CheckRideMarket

Terms of Service

Effective date: 2026-05-08 Last updated: 2026-05-08

Founder's note. This document was drafted by the platform founder, not by qualified legal counsel. It reflects the way CheckRideMarket actually operates as of the closed-beta launch, and it's written to be readable rather than exhaustive. It will be reviewed by a licensed attorney in Florida before public launch. If you spot something that's wrong, missing, or misleading, email hello@checkride.o11r.com and we'll fix it.

1. Acceptance

By creating an account, signing in, booking a checkride, publishing availability, uploading a document, or otherwise using the CheckRideMarket platform (the "Platform"), you agree to these Terms of Service (the "Terms"). If you don't agree, don't use the Platform.

These Terms form a binding agreement between you and the operator of CheckRideMarket (the "Company", "we", "us", or "our"). The Platform is reachable at https://checkride.o11r.com and any subdomains.

2. What CheckRideMarket is (and isn't)

CheckRideMarket is a marketplace and workflow platform that connects three groups of people:

  • Pilots / applicants seeking an FAA practical test (a "checkride").
  • Designated Pilot Examiners ("DPEs") authorized by the FAA to administer those tests.
  • Certificated Flight Instructors ("CFIs") who endorse and prepare applicants.

We are not:

  • The Federal Aviation Administration. We have no authority to certify, license, or endorse pilots.
  • A flight school, training provider, or an airman certification service.
  • The DPE's employer, partner, or supervisor.
  • A guarantor of any specific outcome — pass, fail, or otherwise.

We are a software platform. The DPE conducts the checkride; we coordinate the booking, paperwork, and payment around it.

The Platform initially serves Florida (statewide). We may expand to other states; if and when we do, these Terms will apply to all users in all served regions.

3. Eligibility

To use the Platform, you must:

  • Be at least 18 years old.
  • Be the actual person you represent yourself to be.
  • Hold valid FAA credentials appropriate to your role:

- Pilots must be eligible to take the practical test for the certificate or rating they're booking. Eligibility (current medical, knowledge test within 24 months, required experience, endorsements, etc.) is determined by FAA regulation, your CFI, and ultimately the DPE — not by us. We don't verify eligibility on your behalf. - DPEs must hold an active FAA Designated Pilot Examiner appointment in good standing. We will ask for your designee number and may verify it against the public FAA Designee Locator. You are solely responsible for keeping your designation current. - CFIs must hold an active FAA flight instructor certificate.

You are responsible for any information you submit. If anything you tell us turns out to be materially false, we may suspend or close your account.

4. Accounts and authentication

Sign-in is via email magic link or Google OAuth (Firebase Auth). On supported devices, you may set a 4-digit PIN to re-enter the DPE workspace quickly between sessions; the PIN is stored only as a bcrypt hash and is rate-limited (lockout after 5 incorrect attempts). Sessions are 30-day persistent cookies on registered devices.

Your account is non-transferable. You may not let another person use your account, and you may not maintain multiple accounts to evade limits, restrictions, or rules. A DPE account is the working credential of one specific FAA-designated examiner — not a "shop" account shared by staff.

You are responsible for keeping your sign-in email and PIN secure. Tell us immediately at hello@checkride.o11r.com if you suspect unauthorized access.

5. The DPE-pilot relationship

This is the most important section. Read it twice.

  • DPEs are independent contractors, not employees, agents, or representatives of the Company. They set their own rates, availability, and policies.
  • The Company is the booking and payment platform, not a party to the actual checkride itself. The contract for the practical test is between the pilot and the DPE.
  • Pass / fail / discontinuance is at the DPE's sole discretion, based on FAA standards and the DPE's professional judgment. We don't review, second-guess, or appeal a DPE's outcome decision.
  • DPE conduct in the cockpit (or on the ramp, in the briefing room, or on the radio) is governed by FAA regulation and the DPE's own professional standards, not by us. If you believe a DPE has violated FAA rules, the right channel is an FAA complaint to the local FSDO, not the Platform.

6. Booking, payment, and holds

The booking flow has three gates:

  • Gate 1 — Details. You enter applicant info (legal name, email, phone, FTN, aircraft, CFI contact, etc.). When you click Continue, we hold the slot for you for up to 24 hours so you can complete the next two gates.
  • Gate 2 — Documents. You upload the documents the DPE requires for your checkride type. Each upload is versioned; re-uploading replaces the prior version.
  • Gate 3 — Payment method and policy acceptance. You see the DPE's payment policy and cancellation policy, you must check "I accept" before proceeding, and you complete the payment flow appropriate to that policy.

Per-DPE payment policies include:

  • Card on file — we save a payment method via Stripe SetupIntent. No money moves at booking. The card is only charged if a fee is owed (e.g., a late cancellation per the DPE's published policy).
  • Cancellation hold — we authorize a hold on your card (manual capture, up to 7-day authorization window per Stripe). The hold either captures (if a late cancellation occurs) or expires.
  • Fixed deposit — an immediate charge for a deposit set by the DPE.
  • Platform-collect-full — the full DPE fee is collected at booking.
  • External — payment happens off-platform per the DPE's instructions; the Platform does not handle the funds.

We never see your full card number. All payment data is handled by Stripe (PCI DSS Level 1). For DPE payouts we use Stripe Connect.

The exact cancellation policy in effect at the moment you accepted at Gate 3 is snapshotted to your booking and governs that booking even if the DPE changes their policy later. (See Section 7.)

7. Cancellation and refunds

The full Refund Policy lives at /refund-policy. The short version:

  • Each DPE sets their own free-cancel window (typically 24-48 hours before the scheduled start). The exact window applicable to your booking is shown to you at Gate 3 and snapshotted to the booking.
  • A late cancellation by the pilot within the penalty window may result in an automatic charge per the snapshotted policy.
  • A no-show by the DPE results in a full refund and our help finding another DPE.
  • A DPE-initiated discontinuance for safety reasons is not refundable; for non-safety reasons it's at the DPE's discretion.
  • Disputes: contact us first at hello@checkride.o11r.com. Stripe's chargeback process remains available as a last resort.

8. Pilot conduct

When you book and attend a checkride, you agree to:

  • Show up on time and at the right airport, ramp, and aircraft.
  • Bring valid documents — current FAA medical, photo ID, logbook, endorsements, knowledge test results, and any aircraft documents the checkride requires.
  • Be honest about your training, recent flight experience, and currency.
  • Treat the DPE, ground personnel, and anyone you encounter at the airport with professionalism.
  • Pay any agreed-upon fees, including travel fees, in the manner the DPE specified.
  • Cancel as early as possible if your plans change. Cancelling within the penalty window may incur a fee per the snapshotted policy.

9. DPE conduct

When you publish availability and accept bookings on the Platform, you agree to:

  • Treat every published slot as a commitment. If you genuinely have to cancel, cancel through the Platform; don't ghost.
  • Review applicant documents in a reasonable time. Aim to greenlight or request fixes at least 48 hours before the scheduled start when documents are submitted with a reasonable runway.
  • Not no-show. A no-show on a DPE's part triggers a full pilot refund and the dispute may be charged back to you.
  • Set cancellation, travel, and payment policies that you can honor and that reflect what you'd say to a pilot directly.
  • Keep your FAA designee status current. If your designation lapses or is suspended, tell us immediately and pause your availability.
  • Maintain professional standards in every interaction with applicants and CFIs.

10. Prohibited uses

You may not, and may not help anyone else:

  • Use the Platform to commit fraud, identity theft, payment fraud, or evasion of FAA rules.
  • Harass, threaten, or discriminate against other users.
  • Operate multiple accounts, falsified accounts, or accounts on behalf of someone else.
  • Attempt to bypass authentication, rate limits, RLS, signed URLs, the SMS consent flow, or any other technical protection.
  • Scrape, crawl, or bulk-export Platform data outside the features we expose.
  • Reverse engineer the Platform, except to the extent we cannot prohibit it under applicable law.
  • Use the Platform to send unsolicited SMS or email to anyone. Our SMS flow is DPE-initiated and consent-captured for a reason.
  • Resell or sublicense Platform access without a separate written agreement with us.
  • Use the Platform in violation of any law, including export controls, anti-bribery laws, and applicable aviation regulations.

11. Disputes

If you have a problem with a booking, a DPE, a refund, a payout, or anything else, please contact us first at hello@checkride.o11r.com. The vast majority of issues resolve fast through the support channel. Founder-level escalation is available during the closed-beta period.

If we can't resolve it informally, you and we agree that any dispute arising out of or related to these Terms or the Platform will be resolved by binding individual arbitration under the rules of a recognized U.S. arbitration association, conducted in Florida (or virtually, by mutual agreement), with each party bearing its own costs unless the rules require otherwise. You waive any right to a jury trial and to participate in a class or collective action. The arbitrator may grant any relief a court could grant.

Either party may bring a claim in small-claims court in Florida if it qualifies under the court's rules.

Founder's note (Section 11). This arbitration clause is intentionally minimal — founder-safe, not enterprise-grade. We will replace it with counsel-reviewed language before public launch. Until then, we commit in writing to good-faith resolution before invoking it.

12. Disclaimers

THE PLATFORM IS PROVIDED "AS-IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE", WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT.

We do not guarantee:

  • That any DPE will be available for any specific date, airport, or aircraft type.
  • That you will pass a checkride or that a DPE will reach any specific outcome.
  • That the Platform will be uninterrupted, error-free, or perfectly secure.
  • That documents you upload will be reviewed within any specific time window beyond what's reasonable for the DPE.

The DPE — not the Company — is the FAA-authorized examiner. We do not validate FAA eligibility, knowledge-test results, medical currency, or endorsements. The DPE does that as part of the practical test workflow.

13. Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law:

  • We are not liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential, special, exemplary, or punitive damages of any kind.
  • Our aggregate liability to you for any claim arising out of or related to the Platform is capped at the total fees you paid us in the 12 months immediately preceding the event giving rise to the claim. If you paid us nothing, the cap is US $100.
  • We are not liable for FAA enforcement actions, denials, suspensions, revocations, or any aviation incident or accident.

Some jurisdictions don't allow the exclusion of certain warranties or the limitation of certain damages. In those jurisdictions, the limitations above apply only to the maximum extent permitted.

14. Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless the Company, its officers, contractors, and affiliates from and against any claims, damages, losses, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or related to:

  • Your use of the Platform.
  • Your violation of these Terms.
  • Your violation of any law or third-party right (including FAA rules, intellectual property, privacy, and contract rights).
  • Any content you upload or submit, including documents and endorsements.
  • Any dispute between you and any other user, including any other DPE, pilot, or CFI.

We reserve the right to assume the exclusive defense of any matter you would otherwise be required to indemnify, in which case you agree to cooperate with our defense.

15. Governing law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Florida, without regard to its conflict-of-laws rules. The exclusive venue for any non-arbitrable claim is the state or federal courts located in Florida, and you consent to personal jurisdiction in those courts.

16. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. When we make a material change, we'll:

  • Update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page.
  • Notify active users by email (and on the DPE workspace dashboard).
  • Give you at least 14 days' notice before the change takes effect, unless the change is required by law or addresses a security risk.

Continued use of the Platform after the change takes effect counts as acceptance. If you don't accept, stop using the Platform and contact us to close your account.

17. Contact

  • General support and disputes: hello@checkride.o11r.com
  • Privacy and data requests: privacy@checkride.o11r.com (or hello@ if no separate inbox is yet provisioned)
  • Mailing address: provided on request via the support email.

Reminder. This document was drafted by the platform founder. Counsel review pending before public launch. Mistakes happen — email us at hello@checkride.o11r.com if you spot one.