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Designated Pilot Examiner

Private, Instrument, Commercial, and CFI ASEL & AMEL Practical Exams by Appointment

Meet Your DPE

Brett Zukowski is certificated as ATP-ME, Commercial ASEL, CFI-AIM, and A&P/IA and has accumulated over 7000 hours total flight time including airline and remote bush environments as well as over 3000 hours of flight instruction given. Brett also spent more than a decade as a full-time aviation faculty member at a reputable local university. Brett volunteers as an FAA FAASTeam Representative with the SC FSDO and was accredited as a Master Instructor in 2021 by the National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI).

As a DPE, Brett is supervised by the South Carolina Flight Standards District Office and provides FAA practical tests in the greater Greenville, SC area. Brett is based at the Greenville Downtown (KGMU) airport on the southeast ramp. He is authorized to administer the following practical exams:

  • Private ASEL, AMEL
  • Instrument ASEL, AMEL
  • Commercial ASEL, AMEL
  • Flight Instructor additional ratings ASEL, AMEL
  • Flight Instructor initial certification ASEL
  • Administrative Authorizations (not requiring a practical test by a DPE):
    • Issuance of Ground Instructor Certificates
    • Issuance of Certificates via US Military Competency

Brett is authorized to conduct examinations in the following multi-engine aircraft:

  • Beechcraft: BE-76 Duchess, BE-95 Travel Air;
  • Diamond: DA-62;
  • Piper: PA-30/39 Twin Comanche, PA-44 Seminole, PA-34 Seneca I, PA-31 Navajo, Chieftain & Panther Conversion;
  • Cessna 310 and 320.


Brett Zukowski

Appointment Quick Start Guide

  1. Contact Brett to establish a tentative practical test date and time. Text (preferred) at (864)-201-9356 or call, or email [email protected].
  2. Create and process an 8710-1 IACRA application. Your CFI should help you.
  3. Read and comply with the DPE Appointment Policies & Procedures.
  4. Fill out the Practical Test Request Form.
  5. Receive a verbal confirmation regarding date and time (text or call).
  6. Make plans for payment per guidelines below.
  7. Comply with the appropriate Practical Test Eligibility Checklist (below) Note: None provided for CFIA initial exams.
  8. Read and prepare the pre-assigned scenario applicable to the certificate or rating sought in preparation for the practical test (below). For the CFI-initial exam, call or text three days prior for a teaching lesson assignment.
  9. Be proficient on test day.

Test Fees & Payment Methods

Monday - Friday business hours (7 AM to 5 PM non-holiday)

  • Private, Instrument, Commercial (ASEL or AMEL) .........................................$750
  • Certified Flight Instructor additional ratings (CFI-I, MEI) ...............................$750
  • Certified Flight Instructor Initial ASEL (CFIA) .................................................$1200
  • Ground Instructor Certificate ...........................................................................$100
  • Certificates based on Military Competency ...................................................$150

NOTE 1: Acceptable payment methods M-F, 8 AM to 5 PM are cash, credit card, or billed against an existing and sufficient positive balance on your Flight Circle account at the exam appointment, again this for M-F business hours non-holiday only).

NOTE 2: No checks are accepted by the DPE under any circumstances whatsoever.

Weekends, Evenings, Holidays

  • Private, Instrument, Commercial ASEL or AMEL ............................................$850
  • Certified Flight Instructor additional ratings (instrument, AMEL) ................$850
  • Certified Flight Instructor Initial ASEL (CFIA) ................................................ $1300
  • Ground Instructor Certificate ...........................................................................$200
  • Certificates based on Military Competency ...................................................$250

NOTE 1: Acceptable payment methods during weekends, evenings and holidays are cash, PayPal, or Zelle at the exam appointment.

NOTE 2: Flight Circle will NOT be used as a billing method on weekends, evenings, or holidays

NOTE 3: No checks are accepted by the DPE under any circumstances whatsoever.

Multiengine Applicants

Applicants seeking Airplane Multiengine Land class rating or Flight Instructor Airplane Multiengine class rating checkrides please prepare one of the following forms ahead of the appointment date as applicable to the PA-39 or other models (generic) for your AMEL check ride. It is preferred that you use one of these forms but other means of presenting the same data are acceptable if complete and prepared ahead of time.

Eligibility Checklists

The following checklists serve as determination for:

Exam Assignments

The following are pre-assigned scenarios for the following exams: