Check instructor (TCE/APD)
Check instructor (TCE/APD). A check instructor (Training Center Evaluator, TCE; or Aircrew Program Designee, APD) is an FAA-authorized individual who can conduct check rides and proficiency checks for Part 142 students. The authorization is specific to aircraft type, training event, and currency.
Definition
Not every Part 142 instructor can sign off check rides. The check authority comes from a specific FAA designation (TCE under Part 142, APD under a different program) tied to specific aircraft types and recurrent currency requirements. A center's software has to know which instructors hold which check authorities, on which aircraft, and whether each is currently current. Scheduling a non-current check instructor on a check ride is a compliance failure that voids the check.
Currency requirements
TCE/APD currency typically requires recurrent training, observed check rides, and currency events at FAA-defined intervals. The currency window is rolling — a TCE current last month may not be current next month. Software has to enforce currency at the moment of scheduling, not retroactively.
Authority scope
A TCE authorized for one aircraft type isn't automatically authorized for another. Adding a new aircraft to the center's fleet requires the TCE to qualify on that aircraft. The software's data model has to track authority per instructor per aircraft type, not flat per instructor.
Audit trail
Every check ride conducted should record: which TCE, on which aircraft, on which device, against which approved curriculum version, with which signed records. FAA audits inspect this trail. Manual record-keeping is how check authorities get revoked.
See also
- Part 142 training center — Part 142 ATO
- FSTD (Flight Simulation Training Device) — FSTD
- Part 142 curriculum approval — Curriculum approval
Roffik's take
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