Balloon Life,June2000

12

Biennial Flight Review

by Tom Hamilton

Tailoring flight and ground review for different levels of
ability.

The Federal Aviation Administration, as
aresult of National Transportation Safety
Boardrecommendationsandotherfac-
tors, requires pilots to satisfactorily com-
plete a biennial flight review. The review
requires a minimum ofone hour ofground
instruction and one hour of flight instruc-
tion to ensure that each person receiving a
BFR receives a satisfactory review com-
mensuratetothecertificatesandratings
held.
The objective ofthe BFR is “to elimi-
nate inadequate flightreviewswhilenot
restrictingtheflightinstructorfromre-
quiringadditionalinstructionif,inthe
instructor’s opinion, it is needed to ensure
that the pilot is capable of exercising the
privilegesofthecertificateandratings
held.”
The onehourrequirementdoesnot
prevent the instructorfrom giving alonger
review.
Toprovideadditionalguidancein
conductofthereview for bothflightin-
structors and pilots the FAA issued Advi-
soryCircular AC61-98A. The AC does
notsetspecificmaneuversandproce-
dures for the BFR, because in the view of
theFAA,thiswould“undulyrestricta
flight instructor’s discretion in reviewing
anindividual’sability... due todifferent
pilot abilities, experience levels, types of
operation,certificates,ratingsandair-
craft...”
TheACcontemplatesthedevelop-
ment of anindividually tailored BFA for
thepilotbeingreviewed.Accordingto
AC 61-98A, the flight instructor “must be
aware that the flight review is not a test or
checkride,butaninstructionalservice
designedtoassessapilot’sknowledge
and skills.” More particularly, “the objec-
tive oftheflightreview is toensurethat

pilots who intend to act as pilot in com-
mand have the opportunity to ride with a
flight instructor of their choice within a
specific period for an appraisal of their
pilot proficiency and to seek assistance or
guidance if any deficiency is identified.”
AC 61-98A recommends that the
flight instructor interview the pilot to de-

termine the nature of his or her flying and
operating requirements, including the type
of equipment flown, the nature of flight
operations usually conducted by the pilot,
and the amount and recency of the pilot’s
flight experience. Assuming that theflight
instructor has the appropriate category,
class and type rating necessary for the

Sample Flight Review Plan and Checklist

Name______________ Date____________
Grade of Certificate_______ Certificate No._______
Ratings and Limitations____________________
Class ofMedical_________ Date of Medical_______
Total Flight Time_________ Time in Type_________
Aircraft to be used: Make and Model ______ N#____
Location of Review_____________
I. REVIEW OF FAR PART 91
Ground Instruction Hours:______
Remarks:___________________________
II. REVIEW OF MANEUVERS AND PROCEDURES
(List in order ofanticipated performance)
A.________________________________
B.___________________________
C.___________________________
D.___________________________
E.____________________________
F.____________________________
G.____________________________
H.____________________________
I._____________________________
J._____________________________
Flight Instructions Hours:_________
Remarks:___________________________________
III. OVERALL COMPETION OF REVIEW
Remarks:________________________________
Signature ofCFI____________ Date___________
Certificate No.___________ Expiration Date_______
I havereceived a flight review which consisted of the ground instruction and flight
maneuvers and procedures noted above.
Signature ofthe Pilot___________ Date_________

Balloon Life,June 2000

14

pilot’sreview, the flightinstructor should
reach an agreement with thepilot con-
cerning the conduct of the review.
After reachingan agreementwiththe
pilot concerning theconduct of there-
view, the flightinstructor should prepare
a plan for completing the review, includ-
ing a list of “regulatory subjects” to be
covered, themaneuversand proceduresto
be accomplished, the sequence of the re-
view process, and the location where the
review is tobe conducted. Appendix 1 of
AC 61-98A(seebox) includes asug-
gested outline for the plan, and the Advi-
sory Circular suggests that the flight in-
structor “retain this plan for an appropri-
ate time period as a record of the scope
and content of the review.”
The Advisory Circularemphasizes
the need for the flightinstructor toreview
the operating and flight rules in Part 91
tailored to the needs of the pilot’sreview
broadly enoughto assure thatthe pilotcan
comply with all regulatory requirements
in various types of airspace under an ap-
propriaterange ofweatherconditions,but
still becomprehensive enough in areas
where the pilot’s knowledge is weaker.
TheAdvisoryCircularemphasizes the
need to review the different types of air-
space, andthe content of the revised FAR
Part91. A sampleformatforthe organiza-
tion of the FAR Part 91 review, included
in AC61-98A,indicatedthatforthe
lighter-than-air,freeballooncategory,
subparts A, B, C and E, and depending on
the particular pilot, subparts D, H and J
should be included in this review.
As to the maneuvers and procedures
tobe included inthe review, theAdvisory
Circular recommends that the flight in-
structor should include those which,in
theinstructor’s opinion,are necessary for
the pilot to perform in order to demon-
strate thathe or shecan safelyexercisethe
privileges of the pilot’s certificate. The
instructorshould request thatthe pilot
conduct whatever preflightpreparationis
necessarytocomplywith theplanned
flight. Further,beforecommencing the
flightportion of the review, the instructor
should discuss variousoperating areas
with thepilot such as aircraft systems,
speeds and performance, airspace, with
an emphasis on the practical knowledge
of recommended procedures and regula-
tory requirements. The instructor should
review, at a minimum, those maneuvers

consideredcriticaltosafe flight,and,based
uponanin-flightassessmentof the pilot’s
skills, the instructor might wish to add
other maneuvers from the Practical Test
Standards appropriate to the pilot’sgrade
of certificate.
AC61-98Aincludesanappendixlist-
ingmaneuvers for various categories and
classes foraircraft that is not all-inclu-
sive.For Lighter-Than-Air,FreeBalloon,
the Appendix lists lift-off and ascents;
descents and landings (normal and high
wind);levelflightandcontour flying;and
emergency. The Advisory Circular states
however, that this list is not intended to
limit aflight instructor’s discretionin
selecting appropriate maneuvers and pro-
cedures for the flight review. The Advi-
soryCircular emphasizesthatthe instruc-
tor shouldconstruct a review thatreflects
a typical flightprofile for the pilotreceiv-
ing the review.
Followingthe review, the instructor
should complete the flight review plan
and debrief thepilot, providinga compre-
hensiveanalysisofthepilot’sperfor-
mance, with suggestions for improving
weak areas, even if the review was unsat-
isfactory. Further, when a reviewisunsat-
isfactory, the flight instructor should not
endorsethepilot’s logbook to note an
unsatisfactoryreview, butshouldsignthe
logbook to record the instruction given;
and make recommendations to the pilot
for additional training. When 24 months
has not elapsed since the last flight re-
view, the pilot may continue to fly pend-
ing another flight review before the 24
month period expires; and may request a

flightreviewfromanotherinstructor.
When a review is satisfactorilycomplete,
the instructor isto endorse and certifythe
pilot’s logbook in accordance with AC
61-65D.
An example of the endorsement for
the pilot’s logbook is found in the box
nearby. Some FSDO offices, inparticular
Albuquerque, New Mexico, will not ac-
cept this endorsement without the added
wording that “one hour offlightand one
hourofground instruction”havebeen
specifically included.
AC 61-98A also outlines the require-
ments concerning what is considered re-
cent flight experience, an instrument com-
petency check, and for a pilot’s transition
to other makes and models of aircraft. AC
61-98A can be obtained from the regional
FAA Flight Standards District Office for
your area or from the Internet at the Flight
Standards Advisory Circular Index found
at www.faa.gov/avr/afs/acs/ac-idx.htm.
The FAA encourages pilots to design
a currency program tailored to their oper-
ating environment and needs. In addition
pilots are encouraged to participate in the
FAA’sPilotProficiencyProgram,
WINGS,andtoattendpilot safety semi-
nars.
Pilots should explore the wide range
of publications andother commercially-
developed materialswhichare available
for use in personal currency programs. To
ensurestayinguptodateinregulatory
changesandflyingtechn iq ues,pilots
shouldalsoregularlyreadaviationperi-
odicals of their choice.

Completion of aflight review: §61.56(a)and(c)

I certifythat (First name, MI, Last name), (pilot certificate),
(certificate number), has satisfactorily completed a flight
review of § 61.56(a)on (date).
S/S [date] J.J. Jones(certificate number) CBP
NOTE:No logbook entry reflecting unsatisfactoryperfor-
mance on a flight review is required.
Because some FSDOsrequire more documentation, the
above endorsement should also include the specificwording
that one hour of flight instruction and one hourof ground
training were given.
CBP -Commercial Balloon Pilot