During the third annual Flight School Association of North America (FSANA) Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE) Symposium held in October 2024, FAA officials reported that there are now 100 more DPEs in the United States compared to a year ago.
“The FAA is working to increase the total number of DPEs that can be processed through initial DPE training in fiscal year 2025 to continue to increase the overall capacity of the testing system,” FSANA officials said.
Part of the specific goals of this effort included:
- Increasing the total number of DPE appointments
- Increase DPE authorizations (what DPEs are authorized to do)
- Increasing DPE utilization (having DPEs do more actual tests)
- Increasing the FAA’s use of oversight resources to improve management and deployment of DPEs
The FAA’s Dante Fontenot, Manager, Delegation & Resource Office, also provided some early insights into the agency’s newly created “Centralized Airman Testing Office.”
This new office has already begun to centralize the oversight of approximately 25 FAA staff that will oversee the DPEs in the field, according to FSANA officials. They have already taken over the management of more than 120 DPEs from around the country to help manage the workload.
“Both the FAA and FSANA recognize the challenges of practical test scheduling in the system and some of the things that continue to undermine parts of the availability,” association officials continued.
Among those challenges:
- Double booking of applicants
- Having applicants that are fully prepared and qualified so tests can proceed, and
- Ensuring that equipment used for tests is airworthy.
“Ensuring that each of these do not become roadblocks to testing proceeding forward hinders the efficacy of the practical testing system and are well-known challenges DPEs regularly encounter,” FSANA officials said.
For more information: FSANA.com
news flash…over 139 dPe’s have been terminated in the last year….all over the age of 55. One FSDO POI said: well the airlines lets you go at age 65, so should go the way of the DPE. can you believe it? My MS has terminted 4 in Ohio, and 4 in Maine within the last few months. talk about “ready, fire, aim”
Where is the truth here>> anyway.
according to more recent information there are 139 fewer DPEs in the past year…all terminated have been over the age of 55. there seems to be a cabal within the FSDO’s to rid the most experienced from the role….one FSDO ms said…well the airlines cuts you out at age 65…so should the DPEs!! Are you kidding me….talk about ready , fire, aim!!
My MS is known as “the terminator” …he has terminated 4 dpe’s in the Ohio region, 4 in the Portland Maine region in the last 8 months…all for “clerical” reasons…not safety of flight.
When we went through training, the facilitator of the class said they did not want ‘full time DPEs’.
Now they want the DPEs to do more testing.
Seems as though the philosophy has changed.