BFR after 2.5 years of no flying...

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thejohnpilot

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TheJohnPilot
I'm due for my BFR, but haven't flown in about 2.5 years.

I'm pretty confident in my flying ability, but obviously rusty in everything else. I'm wondering if anyone can suggest resources to prepare so I can maximize the value I receive from my CFI and flight time?

Thanks so much!

John
 
Oh, and for the anal retentive types, it's not a BFR (and it hasn't been a BFR in quite some time), it's a Flight Review.

Track down Advisory Circular 61-98B, which gives guidance to CFIs on what to include on a Flight Review. That's a good place to start your own review.
 
Welcome to the board,I would reach out to the CFI you plan to use ,and see what they recommend . Then you are not wasting time.
 
Rules that have changed in the last few years would be something to ask about. For taxiing at controlled airports, there were a few changes intended to reduce runway incursions - don't cross a runway unless specifically instructed to do so, and the meaning of "line up and wait".
 
Brad Z said:
Oh, and for the anal retentive types, it's not a BFR (and it hasn't been a BFR in quite some time), it's a Flight Review.

Track down Advisory Circular 61-98B, which gives guidance to CFIs on what to include on a Flight Review. That's a good place to start your own review.
Click to expand...

True. It is now just a Flight Review that is due biennially, so it's an FAA mandated biennial Flight Review....not a BFR but a bFR.
 
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Try being out of it for over a decade! Trust me, it will come back very quickly!
 
Unit74 said:
Try being out of it for over a decade! Trust me, it will come back very quickly!
Click to expand...

In another thread I shared the story of the guy who got his license at 17, then didn't touch an airplane for 40 years. It all came back pretty quickly and he's been flying several times a month for the past year and is loving it. Spoke to his wife two nights ago...she's in ground school now and will start her flight lessons with me in June!
 
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This little book is great! I highly recommend it.
 
NoHeat said:
Rules that have changed, ... and the meaning of "line up and wait".
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:D

And the controllers use it ALL the time (and occasionally will still stumble and say: "Position and Hold") --- same-o, same-o

:D
 
Sold my Champ in 67. Then with military, family etc I didn't touch an airplane until 1998. The flying came back immediately. On my first dual flight I was able to take off, fly and land without assistance. Not so with all the new airspace rules.
It took my 8 hours to solo in 54. It took about the same time in 98 to be able to navigate the Class B airspace where I was re-training.

Paul
Salome, AZ
 
:)

nosewet!

Military flight clubs like biANNual as well (6-month PTS reviews common at ones I visited --- it's as if all pilots fly 121 or AC in heavy metal)

:)
 
Actually for some aircraft, e.g. R-22/44 (when you have less than 200 TT in helicopters), it is an Annual Flight Review, which counts for all aircraft you are rated in (e.g. ASEL), and expires after 2 years for airplanes.
 
Funny how you can get a single Biennial Flight review in a 40 year span then go fly. Thats why just Flight review is more appropriate. The media could make a totally current pilot look like he/she missed years of training if they missed all these "BFRs" and was to have an incident worth reporting.
 
oldShar said:
And THAT is why the term was changed::

It is BIENNIAL not BIANNUAL

MAJOR difference in meaning
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Sort of. "Biannual" is ambiguous; one of its standard meanings is synonymous with "biennial":

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/biannual

In fact, by any rational standard of nomenclature, the two terms should be entirely synonymous. Both have roots meaning "two yearly". Interval adjectives should be uniformly named according to the interval they designate. An event occurring twice a year should be called semiannual, not biannual, because the interval is a half year.
 
acrophile said:
Sort of. "Biannual" is ambiguous; one of its standard meanings is synonymous with "biennial":

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/biannual

In fact, by any rational standard of nomenclature, the two terms should be entirely synonymous. Both have roots meaning "two yearly". Interval adjectives should be uniformly named according to the interval they designate. An event occurring twice a year should be called semiannual, not biannual, because the interval is a half year.
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As I noted above, at least one reason the name was changed is that the Flight Review is not always an every two year event, e.g. it is annual for some helicopters.
 
RotorDude said:
As I noted above, at least one reason the name was changed is that the Flight Review is not always an every two year event, e.g. it is annual for some helicopters.
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Many pilots will never have a BFR since they fly 121/135. Another reason the B is misleading.
 
John,

Go to http://www.faasafety.gov/ , set up an account and start completing their free online courses. There is on titled, "Flight Review Prep Course".

Once you are ready for the flight portion find a CFI that will fly with you to complete 3 "Flight Activities". Your "My Wings" page will recommend courses for you or you can choose your own.

Once you complete the 3 Flight Activities and 3 free Online Courses your Flight Review date will be automatically updated to the date of completion of the last Activity or course.

Easy Peasy.
 
You could use my guy - Vlad the Impaler

He guarantees you will pass - or else
 
NJP_MAN said:
Funny how you can get a single Biennial Flight review in a 40 year span then go fly. Thats why just Flight review is more appropriate. The media could make a totally current pilot look like he/she missed years of training if they missed all these "BFRs" and was to have an incident worth reporting.
Click to expand...

The media does that anyway.

Nothing funny about it, preform to spec and you're good to go, what else do you want? Let's not turn this into Europe or something. ;)
 
I can't believe my bFR is due in July unless I finish up the IR, which will need me to fly.
 
There are tons of things that don't exist officially. BFR doesn't exist, neither does CFII, MEI, or even CFI for that matter. That and calling your certificate license or the FAA distinction between certified and certificated.
 
Unit74 said:
Try being out of it for over a decade! Trust me, it will come back very quickly!
Click to expand...

Like Unit74, it was a while since I stepped into a cockpit--over 20 years! It took me less than 2 hours of dual (plus the required 1 hour of ground). It probably would have been closer to an hour of dual, but the first day the winds were pretty hairy so my instructor landed us.

I did several things to mentally prepare. I read Flight Review primers, obsessively watched Youtube videos, familiarized myself with sectionals/TACs, and played with XPlane a lot.

I had expected that it would take about 8-10 hours of dual to re-solo, so I was shocked that it was less than two. Having said that, it of course doesn't mean that you should then consider yourself good enough to take your loved ones with you. I did several solo cross countries before taking anyone else with me, and will still probably consider myself a newbie 1000 flight hours from now!
 
Read up on the Airplane Flying Handbook, Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical knowledge and grab a sectional where you'll be flying out of and try to remember what's on the sectional.
 
DrPappy said:
Like Unit74, it was a while since I stepped into a cockpit--over 20 years! It took me less than 2 hours of dual (plus the required 1 hour of ground). It probably would have been closer to an hour of dual, but the first day the winds were pretty hairy so my instructor landed us.

I did several things to mentally prepare. I read Flight Review primers, obsessively watched Youtube videos, familiarized myself with sectionals/TACs, and played with XPlane a lot.

I had expected that it would take about 8-10 hours of dual to re-solo, so I was shocked that it was less than two. Having said that, it of course doesn't mean that you should then consider yourself good enough to take your loved ones with you. I did several solo cross countries before taking anyone else with me, and will still probably consider myself a newbie 1000 flight hours from now!
Click to expand...

I was in the same situation. Took me about 7 hours before he signed me off. My instructor basically went through a mini-PPL with me. Slow flight, stalls, most of the maneuvers, some hood time, and since we are not at a controlled airport we flew into one. Of course landings including crosswind. It's his plane I rent so it also acted as a check-out.

I flew with him one hour since then just working more on crosswind landings. I like flying with the instructor every once in awhile then the pressure isn't there when it comes time for the flight review.
 
I took 22 years off. Airspace was different then, no gps, etc. I read up on procedures and my CFI did a bit of a mini-ground school thing for an hour or two. We flew together for about 5 hours (including my night work, tower work and a cc) and I was good to go. It's like riding a bike as the say. I could have done it quicker I suppose but down here in south Florida it can get a bit busy so I wanted to make sure I was good. Now I'm flying the 172 and the Archer, all in a couple of weeks.

Good luck and do it at your pace. You'll know when you're ready.
 
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