Vintage Instructor THE
BY Steve Krog, CFI
Flight reviews make them fun Part II In the last issue of Vintage Airplane magazine I offered a brief overview of “Rock,” a local general-aviation, pleasure-flying pilot in need of a flight review. Much of the article was told in a “tongue in cheek” manner, but it was more real than fiction. This article will deal with a flight review and some of the considerations I like to use when conducting a review. The requirements of a flight review consist of one hour (minimum) of flight training and one hour (minimum) of ground training. It should include: • A review of the current general operating and flight rules of Part 91, and • A review of those maneuvers and procedures that, at the discretion of the person giving the review, are necessary for the pilot to demonstrate the safe exercise of the privileges of the pilot certificate.
There Is No “Pass or Fail”
Most pilots with whom I’ve worked with on a flight review will be quite candid and want to talk about things in which they may feel weak.
The flight review should not be viewed as a necessary evil. Rather, approach it as a means of making you a better, safer pilot. If should be fun and, yes, even challenging, depending upon how much flying you do annually. It is not a pass-or-fail test! This is what I like to do when I conduct a flight review. Review the aircraft paperwork. This gives me an opportunity to ensure the airplane is legal to fly and point out discrepancies, if found. Does the airplane have a current weight and balance sheet? If so, is it kept in the airplane as it should be? Or is it with the logbooks and other paperwork? If it is not in the airplane with
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the airworthiness certificate and registration, I’ll make several copies of the sheet for the individual, making sure one is installed in the plane and the other copies kept safely with the logbooks. This exercise helps pilots make or keep their airplane legal should they ever experience a ramp check. If the airworthiness certificate is tattered and torn? I’ll usually make several copies of it and suggest that the extra copies be safely kept with the logbooks. If the airworthiness certificate is lost someday, or if it blows out of the airplane (I’ve had this happen), it’s quite easy to get a replacement from the local flight standards district office if you can produce a copy of the old certificate. Now that the FAA has converted to the new registration system, I find it a good idea to look at the registration and remind the pilot of when he or she can expect to receive a new registration notice from the FAA. (You would be amazed at how many individuals are confused by this new registration system.) I’ll next review the individual’s logbook, discussing the type of flying as well as how much flying the pilot has done in the past two years. Is it local flying never beyond 50 miles from home? Or is it one or two cross-country flights annually? This information will help me decide what to cover when it comes time to fly. I then like to discuss the new style of NOAA sectional charts, pointing out various changes that have been made both in color usage as well as chart symbols. If you haven’t recently looked at one, you will be