diff --git a/java/flight/flight-sql/src/test/java/org/apache/arrow/flight/sql/example/FlightSqlExample.java b/java/flight/flight-sql/src/test/java/org/apache/arrow/flight/sql/example/FlightSqlExample.java
index bb7444856668c..0b755f7d241a7 100644
--- a/java/flight/flight-sql/src/test/java/org/apache/arrow/flight/sql/example/FlightSqlExample.java
+++ b/java/flight/flight-sql/src/test/java/org/apache/arrow/flight/sql/example/FlightSqlExample.java
@@ -280,6 +280,9 @@ private static boolean removeDerbyDatabaseIfExists() {
   private static boolean populateDerbyDatabase() {
     try (final Connection connection = DriverManager.getConnection("jdbc:derby:target/derbyDB;create=true");
          Statement statement = connection.createStatement()) {
+
+      dropTable(statement, "intTable");
+      dropTable(statement, "foreignTable");
       statement.execute("CREATE TABLE foreignTable (" +
           "id INT not null primary key GENERATED ALWAYS AS IDENTITY (START WITH 1, INCREMENT BY 1), " +
           "foreignName varchar(100), " +
@@ -302,6 +305,18 @@ private static boolean populateDerbyDatabase() {
     return true;
   }
 
+  private static void dropTable(final Statement statement, final String tableName) throws SQLException {
+    try {
+      statement.execute("DROP TABLE " + tableName);
+    } catch (SQLException e) {
+      // sql error code for "object does not exist"; which is fine, we're trying to delete the table
+      // see https://db.apache.org/derby/docs/10.17/ref/rrefexcept71493.html
+      if (!"42Y55".equals(e.getSQLState())) {
+        throw e;
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
   private static ArrowType getArrowTypeFromJdbcType(final int jdbcDataType, final int precision, final int scale) {
     try {
       return JdbcToArrowUtils.getArrowTypeFromJdbcType(new JdbcFieldInfo(jdbcDataType, precision, scale),
diff --git a/java/flight/flight-sql/src/test/java/org/apache/arrow/flight/sql/example/FlightSqlStatelessExample.java b/java/flight/flight-sql/src/test/java/org/apache/arrow/flight/sql/example/FlightSqlStatelessExample.java
index 02f679b3efaf4..8d1d901eb94eb 100644
--- a/java/flight/flight-sql/src/test/java/org/apache/arrow/flight/sql/example/FlightSqlStatelessExample.java
+++ b/java/flight/flight-sql/src/test/java/org/apache/arrow/flight/sql/example/FlightSqlStatelessExample.java
@@ -77,7 +77,8 @@ public Runnable acceptPutPreparedStatementQuery(CommandPreparedStatementQuery co
 
     return () -> {
       final String query = new String(command.getPreparedStatementHandle().toStringUtf8());
-      try (PreparedStatement preparedStatement = createPreparedStatement(query)) {
+      try (Connection connection = dataSource.getConnection();
+           PreparedStatement preparedStatement = createPreparedStatement(connection, query)) {
         while (flightStream.next()) {
           final VectorSchemaRoot root = flightStream.getRoot();
           final JdbcParameterBinder binder = JdbcParameterBinder.builder(preparedStatement, root).bindAll().build();
@@ -133,7 +134,8 @@ public void getStreamPreparedStatement(final CommandPreparedStatementQuery comma
                 deserializePOJO(handle);
         final String query = doPutPreparedStatementResultPOJO.getQuery();
 
-        try (PreparedStatement statement = createPreparedStatement(query);
+        try (Connection connection = dataSource.getConnection();
+             PreparedStatement statement = createPreparedStatement(connection, query);
              ArrowFileReader reader = new ArrowFileReader(new SeekableReadChannel(
                 new ByteArrayReadableSeekableByteChannel(
                         doPutPreparedStatementResultPOJO.getParameters())), rootAllocator)) {
@@ -152,7 +154,8 @@ public void getStreamPreparedStatement(final CommandPreparedStatementQuery comma
       } catch (StreamCorruptedException e) {
         // Case where there are no parameters
         final String query = new String(command.getPreparedStatementHandle().toStringUtf8());
-        try (PreparedStatement preparedStatement = createPreparedStatement(query)) {
+        try (Connection connection = dataSource.getConnection();
+             PreparedStatement preparedStatement = createPreparedStatement(connection, query)) {
           executeQuery(preparedStatement, listener);
         }
       }
@@ -200,7 +203,8 @@ public FlightInfo getFlightInfoPreparedStatement(final CommandPreparedStatementQ
       } catch (StreamCorruptedException e) {
         query = new String(command.getPreparedStatementHandle().toStringUtf8());
       }
-      try (PreparedStatement statement = createPreparedStatement(query)) {
+      try (Connection connection = dataSource.getConnection();
+           PreparedStatement statement = createPreparedStatement(connection, query)) {
         ResultSetMetaData metaData = statement.getMetaData();
         return getFlightInfoForSchema(command, descriptor,
                 jdbcToArrowSchema(metaData, DEFAULT_CALENDAR));
@@ -226,8 +230,7 @@ private byte[] serializePOJO(DoPutPreparedStatementResultPOJO doPutPreparedState
     }
   }
 
-  private PreparedStatement createPreparedStatement(String query) throws SQLException {
-    final Connection connection = dataSource.getConnection();
+  private PreparedStatement createPreparedStatement(Connection connection, String query) throws SQLException {
     return connection.prepareStatement(query, ResultSet.TYPE_SCROLL_INSENSITIVE, ResultSet.CONCUR_READ_ONLY);
   }
 }