IPC question

[Ian_J]

If there was an accident, do you think they'd just take your word for it and drop it? I doubt it.

Also, where do you find FAA guidance for BFRs?

This is just a personal account, and doesn't by any means prove what the FAA will or won't do, so take it for what it's worth...

Way back when I was getting my airplane add-on, I had an engine failure on a solo cross country. I put it down in a small field and the wings were damaged by some small tress.

I did all the required reports, NTSB stuff, etc.

No one ever checked my logbook for endorsements. No one ever checked my instructor's records. In fact, no one aside from the NTSB ever talked to me, and no one at all talked to my instructor. I guess the FAA picks and choses what they get involved with.

 

[MidlifeFlyer]

"I don't recollect the specific pilot in question,

I'm not sure how good a response that would be to the hearing after the pilot was injured diverting to an airport with a 1200' runway due to weather, "I was having some problems with short field landings and he said, 'Don't worry about it; you'll probably never go into one anyway.'"

My personal opinion that the risks are minimal doesn't have anything to do with my decision to take an extra minute or 2 to make a record of what we covered. My personal risk analysis tells me that extra 60-120 seconds is worth it.

I also have a slightly different view of

leave them to find something to hang me with as opposed to me providing the evidence.

I don't cover every conceivable thing in every flight review. I cover enough to satisfy me that the pilot did "demonstrate the safe exercise of the privileges of the pilot certificate." If I was wrong, and wrong enough to make a difference, well, for better or worse, that's a responsibility I took on when I became a CFI.

I'd much rather they "hung me" for something my records showed I didn't cover - be called on to justify my decision to cover something or not - than for something I know I did but couldn't show it.

 

[CFIse]

I'm not sure how good a response that would be to the hearing after the pilot was injured diverting to an airport with a 1200' runway due to weather, "I was having some problems with short field landings and he said, 'Don't worry about it; you'll probably never go into one anyway.'"

Yeh, but what if it's true. When I was instructing full time, 6 days a week, I flew with a LOT of people and I'm here to tell you I probably couldn't pick well over 50% of them out of a line-up. The people who "walked in" for a Flight Review - unless they did something stunningly stupid that I could use to get other CFIs to buy me beer, I really didn't remember them.

Sure - if I flew with them Tuesday and they crash on Wednesday it's going to be a pretty weak defense.

I was deposed once for a lawsuit (not aviation) and most of my answers were "I don't recall". I'm sure they thought I was lieing or I was an idiot, but it was 2 years ago and I can't remember what happened last week.

 

[MidlifeFlyer]

Yeh, but what if it's true.

What does that have to do with it?

You have 2 sides. One is a poor injured schmuck who says his CFI didn't cover something and didn't seem to care. The other is a supposed professional who says he can't remember the schmuck, keeps no records, but claims he always does it right.

Forget CFI. Make it a doctor, a lawyer, a home improvement contractor, anyone who provides a service for a fee. All other things being equal, I have no problem buying the schmuck's story, true or not.