◆ Library · Paperwork

The night-before paperwork stack

The exact pile of documents to lay out before bed — ID, plastic certs, knowledge test, IACRA print, AROW — and how examiners want it ordered.

3 min read · published May 3, 2026 · 14 CFR § 61.3 · 14 CFR § 61.13 · 14 CFR § 61.23

Build the stack the night before. The morning of a checkride is the wrong time to look for any of these.

On the desk, top to bottom

  • Government photo ID — driver's license or passport, unexpired, signed.
  • Plastic pilot or student pilot certificate. The IACRA receipt is not a substitute.
  • Current medical certificate or BasicMed qualification printout.
  • Original FAA airman knowledge test report, plus deficiency-review endorsement if applicable.
  • IACRA application print + the recommending CFI's digital endorsement summary.
  • Logbook, opened to your most recent endorsements page.

In the airplane, before you leave the FBO

  • Airworthiness certificate (must be visible to passengers).
  • Registration certificate.
  • Operating limitations: POH/AFM in the cockpit, placards in place, weight-and-balance current.
  • Maintenance logbooks — at minimum, annual / 100-hour / ELT / transponder / pitot-static — with the current entries flagged.

In your flight bag

  • Plotter, E6B (mechanical or electronic), current sectional or current ForeFlight subscription with the test area downloaded.
  • Calculator, pen, paper, kneeboard.
  • POH bookmarks for: weight & balance, performance, emergency procedures.
  • A printed weather and NOTAM brief from earlier that morning, even if you also have it on the iPad.

Examiner-paid: cash or a card for the DPE fee, in the agreed amount, in an envelope with their name on it. This is small, but it telegraphs a different kind of preparation than producing it as an afterthought at the end.

Source citations

  • 14 CFR § 61.3
  • 14 CFR § 61.13
  • 14 CFR § 61.23
  • 14 CFR § 61.39
  • 14 CFR § 91.203
← Back to libraryAudit your logbook ↗
Linked from packet items: pilot_certificate, photo_id, medical_or_basicmed, iacra_complete, iacra_totals_reconcile, cfi_iacra_endorsement, knowledge_test_report_present, arow_documents, maintenance_currency