Definition
The practical test administered by an FAA inspector or designated pilot examiner that an applicant must pass to be issued a pilot certificate or rating. It consists of an oral exam covering aeronautical knowledge and a flight portion in which the applicant demonstrates required maneuvers and procedures to the standards published in the relevant Airman Certification Standards or Practical Test Standards.
Plain English
The official test, given by an examiner, that you have to pass to earn a pilot certificate or add a new rating. It has a talking part on the ground and a flying part in the airplane.
Context Anchor
You will hear this term during training when an instructor is discussing readiness for the final test for a certificate, rating, or instructor qualification.
Derivation
Check' in the sense of verifying or testing, combined with 'ride' meaning a flight. The word 'checkride' grew out of military and airline usage where a pilot's flying was 'checked' on a 'ride' with an evaluator. The FAA adopted the same informal term for its practical tests.
Why Pilots Care
Passing the checkride is required before the FAA will issue the certificate or rating, allowing the pilot to exercise its privileges.
Intuition Check
Do not read “FAA checkride” as just a practice flight or a casual ride with someone from the FAA. It is the official practical test, and it may be given by an FAA-authorized examiner rather than an FAA employee.
Example Sentence 1
After her final stage check, the student scheduled her FAA checkride with a designated pilot examiner for the following week.
Example Sentence 2
After the FAA checkride, the examiner endorsed the logbook and issued the temporary pilot certificate.