Comparison

Flight Instructor Checkride vs Climb Instructor Notebook

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Flight Instructor Checkride

Prepare for your flight instructor certification practical exam with this comprehensive Q&A tool. It covers over 1000 likely examiner questions and provides succinct answers, drawing from FAA documents and examiner interviews. Identify knowledge gaps and build confidence for your checkride.

Highlights
  • Over 1000 Q&A for practical exams
  • Succinct, ready responses
  • Based on popular oral exam guide
  • Covers all CFI certificate subjects
  • Flag questions for further study
  • Includes applicant practical test checklist
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Using a question-and-answer format, Flight Instructor Checkride lists the questions most likely to be asked by examiners during the last step in the flight instructor certification process – the Practical Exam – and provides succinct, ready responses. Instructor applicants will find this App an indispensable tool in both planning for what to expect during the airplane checkride, and mastering the subject matter. Instructors rate them as excellent preparation for students, as well as general refresher material. This Flight Instructor Checkride app is based on the popular Flight Instructor Oral Exam Guide book by Michael Hayes. It is designed for instructor applicants training for the Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) Certificate. More than 1000 questions and responses ensure all the subjects a Flight Instructor candidate will be tested on during checkrides and review flights are covered. Topics include: fundamentals of instructing, technical subject areas (such as runway incursion avoidance, scanning, navigation, logbook entries and certificate endorsements, etc.), preflight preparation, preflight procedures, airport operations, takeoffs, landings and go-arounds, fundamentals of flight, performance and ground reference maneuvers, slow flight, stalls and spins, basic instrument maneuvers, emergency operations, postflight procedures. Answers and explanations were researched using FAA documents (which are identified so pilots know where to go for further study) as well as interviewing FAA examiners. Questions can be marked for further study from any subject to build your own collection of flashcards. An Applicant Practical Test Checklist and the Safety of Flight appendix from the Airman Certification Standards (FAA-S-ACS-25) are also included. Compatible with iOS phones and tablets, this app teaches applicants not only what to expect, but also how to exhibit subject mastery and confidence when under the examiner’s scrutiny. It identifies candidates’ strengths, weaknesses, and gaps in their aeronautical knowledge, which increases study efficiency. App features: • More than 1000 questions are included with succinct, ready responses. • Questions from any subject can be flagged for further study into a separate group. • Includes all the questions and answers from the popular book, Flight Instructor Oral Exam Guide by Michael Hayes. • Brought to you by a trusted resource in aviation training and publishing, Aviation Supplies & Academics (ASA).

About

Climb Instructor Notebook

This app serves as a digital notebook for flight instructors to document student training sessions and provide feedback. It's a prototype currently seeking user input for future enhancements.

Highlights
  • Student training documentation
  • Feedback provision
  • Prototype for user feedback
  • Future functionality planned
Features
Read full description

This application is designed as a companion application for flight instructors to train, document, and provide feedback to flight instruction students. The current iteration of this application is a prototype for feedback and usability commentary by the general public. Additional iterations will have more functionality and long-term storage of information.

Screenshots

Flight Instructor Checkride4 screens
Climb Instructor Notebook4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Climb Instructor Notebook at Free against Flight Instructor Checkride's $9.99. Climb Instructor Notebook also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.5) and update cadence (every 5 months vs every 19 months). Flight Instructor Checkride's advantage is chart position (#187 vs unranked). On ratings volume, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Climb Instructor Notebook is free to download; Flight Instructor Checkride costs $9.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Climb Instructor Notebook holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 1 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Flight Instructor Checkride ships an update every 19 months, Climb Instructor Notebook every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 5, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Flight Instructor Checkride versus Climb Instructor Notebook: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFlight Instructor CheckrideClimb Instructor Notebook
Price$9.99Free — better
Rating3.5 (2 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings2 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 19 monthsEvery 5 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
Best chart rank#187 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS14.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB80 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperASAClimb, LLC

Customer experience

Flight Instructor Checkride

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative0.0%

Climb Instructor Notebook

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Flight Instructor Checkride

No in-app purchases

None

Climb Instructor Notebook

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Flight Instructor Checkride free?
Flight Instructor Checkride costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Climb Instructor Notebook free?
Climb Instructor Notebook is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Flight Instructor Checkride or Climb Instructor Notebook?
Climb Instructor Notebook is rated higher. Flight Instructor Checkride averages 3.5 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Climb Instructor Notebook averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Flight Instructor Checkride or Climb Instructor Notebook have ads?
Neither Flight Instructor Checkride nor Climb Instructor Notebook shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Flight Instructor Checkride or Climb Instructor Notebook?
Flight Instructor Checkride ships an update every 19 months, and Climb Instructor Notebook every 5 months. Most recently, Flight Instructor Checkride was updated on October 5, 2026 and Climb Instructor Notebook on September 30, 2026.

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