Flight Review

Please review all the information below. It is a lot, but it will help clear up the steps to complete a successful flight review.

Many people refer to a flight review as a BFR (Bi-ennial Flight Review) somewhat incorrectly. The FAA does not call it that (or require that it be done every 2 years – you could wait 8 if you wanted- and don’t lose the license, just the ability to fly as PIC) and in fact you could do one every day, or year, if you wanted. The requirement is that the traditional minimum 2 hour flight review (1hr ground, 1 flight, minimum) or an alternative1 be done within the previous 24 months. What this means is that those that do not complete a review at or before their 2 year time, just can’t fly as pilot in command until they do. There is no loss of certificate, but it is common to spend a good bit more time if you have been away from a plane for more than 2 years (as a rule of thumb, I have seen it take about 1-3 extra hours for every 5 years non-flying, to bring skills to the point they were before activity stopped).

Flight reviews are not really pass/fail per say, they are just complete when competency is shown. The standards should be to fly to the level the pilot is licensed at (private, commercial, ATP, instrument, etc) to show skills that would be pilot worthy, and that generally means that with minimal practice, the pilot would be able to complete tasks to check ride standards. Additional training is always encouraged but not required. This is your opportunity to learn a bit with a CFI, and not just do the minimum requirement. Maybe a good time to discuss that next rating you have been thinking about working on…

We conduct a flight review following the a set under the FAA WINGS program. (This pilot proficiency program often provides participants insurance discounts as well, and there are many great activities that can be completed on an ongoing basis if you wish. ) This allows for you to prepare for the review at home, and get credit for that online preparation. The time spent on the ground with your instructor then is minimal, since most of your prepartion is done at home. The reduced ground time, and set tasks to complete the review may allow for current pilots to complete the flight in less that the minimum 1 hour of flight time required in a non-WINGS review, but it is common to spend approximately 1-1.5 hours in flight. The training program also suggests additional non-required reading and courses to prepare you for your review. Scheduling a total of a 2 hour block of time, should be enough to complete all tasks for currently active pilots following these steps outlined in the WINGS program.

Unfortunately, completing the online tasks takes a few steps via an FAA site where we have no control of the layout, and some have found you can get lost along the way through the faasafety.gov web site. To help you through the process, outlined below are the steps taken to complete a flight review via this method. If any of the links below do not go directly to the correct location on the FAA web site, please let us know, so links can be changed with their site changes.

With the required ALC-62, ALC-42, ALC-214 “ground” tasks (done online – see step 7 below) completed, we can then begin our flight(s) and your CFI will:

  • Review the current general operating and flight rules of 14 CFR part 91, and
  • Review the pilot’s operating and planning habits, local area flying practices, and cross country planning techniques and best practices

The following flight tasks are an efficient order to meet the requirements of the 3 flight task areas required for the WINGS activity (details a bottom of this page):

  • Preflight Planning, Procedures, and Airport Operations
  • Normal Takeoff
  • Steep Turns
  • Slow Flight
  • Stalls (Power-off and Power-on)
  • Spin Awareness
  • Instrument Flight – Straight-and-Level
  • Instrument Flight – Turns to Headings
  • Instrument Flight – Airspeed Climb and Decent
  • Instrument Flight – Unusual Attitude Recovery
  • Instrument Flight – Radio Comm, Nav, Radar
  • Navigation
  • Emergency Glide, To slip, To Go-Around
  • Turns Around Point
  • S-turns
  • Rectangular Course
  • Normal Landing
  • Soft-field Takeoff & Landing
  • Short-field Takeoff & Landing
  • Night Preparation
  • After Landing, Parking, and Securing
CLICK HERE: WINGS Flight Review Activity

(if this link works you are already logged into your account, you can skip directly to step 5 below)

1. Go to http://www.faasafety.gov/ and login to your account (or create an account, then login)

2. From the Activities, Courses, Seminars & Webinars tab on the top left, select Activities from the drop down menu.

3. Enter A130628-01 in the Keywords, and click Perform Search.

4. The result should show, and click on the Flight Review link under the Activity Name.

5. You can not receive credit until the activity is completed, but you can request it at any time. Because the activity page specifies that the knowledge portions must be completed in the previous 90days as well, it is best to wait on the Request Credit! button until all parts of the activity are complete.

6. Make sure to read all the details on the Activity page.

7. The following 3 “ground” tasks (online) MUST be completed: ALC-62, ALC-42, ALC-214

8. The optional tasks are recommended as well, but not required: ALC-25, ALC-48, ALC-63 Additional courses not listed above (most are free) can be found by browsing under the Courses tab. There are hundreds of great courses if you wish to learn more on a variety of topics.

9. Upon completion of the flight and online course tasks, the CFI will be able to validate the training activity is completed. You will then be able to visit the “MY WINGS” area of your faasafety.gov account. In that area, usually on the right side, there will be a link under the area Highest Phase Achieved and that should give you a certificate you can print (with a smaller option if you would like to cut to out and add to your logbook). You will see the wording on that certificate states, after your name “has met the requirements of 14 CFR Part 61.56, Flight Review, by virtue of having satisfactorily accomplished one or more Phases of the WINGS ­ Pilot Proficiency Program. This certification is valid for 24 calendar months from the completion date shown below. See 14 CFR Part 61.56(e).”

Details on the Basic Flight Topics

Details on the Basic Flight Topics listed can be found further below. Please DO NOT request credit for each of the below topics. Simply complete the step 7 courses above, and request credit for the entire A130628-01 activity after the flight portion and the 3 online courses are completed.

  • By searching the Activity list as detailed in the end of the main activity page linked above
    • Basic Flight Topic 1 – Takeoffs, Launches, and Landings (as appropriate for the aircraft category and class, which are set in a pilot’s WINGS Profile) A070405-07
    • Basic Flight Topic 2 – Positive Aircraft Control, including Loss of Control Issues A070405-08
    • Basic Flight Topic 3 – Basic Flying Skills (as appropriate for the aircraft category and class, which are set in a pilot’s WINGS Profile) A100125-08
  • As mentioned, credit should not be requested separate for each of the 3 above Flight Activities to avoid duplication.
  • The tasks listed in each are done to ACS standards, combined in one list at the end of this page, and a sample order of flight tasks to the right.
  • A current pilot may be able to complete all 3 of the flight topics in one flight session, but multiple flights could be needed to complete all to ACS standards.

Details and standards required on the above syllabus task lists are from the Private Pilot Airman Certification Standards for Airplane

  • PREFLIGHT PREPARATION: Area of Operation I – Task A-H:  Pilot Qualification, Airworthiness Requirements, Weather Information, Cross-Country Flight Planning, National Airspace System, Performance and Limitations, Operation of Systems, Human Factors
  • PREFLIGHT PROCEDURES: Area of Operation II – Task A-D, F:  Preflight Assessment, Cockpit Management, Engine Starting, Taxiing, Before Takeoff Check
  • AIRPORT AND SEAPLANE BASE OPERATIONS: Area of Operation III – Task A, B:  Communication and Light Gun Signals, Traffic Patterns
  • TAKEOFF, LANDING AND GO-AROUNDS: Area of Operation IV – Task A-F, M-N:  Normal Takeoff and Climb, Normal Approach and Landing, Soft-Field Takeoff and Climb, Soft-Field Approach and Landing, Short-Field Takeoff and Maximum Performance Climb, Short-Field Approach and Landing, Forward Slip to a Landing, Go-Around / Rejected Landing
  • PERFORMANCE MANEUVERS: Area of Operation V – Task A, B:  Steep Turns, Ground Reference Maneuvers
  • NAVIGATION: Area of Operation VI – Task A-D:  Pilotage and Dead Reckoning, Navigation Systems and Radar Services, Diversion, Lost Procedures
  • SLOW FLIGHT AND STALLS: Area of Operation VII – Task A-D:  Maneuvering During Slow Flight, Power-Off Stalls, Power-On Stalls, Spin Awareness
  • BASIC INSTRUMENT MANEUVERS: Area of Operation VIII – Task A:  Straight-and-Level Flight, Constant Airspeed Climbs, Constant Airspeed Descents, Turns to Headings, Recovery from Unusual Flight Attitudes, Radio Communications, Navigation, Systems / Facilities, and Radar Services
  • EMERGENCY OPERATIONS: Area of Operation IX – Task A:  Emergency Descent, Emergency Approach and Landing (Simulated), Systems and Equipment Malfunction, Emergency Equipment and Survival Gear
  • NIGHT OPERATIONS: Area of Operation XI – Task A:  Night Preparation
  • POSTFLIGHT PROCEDURES: Area of Operation XII – Task A:  After Landing, Parking and Securing (ASEL, ASES)

  1. 14 CFR 61.56 ↩︎