Tips for a successful flight review.

CFI A&P

Exploring the world one toilet at a time.
Here are some recent observations I've had while conducting flight reviews in the last few months, hard to believe, and I am sure I am not the first to see these things. A CFI shouldn't have to mention these items, but it's worth a rant.

1) Do not fly an airplane to another airport to meet the CFI knowing you do not have all the required documents for yourself and your airplane. You just demonstrated poor aeronautical decision making by flying without proper credentials. Please have your pilot certificate, airworthiness certificate, registration, medical, etc... in your possession. How would it go if you are ramp checked or have an emergency and land off airport on your way home after this flight review and you do not have these documents?

2) If you present your own airplane for the flight review, be prepared to prove it is airworthy. My @SS won't get in to an unfamiliar airplane until I see logbook entries and can review them for the required inspections. I'm not going to be performing an annual prior to this flight, but I am a stranger getting into an unfamiliar airplane so I would like to do some light reading first. If this was you, wouldn't you want to know this stuff? Some one recently asked me to do a flight review in an airplane that was just certified in the experimental - amateur built category. Which is cool, I have no problem with it being E-AB, but if it is still in phase 1, I can't fly it with you until it is out of phase 1 flight testing. Remember that phrase: "required crew members only" ? Also, we can not fly your airplane if it is out of annual. Rent a chickenhawk or get your airplane inspected.

3) Take five seconds and glance at a chart for that airport & area. Don't be surprised to explain the local special use airspace in that area. If you say that you can not fly over somewhere because it is restricted, MOA, or otherwise show me how to prove it.

4) If you claim to be the world's best bush, seaplane, 15 time ace in the whatever war / conflict, first man on the moon.... Then landing on the center line / sailing / short field landing technique / radio work should be no problem for such a highly decorated aviator.

5) You should be up to the standards or at least somewhere close to the certificate you're exercising, whether you hold a private, commercial, ATP, lunar landing privileges, etc... Trust me, we won't get into a 'tailspin' if you bank greater than 30 degrees during steep turns.

Really, I hate to rant, but man I've seen some really crazy stuff lately and I don't know if I am being punked or what. Anyone else had situations like this? It is kind of like the stupid student questions / experiences.
 
Anyone else had situations like this?

Yes and no. I've seen people who weren't able to get through a flight review on the first try, but that is to be expected. The rest of the things you mentioned aren't anything I can recall. However, on the subject of airworthiness; I sometimes wonder if there are any airworthy aircraft out there. If you sit down and do a really serious check through the maintenance records and required AD's you find an awful lot of overlooked items.
 
Something to keep in mind. If you need a flight review, you're not dealing with a professional pilot. Which means you probably don't even fly 200 hours a year, and it's entirely possible you haven't flown in well over a year and need some help. This is why the flight review exists. It's not for the vast majority of the people on this forum. Use it as a chance to teach.
 
The only problems I have with flight review are when people come in with unrealistic expectations of how long it will take them to complete it. Someone comes in who hasn't flown for 6 years and says 1 hour of ground and 1 hour of flight and I'm good to go right? And then when I ask them tell me about some of the different airspace in the US- A, B, C, I am greeted with a blank stare.
 
4) If you claim to be the world's best bush,
giggity.jpg

Sorry, the beer wouldn't let me resist.
 
Let my CFI lapse in 1999. Can't say that I miss it. 10-20% of my students were a joy. The middle 50%, not enough to keep me in the game. The bottom 30-40% absolutely keep me out of the game.

Being a CFI was more like 'family' problems than professionalism. I get enough of that trying to get my 12 yr. old to do her homework.

Kudos to all of you who put up with the game.
 
I went from instructing foreign students at a tower controlled airport with a 7500 foot runway in Phoenix, to a poorly maintained 3500 foot runway, non towered, just as busy mom and pops airport in the Seattle area. Guess which one I loved and which one I liked?

Either way, I treated all my customers with respect. Even if I had to tell them that I wasn't going to get in to their overweight, non-airworthy airplane.
 
Dont forget, that some of these low expectations have been set by previous CFI's who are much like pencil whipping IA's... "ah good enough".

When I talk to someone about a flight review, I respectfully communicate my expectations right away. I always remind them that the 1 hour ground and flight is the absolute minimum for an practiced and well-studied pilot and we will not be done until I feel comfortable. I remind them that I will want to see their aircraft logs, their certificates, and I want a summary of what flying they've been doing for the past 12 months (remember the FAA wants you to customize flight reviews to the type of flying people normally do)... by communicating my expectations clearly up front, I give them the opportunity to be come prepared and not get embarrassed by showing up totally clueless. If someone pushes back I tell them I'm probably not the right guy for them and recommend they work with someone else (one advantage of not needing students to pay my mortgage is I can be picky about who I'll work with).
 
Something to keep in mind. If you need a flight review, you're not dealing with a professional pilot. Which means you probably don't even fly 200 hours a year, and it's entirely possible you haven't flown in well over a year and need some help. This is why the flight review exists. It's not for the vast majority of the people on this forum. Use it as a chance to teach.

not necessarily - maybe they're not airline pilots, but maybe they fly traffic watch, aerial survey, etc etc and are professional pilots but still need a BFR.
 
Also, BFR's are pass/fail, right?? So what do you do if you get someone who truly shouldn't be in an airplane, if you can't "fail" them?
 
Also, BFR's are pass/fail, right?? So what do you do if you get someone who truly shouldn't be in an airplane, if you can't "fail" them?
You just don't sign them off. It's not really even pass fail, it's sign them off or don't and then they have a bfr or not.
 
Also, BFR's are pass/fail, right?? So what do you do if you get someone who truly shouldn't be in an airplane, if you can't "fail" them?

It's either you got your BFR or you didn't. If a pilot is really out of touch, it could potentially take a few flights before getting a BFR allowing you to continue your pilot privileges.
 
As someone who has not flown left seat since 1/2010 (too much money and too many child-obligations), I know that I would appreciate a BFR that was more of a teaching experience than a grill-experience. But, now that I have some spare cash and my life insurance has been renewed, my personal plan is to stay away from powered aircraft until after I have received a glider rating.

Also, I think there are more of us "part time" pilots on this forum than you might think; we appreciate hearing respectful perspectives from people who have lots more experience. I know I have learned a lot (and enjoyed a few laughs) by lurking on various posts....my two cents.
 
I tend to "customize" flight reviews based on where a pilot flies and what kind of flying he/she does. Each one is different.
 
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