Who gets a page

Two kinds of examiners are represented. Designated Pilot Examiners (DPE) hold an FAA designation to conduct practical tests. A Check Airman examines under a Part 141 school's self-examining authority, for that school's students. Both profiles will appear similar, but Check Airmen do not charge an examiner fee.

Report a checkride

1. Find them from the header search or Rate My DPE, then use Report a checkride.
2. Say whether it was an initial or an add-on.
3. Pick which checkride it was, then how it ended.
4. Fill in the details: date, airport, aircraft, examiner fee, and how long the oral and flight took.
5. Rate fairness, professionalism, and communication, then write the gouge.

Passing is not the rating

Checkride outcomes are recorded separately from reports. A fair, professional examiner who issued a notice of disapproval was still fair and professional. An examiner who passed you is not thereby good. Ratings should center around the conduct of the test, rather than the result.

Writing a useful gouge

• What the oral concentrated on, and how it was structured.
• Which maneuvers were flown, and how standards were applied.
• How expectations were set beforehand and what the debrief covered.
• Anything that surprised you, or that you wish you had prepared for differently.

Don't recite an examiner's question bank verbatim. Describe the shape of the exam so someone can prepare properly.