Instrument Checkride Prep Checklist
Interactive instrument checkride prep checklist — paperwork, oral and flight readiness sections with progress saved in your browser.
The instrument oral fails applicants the flying wouldn't — alternate minima, lost-comm logic and GPS/WAAS distinctions are where preparation actually decides the outcome.
Paperwork
Oral readiness
Flight 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 instrument checkride prep checklist: the paperwork, oral and flight items that actually decide instrument rating practical test outcomes — tick-off progress saved locally.
About Instrument Checkride Prep Checklist
The instrument oral fails applicants the flying wouldn't — alternate minima, lost-comm logic and GPS/WAAS distinctions are where preparation actually decides the outcome. This checklist organises preparation for the instrument rating practical test the way outcomes are actually decided: paperwork first (because discontinuances are administrative), oral readiness second (because that's where preparation varies most), flight standards third. Tick items as genuinely complete — the counter is your readiness gauge, and the sections you can't tick are your training plan for the final two weeks.
How to use Instrument 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 Instrument 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
What does the instrument oral probe hardest?+
The decision rules pilots actually use: alternate requirements (the 1-2-3 rule, 600/800 standard alternates, when a GPS approach can serve as your alternate's approach), lost communications under 91.185 (the route and altitude hierarchy, and the judgement the rule expects), and equipment knowledge — WAAS vs non-WAAS consequences, RAIM, what minima line your aircraft flies on each approach. Applicants who can fly an LPV but can't explain when they may NOT plan one are the classic instrument-oral casualty.
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.
Where is this data stored?+
Everything you enter is saved in your browser's local storage on your own device — nothing is uploaded to any server. Your records stay completely private, work offline, and load instantly. Use the CSV export regularly to keep an off-device backup copy.
What format does the export use and what reads it?+
A plain CSV with one row per entry and labelled column headers — the most portable format there is. Spreadsheets open it directly, most specialised software can map it on import, and a printed copy is perfectly legible to a human reviewer. Nothing proprietary means your prep record is never trapped here.
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