Flight Review more than 2 hours

[BryanAV8R]

I’ve done flight reviews that were longer than an hours. Depends on how rusty the pilot is.

Exactly. The minimums are 40 hrs (pt 61) for a private, for example. It takes what it takes...could be 70, could be 40 to prep for your checkride...but it takes what it takes.

Same with a flight review. You may be able to skate through an hour of ground and prove that you can fly in an hour, but if it is with a CFI who has never seen you before...you can bet that it will take longer (since his name is in YOUR logbook...just like signing you off for solo as a student...he or she is certifying that you're competent to do what you need to do as the pilot). Hey, consider yourself lucky...the 16 hour CFI refresher clinic only counts for the one hour of flight review ground (in addition to revalidating a CFI cert...).

Maybe some FBOs or CFIs take advantage. Most (at least those I've come across in 34+ years of flying) don't. If they're a good CFI...they will want you to be safe, fly well, and maybe stretch your knowledge a bit. Because in the end...it comes down to professional judgement and liability.

 

[EdFred]

I'm reasonably sure that what he meant was that your statement "once I pass IFR, I can get the BFR endorsement automatically" isn't technically accurate. Yes, the checkride counts as a Flight Review. But no, when you pass the checkride, you don't actually get a Flight Review endorsement at the end. The examiner is not going to sign you off for a Flight Review. The checkride just "counts" as one.



Accurate, and possible since the IFR checkride usually only involves one takeoff and landing, but I wonder how often this situation actually happens? Especially since that would mean the applicant didn't takeoff or land the plane at all during the required 3 hours of instruction in the last two calendar months prior to the checkride.

Well, let's say he did his 3 hours on July 1, and only did 1 t/o and 1 landing - it is IFR after all. He takes his check ride on September 29. That is within 2 calendar months. He does 1 take off and 1 landing and passes. Hes was current for check ride, but on Sept 30, he's not pax current anymore - but still within 2 calendar months of the 3 hours in prep.

 

[BryanAV8R]

***DELETIA***
...people who are looking for the cheapest option don't come to me in the first place.

Or, as a sign over an FBO counter that I saw a long time ago said: "People who charge less usually know what they're worth" or something to that effect.

You get what you pay for, IMHO. I'd rather spend the time and $ with a fellow instructor who's going to challenge me than one who is barely conscious and just going through the motions while sketching line drawings of 777s in his notebook...

That's just me, though.

 

[Gary Ward]

Has anyone had a Flight Review go over the 1hr ground 1hr flight time. I am not talking about someone that can't land the plane and keep it on the runway. Has anyone done the review and thought the FBO and CFI were just taking advantage of you.

I became good friends with the guy next to my hangar and we fly together a lot nowadays. He has 40 years experience and is a check airmen who checks the check airmen for SW airlines. He does my BFR and I am sure we fly well over an hour getting it done. Best part he won't take any money for it. I help him with his plane in return.

 

[luvflyin]

Has anyone had a Flight Review go over the 1hr ground 1hr flight time. I am not talking about someone that can't land the plane and keep it on the runway. Has anyone done the review and thought the FBO and CFI were just taking advantage of you.

Yes on the one hour flight time, but it was me that caused that. There were some things that I wanted to do with a CFI that were not would be included in a typical Flight Review. I’ve never had one, other than that one, that lasted much beyond 1 hour.

 

[TCABM]

Got it, so basically regardless I have to have the BFR endorsement no matter what to be PIC. Am I reading the words correctly and/or the right meaning of the words?

@RussR in post 80 answered it mostly in my words; a DPE is not going to endorse your logbook that an FR was completed at the end of your check ride.

 

[MauleSkinner]

The examiner is not going to sign you off for a Flight Review. The checkride just "counts" as one.

I’d even go a step further, as the reg says a FR is “not required”, which in my mind is different from “counts as”.

Granted, my mind works more differently, but I spend a lot of time getting people to actually read the words in their AFM to understand the airplane. If everybody actually read their AFM, I’d probably still have a job, but it would look way different.

 

[Dave Theisen]

What CFI would sign you off for a checkride, but not a BFR?

 

[EdFred]

What CFI would sign you off for a checkride, but not a BFR?

Well if training for IFR, it doesn't necessarily meet the requirements of 61.56 if you work on nothing but instrument. Or, like in my example above, maybe the plan was to do the flight review in August when your BFR was no longer good, but scheduling didn't permit it to happen.

 

[Captain Sweet T]

I guess I never went into aviation with the goal of being “average” so if you’re comfortable with the average accident rate then keep doing what you’re doing. I’m not, so I try to do things to reduce my risk of dying in a plane crash.

Exactly, I'm trying to be the best pilot I can be. Aviation accidents are typically setoff by one small thing that starts the chain. Being part of a hobby that is not forgiving of small mistakes, getting flight reviews that keep me on my toes doesn't hurt my feelings.