Darlene’s flying background is very diverse, having flown many types of aircraft from Luscombe to Lear Jet.
Her passion for flying began in San Diego with her first flight with her Grandad in a 1946 Luscombe 8A, which she still flies today in Alaska.
Darlene and her Grandad flew all around California and Arizona with nothing for navigation besides a chart, compass, and a watch.
Flying airplanes and enjoying nature are her passions.
She got her CFI and CFII and quickly discovered that her favorite thing to do is to share her passion for aviation. She enjoys the challenge of learning and teaching others to fly many different types of aircraft. In 1996 she was honored as the Los Angeles FSDO CFI of the year.
She did enjoy flying Lear Jets, mostly charter, for a while, but small planes and fight instructing are her true passions. It was fun to fly with a student in a C-150 and then get in a Bonanza with the next student, then a Cherokee, and then a multi-engine student with a Baron. Most of her days of instructing in SoCal were like that. Occasionally she got to teach someone in a tailwheel aircraft. She always loved flying and teaching in tailwheel aircraft and wished that she could do it more often, but there were not that many people interested in tailwheel aircraft down south.
Darlene always dreamed of Alaska and knew that she wanted to get a float-plane rating in Alaska one day. Finally, she just made it happen. When she got to Alaska and started her float training in a PA-18 Super Cub, she fell in love. It was even better than she had ever imagined.
The Kenai Peninsula, where she now resides, is her favorite place in the world. She has been flying here since 2007 as a flight instructor in tailwheel and float aircraft, as well as a charter pilot in the summer in a C-206 on straight floats. So many lakes, rivers, glaciers, ice fields, and more things than you can imagine, much of which are only accessible by float-plane.
She has never been so happy as she is now with her life and flying here in Alaska, and she wants to share it with you.
The answers below are general guidance for checkride applicants. Requirements, fees, and procedures vary by examiner, certificate, and region — always confirm the specifics directly with your DPE before scheduling.
A checkride — officially, an FAA practical test — is the final evaluation for a pilot certificate or rating. It's conducted by an FAA Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE) and has two parts: an oral examination covering knowledge and decision-making, followed by a flight portion where you demonstrate the required maneuvers and skills. The examiner evaluates you against the FAA's Airman Certification Standards (ACS) for the certificate or rating you're seeking. It's an evaluation, not a lesson — examiners verify that you already meet the standard.
Your FTN is the FAA Tracking Number assigned to you in IACRA, the FAA's online certification system. You'll need it to schedule most checkrides. To find it, log in to iacra.faa.gov — your FTN is usually displayed in the upper-left area of your main account page. If you've ever taken an FAA knowledge test, you already have an FTN; use the same one for everything.
The Application ID identifies the specific certificate or rating application you've started in IACRA for this test. Your application must be completed, submitted, and signed off by your recommending instructor before the practical test can begin — and many examiners require it at least 24–48 hours in advance. Log in to iacra.faa.gov to find your Application ID, and confirm your examiner's deadline when you schedule.
Plan to bring: a government-issued photo ID, your medical certificate, your pilot certificate (if you hold one), your airman knowledge test report, and your logbook with all required endorsements. One detail that trips up more applicants than you'd expect: your name must match exactly across all of these documents. A mismatch between your driver's license, medical, and IACRA application can stop a test before it starts — check this early, not the night before.
Your instructor must certify in your logbook that you've received the required training and are prepared for the practical test, per the current ACS and the endorsement guidance in FAA Advisory Circular 61-65. The exact set depends on the certificate or rating you're seeking. Before scheduling, sit down with your instructor and verify every required endorsement is present and correctly worded — missing or incorrectly written endorsements are among the most common reasons a checkride can't begin.
The test can't begin. If a required document, endorsement, or eligibility item is missing when the examiner does their pre-test review, the checkride typically won't proceed — you may lose the appointment slot, may owe some or all of the examiner's fee, and will have to reschedule (often weeks out, given examiner availability). This is the single most preventable checkride failure. Review your documents with your instructor well before test day, and ask your examiner ahead of time exactly what they need from you and when.
Earlier than you think. In most regions, demand for checkrides exceeds examiner availability, and booking several weeks to a few months ahead is common. Weather rescheduling is also a normal part of the process, so build buffer into your timeline — especially if you're working against a deadline like a Part 141 graduation window or a job start date. Reaching out early also gives you time to complete the examiner's pre-test requirements properly.
Either works. If you use a digital logbook (like ForeFlight), examiners will often ask you to send the generated summary reports — they pull your totals and experience together cleanly. If you use a paper logbook, organize it before you submit anything: tab or flag your endorsements, make sure entries are legible, and be ready to locate specific flights quickly. Whatever format you use, your examiner will likely ask for copies in advance — clear photos or PDFs of the relevant pages.
Not necessarily. The aircraft must meet FAA requirements and be appropriate for the certificate or rating sought. If you're planning to test in a Light-Sport, Experimental, or otherwise non-standard aircraft, contact your examiner before scheduling — many require advance review of the aircraft's certification basis, equipment, and documentation, and some aircraft may not be accepted for certain tests even if they're airworthy and legal to fly. Confirm aircraft suitability with your DPE before you commit to payment or travel arrangements.
Examiner fees vary by region and by certificate or rating — there's no standard national rate, so ask when you schedule. Most examiners treat cancellations differently depending on cause: rescheduling well in advance (or for weather) is often accommodated without penalty, while a test that can't begin on the day because of missing documents or eligibility problems may cost you some or all of the fee. Confirm your examiner's fee, payment method, and cancellation policy up front.
When you're nearly ready — not when you're hoping to be ready by then. A checkride is an evaluation, not a training session: the examiner won't teach, coach, or fix paperwork on test day. The right time to book is when your instructor agrees you meet the ACS standard and your documents and endorsements are in order. Scheduling before you're ready risks a discontinued test, lost fees, and a rescheduling delay measured in weeks.
They're different outcomes with different consequences. A test that never begins (because of missing documents or eligibility issues) or is discontinued partway (for weather, aircraft problems, or other circumstances) is not the same as a failed test — what carries over, what must be repeated, and how retesting works differ by situation. If your test is discontinued or unsatisfactory, your examiner will explain exactly where you stand and what the retest requires. Your instructor can also walk you through the applicable rules (14 CFR §61.49 covers retesting after a failure).
