Comparison

Flight Instructor Checkride vs Private Pilot Course

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
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

Private Pilot Course

Prepare for the ground portion of your FAA Private Pilot Practical Test with realistic checkride scenarios and expert insights. Includes essential FAA handbooks, a knowledge quiz, and flight calculators.

Highlights
  • Realistic checkride oral enactment
  • Examiner and instructor insights
  • FAA Airplane Flying Handbook
  • Private Pilot PTS
  • Knowledge quiz
  • Flight calculators
Features
Read full description

The Private Pilot Course - Ground Portion gives you an insight into what happens on the ground portion of your FAA Private Pilot Practical Test, commonly referred to as the Checkride Oral. We provide more than one hour of video, showing you a realistic enactment of a checkride oral conducted by an FAA designated pilot examiner and a student pilot. This app also includes insights from an examiner and instructor to give you a full understanding of what to expect on your private pilot practical test. Bonus features of this app are a copy of the FAA Airplane Flying Handbook, the Private Pilot PTS, the FAA Risk Management Handbook and the Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM). Also included is a quiz to test your knowledge and calculators for Stall Speed, Load Factor, Maneuvering Speed and Top of Climb calculations. Please check out our companion app, the Private Pilot Course - Flight Portion, that gives you more than two and a half hours of exciting in-flight HD video and detailed animation including an in depth explanation of the takeoffs, landings and maneuvers needed to pass your FAA Private Pilot Practical Test. Both apps together make a perfect package that will make you pass your Checkride with ease. Due to HD video, this App is more than 750MB in size. Please make sure you have enough space on your device. Due to size restrictions, you have to be connected to a WiFi network to download this app.

Screenshots

Flight Instructor Checkride4 screens
Private Pilot Course4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Flight Instructor Checkride at $9.99 against Private Pilot Course's $29.99. Private Pilot Course's advantage is review sentiment (60% vs 50%) and ratings volume (6 vs 2). On rating, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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

Flight Instructor Checkride costs $9.99 and Private Pilot Course $29.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 3.5 for Flight Instructor Checkride against 3.5 for Private Pilot Course. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 6 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 50% of Flight Instructor Checkride's written reviews are positive against 60% of Private Pilot Course's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Flight Instructor Checkride ships an update every 19 months, Private Pilot Course every 38 months. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Flight Instructor Checkride versus Private Pilot Course: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFlight Instructor CheckridePrivate Pilot Course
Price$9.99 — better$29.99
Rating3.5 (2 ratings)3.5 (6 ratings)
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews60.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings26 — better
Update frequencyEvery 19 months — betterEvery 38 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS14.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB749 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperASAFlight Training Apps, Inc.

Customer experience

Flight Instructor Checkride

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

Private Pilot Course

All ratings6 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral16.7%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive60.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative20.0%

In-app purchases

None

Flight Instructor Checkride

No in-app purchases

None

Private Pilot Course

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Flight Instructor Checkride free?
Flight Instructor Checkride costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Private Pilot Course free?
Private Pilot Course costs $29.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Flight Instructor Checkride or Private Pilot Course?
Flight Instructor Checkride and Private Pilot Course are both rated 3.5 out of 5 on the App Store, from 2 and 6 ratings respectively.
Do Flight Instructor Checkride or Private Pilot Course have ads?
Neither Flight Instructor Checkride nor Private Pilot Course shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Flight Instructor Checkride or Private Pilot Course?
Flight Instructor Checkride ships an update every 19 months, and Private Pilot Course every 38 months. Most recently, Flight Instructor Checkride was updated on September 22, 2026 and Private Pilot Course on September 17, 2026.

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