Obtaining a pilot certificate in popular training areas of the Southwest may get more expensive thanks to a decision by the FAA to limit the number flight tests designated pilot examiners (DPEs) can administer. According to a report at AVweb, the agency has capped flight tests to just 200 a year for DPEs under the authority of the Scottsdale and Las Vegas flight service district office (FSDO). Local CFIs speculate that this will raise the costs of checkrides for pilots as DPEs try to make up for lost income.
