Ethan Malavolti DPE Checkride Gouges
Designated Pilot Examiner • (Ethan James Malavolti)
Preparing for an FAA checkride with Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE) Ethan Malavolti? GougeHub has a first-hand Ethan Malavolti checkride gouge report from a pilot who tested. Read oral exam questions, flight test patterns, and examiner insights.
↓ View 1 available gouge reportIf you are flying a sport pilot checkride with Ethan Malavolti, prepare for an oral that probes the edges of what you know. As of this writing, only one report sits on file for this examiner. It is short, but it flags two clear areas worth your time before you show up.
The first area is maintenance privileges. The pilot reported trick questions on this topic, so study what you may and may not do yourself under your certificate. Know the line between owner or operator tasks and work that requires a mechanic. Have your references straight so a worded-to-trip-you question does not catch you off guard.
The second area is weather. Ethan runs a live weather deep-dive during the oral, so bring your laptop. Plan to pull up real products and talk through them on the spot. This is not a recite-from-memory drill. Be ready to read current conditions, find what you need, and explain your thinking out loud.
That combination tells you something about how the examiner works. They want to see applied knowledge, not memorized scripts. Walk in with your maintenance rules clear and your weather tools loaded and tested. Make sure your laptop is charged and you know where your sources live.
Only one report backs this profile, so treat it as a starting point rather than the whole picture. The two flagged areas are concrete and easy to act on. If you fly with Ethan soon, study maintenance privileges hard, practice a live weather walk-through, and come prepared to think on your feet. If you have flown with this examiner, add your own notes so the next applicant gets a fuller view.
Examiner Patterns
Preliminary insight — based on 1 report
- Weight & Balance: 1 pilot reported the examiner required a full W&B calculation
- Oral style: 1 pilot reported the examiner walked through ACS task areas sequentially
- Navigation tools: 1 pilot reported the examiner required paper charts
- Logbook review: 1 pilot reported the examiner reviewed endorsements specifically
- Density altitude: 1 pilot reported the examiner required a density altitude calculation
- Go/no-go discussion: 1 pilot reported the examiner discussed go/no-go as part of a scenario
- Preflight briefing: 1 pilot reported the examiner gave a full preflight briefing
Based on self-reported pilot submissions. Data methodology
Ratings & Checkride Types
- SPL (Sport Pilot)
FAA Designee Information
FAA Oversight Office: Indianapolis FSDO
Status: Active Designee
- Private Pilot Examiner: Airplane Single Engine Land, Airplane Multi-Engine Land
- Commercial & Instrument Rating Examiner: Airplane Single Engine Land, Airplane Multi-Engine Land
- Sport Pilot Examiner: Airplane Single Engine Land
- Flight Instructor Examiner: Airplane Single Engine, Airplane Multi-Engine
- Flight Instructor Examiner — Instrument: Airplane Single Engine, Airplane Multi-Engine
- Military Competency Examiner
- Balloon Airman Examiner
- Ground Instructor Examiner
- Flight Instructor Rating Examiner
Source: FAA Designee Management System · Verify on FAA.gov →
Transparency Disclaimer: This page summarizes patterns reported by applicants. It is not an endorsement, prediction, or guarantee of checkride outcome. Every checkride varies based on the applicant and circumstances.