Originally Posted by
rickair7777
That said most of us should be able to get the right prep and identify the right examiner, although some FSDO's may not always defer to a DPE, so you might get a fed.
I believe this was only for initial CFI applicants and that a reinstatement could be done directly with a DPE. Although as of recently that all changed and now the initial CFI is treated just like any other checkride, and the FAA has absolutely zero part of the scheduling process. The recent change is a pretty big deal for many. I know in my particular case, being on the extreme side, what should have taken only a matter days to schedule with a DPE took several months dealing with the feds being, well the feds.
https://www.flyingmag.com/faa-commit...ilot-examiners