A rental checkout is the process an operator uses to satisfy itself, and its insurer, that you can safely fly a particular airplane on your own. It has two halves: the paperwork and currency the FAA requires of any pilot in command, and the type-specific ground, written and flight work the operator requires on top. Expect to bring a pilot certificate, photo identification, a medical certificate or BasicMed qualification, a logbook showing a flight review within the preceding 24 calendar months, and to spend between one and three hours in the airplane depending on the type.
This page covers the requirements themselves, in the order you will meet them, and what changes by aircraft type. If you want the local picture at Van Nuys instead, including rates, scheduling and where you can fly from here, start with aircraft rental at Van Nuys Airport. Every rate quoted below is the retail rate from our Van Nuys rate card.
What A Checkout Is, And What It Is Not
A checkout is not an FAA event. There is no regulation in Part 61 called a checkout, no certificate issued at the end, and nothing that transfers to another operator. It is a private arrangement between you and whoever owns the airplane, and its real purpose is risk management: the aircraft is an expensive asset, the insurance policy behind it has conditions, and the operator has to be able to say why they handed you the keys.
That means two things worth understanding before you turn up. First, a checkout with one operator does not make you checked out at another, even in the identical type, and a pilot who has flown a Warrior for a decade will still do a checkout in ours. Second, because it is not an FAA test, there is no pass mark and no failure on your record. If an instructor is not comfortable signing you off after the planned hour, the answer is another hour, not a black mark.
What a checkout does not replace is a flight review. Those are separate things governed by separate rules, and doing one does not satisfy the other unless the instructor deliberately conducts and endorses both. Our page on the flight review and what 14 CFR 61.56 requires explains the distinction in full.
The Documents You Must Bring
Bring all of these to the first appointment. Missing one of them is the single most common reason a checkout gets rescheduled, and the aircraft slot rarely survives the delay.
- Your pilot certificate. Sport, recreational, private, commercial or ATP. The certificate itself, not a photograph of it.
- Government photo identification. A driver's license or passport. Required to exercise the privileges of a pilot certificate, and required again for the rental agreement.
- A medical certificate or BasicMed documentation. Under 14 CFR 61.23 you need at least a third class medical to exercise private pilot privileges, or you must meet the BasicMed conditions in 14 CFR 61.113(i) and Part 68. A sport pilot may use a valid US driver's license in place of a medical, subject to the exceptions in 61.23(c).
- Your logbook. Or whatever record you keep, showing total time, time in type if you have any, and the endorsements below.
- A current flight review endorsement. The entry made under 14 CFR 61.56 within the preceding 24 calendar months, or evidence of one of the alternatives that satisfies it.
- Any endorsement the type requires. A complex endorsement under 61.31(e) for a retractable-gear airplane, a high-performance endorsement under 61.31(f) for anything with an engine of more than 200 horsepower.
If you hold a foreign license rather than an FAA certificate, the route is a certificate issued on the basis of that license under 14 CFR 61.75, and that has to be complete before a checkout begins. Our guide for international student pilots covers how that works.
Currency: What The FAA Requires Before You Fly
Currency is the part pilots most often get wrong, because there are three separate clocks and they do different jobs. None of them is optional and none of them is the operator's invention.
The Flight Review Under 14 CFR 61.56
You may not act as pilot in command unless, since the beginning of the 24th calendar month before the month in which you fly, you have completed a flight review consisting of a minimum of 1 hour of flight training and 1 hour of ground training with an authorized instructor, and received a logbook endorsement. Several things satisfy it without flying a dedicated review: passing a practical test or proficiency check for a certificate or rating, completing a phase of an FAA-sponsored pilot proficiency program, and, for flight instructors, meeting the recent experience requirements for renewal. A student pilot with current solo endorsements does not need one while training.
The clock is calendar months, not a date. A review completed on any day in March 2026 is good until 31 March 2028.
Passenger Currency Under 14 CFR 61.57(a) And (b)
To carry passengers by day you must have made at least three takeoffs and three landings within the preceding 90 days, as the sole manipulator of the controls, in an aircraft of the same category, class and, if a type rating is required, type. To carry passengers at night you need three takeoffs and three landings to a full stop within the preceding 90 days, during the period beginning one hour after sunset and ending one hour before sunrise, in the same category, class and type.
Notice what this rule does not say. It does not stop you flying alone. A pilot who has not flown in six months may legally go up solo, and a checkout flight is dual instruction, so it is a perfectly legal way to become current again. What you may not do is put a friend in the right seat until the three takeoffs and landings are in the logbook.
Instrument Currency Under 14 CFR 61.57(c)
If you plan to file and fly in instrument conditions you need the six instrument approaches, holding procedures and tasks, and intercepting and tracking courses, within the preceding six calendar months. Lapse that and you are looking at an instrument proficiency check under 61.57(d) rather than a simple top-up, which is covered on our instrument proficiency check page. An operator will check this before releasing an IFR-equipped airplane for an instrument flight even though it has no bearing on a VFR rental.
The Written Quiz
Most operators, including us, give renters a short written quiz on the specific airplane before the flight. It is not an examination in the FAA sense and there is no grade recorded anywhere. It exists because the honest way to find out whether a pilot has read the Pilot's Operating Handbook is to ask them questions only the handbook answers.
Expect questions on airspeeds for that airframe rather than for the type in general, fuel capacity and unusable fuel, maximum gross weight and the useful load of that specific tail number, electrical and fuel system layout, the emergency procedures in Section 3 of the handbook, and the equipment required for the flight you intend to make. If you have flown the type before, the questions that catch people are always the numbers that differ between individual aircraft. Two Warriors with different equipment fits have different empty weights and therefore different useful loads, which is why we publish weights per tail number rather than per type.
Read the handbook for the actual aircraft, not a generic manual downloaded for the model. The POH issued for a specific serial number, with its supplements, is the only document that legally governs that airplane.
The Checkout Flight, Type By Type
The flight itself is a proficiency check in everything but name. A typical profile is a full preflight walkaround with the instructor watching rather than helping, a normal takeoff, airwork including slow flight and stalls, steep turns, an emergency descent or simulated engine failure, a diversion, and then a series of landings at Van Nuys and usually at a second field: normal, short field, soft field and a go-around. If the type has systems that bite, those get their own segment.
| Aircraft | Typical Flight Time | Additional Requirement | Retail Aircraft Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cessna 162 Skycatcher | 1 to 1.5 hours | Garmin G300 glass panel familiarity | $269 per hour |
| Piper Warrior PA-28-161 | 1 to 1.5 hours | None beyond the standard profile | $269 per hour |
| Diamond DA20-C1 | 1.5 to 2 hours | Castering nosewheel ground handling, stick and canopy procedures | $329 per hour |
| Piper Arrow PA-28R | 2 to 3 hours | Complex endorsement under 14 CFR 61.31(e) if not already held | $349 per hour |
| Piper Seminole PA-44-180 | Multi-engine rating required, then type work | Engine-out procedures and Vmc awareness | $649 per hour |
| Cirrus SR22 Turbo | Multi-day transition | High-performance endorsement under 14 CFR 61.31(f), CAPS decision training, turbocharging and oxygen | $649 per hour |
Instruction during a checkout is $110 per hour on top of the aircraft rate, and ground instruction is the same $110 per hour. A Warrior checkout at 1.5 hours in the air plus an hour on the ground is therefore roughly $680. A Cirrus transition is a different order of commitment and is quoted as a program rather than by the hour.
Endorsements Some Types Need Before The Checkout
Two logbook endorsements gate particular airplanes, and both come before rather than during a checkout.
A complex airplane under 14 CFR 61.1 is one with retractable landing gear, flaps and a controllable-pitch propeller. To act as pilot in command of one, 14 CFR 61.31(e) requires ground and flight training from an authorized instructor in a complex airplane, or in a full flight simulator or flight training device representative of one, a finding of proficiency, and a one-time logbook endorsement. On our ramp that is the Piper Arrow, and we sell the endorsement at a fixed $999 rather than an open meter.
A high-performance airplane is one with an engine of more than 200 horsepower, and 14 CFR 61.31(f) requires the same pattern of training, proficiency and endorsement. That is the Cirrus SR22 Turbo at 310 horsepower, and the endorsement is $1,799. Neither regulation sets a minimum number of hours, which is exactly why a fixed price is the useful thing to publish. The regulatory detail sits on complex and high-performance endorsements.
Renter Insurance And Who Is Actually Covered
The policy covering a rental airplane is bought by the owner to protect the owner. It is not bought to protect you, and in many cases the insurer retains the right to pursue the renter after paying the owner's claim. That is the gap a renter's non-owned aircraft policy is designed to close, and we require every renter to carry one.
A renter policy typically covers your liability to other people and property, and the deductible or damage you would otherwise owe the aircraft owner. Cover is normally written against a stated aircraft value and a stated set of types, so read the schedule before you assume a policy bought for a Warrior extends to a retractable-gear Arrow or a turbocharged Cirrus. We do not sell insurance and we do not recommend a particular provider; ask two or three brokers who write non-owned aircraft policies and compare the schedules rather than the premiums.
Insurance is also the quiet reason checkout requirements differ between operators for the same airplane. Minimum total time, minimum time in type, and minimum time in make and model are frequently set by the policy rather than by the school, and they are not negotiable at the front desk.
Our rental terms, in one paragraph. Renter's insurance with at least $50,000 of coverage is required before any solo rental, and the renter is responsible for damage up to a $5,000 deductible. Overnight and multi-day rentals are billed at a minimum of three hours for each calendar day. Fuel bought away from base is credited at our wet rate when you show the receipt, and a late return is billed at the aircraft's hourly rate. The full text is on our refund, enrollment and rental policies page.
Staying Checked Out
A checkout lapses. Most operators set a recency requirement in type, so if you have not flown the airplane for some months you will fly with an instructor again before taking it solo, usually for a shorter session than the original checkout. The practical way to avoid that is to hold a rhythm: an hour in the airplane every six to eight weeks keeps you current under 61.57, keeps the checkout alive, and keeps the flying enjoyable rather than anxious.
Aircraft-specific detail changes more often than the regulations do, so confirm the current requirement for the type you want before you book. Call (818) 330-1318 and ask what the checkout looks like for that tail number.
Related Reading
- Aircraft rental at Van Nuys Airport covers rates, scheduling and where you can fly from KVNY.
- Rent a plane in Los Angeles compares hourly rental across the metro.
- The flight review and 14 CFR 61.56 explains the 24-calendar-month requirement in detail.
- Complex and high-performance endorsements covers 61.31(e) and 61.31(f).
- Flight school rates at Van Nuys lists every retail and package rate on one page.
- The airplanes you will fly lists the whole fleet with specifications and links to each type.
- Aircraft leaseback at Van Nuys explains what happens when the airplane you rent belongs to somebody else.
Aircraft Checkout Requirements FAQ
What Are The Requirements To Rent An Airplane?
A pilot certificate, government photo identification, a medical certificate or BasicMed qualification under 14 CFR 61.23, a flight review within the preceding 24 calendar months under 61.56, a logbook, and a completed checkout with that specific operator in that specific type. Some types also require a complex or high-performance endorsement first.
How Long Does An Aircraft Checkout Take?
One to one and a half hours in the air for a simple fixed-gear trainer, two to three hours for a complex airplane like the Piper Arrow, and a multi-day transition program for a high-performance type such as the Cirrus SR22 Turbo. Add roughly an hour of ground instruction and the written quiz in every case.
What Does An Aircraft Checkout Cost?
The aircraft at its retail hourly rate plus instruction at $110 per hour. A Piper Warrior at $269 per hour for 1.5 hours plus an hour of ground comes to roughly $680. A Diamond DA20-C1 is $329 per hour and a Piper Arrow is $349 per hour, both wet.
Do I Need A Checkout At Every Flight School?
Yes. A checkout is an arrangement between you and one operator and it does not transfer, even for an identical type. Experience in the model shortens the process considerably, but it does not remove it, because the insurance behind each aircraft has its own conditions.
Is A Checkout The Same As A Flight Review?
No. A flight review is required by 14 CFR 61.56 every 24 calendar months and consists of at least 1 hour of ground and 1 hour of flight training with an endorsement. A checkout is an operator requirement with no FAA standing. One instructor can conduct and endorse both in the same session, but only if that is planned in advance.
Do I Need Renter's Insurance To Rent An Airplane?
Yes. We require at least $50,000 of coverage before any solo rental. The owner's policy protects the owner, and the insurer may pursue the renter afterwards. A non-owned aircraft policy covers your liability and the damage you would otherwise owe, up to our $5,000 deductible. Check that the schedule names the types you intend to fly.
Can I Rent An Airplane Without A Medical Certificate?
Only under a rule that replaces it. Sport pilot privileges may be exercised on a valid US driver's license under 14 CFR 61.23(c) subject to the denial and revocation exceptions, and BasicMed under 61.113(i) and Part 68 replaces a third class medical within its limits. Anything beyond those needs a medical certificate.
What Is On The Written Quiz?
Airspeeds, fuel capacity and unusable fuel, maximum gross weight and the useful load of that particular tail number, electrical and fuel system layout, the emergency procedures from Section 3 of the Pilot's Operating Handbook, and the equipment required for the flight you plan. The answers come from the handbook for that specific aircraft.
Book A Checkout At Van Nuys
If you hold a certificate and want to get checked out, call (818) 330-1318 and tell us the type and your recent experience, and we will tell you what the checkout looks like and how long it should take. If you are not a certificated pilot yet, the way in is a discovery flight at $229 for 60 minutes, flown from the left seat and logged as dual instruction, or a free consultation to work out which certificate you actually want. We are at 7900 Balboa Blvd, Van Nuys, CA 91406, open 9 AM to 9 PM seven days a week.