Jordan Bartel DPE Checkride Gouges

Oral Emphasis

Bartel places heavy emphasis on paperwork accuracy from the very start. Multiple pilots reported he carefully reviews IACRA, logbooks, endorsements, and graduation certificates — and he will catch simulator/ATD time logging errors. He checks that cross-country training, night flight time, and hour totals are correct before anything else begins.

• Aircraft documentation: ADs (especially recurring ADs), airworthiness checks, and maintenance requirements. He'll ask you to find and identify all applicable ADs.
• Regulations: Privileges and limitations of the certificate sought, currency requirements, equipment requirements (91.205, 91.213 inoperative equipment procedures), and TSA requirements for student pilots.
• Systems knowledge: Electrical systems (e.g., whether the engine runs if the battery dies), engine specs, approved fuel types and how you verify them (placards, STCs), and oil specifications including alternatives.
• Aeromedical factors: Hypoxia symptoms and corrective actions.
• For CFI applicants: Student pilot scenarios that walk through the training timeline — TSA approval, IACRA signing responsibilities, medical requirements, solo endorsements, and whether specific flights align with the training syllabus.

Common Questions

Bartel's questions tend to be scenario-driven rather than rote recall. For CFI checkrides, expect him to present realistic student situations and ask how you'd handle endorsements, regulatory requirements, and training decisions. For private pilot checkrides, he asks practical "what would you do" questions around equipment failures and operational decisions.

• He may ask what you're certifying when you sign a student's IACRA application.
• Expect questions about what you can and cannot do with a student before TSA approval is received.
• He asks about spin awareness and recovery procedures.
• He may ask you to trace through the inoperative equipment decision tree for a specific broken item.
• Flight plan review includes VFR weather minimums for the relevant airspace and questions about restricted areas along your route — make sure you have sectional charts covering your entire planned route, not just your local area.

Examiner Style

Bartel is described as conversational and not overly rigid. He prefaces the oral by explaining that some portions will be discussion-based while others will require you to teach or prepare a lesson (for CFI candidates). He appears to tailor the depth of the oral based on your written test performance — pilots who scored high reported he moved through certain areas more quickly or skipped them entirely.

• He is not overly stringent on aircraft logbook review but does want you to know the key recurring ADs and be able to point them out.
• He collects the fee upfront before the oral begins.
• Pilots noted he skipped entire ACS areas (e.g., preflight risk assessment topics like PAVE/IMSAFE, lost procedures) — so don't be thrown off if he doesn't cover something you heavily prepared for.
• He did not always review written test missed questions, particularly when the score was high.

What Surprised Pilots

• Multiple pilots were caught off guard by IACRA corrections needed at the start — ATD/simulator time logging seems to be a common trip-up. Triple-check your time entries before you arrive.
• Pilots were surprised by topics he didn't ask about. Standard preflight risk management frameworks (PAVE, IMSAFE) and lost procedures went unasked in at least one PPL checkride.
• One pilot needed a sectional chart for an area outside their local region to answer a question about a restricted area along their flight plan route. Bring sectionals for the full route.
• The early start time (6:30 AM) was noted — be prepared for a potentially early morning.