Can You Select a DPE for Your Check Ride?

Here's how to find the FAA's list of available DPEs qualified to do the check ride in your area.

Meg Godlewski

Wednesday, March 22, 2023 at 01:09 PM ET

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Flight training. [Credit: Daryl LaBello/Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University]

Key Takeaways:

Pilots are not restricted to using a DPE chosen by their flight school and can find other FAA-approved examiners independently.
A check ride endorsement is valid for 60 days, after which only an additional three hours of training is required, not a full repetition of prior training.
The check ride endorsement is valid nationwide, not just in the state where the training occurred, as the FAA is a federal agency.

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Question: I am about to be signed off for my private pilot check ride, and I am looking for a designated pilot examiner (DPE). I understand that the check ride endorsement is only good for 60 days. The owner of the flight school says they only use a particular DPE, but he’s so busy I’ll have to wait two months for a check ride. A friend suggested I go out of state to find a DPE, but the CFI I have been working with says the endorsement is only good in the state where I have been training. Do I have to wait for the school DPE or can I find someone else? I really don’t want to have to repeat all that training.

Answer: You can find someone else. Most flight schools do have favorite DPEs and not-so-favorite DPEs, and there are DPEs who chose not to work with particular flight schools for various reasons, but usually, DPEs are not assigned to flight schools.

The FAA has a list of available DPEs qualified to do the check ride in your area. That information can be found here.