Checkride

FAA compliance disclaimer

What Checkride is and isn't, with respect to the FAA.

Checkride is not an FAA system of record. We are a software platform that helps you and your school manage training, logbooks, and endorsements — but the FAA does not endorse, certify, or audit our platform.

What this means in practice

  • The hours you log in Checkride don't automatically count for anything until your CFI signs them off. Even then, the FAA expects the underlying records — your logbook, your signed endorsements — to be your responsibility, not ours.
  • The training requirements we track for each license are based on our current reading of FAR Part 61 and Part 141. Regulations change, and our reading can be wrong. Always verify against authoritative FAA sources, especially before a checkride.
  • The AI recommendations are heuristics, not regulatory guidance. They're useful as a CFI-style suggestion engine; they're not a substitute for your CFI's judgment.

What you should do

  • Keep your logbook records exportable and exportable often. We make this easy — see Exporting your data.
  • Cross-reference major milestones (license requirements, checkride eligibility) against the latest FAA guidance.
  • Treat endorsements issued in Checkride as you would a paper endorsement: keep a copy, verify the CFI certificate number with the FAA airman registry if needed.

Specifically, on digital endorsements

The endorsement system is designed to align with FAA expectations for digital signatures under AC 120-78A (Use of Electronic Signatures, Electronic Recordkeeping, and Electronic Manuals). We sign a cryptographic hash of the endorsement payload, store the signing CFI's certificate number, and prevent post-signature edits.

However: the FAA hasn't formally certified our implementation. If your DPE or the FAA asks to see a paper-style endorsement, we recommend printing the PDF copy and treating it as you would any other physical endorsement.

Compliance is your responsibility, not ours. Our role is to make recordkeeping easier — yours is to ensure those records meet the FAA's expectations for your specific certificate and operation.

Affiliations

Checkride LLC is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or in any way officially connected with the FAA, the Department of Transportation, or any other US federal agency. Our use of aviation terminology ("checkride", "endorsement", "logbook") follows industry convention; nothing on the platform implies an FAA partnership.

Where to verify regulations yourself

  • FAA website: faa.gov
  • FAA Regulatory and Guidance Library: drs.faa.gov
  • Your local FSDO (Flight Standards District Office) — they take questions from pilots
  • Advisory Circulars — published interpretations of regulations, freely available
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