Reducing checkride delays

Checkride delays remain one of the most persistent friction points in pilot training. For many applicants, the challenge isn't readiness—it's finding an available FAA-designated pilot examiner (DPE) and ensuring the required paperwork is correct before the test day.

ATP has introduced an internal scheduling platform, Checkride Calendar, a free web application designed to reduce checkride scheduling challenges by reducing administrative and availability bottlenecks within its network of examiners and students.

"Finding examiner availability is the bottleneck," said Mike Wisniewski, ATP vice president of training support. Beyond availability, he noted administrative errors can derail even a well-prepared applicant. Issues with the Integrated Airman Certification and Rating Application (IACRA), missing endorsements, and other paperwork discrepancies continue to cause delays nationwide. "It's administrative errors that prevent a checkride from even taking place," Wisniewski said, adding that CheckrideCalendar.com "is really designed to minimize errors. Our goal is zero."

The platform is also supported by ATP staff who manage disruptions and rescheduling. Weather, illness, and aircraft availability can force last-minute cancellations. "The entire system is backed up by the ATP flight checks team of humans," he said. "We've got a massive team of people behind the scenes working to pair and schedule and reschedule checkrides in the event of a cancellation. So, you can imagine we deal with weather all day around the country." With 87 locations and multiple applicants ready at any given time, the system can often fill a vacated slot immediately, preserving examiner capacity that might otherwise be lost.

For now, the platform supports ATP's internal examiner network and students. The school coordinates approximately 14,000 practical tests annually, volume that informed development of the tool. While the longer-term vision includes broader visibility into regional examiner availability, the system is not currently positioned for use across the wider aviation industry.

"It's really not a complicated system. You have examiners that want to give checkrides on certain days. You have students that are ready for those checkrides or will be ready for them," Wisniewski said. "Pair them up and that's where some of the magic happens."