Scheduling CFI Checkrides Outside of home FSDO

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djackd

Well-Known Member
Does anyone have any experience trying to schedule a CFI checkride outside of their home FSDO?

I am starting graduate school full time on August 22nd and just got my 8710 signed today. My FSDO is backlogged for weeks. I tried to schedule in advance a few weeks ago but they wouldn't let me till I was signed off. I'm thinking my only hope now is to try other FSDOs.

Can someone point me to a reg that says this has to be your home FSDO? Or is it just the way things are done and they get to make the rules?

I'm not "FSDO shopping" to avoid an examiner or something, I really simply can't take the test on a weekday after August 22nd until October.
 
I looked into doing this when I was living in Alabama for my CFI ride, mainly because the FSDO adjacent to ours was known for having better customer service skills.
 
djackd said:
Does anyone have any experience trying to schedule a CFI checkride outside of their home FSDO?

I am starting graduate school full time on August 22nd and just got my 8710 signed today. My FSDO is backlogged for weeks. I tried to schedule in advance a few weeks ago but they wouldn't let me till I was signed off. I'm thinking my only hope now is to try other FSDOs.

Can someone point me to a reg that says this has to be your home FSDO? Or is it just the way things are done and they get to make the rules?

I'm not "FSDO shopping" to avoid an examiner or something, I really simply can't take the test on a weekday after August 22nd until October.
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Call the FSDO you want to go to, ask for the peron in charge of scheduling CFI chekride, and tell him/her your story. Depening on their local policy, they'll either schedule whichever ASI it is whose turn it is to do the checkride, or give you the name of a DPE to call. Just be sure you have everything you need signed off by your CFI before you go.
 
define "home FSDO"? Is it the FSDO that serves the area which covers your home address?

I ask because people go to flight schools all the time which are in different FSDO areas for CFI training/checkrides. In fact the school I used to work for would send people to whatever CFI school location had a checkride available... even if they did thier training in another area.

In either case, I dont think it would matter. Call the FSDO and ask for the checkride!
 
mojo6911 said:
They have an order which requires them to schedule it within two weeks. If not, they have to farm it out to a DPE.
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Bingo. I think if you make a big deal to the FSDO that you just can't wait, they should be pretty receptive to letting you go with a DPE. It might not be a bad idea to contact your friendly local DPE to see if they'd be interested and when they could schedule you--that way you could mention that to the feds when you talk to them.

I think it's worth looking into--if anything it might make the checkride a little less, hmm, "adversarial." Kinda the devil you know vs. the devil you don't. The downside, of course, is that the DPE will charge you $$ whereas an ASI can't.
 
djackd said:
Does anyone have any experience trying to schedule a CFI checkride outside of their home FSDO?

I am starting graduate school full time on August 22nd and just got my 8710 signed today. My FSDO is backlogged for weeks. I tried to schedule in advance a few weeks ago but they wouldn't let me till I was signed off. I'm thinking my only hope now is to try other FSDOs.

Can someone point me to a reg that says this has to be your home FSDO? Or is it just the way things are done and they get to make the rules?

I'm not "FSDO shopping" to avoid an examiner or something, I really simply can't take the test on a weekday after August 22nd until October.
Click to expand...
I would call them and tell them that and ask if you could do it with an examiner. They will let you if they are unable to schedule.
 
amjon said:
I would call them and tell them that and ask if you could do it with an examiner. They will let you if they are unable to schedule.
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:yeahthat: What she wrote.


Also, to answer your question about being allowed to do it in any FSDO, that is correct. You can do the test in any district (FSDO). The only geographic limitation is upon the DPEs who must start their practical tests inside the district that has granted them their authority.


Regarding the idea that the FSDO "has" to schedule your ride within two weeks; if you want a check ride that you'll never forget, just tell them what they have to do.
 
FAA Order 8900.1, section 5-499(B)(2)(a), states that the FSDO must schedule the practical test within two weeks, and if they can't, they may refer the candidate to a DPE. However, it also states that the FSDO gets to pick the DPE, not the candidate.

Here in Atlanta, the DPE they use is worse than most of the FSDO inspectors, so going with a DPE is not always better.

http://fsims.faa.gov/PICDetail.aspx?docId=A6018EF51590B0008525734F0076665F

(If the direct link doesn't work, to to http://fsims.faa.gov, then select 8900.1 Contents, Volume 5, Chapter 2, Section 11)
 
gtcfi said:
FAA Order 8900.1, section 5-499(B)(2)(a), states that the FSDO must schedule the practical test within two weeks, and if they can't, they may refer the candidate to a DPE. However, it also states that the FSDO gets to pick the DPE, not the candidate.

Here in Atlanta, the DPE they use is worse than most of the FSDO inspectors, so going with a DPE is not always better.

http://fsims.faa.gov/PICDetail.aspx?docId=A6018EF51590B0008525734F0076665F

(If the direct link doesn't work, to to http://fsims.faa.gov, then select 8900.1 Contents, Volume 5, Chapter 2, Section 11)
Click to expand...

I wish I would have known this when I did mine. I waited three weeks without hearing back before I called and got scheduled for a week later, which was then canceled and pushed back another week. So 5 weeks before I actually received a date.

http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/field_offices/fsdo/anf/local_more/cfi_test/

Here is the link where they say you need to wait 15 working days (3 weeks) for your checkride date
 
Thanks everyone. The home FSDO is the one where my training happened and I actually live in another. The FSDOs responses to my request were all over the map on this. Some literally said "sorry, can't help you" and hung up the phone. Others were nice and said they would try but were understaffed and overbooked as well. Eventually after calling about 10, I scored a hit. My checkride is next Thursday in the Syracuse NY area. I'll have to spend the night there the night before.

Now the only thing I need to worry about (other than the checkride) is if my wife goes into labor (she due in three weeks) and there is a thunderstorm between me at home.

Anyone know anyone who's done a checkride with the ROC FSDO recently?
 
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