did fairly well on it. At least the DE was pretty nice, he also gave me some college advice. If his advice turns out to be good, then he just saved me $80,000 by not going to ERAU, if he's wrong, he may have cost me alot of money by not getting any good jobs.

 

[El Bucho]

For my private pilot checkride, it ended up costing me $600...

I think you got ripped off. Isn't there a standard price that all DE's are supposed to charge for the various checkrides? 600 bucks sounds way to freakin' steep to me....Where are you that it cost that much? If all the DE's are charging that, it's one thing, if he's the only one charging that it's quite another.

EB

 

[El Bucho]

For my private pilot checkride, it ended up costing me $600...

I think you got ripped off. Isn't there a standard price that all DE's are supposed to charge for the various checkrides? 600 bucks sounds way to freakin' steep to me....Where are you that it cost that much? If all the DE's are charging that, it's one thing, if he's the only one charging that it's quite another.

EB

 

[hoop]

$250 in the OKC area....... and I thought that was a little steep!

 

[Icelandair]

I wonder if there is a correlation between examiner fee and pass rate. Higher price = higher pass rate?

 

[Metro752]

My examiner fee was $250, I had told my money people (folks) two months beforehand that it could be as much as $400 since the airport I was flying at was over an hour drive from the nearest FSDO.


So when I said hey, I need a check to so and so for $250, they were plesantly suprised.

Thats one way of going about it, make sure the folks paying know.

 

[gkrangers]

On the other hand, for certain checkrides I do think $350 is too much... the guy who did my commercial charged that. I think the whole ordeal was 2 hours long...

Yeah...350 for my instrument...less than 2 hours oral and ride.

But, hey...350 was fine with me, given its ease.

 

[gkrangers]

Tell them they should be glad that they only spent $6000 on training. In my area $6000 is the base price. $8 to $10K is more realistic.

Geez...up in NJ I paid ~5k. DE was 200 or 250 I think.

 

[schoolio]

I believe it's $350 here in PHX, except for initial CFI which is more like $500.

 

[NoPax]

I think its a mandatory $1200 in the UK for the CAA examiners, per exam. Not that I was ever foolish enough to pay for any flying there.

 

[ePilot22]

Fees?

DEN area is $350 for a private, instrument or commercial single. I paid $400 for the commercial multi add-on, but could have done it cheaper with a different examiner. (Well worth the extra $50 though!)

I think the thought behind the high price for the ride is that (1) you will be prepared to take the ride, i.e no half-assing the effort and attempting to take an exam multiple time, and (2) insurance for the examiner. They tend to have a high liabilty when signing off on a ticket. They have only a matter of hours and one ride to determine that individual's abilities. It all provides for maximum effort and preperation for each checkride.

I did have a FAA guy sit in on my CFI ride (pinked!) and I do believe that DEs are more forgiving, if only because they are human!

 

[MFRskyknight]

For my private pilot checkride, it ended up costing me $600, and the checkride wasn't all that long because I did fairly well on it. At least the DE was pretty nice, he also gave me some college advice. If his advice turns out to be good, then he just saved me $80,000 by not going to ERAU, if he's wrong, he may have cost me alot of money by not getting any good jobs.

$80K to learn how to perform neurosurgery makes sense.

$80K to learn how to earn peanuts pushing knobs and pulling buttons, doesn't.

MFR

 

[User546]

I believe it's $350 here in PHX, except for initial CFI which is more like $500.

Yeap, thats how much it cost me in PHX a couple years ago.

And if you failed, it would cost you half the original price for the retake.

 

[BOHICAgain]

Yeap, thats how much it cost me in PHX a couple years ago.

And if you failed, it would cost you half the original price for the retake.

Buddy of mined pinked the oral..DE would not fly until oral was sat.. 350 for the initial for 1.5 hours in a room...then 250 for the recheck for the flights...

beware floridian students of DE L@rry Thomas