Designated Examiner Fees

In Ft Pierce its $400 for normal rides, $500 for CFI

One of our DPEs, for initial CFI rides, you just bring $750 because you're going to bust the first one anyways:bandit:
 
germb747 said:
Say I was a senior airline captain doing this on the side :eek:
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My Comm multi/single add on was $700 the same day he did a helo cfi initial $700, at the end of the day I helped him move "his" helo (part time corp gig) out of the hanger to get to the citation (other part time corp gig) he was taking to DFW from Releigh NC. I imagine he had a nice pay day that day! (check rides cash ONLY) oh, did I mention he was a retired Airways capt. yes, for some aviation can be very nice!
 
Our examiners here are matching each other at $375 now for any normal ride. I've got a guy going for his Multi-Comm Add-on tomorrow afternoon. :beer:
 
$400 each for the Private, Instrument, Commercial. The CFI was $500 first day, after the pink slip it was $250 the next day. That's another story... I did fine, he even told me to go preflight, until he recieved a phone call (I think he was called home for dinner) then I was suddenly pink'd. One of the DPE's charges the CFI $50 if the applicant's 8710 is incorrect. What a racket!

Just met a guy that was a DPE for over 20 years and never charged for a ride. I wish I met him a little earlier!
 
germb747 said:
When did the DPE fees get to $400+? I seem to remember a checkride costing in the neighborhood of $150-$250 when I started learning to fly.

Looks like a great way to make lots of $$$. :D Give a couple checkrides a day at $400 a pop / $800 per day in addition to whatever 'real' job I have. Cha ching!

:bandit:
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The first DPE I used was for my CFI initial, and was $100, IIRC.

Wow. Didn't know fees had gone up so much since.
 
mooneyguy said:
My Comm multi/single add on was $700 the same day he did a helo cfi initial $700,
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If you are saying he did three checkrides in one day, that is illegal and he fudged the numbers (dates) to the FAA.

I'm not saying your dude is a "bad" guy, just letting everybody know that two is the max if you want to get a job like this.
 
Search around. I paid $300 for a Comm. Multi about 1 1/2 years ago.
I know the cfi ride is pricey, better start saving now.
 
I paid $300 for my Private in Michigan (DPE had to drive from PTK to YIP) and then took my Instrument ride down in Tampa, FL while on Xmas break and paid $450.. but I was just happy to just get it over with, would have taken months to do with the winter weather in MI!
 
subpilot said:
FYI, go to the FSDO for your checkride and it is free. I did three checkrides that route and from my experience they were no more difficult than a DPE.
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Does it take longer to get a date when you go to the FSDO? I have a checkride coming up probably in the next couple of months.
 
av8rdrew said:
Does it take longer to get a date when you go to the FSDO? I have a checkride coming up probably in the next couple of months.
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Depends on how busy they are and weather.

I had two cancelations due to weather and when they reschedule they rescheduled for a week later each time because they had other things to do.
Now with a DPE it could be that you get weathered and if he has nothing to do, you do it the next day.
 
PPL in Phoenix was around $350 - $375 I think...(2007)
Instrument was $400 in Dec. 2007.
 
beasly said:
Does anybody know for sure if some of these guys take the cash (its always cash) off the side? I have suspected it, but neither know nor can prove it.

Maybe they charge 4 bills for a ride to the student and report 2 bills to the FAA?
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The FAA doesn't care about how much a DPE charges. It is strickly up to the examiner who DOES NOT work for the FAA. He can charge as much as he wants.

However in most areas, they tend to charge about the same.
 
I would think a FAA ride is more 'fair' than a DPE ride... plus it's cheaper... sure it made be harder, but the FAA ride is objective, they have a checklist and the PTS you must conform to. While a DPE might say, "That isn't the way I like to see it, come back tomorrow with another $400." While I can understand using a DPE, I just wouldn't use one that was 1. Easy (especially if the feds want to ride along) and 2. You've never used them before (you don't know what's on the check ride.) I must say that DPE's have given me breaks before, but so have the FAA inspectors I've ridden with.
 
kiloalpha said:
I would think a FAA ride is more 'fair' than a DPE ride... plus it's cheaper... sure it made be harder, but the FAA ride is objective, they have a checklist and the PTS you must conform to. While a DPE might say, "That isn't the way I like to see it, come back tomorrow with another $400." While I can understand using a DPE, I just wouldn't use one that was 1. Easy (especially if the feds want to ride along) and 2. You've never used them before (you don't know what's on the check ride.) I must say that DPE's have given me breaks before, but so have the FAA inspectors I've ridden with.
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DPEs have a checklist and PTS to go by too, no?
 
Indeed they do. I just took my comm. checkride last week and my DPE used a checklist for the oral and flight portion. Charged me $300 for it. Had i busted and had to come back it would have cost me an additional $200.
 
USMCmech said:
The FAA doesn't care about how much a DPE charges. It is strickly up to the examiner who DOES NOT work for the FAA. He can charge as much as he wants.

However in most areas, they tend to charge about the same.
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Aaahhh!

My pre-conception was that it was tightly regulated.


thx.

b.
 
kiloalpha said:
I would think a FAA ride is more 'fair' than a DPE ride... plus it's cheaper... sure it made be harder, but the FAA ride is objective, they have a checklist and the PTS you must conform to. While a DPE might say, "That isn't the way I like to see it, come back tomorrow with another $400." While I can understand using a DPE, I just wouldn't use one that was 1. Easy (especially if the feds want to ride along) and 2. You've never used them before (you don't know what's on the check ride.) I must say that DPE's have given me breaks before, but so have the FAA inspectors I've ridden with.
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A rumor I heard in O-Town was that they tried to discourage people from using the FAA because they were too busy and they automatically flunked you on your first attempt to discourage you.

Next time I am at a CFI wings event, I will ask one of the FAA guys about that rumor. They are nice men and very professional. It would be nice to clear the air on this.

Cordially,

b.
 
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