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If you’re new to flight training, the term examining authority might sound confusing. Simply put, examining authority is a special approval from the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) that allows a flight school to conduct the official final flight test (commonly referred to as a checkride, but with Examining Authority it is called an End of Course Evaluation or EOC) for a pilot certificate or rating in-house, using the school’s own examiners. In a traditional path, after completing training you would schedule a checkride with an outside Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE) – an FAA-authorized specialist who tests and certifies pilots. With examining authority, however, students at an approved school like FLT Academy can take their final evaluation with the school’s in-house approved examiners instead of a DPE, and the school can directly issue your pilot certificate or rating upon passing. This means you skip the external testing step and receive your temporary pilot license immediately after finishing the course and passing the school’s exam.
Essentially, examining authority makes the certification process faster and more seamless for students. Not every flight school has this privilege – it’s limited to FAA-approved Part 141 pilot schools that have earned the FAA’s trust through a track record of excellent training and outcomes. In fact, only a select handful of high-quality schools nationwide hold examining authority, because the FAA doesn’t hand out the ability to issue pilot licenses to just anyone. It’s a bit like an accredited university being allowed to administer its own final exams for a professional license – it signals that the school meets very high standards in training and safety.
Gaining examining authority is a major achievement for a flight school. The FAA imposes strict criteria before granting this approval. A Part 141 school must have been operating the specific training course for at least 24 months and must maintain a 90% or higher first-attempt pass rate on FAA exams for its students. In other words, out of every group of students the school recommends for a pilot test, at least 9 out of 10 need to pass on their first try – a strong indicator that the school’s training produces well-prepared pilots. Only after meeting these prerequisites (and training a minimum number of students in that course) can a school apply for examining authority from the FAA.
Even then, the approval isn’t permanent – schools must continually uphold those high performance levels. The FAA conducts ongoing oversight (including periodic inspections and examiner observations) to ensure the school keeps its training standards up to par. This rigorous process means that only the most qualified institutions earn the privilege of conducting pilot evaluations internally. It’s a mark of excellence: when you see that a flight academy has examining authority, you know it has a proven track record of quality training and student success.
Important: Examining authority is course-specific. A school might be approved to self-examine students for certain certifications but not others. For example, FLT Academy received examining authority for its Private Pilot, Instrument Rating, and Commercial Pilot courses and is actively working with the FAA to extend that approval to other training programs like the Certified Flight Instructor course. As a student, this means that some of your evaluations could be conducted in-house while others (until approved) might still use a DPE. Always check which courses at a given school are covered under examining authority.
To appreciate examining authority, it helps to understand how a traditional checkride works versus an in-house EOC at a school with this privilege. Normally, in a Part 61 program or Part 141 program without examining authority, you actually go through two sequential evaluations at the end of your training:
This two-step process can be time-consuming and stressful. You might finish your training course, but then have to wait weeks (or even months) for an available DPE to conduct your actual checkride and sign off your certificate. Essentially, you’re ready to fly but stuck in a holding pattern until that final test is done.
With examining authority, the process is streamlined into a single step. Your end-of-course exam doubles as the final evaluation. The same flight test you take with your school’s approved examiner at the conclusion of training is your certification test – there’s no second ride with an outside examiner. Once you pass that in-house evaluation, the school may immediately issues you a temporary pilot certificate, and you’re officially a newly minted pilot. There’s no need to find a DPE or deal with external scheduling at all. This not only saves time, but also means you’re demonstrating your skills in the same aircraft and environment you’ve been training in. Many students find this familiarity makes the experience feel less intimidating.
It’s important to note that an in-house evaluation isn’t “easier” in terms of standards. The exam requirements are identical to any other FAA practical test – the school’s examiner must follow the same FAA Airman Certification Standards that a DPE would. The difference is all about convenience and continuity, not lowering the bar. You earn the exact same FAA license at the end of the day; examining authority just changes who administers the test and when.
To summarize the key differences, here’s how a traditional checkride system compares to a school with examining authority:
You might be wondering, why would I have to wait weeks or months for a checkride with a DPE? Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon in today’s flight training world. The United States is experiencing a well-documented shortage of Designated Pilot Examiners. There simply aren’t enough DPEs relative to the number of student pilots needing tests, and this imbalance has created significant bottlenecks in the scheduling of checkrides.
In many regions, wait times for a checkride are measured in weeks or months, not days. For example, an AOPA report in late 2024 noted that pilots across the country “still struggle to schedule a checkride,” with wait times “all too often measured in months” despite FAA efforts to add more examiners. Certain high-demand areas are especially hard hit. In the southwestern U.S. – states like California, Arizona, Nevada, and Utah – the examiner shortage is particularly acute, with some students facing a six-week wait just to get a testing slot, which can stretch into a few months if bad weather or other delays force rescheduling. In extreme cases, a student might have to wait three months or more or travel hundreds of miles to find an available examiner. All the while, the student is in limbo: finished with training but unable to move forward to the next license or begin a job that requires the new certificate.
These delays are more than just inconvenient – they can hinder your progress and even impact your skills. Flying skills are perishable, and lengthy gaps before a checkride mean a pilot must keep practicing to stay sharp and test-ready. Many flight schools report that when graduates are stuck waiting for a DPE, they end up doing additional “maintenance” flights or simulator sessions to avoid getting rusty. Those extra flights cost money and time, adding to the overall training expense and stress. Plus, knowing you have a big exam lingering for weeks can create added anxiety, which isn’t ideal for performance. One industry publication noted that having to maintain “fiddly and pedantic” knowledge for an extended waiting period can be challenging, and the prolonged uncertainty often elevates students’ pre-test nerves.
In short, the current DPE shortage can slow down your journey by weeks or months and introduce hurdles that have nothing to do with your ability to fly – it’s purely a supply-and-demand problem in the testing system. This is why examining authority is such a game-changer for flight students: it offers a way to bypass that bottleneck entirely.
A student pilot and instructor preflight a training aircraft at FLT Academy. Having FAA examining authority allows schools like FLT Academy to conduct certain evaluations internally, helping students complete their training without long waits.
For prospective pilots, FLT Academy’s FAA-approved examining authority translates into tangible advantages for your training timeline and overall experience:
Perhaps the biggest benefit is time. With FLT Academy’s examining authority, you won’t be stuck on a waiting list for an outside examiner. Once you’re ready and finish your course, the school can typically schedule your EOC within days rather than the weeks or months that are common elsewhere. This keeps your momentum going – you can progress straight from training to certification. The nationwide DPE backlog that delays so many students’ plans is effectively removed from the equation.
Taking your final test in a familiar environment can make the experience more comfortable. You’re not meeting a stranger or flying out of an unfamiliar airport just for the test. According to FLT Academy, this continuity can make the EOC feel less stressful, since you’re being evaluated in a familiar training environment. Reducing the “test-day jitters” factor can help you perform at your best. In fact, eliminating long delays and uncertainty before a big test has been noted to reduce pre-test anxiety and even improve performance, as students aren’t pressured by prolonged anticipation.
At a school with examining authority, when you pass your end-of-course evaluation, you immediately receive your temporary pilot certificate – you’re officially certified on the spot. This is a big morale boost and lets you quickly move on to the next stage (whether that’s beginning instrument training, applying for a job, or just enjoying your new pilot privileges). Examining authority means no downtime between finishing training and being able to use your new qualifications.
Another often overlooked benefit is savings. DPEs are paid fees by each student for checkrides – typically a thousand dollars or more per exam. With in-house testing, those external examiner fees are largely reduced Additionally, because you won’t need as many flights to stay proficient during a long wait, you save on those flight hours as well. In short, a faster path to your license can also be a more affordable one, letting you put your dollars toward actual training rather than bureaucratic overhead.
The very fact that FLT Academy has examining authority should give you confidence in the school’s training quality. Remember, the FAA only grants this status to schools with outstanding student pass rates and robust programs. By choosing FLT Academy, you’re enrolling in a program that has already met or exceeded FAA benchmarks. The school’s ability to conduct internal evaluations reflects its strong reputation and consistent results in producing competent pilots. In practical terms, that means you’re likely to be very well prepared for your test – whether it’s with an in-house examiner or a DPE – because the curriculum and instructors have been proven effective.
FLT Academy’s examining authority mitigates the logjam that many flight students face. You won’t have to worry about a DPE shortage derailing your timeline. Instead, you can focus on your training, knowing that when you’re ready for the final test, FLT Academy can take you across the finish line without external delays. As the school puts it, this special designation “streamlines the process” of certification, offering you a faster and more efficient path to your goals. For someone eager to get their wings, that can make all the difference.
Choosing a flight school is about finding the best fit for your needs and ambitions. FLT Academy’s FAA examining authority is a unique advantage that directly benefits you as a student. It means less waiting and less uncertainty on your road to becoming a pilot, which helps you keep enthusiasm high and progress steadily. At a time when many aspiring pilots nationwide are being held back by examiner scheduling bottlenecks, you’ll have the peace of mind that your training milestones can be completed on your timeline, not delayed by systemic examiner shortages.
For prospective students comparing flight schools, examining authority is a feature worth considering. It’s about the school removing obstacles for you. In the current training landscape of DPE scarcities and backlogs, FLT Academy’s ability to conduct certain evaluations internally is a significant competitive edge. It means your ambition to fly won’t be stuck waiting for someone else’s schedule to clear up. Instead, you can smoothly transition from learning to licensing.
Ultimately, examining authority is all about empowering your journey. It reflects FLT Academy’s commitment to going above and beyond standard requirements so that you, the student, get the best experience possible. By choosing a program with this privilege, you’re setting yourself up for a quicker, smoother path to the cockpit seat. In aviation training, that kind of head start is invaluable. FLT Academy is proud to be among the list of schools able to offer this benefit, and it’s one more reason why our students can achieve their pilot certifications efficiently and confidently.
Ready to take off? If you’re aiming for a career in aviation or just excited to earn your wings, FLT Academy’s examining authority can help get you there sooner. It’s one of the ways we ensure that your flight training is not only top-notch in quality, but also as hassle-free as possible – so you can focus on reaching the skies, not waiting on paperwork.