Flight review: what to expect/study

Jim K

Jim K

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I'm almost due for my first ever flight review. Can't believe the instrument ride was two years ago already. I had every intention of moving on to commercial, but we've been too busy taking trips since we bought the plane.

I know the cfi has wide latitude on what to cover... he told me to review pt 91 which makes sense. I'm sure I need to brush up on things I don't use that often. He's a pretty practical guy so I'm not expecting a trivia contest, but he does like to challenge me, so I think it will be a worthwhile discussion and flight.

Anybody have a good study guide to hit the high points?

You cfi's... what do you like to cover? I assume it's pretty variable based on the student learner customer?
 
I would expect (among other things), a review of airspace, stalls and slow flight… things that may get rusty for many of us.
 
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Been flying 40 years and have never done one, but many moons ago have given a few…

Regs (which include airspace), weather, etc…
Shouldn’t have any IFR stuff, as it’s not an ICC.

Beyond that just normal PP maneuvers and landings.
 
I was pretty rusty, when I did my BFR a few months ago. An understatement, since I hadn't flown since '09. I found the sporty's course useful. Your cfi may (or may not ) accept the ground training endorsement which comes with successful completion.
 
Basically I do an abbreviated check ride for the certificate you hold, with a couple additional things I like to see. If you are private, I introduce at least a commercial maneuver as well.
 
Go to FAAST website. There’s a BFR course. Just take it, print the cert… many will skip the ground if ya do that. If not, it’s a decent review! Free…

and there’s a good circular (I think, I’ll do some googling after this) that if you read will give ya a good idea on what to brush up upon.
 
It's a flight review, not a check ride. Look on it as going flying with a more experienced friend, not a test, and just do what you do. if you got your instrument ticket 2 years ago, you'll do just fine.
 
I like to cover some things that the pilot does regularly to make sure he’s not developing bad habits, along with some things that he doesn’t do regularly that I think are knowledge and skills that still should be kept up. I think VFR and IFR stuff are both fair game, even though you didn’t indicate that you’re doing an IPC. (any particular reason why not?)

Review charts (VFR and IFR), identify airspace types and any requirements for flying in various airspaces. Since you’re doing a lot of traveling, it might be good to review the requirements for flying to the D.C. area. Take a good look at the AIM to remember what’s there. Your POH and it’s supplements…what are the working airspeeds for your airplane, and how do they change with weight and/or altitude? What emergency procedures do your POH and supplements provide? When was the last time you did a weight and balance?

On the flying side, I’ve always thought steep turns and slow flight said a lot about a pilot. Especially doing them simultaneously. :D Some pilotage might be good. Instrument procedures that you haven’t done for a while. I’ve watched a lot of professional pilots flub missed approaches lately…when was the last time you did one? What about fail-down/partial panel work? Of course, engine failures and other emergencies are always valuable.

I haven’t conducted a flight review for quite a while now, (and I’ve only ever taken one), but I always try to encourage the pilot to find things that he wants to review and learn. The ground and flight portions have taken some interesting turns that I wasn’t planning.
 
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Chip Sylverne said:
It's a flight review, not a check ride. Look on it as going flying with a more experienced friend, not a test, and just do what you do. if you got your instrument ticket 2 years ago, you'll do just fine.
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Right, and I'm actually kind of looking forward to it. I was hoping to do a wings phase with him last summer but our schedules didn't get lined up. We're doing this review a couple months early so I can make sure to fly with him. I *think* my flying skills are good, I mainly just want to brush up on some knowledge so I'm not wasting a bunch of time looking things up.

The ac's @Tools listed have some nice review lists in the back... thanks for taking the time to post those. I like the idea of using the wings course for a review. Think I might do that and take the checklist to him and see if he'll sign off on it. The insurance company would probably like that.

MauleSkinner said:
even though you didn’t indicate that you’re doing an IPC. (any particular reason why not?)
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I probably should have when I got my plane back, but I was still current so I did some practice approaches in imc to get back into what I'd consider proficiency. I do 2-3 approaches in imc every month, haven't been out of currency since I got my ticket, and am current till Nov right now. Of course that doesn't mean I haven't developed bad habits. My plan is to get on a schedule of doing a FR this year and an IPC next year and then alternate. The insurance company wants you to fly with an instructor every year, so I figure that's one way to do it. I'd still like to work on commercial and maybe even cfi, but that may have to wait a couple years... my "real" life doesn't leave enough time for my aviation life.
 
Jim K said:
. My plan is to get on a schedule of doing a FR this year and an IPC next year and then alternate.
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Not that I’m pushing an IPC instead of a flight review…just understand that they’re not mutually exclusive. I had one guy that I trained every six months. All were signed off as IPCs, and once a year it was signed off as a Flight Review as well.
 
Sporty's has a Flight Review Course. $49. I used it last time and may do again next month.
 
I do a few BFR a year for pilots. Almost everyone of them is different. I ask the pilot if they feel there is anything they want to work on. I ask what kind of flying they have been doing and will do opposite what they normally do. And then throw in the normal procedures, and then add some such as accelerated stalls, tailwind landings, no flap landings, etc.

I don’t go in with a guide, I let it play out.
 
Jim K said:
I'm almost due for my first ever flight review. Can't believe the instrument ride was two years ago already. I had every intention of moving on to commercial, but we've been too busy taking trips since we bought the plane.

I know the cfi has wide latitude on what to cover... he told me to review pt 91 which makes sense. I'm sure I need to brush up on things I don't use that often. He's a pretty practical guy so I'm not expecting a trivia contest, but he does like to challenge me, so I think it will be a worthwhile discussion and flight.

Anybody have a good study guide to hit the high points?

You cfi's... what do you like to cover? I assume it's pretty variable based on the student learner customer?
Click to expand...
Don’t forget about what do YOU want to do. I’ve done that on a lot of them. Had read about falling leaf stalls so I told him I wanna do some of those. Same thing with all the pro’s and con’s of emergency descents so we did a few of those. No flap landings, hadn’t done one in a long time. It showed so we did a couple of them with his coaching. A couple times I said I brought my hood along, let’s do an Approach on the way back home. Got another click in the ol’ currency box.
So, whadda you wanna work on? Tell him.
 
AOPA has a few resources I use to brush up. Should be able to Google them as I don't have them at hand right now. A couple PDFs and a Safety Institute video if I recall.
 
I provide Appendix F of AC 61-98 shown below (also in .pdf file attached) in advance when possible to everyone I do a flight review with. It allows a chance to review at home which jogs the memory and identifies possible areas to focus on. I always ask if there's something specific a person wants to work on for the flight portion in addition to some of the things outlined on the checklist. A favorite I have found is flying in more complex Phoenix Class B airspace. The universal reaction afterward is "that wasn't so bad" and people become more relaxed working with ATC.

It's conversational, not a stump the chump session. Most times I learn something new too or relearn something I have forgotten.

Edited to add: FAASafety.gov has a course, "Flight Review Prep Guide" course ALC-25 which is pretty thorough and the price is right.



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Since the takeoff and landing phases of flight are most risky, focus on them. You’ve already done great on emergency landings. Do some power-off 180s to get a taste of the CPL. Emergency descents. Short-field and soft-field TO/LD. Stuff you don’t normally do on your XCs.

Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention @Walboy is not the same without his old avatar. Bring it back. Imposter.
 
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Like what was mentioned above. It isn't really a test or check ride.
Sure freshen up as much as possible. I go into it with my eyes and ears open and my mouth shut as much possible and use the time to learn more or at least stay current. I have told that he can't fail me it is just a review.

I am very lucky to become good friends with the pilot next to my hangar. We both have one track minds and love our hangars and airplanes. Call it our happy place.
He is a 40 year pilot 8 years younger than I. He has been a Captain for 21 years for SW. He is also a check airmen for SW and spends a lot time in Dallas giving check rides in the Sims. He is not only a check airmen but also does check rides for the check airmens. Forget what he called it but he is a very smart guy who is always at the top of his game. We fly together every time he comes home. That is his old cheerokee in my signature picture. He now has a arrow. We fly both of our planes and in each others planes together to places. He has helped make me better pilot. I have only been flying since 2015. I was very rough when I first met him and probably still am?
He is so disciplined, it's amazing.
He turns on and off the CFII in himself. We have fun flights and some flights it is agreed ahead of time that it is a training flight. We have done some commercial training together. He is a strick son of gun when flight training.
Naturally he does my BFR and my IPC every 6 months. No corner cutting, last IPC was 1.8 all under the hood including take off. Then ground in one of our hangars as we both have a sitting, study areas.
I am so lucky to have him as a friend and he will never take any money for his time. Says friend's don''t charge friends for flight training.
 
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Go to the FAA course for the flight review and take the course. For the flying know airspace ,slow flight ,steep turns ,power on stalls,and have fun.
 
I put it in the category of it is what you make of it. Sure there are a few things that are typical just to ensure the bad habits didn’t kick in (pre-flight of kick the tires and light the fires, eh?). Not sure what is out of your comfort zone Mr. declare-an-emergency, but aim for that, and I’d see if you can get some type specific stuff of “I didn’t know the plane could do that.”
 
masloki said:
Not sure what is out of your comfort zone Mr. declare-an-emergency, but aim for that
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:D
Jeez can't a guy have half a dozen emergencies in a year without getting a reputation around here?

The 172 is outside my comfort zone, but I'm not going to do my flight review in that thing.
masloki said:
pre-flight of kick the tires and light the fires, eh?
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Guilty as charged :oops:
 
Hey I made it all the way to Wyoming and back and only one piece fell off.

Come to think of it only one piece fell off in Georgia, too; just unfortunate that it was internal to the engine.

Minnesota and Texas both I managed to bring the whole airplane home!
 
Not a CFI, but will reiterate that it isn't a test. You can't fail. If you're flying at a proficient level, you probably don't need to worry about that. If you don't know what he expects you to know in the hour of ground, he'll teach you. The worst case scenario is it takes longer than two hours and you learn something.
 
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