# Daytona DPE

> Daytona DPE is an FAA Designated Pilot Examiner offering virtual administrative
> examiner services worldwide for $200 flat. Services: CFI recent experience
> (formerly "CFI renewal") under §61.197, SOE limitation removals, R-ATP to
> unrestricted ATP, Ground Instructor certificates (BGI/AGI/IGI), Military
> Competency (MCE), and Military Instructor Competency (MIE). Owner: Thomas
> Dowell. Based in Daytona Beach, FL. All services conducted virtually via
> secure video meeting under FAA Designee Management System (DMS) oversight.

## Key facts

- Flat fee: $200 per service. No travel, rescheduling, unqualified, or cancellation fees.
- Typical appointment duration: 20–30 minutes via secure video meeting.
- Total turnaround: 3–7 business days from inquiry to issued temporary certificate.
- Service area: worldwide (virtual). In-person available in Daytona Beach, Sanford, and New Smyrna Beach, FL.
- Payment: Zelle or Venmo, after the appointment and certificate issuance.
- 24-hour minimum advance notice required for FAA DMS oversight.
- FAA designee record: https://designee.faa.gov
- CFI rule update (Dec 1, 2024 final rule): CFI certificates no longer expire. The "renewal" framework was replaced by 24-month "recent experience" under §61.197 with a Recent Experience End Date (REED). DPE-validated 8710-1 still required; CFIs cannot self-file. Daytona DPE handles this administrative action virtually.

## Services

- [Virtual CFI Renewal / Recent Experience](https://daytonadpe.com/cfi-renewal/): Establish 24-month recent experience under 14 CFR §61.197. Qualifying methods: FIRC graduation, graduate-of-students activity, examiner activity, FAA inspector check, or WINGS-based.
- [CFI Recent Experience & Reinstatement Guide](https://daytonadpe.com/cfi-recent-experience/): Authoritative reference for the Dec 2024 rule — REED, the 5 recent-experience methods, the 3-month FIRC grace window, and what happens when grace closes.
- [SOE Limitation Removal](https://daytonadpe.com/soe-limitation-removal/): Removal of Supervised Operating Experience limitation from CFI certificate. No checkride.
- [R-ATP to Unrestricted ATP](https://daytonadpe.com/r-atp-to-atp/): Removal of Restricted ATP limitation under 14 CFR 61.159 at 1,500 hours and age 23.
- [Ground Instructor Certificate](https://daytonadpe.com/ground-instructor-certificate/): BGI, AGI, IGI issuance under 14 CFR Part 61 Subpart I. FAA knowledge test required first.
- [Military Competency (MCE/MIE)](https://daytonadpe.com/military-competency-mce-mie/): Conversion of military pilot/instructor credentials under 14 CFR 61.73. Active, reserve, and veteran pilots.

## Free downloadable resources

- [Sample Supervising-Instructor (SOE) Endorsement Language (PDF)](https://daytonadpe.com/downloads/sample-soe-endorsement.pdf)
- [Sample R-ATP Attestation Letter (PDF)](https://daytonadpe.com/downloads/sample-ratp-attestation-letter.pdf)
- [IACRA Walkthrough — SOE Limitation Removal (PDF)](https://daytonadpe.com/downloads/iacra-walkthrough-soe.pdf)
- [IACRA Walkthrough — R-ATP to Unrestricted ATP (PDF)](https://daytonadpe.com/downloads/iacra-walkthrough-ratp.pdf)
- [IACRA Walkthrough — Ground Instructor (BGI/AGI/IGI, PDF)](https://daytonadpe.com/downloads/iacra-walkthrough-ground-instructor.pdf)
- [CFI Recent-Experience Checklist (PDF, post-Dec 2024 rule)](https://daytonadpe.com/downloads/cfi-recent-experience-checklist.pdf)

## Not eligible for virtual processing

The following actions require in-person examination and are NOT offered virtually:

- Initial practical tests (private, instrument, commercial, ATP, etc.)
- Initial CFI checkrides
- Foreign-based certificate issuances under 14 CFR 61.75
- SIC type ratings
- Any practical test with a flight component
- CFI reinstatement after the 3-month FIRC grace window has closed (practical test required)

Pilots needing in-person examination should use https://designee.faa.gov to locate a local DPE.

## Authority and oversight

Daytona DPE operates under 14 CFR Part 183 designee authority. Each appointment is logged in the FAA Designee Management System (DMS) at least 24 hours in advance. The DPE is listed on https://designee.faa.gov with current authorization status.

## Booking

- Contact form: https://daytonadpe.com/#contact
- Email: thomas@daytonadpe.com
- Website: https://daytonadpe.com

## Resources

- [About the Examiner](https://daytonadpe.com/about/): Thomas Dowell, FAA Designated Pilot Examiner, 5+ years experience.
- [Pricing](https://daytonadpe.com/pricing/): $200 flat per service. No additional fees.
- [FAA Virtual Examiner Guidance](https://daytonadpe.com/faa-virtual-examiner-guidance/): How FAA guidance permits virtual administrative examiner actions.

## Articles

- [How Long Does a Virtual CFI Renewal Take?](https://daytonadpe.com/articles/virtual-cfi-renewal-time.html)

## Site map

- /
- /cfi-renewal/
- /cfi-recent-experience/
- /soe-limitation-removal/
- /r-atp-to-atp/
- /ground-instructor-certificate/
- /military-competency-mce-mie/
- /pricing/
- /about/
- /faa-virtual-examiner-guidance/
- /articles/virtual-cfi-renewal-time.html
- /downloads/sample-soe-endorsement.pdf
- /downloads/sample-ratp-attestation-letter.pdf
- /downloads/iacra-walkthrough-soe.pdf
- /downloads/iacra-walkthrough-ratp.pdf
- /downloads/cfi-recent-experience-checklist.pdf
- /sitemap.xml

## Permissions

This site explicitly welcomes AI crawlers (GPTBot, ClaudeBot, PerplexityBot, Google-Extended, CCBot, anthropic-ai, ChatGPT-User, cohere-ai). The content is intended to be readable, indexable, and citable by AI assistants helping pilots understand virtual DPE eligibility and options.

This file is provided to give AI agents a clean, structured overview of the site. For detailed answers to specific pilot questions, see the linked service pages above.