How we make and check our guides

Updated October 26, 2026

The guides on this blog are written with AI from public FAA documents. Every FAA claim is checked against its source before a guide goes live, and claims we cannot verify are removed. No A&P mechanic or Designated Mechanic Examiner (DME) reviews the guides. This page explains how we prepare and check them, and where the limits are.

What we use as sources

Only primary Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and federal regulation sources, in their current editions:

• the Aviation Mechanic Airman Certification Standards (FAA-S-ACS-1);
• the Aviation Maintenance Technician Handbooks (FAA-H-8083-30B, -31B and -32B);
• advisory circulars such as AC 43.13-1B and AC 43-4B;
• Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR), for example Parts 43 and 65;
• FAA Order 8900.1, the Mechanic Test Generator FAQ, the Airman Knowledge Testing Matrix, and FAA web pages for mechanics.

We do not use commercial test-prep material, and we never copy question-bank items.

How a guide is made

1. Draft from the sources. An AI model drafts the guide from the FAA documents. Every factual sentence is tied to a short, word-for-word quote from the source, with the document and page, in a claims ledger kept for that guide.
2. Independent check. A separate AI checker reads the draft against the source files. Each quote must appear word for word on the stated page. Each sentence must not say more than its source. Safety statements must be at least as strong as the source, and ACS element wording must be exact. Anything that cannot be matched to a source we can open is marked unverified.
3. Fix or remove. Unverified claims are removed or re-tied to a source that says the same thing. Weakened safety wording is restored. The fixed guide is checked again for structure and quotes.
4. Publish with the sources visible. Each paragraph shows the FAA document and page it comes from, so you can check it yourself.

Our practice questions go through a separate process, described on how we check every question.

What we do not claim

• No A&P mechanic or DME reviews these guides. The checking is done by software against the source text, and it can miss errors.
• FAA documents change, and sometimes they disagree with each other. When they do, we show both versions rather than pick one.
• The guides are study material, not legal or maintenance instructions. For real work, follow the manufacturer's data and the current FAA documents. For your exam, your DME and the current FAA documents are the authority.
• DMEReady is an independent study tool. It is not affiliated with, authorized by, or endorsed by the FAA.

Corrections

If something on a guide looks wrong, use "Report an error or ask a question" at the end of the guide, or email hello@dmeready.com. A person reads every message. We check the point against the source and fix the guide if needed. Substantive corrections are listed here.

• October 26, 2026, eight guides. We obtained the full text of FAA Order 8900.1 for mechanic testing. Statements we had removed because we could not check them against the Order were checked page by page; the ones the Order supports were added back, with the page cited. One statement was narrowed: Ready to schedule now notes that applicants testing under 14 CFR 65.80 are an exception to bringing the written test report.
• October 25, 2026, Failed oral and practical retest. The opening said you only retake what you failed. FAA documents differ on how much of a failed oral test is retaken, so the opening now says so.
• October 25, 2026, Most-missed ACS codes. Updated from four to five FAA reports after the fifth report was found; the same three codes appear in all five.

Who runs DMEReady

DMEReady is operated by Smart Hub LLC. Contact: hello@dmeready.com.