Private, Instrument, and Commercial Practical Test

Thank you for your interest in scheduling your practical test with me. I am happy to help you earn your pilot certificate. Scheduling a practical test works out best with moderate time horizons, long time horizons can become quite uncertain and can add to stress. Please use the online calendar which shows my availability for scheduling your practical test. There is also a link for a Waitlist in case you are not able to find a date that works. 

Deposit: A deposit is required to confirm an appointment and will be applied to the practical test fee. This deposit is generally non-refundable, especially if we need to cancel or reschedule due to incomplete or incorrect paperwork, or if you are not ready, are sick, your FAA requirements are not met, an unairworthy or unavailable aircraft, or similar situations that cannot be resolved promptly at the time of our appointment. For changes due to weather or the examiner, the deposit will be refunded or applied to a new date.

If we meet at C81, KUGN, or KPWK, there is no additional charge to your practical test. Alternatively, I can travel to your location.  If we meet at another airport in the Chicago area, the travel fee will be $200. If you are outside of the Chicago area, please contact me before booking.

Waitlist: As new dates become available, I will notify the next few applicants on the list via text message. My schedule varies from month to month due to family and other commitments. I am generally only available during weekdays and only do weekend tests on an exception basis. 

Notifications will go out in waitlist order, with some time given between each notification. You can then go to the calendar and claim an available time if it works for you.

If you cannot accept the options available, I will continue with other applicants but keep you at the top of the notification list.

If you schedule with someone else or your circumstances change, please let me know so I can keep my information up to date.

If we can't find a workable time within three months due to your availability or lack of response, I will need to remove you from the list so that I can more efficiently focus on the remainder of the list. You can rejoin at the end of the line if you'd like.

Use the link below to join the waitlist. 

Fees: 

Deposit: 

A $200 non-refundable deposit is required to hold a practical test time slot, this deposit will be applied to the total checkride fee. 

Practical Test Fees: 

• $900 for practical tests

• $400 for retest

• No additional practical test fee for a discontinuance.

Travel Fees: 

• There is no travel charge to C81, KUGN, or KPWK. 

• If you wish to use a different airport in the Chicagoland area, such as KDPA, KARR, 05C, and KVPZ, there will be an additional $200 travel fee in addition to the practical test fee. If you wish to meet outside of the Chicagoland area, please contact me in advance. 

Final Notes: 

None of this is meant to make the process impersonal or difficult. I’m still happy to talk—I'm just trying to stay organized and fair in a challenging situation where the demand for my time greatly exceeds its availability. Thank you for your understanding.

If you have any further questions, please ask!

Thank you,

John