One of the requirements to be able to continue to fly is a Flight Review with an instructor every 2 years. I have been doing Flight Reviews for years and have noticed that there are way too many pilots out there that don’t know half of what they should! One of the main things that is covered during a Flight Review is Airspace. No matter where you fly, you are in some kind of airspace. Wouldn’t it make sense to know where you are flying and whether you’re flying legally?
There are requirements that you need to know for each type of airspace. Do you know how do identify all the different types of airspace? What about the weather requirements for flying in each type of airspace? Who do you talk to, what do you say and when? Do you need a clearence? These are basic things that you should know, but people struggle with it all the time.
Some people are flying and don’t even know how to identify an airport with a control tower. If you don’t know if it has a tower, what is to stop you from wandering into the airspace? Many pilots are uncomfortable with radio communication too so they avoid control towers. The more they avoid them, the more they forget about them, This is usually where the unfamiliarity with airspace starts.
I see 2 types of people that show up for a Flight Review; those who prepare and those who don’t. As an instructor I am supposed to hold you to the Practical Test Standards. It’s not a pass or fail thing, but if you’re not safe or if you’re clueless to everything, you will need more time before getting signed off for your Flight Review. That means that you will have to go home and study and come back in another week to demonstrate what you know. Why not just brush up on things before you show up?
The people that want to do good usually call me in advance to see what they should study. They will spend $50 or more buying books, just to get up to speed. They want to understand, they want to learn and become good pilots and it shows when I start their Flight Review. They usually get their sign off the same day. The pilots that don’t prepare end up coming back due to lack of knowledge. If you keep up on things and don’t wait until 2 years pass to review things, then you should do fine.
Other things you may review are airplane systems, weather, TFR’s, performance charts, emergency procedures, required aircraft documents and more. If you read a little at a time throughout the year you will stay up to speed and it won’t be a big deal. If you are weak in an area, don’t hide from it, but get an instructor and practice or buy the Flight Training Material you need to get up to speed.
To summarize things, regular reading and flying will help you breeeze through your Flight Review in just over 2 hours. Brush up on the things I talked about and you should do fine. It’s not a test, it’s a review. Your instructor will help you out but you can’t expect him to give you all the answers to everything. Bring current charts and a FAR/AIM. If you don’t know an answer, then be prepared to demonstrate that you can find the answer. It’s only as hard as you make it!