7 Ways to Control Your Check Ride Destiny

If it feels like the many requirements for your check ride aren't lining up, you are not alone.

Tuesday, August 15, 2023 at 11:29 AM ET

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Learners who get very attached to their instructors might be willing to wait for that CFI to become more available. In doing so, however, they risk putting their training on hold. [Credit: Daryl LaBello/Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University]

Key Takeaways:

Pilot check rides are inherently complex, requiring numerous aligned factors—from applicant readiness and aircraft airworthiness to DPE availability and favorable weather—which often lead to significant delays and frustration.
To overcome these obstacles, pilots should be proactive: avoid fixating on a particular CFI or aircraft, ensure meticulous preparation of all documentation, confirm both pilot and aircraft are fully ready, and be open to traveling for completion programs.
Students should anticipate frustration as a normal part of the process, but persevere through it, and be wary of flight schools or CFIs attempting to exploit delays with unnecessary requirements or fees.

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Are you familiar with the Swiss cheese model for accidents? It teaches us that when all the risk factors—the holes—line up, accidents happen.

The model can also be applied to check rides, except instead of the holes being risks, they are requirements for the check ride to happen. Sometimes it can feel like the holes will never line up, and you may feel like you’ve wasted hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars. If you have ever felt this way, you are not alone.