FlyingDog

Hey please correct me if I am wrong - but at the cfi seminar at the fsdo I attended - they made it sound like a check ride at a 141 was reffered to as something called a stage check - and if you failed it - it did not go down as being a failed check ride...

If that is the case then going 141 may be safer for the person intending to go pro and not wanting a failed ride potential - but I may have misunderstood that...

Spartan07

Not exactly. A stage check is a scheduled test of your flying knowledge and abilities performed by a Stage Check Airman (An experienced CFI that is employed with the school). At our school stage checks are scheduled intermittently throughout the course of the professional pilot program. Everything from our pre-private training through our CFII is broken down in to various stages with numbered lessons within those stages.

For us stages one through three are pre-private stages. At the end of stage one we take a stage check and upon passing that stage check we begin stage two which begins with our first solo. Stage two is our cross country and night preparation and upon the completion of the stage two check we begin stage three with our first solo cross country and solo night flights and night cross countries. At the end of stage three and upon completion of the stage three check we are approved and deemed ready to take the FAA private pilot checkride with a DPE (Not affiliated with the school mind you). This process continues through the Instrument rating, CMEL, CSEL addon, and the CFI and CFII stages.

Basically a stage check is a failsafe to make sure that you are being taught correctly, that your are progressing in your training and that you are ready for the next step in the training process. They really don't have anything to do with the FAA with the exception of the fact that we are not authorized to take check rides without completing a stage check and being approved.

ILS37R

Some 141 schools have certification authority for all/some of the ratings they offer. That is, they can give you a check ride as part of the curriculum rather than requiring you to take an FAA ride. Your last stage check in a course is thus also the check ride.

I've heard several opinions on this, but technically a fail on a 141 check ride--even one that would result in a rating--should not go on your record in OKC. However, it still exists in your training records if someone does their homework prior to an interview. So while you may not have a mark on your record, if in an interview you're asked if you've ever failed a check ride, be careful how you phrase your response.

Specific to DCA, in the old curriculum, at least (not sure about the new program), the school had certification authority for PPL and Instrument. The first FAA ride came for Commercial.

MobiusOne

My school currently has self examining authority for Instrument and CFI.

I needed to do an FAA check-ride for my Comm and Multi.

andy171773

Self examining for private, instrument, CFI

DPE required for commercial single, commercial multi, and CFII...ATP too I believe

MobiusOne

Wasn't sure about the private. I did it in Oklahoma.

ccjaxpilot

DPE required for MEI as well

rickB

rofl sounds like someone couldnt handle ground school and got their panties in a bunch lolol

Slice

Way to go ccjax, resurrecting another dead thread...