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Checkride Cost???

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fasteddy69

Active member
Joined
Sep 15, 2003
Posts
26
I just took my Initial CFI checkride and was charged $500 for it, I made it through the oral, but failed the practical due to a checklist oversight, I did a reride of the practical portion two days later and was charged another $300 plus $220 for the aircraft, is this a lot for a checkride??? I thought this was a lot of money just for a checkride. Basically I paid the man $100 per hour..WOW...let me know what you think

Thanks
 
$100/hr is not to bad. There are plenty of personal traininers, golf instructors, etc, charging similar rates. A DE, espically one who can do inital CFI, has paid their dues and their time is worth the money you spend.

Good luck with the flight instructing, it's an exciting deal when you first start.
 
I always thought the FSDO did free rides...

I will add that I paid $250 for my Private checkride and thought it was horribly expensive...

Probably half an hour to 45 minutes in oral then a 1.4 flight...
2 hours and $250 later....

So yeah...I'd say 1k for a checkride (and a half) is a lot of bucks

-mini
 
Is it also normal to charge for cancelling a check ride? A student at my flight school cancelled his checkride as he did not feel he was ready. Unfortunately I do not think they called the DE beforehand and the student was charged $200 when the DE showed up.

Is this common? If a student cancels the checkride before the day of the ride, is there typically a charge?
 
I paid $250 for both my Private and Instrument, and Commercial thru Multi-Engine cost me $350 each. If you busted the oral portion, then you'd be charged half the amount for the retest. If you passed the oral but failed the flight, then the retest was only $100.

Both my CFI, CFII, and MEI all cost $500 a piece, and for a failure (regardless of oral or flight portion) it would cost you an addition $250 for a retake.

But just look at it this way, you spend upwards of $1,500 for your CFI rides, but then you have a license to make the BIG BUCKS as a flight instructor!
 
My Private was $375.

and yes, expect to be charged for wasting the examiner's time if you don't bother to call him and cancel.
 
DE's are charging a lot more because of the cost of living going up .. not to be confused with inflation which according to the govt is barely increasing.

I heard a initial CFI examiner in SoCal charges an arm and a leg and a massive amount for retest.

I've never paid more than $300 for a checkride. The only checkride I busted (PPL) my examiner didn't charge for the re-test because I think he realized that busting me on one item on the oral was just azzholish.
 
Well I guess my DE was not too far off base...it just sucks that not retracting the flaps on the before takeoff check cost me $300 extra. Oh well live and learn...thanks
 
fasteddy69 said:
Well I guess my DE was not too far off base...it just sucks that not retracting the flaps on the before takeoff check cost me $300 extra. Oh well live and learn...thanks
Click to expand...

$300 says that you won't forget do to it again. :)
 
The MOST I paid for any checkrides was $300 for my CFI. I don't think he's charging any more than he did back in 2000. All other rides were $200.
 
Yea, my nerves got the best of me...Most of my rides before this were about $250, never failed before so I don't know what a reride would have cost??
 
fasteddy,

Not retracting the flaps prior to takeoff could kill you. I'd say you paid for a very valueable lesson.

Now do you feel better?

JAFI
 
Checkride

Instrument and Commercial were $300 a piece. I believe I've seen $250-$325 posted on several websites for a checkride except for the CFI which was $500. I believe DE's get more for the CFI because they know you don't want to go through FSDO, who wants to do that?
 
GAcfi said:
Instrument and Commercial were $300 a piece. I believe I've seen $250-$325 posted on several websites for a checkride except for the CFI which was $500. I believe DE's get more for the CFI because they know you don't want to go through FSDO, who wants to do that?
Click to expand...
Actually, I quite enjoyed my inital CFI ride with the FSDO... After it was over of course. ;)

That being said, it was a great learning experience, he taught me more than any other examiner had up to that point.
 
Yes I know the lesson I learned...I have been an avid checklist user since....I do the flow and then check it with the checklist...on my checkride I did the flow and breezed over the checklist...stupid....
 
My CFI ride last year was $250 in IL (6 hours). My CFII ride this year was $300 in NC (2 hours).
 
I went to a DE for my CFI as a matter of convenience, not to stay away from FISDO. The FBO where I did my CFI training only had a C172. The FBO at the next airport away (where the DE was) had a C172 and a Mooney. I only had done 1 hour in the Mooney in order to demonstrate landings to the DE. If i had gone to FISDO, I would have had to spend more time in the Mooney in order to rent it and fly to FISDO, or pay someone else to fly the Mooney and me in the 172--rent 2 planes and fly to FISDO to do the same thing. AND, I could only get off work to do this on a Saturday.
 
One correction, FSDO stands for Flight Standards District Office. Flight Standards (a division of the FAA) has an office for each district. There are many districts in each region. There are nine regions in the US that are:

New England, Eastern, Southern, Great Lakes, Central, South West, North West Mountain, Western Pacific (Includes Hawaii) and Alaska.
http://www.faa.gov/avr/afs/fsdo/index.cfm

Just in case Alex has a question "Flight Standards for $800"

-----------------
Also - All Certificate exams conducted by an Inspector are free. Your aircraft will be given a very good preflight inspection by one or more Inspectors. My experience is the Airworthness Inspectors (mechanics) have forgotton more about an aircraft than I'll ever know. You may learn something about the aircraft if you follow them during a preflight. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Everyone knows your nervious, it is part of the process.

JAFI
 
Checkride co$t

fasteddy69 said:
I just took my Initial CFI checkride and was charged $500 for it, I made it through the oral, but failed the practical due to a checklist oversight, I did a reride of the practical portion two days later and was charged another $300 plus $220 for the aircraft, is this a lot for a checkride??? I thought this was a lot of money just for a checkride. Basically I paid the man $100 per hour..WOW...let me know what you think
Click to expand...
Boy, that's expensive!! I might have paid but $200 for my CFI ride in 1987. Really, considering how much everything has gone up in price since the mid '80s, especially flying, your examiner probably charged market for your practical.

Some of these examiners better watch their backsides if all they do for work is give practicals for exhorbitant fees. As I'm sure JAFI would verify, DEs can only derive a portion of their income from practicals

In any event, congratulations on getting your CFI. Good luck with your students.
 
Most rides around here are $300, CFI is $400. My CFI was an all day deal, 5 hours oral, lunch, then a 2 hour ride. Long day, so I'd say the $400 is understandable for his qualifications.
 
I took my initial ride with the Baltimore FSDO free. I took my CFII/MEI with a DE in Gaithersburg, Maryland at $300.00 per ride. Not a bad day for the DE or me because I passed both.
 
I've been a DE since 1990. My fees are of course based on the rating. But rechecks are always free. I don't want to deal with any thoughts about my motivation when I have to fail someone.

I now have about 70 DEs working for me and I remind them most days that the folks they are testing will be flying over their house. You want to see sucess, but only when you are sure they're safe. Always using the PTS of course.
 
Congrats on the CFI!

My type ride was free with the local FSDO, but the plane and copilot (also a DPE) cost a bit. It was similar to the Spanish Inquisition, slightly shorter in length, but the ASI is a true aviator. You knew when you finished you were qualified or not qualified, no BS busts or passes. I hope the ASI becomes a DPE when he retires from the FAA. Aviation needs more people like him. (Just don't get on his bad side...and if you're there, get off of it quickly.)

My MEI was $400. It was wasted money with a Santa DPE. The particular DPE must be politically connected as the local FSDO knows about his rides, but won't do anything about it. He's featured on a forthcoming movie about the airport, too.

My Airframe Mechanic Practical was $500 and took 14 hours with a short break for lunch. I offered to pay the DME overtime, but he refused.

My CFII with a decent DPE was $250.

The CFI in Vegas cost $250 for the DPE, after I passed he refunded the whole amount, stating I would be sending him students to make up for it.

The commercial in Vegas with a retired ASI was also $250. He only *looked* like Santa Claus.

A student taking his instrument ride today will pay $350 in Socal for the privilege. A private applicant paid $250 for the first take, an hourly rate of $50 for the second take in Central CA this past summer.
 
I did my cfi and cfii together (MEI was the initial) and it cost me $270.
You got raped my friend...sorry.
 

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