30 AUGUST 2011

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” 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

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.

N o w t h a t t h e FA A h a s 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 a t how many ind iv idua l s a re confused by th i s new registration system.)

I ’ l l n e x t r e v i e w t h e 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

BY Steve Krog, CFI

THE Vintage Instructor

Flight reviews make them funPart II

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.

32 AUGUST 2011

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surprised at the number of subtle changes.Also, while looking at the new sectional chart,

I’ll review air space and the symbols and colors depicting each.

Finally, I’ll talk about the FARs. Usually this can be quickly accomplished by asking several scenario-based questions. Example: You haven’t flown in the past four months, but today you want to give your neighbor a ride. Are you legal to do so? If your radio fails and you want to land at a Class D towered airport, can you do so? And if so, what is the procedure for doing so?

At this point in the flight review, I like to ask the individual if he or she has any questions about anything we have discussed or maybe haven’t covered. If the individual is at ease, it is interesting the questions he or she will ask. 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. Remember, it has been a long time for many of us since last taking a checkride for a rating.

When scheduling a flight review with a CFI, I strongly advise that you first know the instructor. I’ve had many pilots share their horror stories of a terrible experience while undergoing a previous flight review. Many young instructors have little or no experience in vintage aircraft, or they look at you as “my rent money” this month. The latter type of instructor will want to fly with you for three or four hours before signing you off. There may be times when several hours are needed to “get the rust out,” but most often I’ve found that no more than one hour is necessary.

After completing the above steps, it’s time to do some flying. But before doing so, I like to observe the individual and see if he or she conducts a preflight inspection of the aircraft. If the pilot doesn’t bother doing an inspection, I’ll ask if that is what he or she does every time.

Once the aircraft is pronounced “fit and safe” for flight, it is now time to enter the plane, adjust and secure the seat belts, and prepare for starting. Again, by observation, it is easy to see if the individual is both safety-conscious and uses some type of checklist.

Taxiing to the runway will instantly indicate if the pilot is aware of the surface wind and knows what to do with the controls and control positions. Flying with students in J-3 Cubs for five to six hours per day makes one very conscientious about surface winds and the effect they may have on a careless or lax pilot.

After completing the pretakeoff checklist, I’ll instruct the pilot to do a normal takeoff, climb to 500 feet, lower the nose and thoroughly scan for other traffic, and then depart the traffic pattern, climbing to a predetermined safe altitude. Then after reaching the desired altitude, adjust power for cruise, and trim the aircraft for straight and level “hands off” flight. This will tell me if the pilot regularly

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uses trim as well as showing knowledge and comfort level of operating the airplane.

At this point I’ll have the pilot demonstrate a medium or 30-degree bank 360-degree turn, first to the left and then to the right. This is followed up with a steep or 45-degree bank 360-degree turn left and right. Control input, coordination, and altitude control are key, and this is what I’m looking for. Many pilots will demonstrate a weakness for using the rudder when entering and rolling out of these turns. This can then be pointed out, and we’ll try a couple more turns using the correct control inputs.

Slow flight is next on my checklist. I’ll ask the pilot to demonstrate slow flight by holding an assigned heading and altitude. Here, I am looking for airspeed, altitude, and rudder control. Most pilots can adequately demonstrate slow flight, but some are lax on rudder input.

I’ll then ask the pilot to demonstrate a power-off stall with a shallow bank to the right. In a number of situations the pilot will show tension and then comment, “I haven’t done one of these since my last flight review!” I’ll then spend a good deal of time on this. After a good workout doing stalls, both power-off and power-on, it is time to head back to the airport.

Before actually returning to the home airport though, I’ll set up a scenario of, “Where would you go and what would you do if the surface wind is such that we can’t land?” Sometimes this causes a blank stare. Most times the pilot will grab a map, an airport directory, or punch in some numbers on a GPS. “Which nearby airport has a more favorable runway for these simulated strong winds? Approximately how long will it take us to get to the selected airport?” You can almost see the wheels turning in the pilot’s head. After a minute or two, the pilot usually arrives at an acceptable response.

The final portion of the flight review involves several takeoffs and landings. I like to mix them up a bit and try a 50-foot obstacle short-field landing, followed by a soft-field takeoff and then a crosswind landing. At some point in the traffic pattern, it’s not uncommon for me to pull the power and request a simulated emergency landing.

There are really no “hard and fast” requirements for the flight portion of the review other than recommendations for the one hour of flight. I personally like to use the maneuvers and scenarios presented in this article for two reasons: 1) They expose pilots to situations they may not experience under normal everyday flight, and 2) They create a fun, but safe, flying environment for the flight review while subtly challenging the pilot. Won’t this make for a better, safer pilot? And that’s the bottom line isn’t it?

To communicate with the author or editor, send a note to vintageairplane@eaa.org.

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