What have you been going through to get the signature on your Bi-Annual?

The latest one I had was literally "by the book". I thought I was back in training for the twin engine instrument rating.

Prior to that one, a different examiner (who had never been upside down) was delighted to do a loop, roll and Cuban 8 and -- that was it.

What do you go through?

When I do a BFR(very few) I put them through the ringer! I dont want my name in someones book that will get themself or someone else hurt. No one has ever complained and we always have fun reverting back to the basics we learned as student pilots. Its usually pretty obvious those who need drilling and those that dont.

Mississippian,
So are there specific items an examiner is required to test for or is it up to the examiner to determine what an individual needs to demonstrate?

Can an examiner remove a pilots license if he wishes or simply fail a BFR?

This should answer you question...

The flight review (previously the Federal Aviation Administration referred to this as a biennial flight review, usually abbreviated BFR) is a review required of every active holder of a U.S. pilot certificate at least every two years. The flight review consists of at least 1 hour of ground instruction and 1 hour in-flight with a qualified instructor.

Before being able to act as pilot in command (PIC) a pilot must have completed a flight review within the previous 24 calendar months. The FAA and instructors are quick to point out that it is not a test. There is no pass or fail criteria, although the instructor giving it can decline to endorse your log-book that a flight review has been completed.

A flight test (administered by an FAA representative or Designated Pilot Examiner) that leads to a new certificate or rating may be substituted for the flight review. Completing a phase of the FAA's safety-oriented "Wings" program can also be used, as can completion of a proficiency check administered by a check airman (typically air carrier pilots).

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biennial_flight_review"


Come on down to Yazoo City for a BFR! I will treat you to some catfish or BBQ and a ride in the 660 (if you want) in exchange for a ride in the Citabria.

It's been a few years since I've given a Biennial.

Like Mississippian says, it's kinda a liability to do when you are not a hungry young pilot with not much to lose.

I promote the WINGS program, 3 hours of enjoyable no-pressure instruction and everyone is happy and most likely have learned more than what a BFR is supposed to stress. Though right now even the WINGS program has been a while, I haven't given one since my second son was born and he's 9 now!

Also, as somewhat discussed above, suppose you have a person who hasn't flown in 18 months and you give a biennial and he can't do anything right- First thing is most likely the person is going to be aware of what he needs to get proficient in. So you both sit down and go over those basics and draw up a plan to work on them. Then you write down the time flown in his logbook simply as instruction. As mentioned,there is no "pass" or "fail" notations anywhere.

When I give a BFR I consider the type of flying the pilot is -or is likely - to be doing. Since virtually all of the ones I do involve remote bush flying in Alaska on tundra tires and skis I place more emphysis of those aspects , even though the FAA knows and cares little to nothing about them.

Ah yes, we have that here too. It only came in after I was relitively experenced in single seaters.

So the problem was, if you went to your average instructor you got this young fella that could do a nice circuit in a 172 and I couldn't.

I made him/them nervous and they me. Whole thing was a waste of time.

So then a chief pilot of an Ag outfit could do another Ag pilot, by watching him in a single seater from the ground. Another waste of time If he'd been watching you on and off for years.
Consequently we mostly got the signature just by presenting a log book.

Some went to an Ag training school, who had some strange ideas to my way of thinking.
After all, if your flying daily, year after year and keeping out of trouble, what's to prove.

Don't know the quality of instructors in the States, but here some seemed to go out of their way to try to get me to kill both of us.

A recent ammusement was the finding on an Airliner accident, that wanted to charge the co-pilot for not takeing over the controls when the captain refused to go-around.
That's all that was needed, the two of them fighting over the controls.

quote:

Originally posted by JAL:
Ah yes, we have that here too. It only came in after I was relitively experenced in single seaters.

So the problem was, if you went to your average instructor you got this young fella that could do a nice circuit in a 172 and I couldn't.

I made him/them nervous and they me. Whole thing was a waste of time.

So then a chief pilot of an Ag outfit could do another Ag pilot, by watching him in a single seater from the ground. Another waste of time If he'd been watching you on and off for years.
Consequently we mostly got the signature just by presenting a log book.

Some went to an Ag training school, who had some strange ideas to my way of thinking.
After all, if your flying daily, year after year and keeping out of trouble, what's to prove.

Don't know the quality of instructors in the States, but here some seemed to go out of their way to try to get me to kill both of us.

A recent ammusement was the finding on an Airliner accident, that wanted to charge the co-pilot for not takeing over the controls when the captain refused to go-around.
That's all that was needed, the two of them fighting over the controls.

Cockpit resource management has been all the rage since United flew a DC 8 into the ground out of gas in Seattle, I think it was, many years ago.

An airplane is not flown by a committee, although the captain who refuses to listen to another educated opinion is a fool. It all depends on who the co-pilot is...a guy with three thousand hours in type who is waiting for his number to come up, or a guy with fifty hours in type and very little experience behind him.

I've flown with a couple of FO's who have declined to upgrade when the job was offered. They has some sort of superiority complex, like "I could have your seat if I wanted it." Finishing that sentence, "Yeah, but...you don't have the balls to undergo the training and all the hassle involved in upgrade so shut up and gear and flaps when I call for them." It takes all kinds, and each situation is different. But if I were a skilled FO and the captain seemed intent on killing me and all aboard, I just might smack him in the head and take the airplane away from him. Which would likely be my last official act as a First Officer and a pilot in general. But I'd be alive to pursue other oportunities.

It can be a tough call, because as an FO I flew with a couple of really stupid captains and after upgrade always kept those guys in mind and worked hard to avoid emulating them.

Send me a recent picture of your medical and license and an envelope stuffed with $2,000 cash.

Just kidding, but much like Phil I tend to tailor my BFR's to the pilot.

If the guy is flying IFR in complex airspace most of the time that is what his BFR will be. If he is a VFR only guy flying a non radio cub from his hayfield than that is where we go with that one.

I am big on airspace and regulations as to many guys get in trouble with airspace incursions now days. So for my guys I always spend some time with a sectional during the oral portion.

your joke about the envelope with cash and a photo copy of license reminds me of a few aircraft annuals that used to be done that way up here. Only $500 was all that was required then.

Just re-newed my CFI yesterday. I guess TSA now has more regulatory powers than the FAA since they require yearly training of CFI's so if you don't jump through their CS hoops you aren't legal to instruct even though the FAA says you are.

I've been instructing now for 30 years and this may be the last time I renew.

And the TSA continues to screw things up to the absolute max. How can so many idiots be recrutied into one agency? Where do they get these guys, anyway?

A flight review is just that a review nothing more. It's not a check ride. What I do is just that review things, if the guy dose nothing but fly point to point by gps, we get out ye olde secional and draw a line and fill out a nav log. If the guy never goes in to Class B, and there is a Class B close enough that is were we go. If he never lands on runways less that 5000 ft long then I focus on short field procedures.When I did my last BFR my BFR was about the Garmin 430 and how to use one, since at the time I never used one and my friend had one in his airplane. Now if the guy is a little rusty well we just chalk it up to some dual and we do a couple of flights to brush up.

As for the TSA thing, its an on-line instruction and testing that you do, It's really a joke but well the whole TSA thing was a knee Jerk reaction. The actual training if you call it that is about 30 min to an hour on your computer and you print out the form saying you did it. Unless you run a Mac and then it dose every thing other than let you print out the form. The whole thing is as stupid as it comes but at least that is all a Flight Instructor has to do, I can live with it, and making sure the student is who he says he is is just plain commom sense.

I have more of a problem with pilots not looking out side the aircraft than anything else, we have a whole generation of pilots that don't look out side. Ever since they started force feeding Instrument ratings to Private Pilots with less than 100 hours in the logbooks. Heck you need to get some seasoning flying Visual. I liked the old days better, 200 hours in the logbook or better before you could do an instrument rating. And don't get me started on the G-1000's

And thd difference between an on-line TSA re-newal course and an on-line flight instructor renewal course is ?
Miss either one and you are no longer legal to instruct. Even though the FAA claims you are good for two years the TSA requirement trumps it.

Phil, I was talking about the TSA security junk they have CFI's do on line, Renewing a CFI certificate is something else. I been using Gliem on line for a few times now. I am due for my 17th renewal come next Aug. I don't recall having any problem other than for some odd reason when I took my paper work to the FSDO( GADO back when I learned how to fly) I had to ring the bell first then show a photo ID before the let me in to well renew the Certificate. The CFI Renewal takes abit longer that the junk I did with regard to TSA. It usually takes me a whole weekend. Slow dial up connections. In the old days you when to AOPA and you sat in a room with 400 other intructors. And every 2 years you saw the same bunch, just older. the last time I did an AOPA Renewal week end, there were just 75 in the room and I knew almost all of them. I guess I need to read better Phil, I been working on a head cold or something.

George, I've been using Gleim as well since it is always hard to find a weekend clinic in Alaska - especially when I usually have just closed down camp and made it to town three weeks before my CFI expires.
I brought up the TSA crap with the FSDO when I was in and asked how it felt since TSA now has stiffer regulations than the FAA. They said they hadn't thought of it that way. Now we have another regulatory agency teling us what we have to do to instruct. And TSA at that.

I hear you Phil, I was a few blocks away from tower # 1 on 9/11/01 when our little muslim flight students thought it would be a real cool thing to fly a coulple of 757's into the buildings. I had a couple of friends in Tower # 1 so rather than a half dozon pistols say Walter PPK/s we get to spend god know's how many trillons and put up with things like TSA. Life would be a whole lot simpler, it we just deal the people who like to make a nusance out of themselves the same way you would deal with a nusance bear or an African PH would deal with a lion or Buffalo. A whole lot of problems could be solved it this manner. I don't think I will be renewing my CFI when it runs out. Its not worth the effort to keep it sad to say.