CFI Checkride Prep Checklist
Interactive cfi checkride prep checklist — paperwork, oral and flight readiness sections with progress saved in your browser.
The CFI ride examines teaching, not flying — applicants who practised manoeuvres but not EXPLAINING manoeuvres meet the gap at the whiteboard, where most initial-CFI disapprovals happen.
Paperwork & prerequisites
Teaching readiness (the actual exam)
Scenario readiness
⚠️ Not for operational decisions. This is a record-keeping and planning aid only — not certified avionics, not a source of regulatory truth. Always verify against official sources (FAA) and your operator's approved documents before flying.
Free interactive cfi checkride prep checklist: the paperwork, oral and flight items that actually decide flight instructor practical test outcomes — tick-off progress saved locally.
About CFI Checkride Prep Checklist
Every DPE sees the same preventable failures, and this checklist is their catalogue inverted into preparation. For the flight instructor practical test: the cfi ride examines teaching, not flying — applicants who practised manoeuvres but not explaining manoeuvres meet the gap at the whiteboard, where most initial-cfi disapprovals happen. Progress saves in your browser between study sessions; the reset readies it for your next certificate.
How to use CFI Checkride Prep Checklist
- 1Start the checklist two weeks out, with your instructor.
- 2Clear the paperwork section first — it's the discontinuance killer.
- 3Use unticked oral/flight items as your remaining lesson plan.
Why use CFI Checkride Prep Checklist?
- ✓Organised by how rides are actually lost: paperwork → oral → flight
- ✓Built from documented discontinuance and disapproval patterns
- ✓Tick-off progress saved locally between study sessions
- ✓Doubles as the final-two-weeks training plan
- ✓Free, private, no account
Frequently asked questions
Why is the initial CFI checkride's pass rate the lowest?+
Because it tests a different skill than every prior ride: teaching. Applicants arrive as proficient pilots and underprepare the instruction layer — lesson delivery, error diagnosis ('your student keeps ballooning the flare: why, and what do you say?'), endorsement law, and right-seat demonstration WHILE talking. Most disapprovals happen in the oral/teaching segments, not the air work. The preparation that works: teach real lessons to anyone who'll listen, build the lesson-plan library yourself, and drill cold-start teaching scenarios until narration is automatic.
How should I use this checklist with my instructor?+
As the shared readiness contract: review it together two weeks out, assign every unticked item to a lesson or a study task, and re-review three days before the ride. Instructors sign recommendations on judgement; a jointly-worked checklist makes that judgement evidence-based — and it surfaces the awkward administrative items (test dates, IACRA details) that neither party naturally owns until they're a problem.
Do I need an account or internet connection?+
No account and no connection are needed once the page has loaded — records live in local storage on your device and every calculation runs in your browser. Data doesn't sync between devices, so export the CSV when you want to move or archive your records.
Can I export these records for an audit?+
Yes — one click exports your complete prep record as a CSV file that opens in Excel, Google Sheets or Numbers. The export preserves every column exactly as entered, so you can print it, attach it to paperwork, or hand it to an inspector, buyer or insurance underwriter as a supporting summary alongside your official records.
Related Aviation tools
FAA PPL Pilot Logbook
Free digital FAA pilot logbook for PPL holders — log flights, auto-total hours and watch 90-day recency, privately in your browser.
● LiveFAA CPL Pilot Logbook
Free digital FAA pilot logbook for CPL holders — log flights, auto-total hours and watch 90-day recency, privately in your browser.
● LiveFAA ATPL Pilot Logbook
Free digital FAA pilot logbook for ATPL holders — log flights, auto-total hours and watch 90-day recency, privately in your browser.
● Live