Brandon Ayers

FAA Designated Pilot Examiner

FAA Examining Authorizations and Prices - All Checkride Fee’s must be paid in Cash

  • Private Pilot- ASEL - $1000

  • Instrument Rating Airplane - $1000

  • Commercial Pilot- ASEL - $1000

  • Sport Pilot - ASEL - $1000

Retest Fees-

  • Flight Retest Only - $500

  • Flight and Ground - $800

Additional Charges:

Effective Immediately - 50% of the checkride Fee will be forfeited if the applicant shows up and we are not able to conduct the practice test due to paperwork errors or not meeting the eligibility requirements based off of the FAR’s. Remember it is you and your instructors responsibility to go through the FAR’s line by line and verify that all requirements are met, and all paperwork is correctly completed. I have been blocking off my schedule to complete exams, and have loads of information on my website to help you prepare for your checkride, yet I am still running into 35% of my checkride applicants not being able to start due Errors in paperwork. Your fee is to cover my time I have allotted for your appointment.

Last year Nationally there were 50,000 checkrides that were not able to start due to paperwork/requirement issues.

My January schedule is already full.

I will start to schedule checkrides for February starting on January 25th.

Currently I am only scheduling checkrides if you are already 100% signed off by your instructor, and ready to go. (Including a fully completed 8710 that is signed off by your instructor)

IF YOU ARE NOT 100% Signed off by your instructor, Or can not complete the paperwork documents like I asked, Then you will get pushed to the back of the line. Im having to spend and incredible amount of time communicating with people back and forth to get the documents submitted correctly, or find out they are not even signed off by their instructors.

CHECKRIDE APPLICATIONS/PAPERWORK HAS TO BE PERFECT WHEN YOU SUBMIT IT.

There is a lot of behind the scenes paperwork on my end, before and after each checkride, it does not go smoothly for me when I do not receive the documents completed correctly.

Thank you For your help in this Matter. Its our Job as examiners is to administer the checkride. And I'm doing everything that I can to make sure there are no hiccups in the paperwork prior to the checkride.

How to Schedule a Checkride with me: Please watch this video and follow the instructions listed below it!

to schedule a checkride with me, please complete the following in order:

  1. Call, Text, or email me (email is perfered) to discuss your checkride needs and my availability.

  2. Complete this fillable Checkride Request PDF Form on a Laptop or Desktop Computer, save the document and email it back to me with a copy of your airmen knowledge test results. * Note - I will not accept hand written or missing information on a checkride application. Take your time completing this form, I have to have all this information to submit to the FAA’s DMS website to schedule your checkride.

  3. I will then contact you to schedule a date and time for your check ride.

  4. Please download the App “TurboScan” This is a fantastic app that will automatically capture and crop Images and will be able to put all the documents into one PDF file and email that to me ASAP.

  5. Click here for -“Sample of Applicant Checkride Documents -Scanned with the Turboscan Phone App” I will then ask for pictures of your Pilots Logbook,Endorsements, Pilots Certificate, Medical, Photo ID, And Aircraft Inspection Sign offs/AD list to review prior to your check ride to ensure there are not any mistakes or issues that would prohibit the check ride to even begin. “its better to catch issues several days before a check ride and have you and your instructor fix them, then to show up the day of the check ride and not be able to start the exam and have to postpone it.”

  6. Please add All of your Documents in this order, Photo ID , Pilots License (front and Back) Medical (front and Back) , Logbook Endorsements, Pages of your Flight Times, If needed the Aircraft documents can be added to a separate PDF. But Please Limit everything to One or Two PDF Files. I save these files to my scheduling application so everything is under your appointment. If I have 10-20 different PDF files, it’s a pain to keep track of them all, and also harder to review all of the documents.

  7. Make sure all of the documents are right side up, and not rotated to the left, right or upside down.

  8. Checkrides are hard to come by these days based off of Examiner availability, weather, etc. The last thing you want to have happen is show up to a checkride and realize you do not meet the eligibility requirements of the FAR’s. So help me help you.

Tips for a Successful Checkride:

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE watch these videos to help me walk you through several mistakes people make that keeps them from allowing us to start the checkride. Also There is a video on what to expect the checkride to be like from start to finish! I hope these videos help you and I hope it helps with the common paperwork issues that we are running into as DPE’s.

Listed below are “Scenario” options for (you to choose from) to use to plan your cross country, and to use for your checkride. Complete the Routing and Altitudes for the entire trip for discussion. Complete a Navigation Log (winds, Fuel, Headings, Times, Etc) to the first fuel stop or to the destination if able. Do not flight plan for a return flight. Only for the Cross country to the destination.

Private Pilot Checkride Scenarios -

Option #1 - You plan to fly to Oklahoma City with a friend to attend a concert that evening. Your friend weights 185 Lbs. You plan to fly home at night following the concert, but just in case you do decide to spend the night, you and your friend both have overnight bags that weight 15 pounds each. Complete a Navigation Log to the Destination only and not for a return flight.

Option #2 - You plan to fly to College Station, Texas to attend a 7pm Texas A&M Football game with a friend. Since hotel rooms are limited, you plan to return home late that evening. Your friend weighs 185 Lbs, and you choose to bring a Yeti cooler with plenty of tail gate food/snacks that weighs 25 pounds. Complete a Navigation Log to the Destination only and not for a return flight.

Option #3 - You plan to fly to Amarillo, Texas with a friend to visit and eat dinner at the “Big Texan Steakhouse” and to attend a country concert. Your friend weighs 185 Lbs and you both have overnight bags that weigh 15 Lbs each in case you spend the night. Complete a Navigation Log to the Destination only and not for a return flight.

Instrument Checkride Scenarios -

Option #1 - You and a friend plan to fly to Houston Hobby KHOU to attend the Houston Boat Show Convention. Your friend weighs 185 lbs. You both have luggage that weights 15 lbs , plus a small cooler full of snacks and bottled water that weighs 15 pounds. Complete a Navigation Log to the Destination only and not for a return flight.

Option #2 - You and a family member decided to fly to Kansas City KMKC to watch the Kansas City Chiefs Football Game. Your family member weighs 185 Lbs. You both have hotel reservations and have overnight bags weighting 15 pounds each, plus a small cooler full of snacks and bottled water that weights 15 pounds. Complete a Navigation Log to the Destination only and not for a return flight.

Commercial Checkride Scenarios -

Option #1 - An Individual hires you to fly him after a business meeting to Pagosa Springs, Colorado - where his family is already there on vacation. He weighs 185 Lbs and He has a briefcase that weights 20 Lbs along with your overnight bag that weighs 15 Lbs. Complete a Navigation Log to the first Fuel Stop only. We will look at your routing for the remainder of the flight to Pagosa Springs and discuss airspace and Terrain.

Option #2 - An Individual hires you to fly him to Las Vegas, NV (KHND) to attend a business convention. He weights 185 Lbs and he has 40 pounds of luggage along with your 25 pound bag. Complete a Navigation Log to the first Fuel Stop only. We will look at your routing for the remainder of the flight to Las Vegas and discuss Airspace and Terrain.

 

Checkride Location

Currently I am conducting checkrides out of my hanger/office at KGLE - Gainesville, Texas.

My Hanger is a large gray hanger located right in front of the Self Serve Fuel Station, and is also the first building to the north of the Airport Terminal Building.

DAY OF THE CHECKRIDE

  1. Plan to arrive atleast 15 minutes early. (If you show up late that pushes my entire day back. Most days I’m trying to do two checkrides per day with a quick 20 minute lunch in between) If you show up late that means I wont have time for lunch. Please be respectful of my time. I will always be on time and ready to go for your appointment. I ask the same of you. If you show up early you can wait in the Gainesville Airport Terminal Building, or in my office until I am ready for you.

  2. Parking of the aircraft can be parked on the Yellow parking Tees south of the self server fuel pumps. Or i have 4 - Red painted Dots spaced out east of my hanger. You can park on one of those with the aircraft Facing/pointing south.

  3. WIFI internet, Note Pad, Coffee, Water, Sodas, and Snacks are all provided for you during your test.

  4. Please have a Weight and Balance for the cross country scenario you chose above, along with just one for the Flight portion of the exam. I weight 185 Lbs for your planning purpose.

  5. Make sure you and your instructor have been practicing all your maneuvers prior to your exam. 3 hours of checkride Prep is preparing and fine tuning everything for the Practice Test.

  6. Make sure you are familiar with the ACS for your particular checkride. That book is your entire exam. Seth Lake / VSL aviation has some amazing videos on YouTube explaining/Breakdown of the ACS. I highly suggest you watch those videos.

  7. Make sure you and your instructor have logged ground instruction. Example 61.105 for the private Pilots is to have Received and logged ground training from an authorized instructor, or completed a home study course covering knowledge subject areas of 61.105(b) 1-13ii. (Typically this is an endorsement you have received from an online ground school course.

    61.107 is to have received & logged ground & Flight instruction from an authorized instructor covering areas of 61.107(b)(1) i-xii for the Private Pilot.

  8. I recommend an endorsement stating ( I have given, (name of student) (Blank ) Hours of ground instruction covering the areas of 61.107(b) (1)i-xii CFI name/Number/expiration date

    Please look closely at the regs for what needs to be logged for ground for Instrument, Commercial, etc.

  9. Commercial Pilot Applicants - Remember your Long 300 nm cross country, 5 Hours of night time, and 10 Take offs and landings at at towered airport Must be all Solo OR performing duties of PIC with an authorized instructor onboard. (See below)

    61.127

    (4) Ten hours of solo flight time in a single engine airplane or 10 hours of flight time performing the duties of pilot in command in a single engine airplane with an authorized instructor on board (either of which may be credited towards the flight time requirement under paragraph (a)(2) of this section), on the areas of operation listed under § 61.127(b)(1) that include—

    (i) One cross-country flight of not less than 300 nautical miles total distance, with landings at a minimum of three points, one of which is a straight-line distance of at least 250 nautical miles from the original departure point. However, if this requirement is being met in Hawaii, the longest segment need only have a straight-line distance of at least 150 nautical miles; and

    (ii) 5 hours in night VFR conditions with 10 takeoffs and 10 landings (with each landing involving a flight in the traffic pattern) at an airport with an operating control tower.

  10. Don’t forget - you are suppose to supply your own pair of Foggles/view limiting device for your checkride.

  11. Thank you for choosing me as your DPE! Im looking forward to your checkride!