Comparison

Flight Instructor Checkride vs Piper PA

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

Piper PA

Study aircraft systems and limitations with interactive diagrams and detailed descriptions. Practice normal and emergency operations, and explore a detailed cockpit illustration. This app serves as a reference for aviation training.

Highlights
  • Interactive system diagrams
  • Normal and emergency operation practice
  • Detailed cockpit illustration
  • POH information organization
  • System limitations noted
Features
Read full description

The Piper PA-44 Training is an innovative new way to study aircraft systems and limitations. System description sections take the main information from the POH and organizes in easy to navigate chapters. Interactive diagrams for the major systems allow the user to tap on various switches, levers, circuit breakers, and buttons and watch how those inputs change the diagram. Users can practice normal and emergency operations, correlating practical knowledge with the POH descriptions. Descriptions and limitations are also noted for various parts of each system throughout the diagram. The interactive cockpit poster allows you to view the entire cockpit with a highly detailed illustration. If you tap on a part of the cockpit you will see an in-depth description of that part of the cockpit. DISCLAIMER: The Piper PA-44 Training App is to be used as a reference only and cannot be used for flight or to replace formal training.

Screenshots

Flight Instructor Checkride4 screens
Piper PA4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Piper PA at 4.8 against Flight Instructor Checkride's 3.5. Piper PA also leads on monetization model (free vs paid) and review sentiment (78% vs 50%). On price, 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

Flight Instructor Checkride costs $9.99 and Piper PA $9.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Piper PA holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Piper PA has 388 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of Flight Instructor Checkride's written reviews are positive against 78% of Piper PA's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Flight Instructor Checkride ships an update every 19 months, Piper PA every 4 months. Both last shipped on November 1, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Flight Instructor Checkride versus Piper PA: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFlight Instructor CheckridePiper PA
Price$9.99$9.99
Rating3.5 (2 ratings)4.8 (388 ratings) — better
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews77.8% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2388 — better
Update frequencyEvery 19 monthsEvery 4 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS14.0 — better14.1
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB20 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperASAAircraft Training Aids, LLC

Customer experience

Flight Instructor Checkride

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

Piper PA

All ratings384 ratings
Positive96.1%
Neutral0.8%
Negative3.1%
Written reviews18 reviews
Positive77.8%
Neutral5.6%
Negative16.7%

Bugs and requests

Flight Instructor Checkride

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Piper PA

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Works very poorly on the iPhone
  • Landing gear system is wrong
  • Nose gear in wrong position
  • Typos and spelling errors (e.g., 'cabin hear', 'string loaded')
  • Information on up limit switches for gear system may be incorrect

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add G1000 functionality
  • Include poster of G1000 and fuel injected models
  • Add prop governor system
  • Update app with more information and diagrams
  • Fix typos and spelling errors

In-app purchases

None

Flight Instructor Checkride

No in-app purchases

None

Piper PA

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Flight Instructor Checkride free?
Flight Instructor Checkride costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Piper PA free?
Piper PA costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Flight Instructor Checkride or Piper PA?
Piper PA is rated higher. Flight Instructor Checkride averages 3.5 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Piper PA averages 4.8 from 388 ratings.
Do Flight Instructor Checkride or Piper PA have ads?
Neither Flight Instructor Checkride nor Piper PA shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Flight Instructor Checkride or Piper PA?
Flight Instructor Checkride ships an update every 19 months, and Piper PA every 4 months. Most recently, Flight Instructor Checkride was updated on November 1, 2026 and Piper PA on November 1, 2026.

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