FAA PPL Biennial (BFR)

[Biz]

Good evening one & all !

Would anyone here know of a flight school/instructor/examiner where I could undertake an FAA biennial flight review (BFR) for my PPL here in the UK please???

Additionally, what is the format of such a review? FAR's, US & UK airspace I presume.....anything else I should be thinking of?

Much appreciated.
The Biz.

[Professor Plum]

I have a mate who might be able to do it, who lives in London. I'll point him in the direction of this thread

[S-Works]

Grab a US Sectional chart, read up and review FAR part 61 and 91 and section 830 on NTSB reporting.
Unlikely you will be asked anything on a UK chart as it has no bearing on FAR 91 in terms of US airspace.

Yeah right. There is in fact a world outside of the USA......

Biz, PM me and I will give you the name of a couple of FAA Instructors who will give you a BFR and will ask you questions on a UK chart as they know the world is bigger than the good 'ol USA.

[S-Works]

SoCal Old boy.....

Biz asked the following:

Would anyone here know of a flight school/instructor/examiner where I could undertake an FAA biennial flight review (BFR) for my PPL here in the UK please???

Additionally, what is the format of such a review? FAR's, US & UK airspace I presume.....anything else I should be thinking of?

He was interested in how a BFR would be done HERE in the UK, as it seems you have never done one HERE in the UK how about keeping your smart mouth comments to yourself and leaving those that have and do BFR's in the UK to answer.

An FAA Instructor HERE in the UK would cover what is required in terms of UK airspace and reporting as part of a BFR. Just the same as us JAA Instructors do.

It might even surprise you to learn that there are people with FAA certificates who have never flown in the god ol US of A.

So Biz in answer to your question as someone who actually does have their BFR done HERE in the UK you will cover the FAA requirements naturally and the UK specifics. After all what is the point of covering only FAA sectionals and procedures and not CAA Charts and procedures if you are flying in Europe?

I will PM you the details of a couple of very competent FAA CFI's.

[polohippo]

I know one in Spain if it helps. PM me for details.

[Duchess_Driver]

John Page, TAA UK, Denham aerodrome.

Home | General (http://www.taauk.net)

HTH

Duchess.

[3110R]

Just in response to some of the discussion above, I'm an FAA CFI and JAA FI in the UK and yes, doing a BFR on an airman who uses their FAA license to fly in the UK, one morally expects some familiarity with half-mil charts and so on and indeed much of the ground hour on a BFR is supposed to be tailored to the kind of flying the airman is doing, but my other obligation under FAR 61.56 is ensuring they're up-to-speed on Part 91, particularly sectionals, VFR & equipment requirements. That can't be ommitted just because we're not in the US today or they don't intend to fly an N-reg this week. If they go flying in US airspace or anywhere in an N-reg airplane in breach of any Part 91 regs in the following 2 years then the paper trail will lead to their last BFR sign-off.

I like to give people a written quiz to work on in their own time, then we can go through what they didn't know and talk about the relevant special emphasis areas to the flying they do.

I've PM'd the Biz, I'm based in north London, also Willowair over at Southend do FAA training...

[B200Drvr]

Check PM, I am available to do your BFR.

[S-Works]

So let those who work by the FAA system get on with our job and keep your comments to yourself there's a good chap.

How about popping back into your hole and being a good chap eh.

Yes I may be a JAA Instructor, but I also fly an N Reg aircraft and understand the rules. Being dogmatic and insisting that someone doing a BFR would not cover UK charts is just plain stupid. The original question was what to expect doing a BFR in the UK. 3110R I think has made the clearest and mot logical explanation and is in line with my experience and others.

So why don't you sod off and pontificate elsewhere. ;)

[SkyHawk-N]

Biz, I just had a BFR over here in the USA. The main areas of quizzing were airspace, weather minimums, what if weather scenarios, flight plans, pilot obligations (currency, medical, responsibilities, etc), understanding sectional charts, TFRs. It was a chatty session and was centred around the type of flying I have and will be doing.

[SNS3Guppy]

How about popping back into your hole and being a good chap eh.

Yes I may be a JAA Instructor, but I also fly an N Reg aircraft and understand the rules. Being dogmatic and insisting that someone doing a BFR would not cover UK charts is just plain stupid. The original question was what to expect doing a BFR in the UK. 3110R I think has made the clearest and mot logical explanation and is in line with my experience and others.

So why don't you sod off and pontificate elsewhere.


Arrogant, and immature, as always.

Where the flight review used to be referred to by regulation as a Biennial Flight Review, it hasn't been that way for about fifteen years or so, now. It's just a Flight Review.

Whether a FAA flight review is conducted in the USA or in the UK, or in Djibouti, it must still be conducted to the FAA standards and per the FAA regulation...because it's an FAA review, you see.

The instructor doing the flight review should always interview the applicant to determine his needs, then tailor the flight review to his needs...but it must still cover the material required by the FAA...and that's the only mandatory part of the review. Anything else covered is extra and at the discretion of both parties.

[drauk]

I've had 4 flight reviews; 1 in the UK and 3 in the US, each with a different instructor. All were very different and only one (in the US) involved even talking about charts and airspace, let alone looking at them. 2 in the US involved no real ground component at all. The 1 in the UK only involved discussing mnemonics for remembering what equipment was mandatory for what type of flying (and the flying of course).

I do know that the FAA mandates some elements of a flight review and I expect FAA-die hards will tell me I was let down by the instructors, or have broken the law, etc. but my point is that the content can and does vary quite a bit in practice. Every situation is different and in my opinion a good instructor will use common sense to tailor a flight review to the particular situation.

[malc4d]

Oh GOODIE
Another thread thats turned into a slanging match..............:D

I think that you are all right.
The CFI and the pilot should go over the FAA rules as mandated in the FAR's for the review............ and whatever else they both think is needed. It is a minimum of 1 hour ground...............:ok:

Socals link is a good place to start.......

[Fright Level]

Can someone with more knowledge explain this rule? Is a proficiency check the same as a club check out and will this therefore exempt one from the BFR?

FAR 61.56 (d) A person who has, within the period specified in paragraph (c) of this section, passed a pilot proficiency check conducted by an examiner, an approved pilot check airman, or a U.S. Armed Force, for a pilot certificate, rating, or operating privilege need not accomplish the flight review required by this section.

[SNS3Guppy]

Fright Level,

A club checkout might or might not cover enough material to be counted as a flight review; to count it, however, the instructor should endorse the logbook as a flight review. In that case, you've just received a flight review...not a proficiency check in lieu of a flight review.

Note that the regualtion states that the flight review must be given by an examiner (one entitled to grant pilot certification privileges), a check airman (eg, a company check pilot for a charter operator or airline), or an armed force checkride. An example of a proficiency check used in lieu of a flight review might be attending a recurrent training session at Flight Safety International, complete with a checkride using a Part 142 check airman or examiner. Another example might be adding a multi engine land rating to one's private pilot single engine land certificate...taking the practical test and proficiency check for the new rating may be used in lieu of the flight review.

A club checkout would at a minimum require an hour of ground and an hour of flight, and the endorsement in your logbook of an instructor who has provided the review, stating that you've satisfactorily completed the flight review in accordance with the regulation.

In the US, an axilliary of the air force is a civillian flying corps called the Civil Air Patrol...a group which provides search and rescue and other services on a volunteer basis. This organization employs volunteer check airmen and requires proficiency checks annually, as well as for each qualification. The airplanes are generally single engine Cessnas and Pipers...some owned by Civil Air Patrol, some privately owned. A typical annual PIC checkride is called a Form 5 check, and is a proficiency check which could be used to meet this requirement. However, the instructor should still in that case endorse the applicant's logbook stating that a flight review has been satisfactorily completed. This is because the checkride is for an operating privilege, but not one required under the FAA regulations.

I don't need flight reviews because my employment checkrides take care of it. However, if I do a checkout or something along those lines, I'll always ask the instructor to endorse my logbook to show the completion of a flight review if we've done everything necessary and the instructor believes it's adequate and satisfactory, of course...just to have that formal statement in my logbook. Same for attending Flight Safety...I still put it in my logbook to meet the legal requirements of the regulation.

Some years ago I was asked to provide a checkout for a flying club in a Cessna 172, as a favor. I did, and the airman passed acceptably. I made a note on his file card in the flying club, and went my way. A few months later I received a call saying that this individual had destroyed a 172 when landing at a remote location in a crosswind. I was told the last instructor to fly with him was me, and that the flying club would be coming after me, as would the insurance company, and the individual. I was told that he didn't have a current medical at the time he crashed, nor did he have a current flight review.

I didn't give him a flight review. I do keep fairly thorough records when I fly with a student of exactly what was discussed, covered, and the results. I had a record showing I had informed the student his checkout wasn't worth anything unless he maintained his medical, his flight review, his 90 day landing currency, etc. I had a notation that he'd acknowledged, and agreed.

The flying club told me they wouldn't take me to court if I agreed to backdate a signature in his logbook showing that I gave him a flight review. I declined. I received threats trying to get me to do it. Aside from the ethical and legal implications, I elected not to do it because my flight reviews are thorough, and he definitely didn't get one...nor would I sign his logbook saying he did. The flying club eventually accepted the loss and moved on, and left me alone. Had that individual entertained the idea of seeking the endorsement and the full review at the time,it would certainly have been in his best interest.

A flight review isn't rigid at all. It should always be tailored to the needs of the student. I often find that starting the oral portion of the review over lunch is a good way to begin. I may find the student isn't comfortable with crosswinds, so we'll target time on reviewing and training in a crosswind. Or the student may have not considered inflight emergencies, or forced landings, so we'll concentrate on that. Or h or she may need work covering regulations that have changed, or may need to concentrate on some instrument work. All do-able. A flight review is really about meeting the needs of the student. Certain things must be covered, and certainly the student needs to be able to perform to the practical test standards published by the FAA...but the review is for the student. It's not just a hoop through which the student must jump. It's time dedicated toward bettering the student, and how that's accomplished and what needs to be done should be very specific to that individual.

[gyrotyro]

Hi

I would recommend Ivana Alvares who is based at Gamston. You can contact her here:

Email : [email protected]

FAA Pilot Flight Training in the UK - Retford (Gamston) Airport (http://www.altusflight.net/)

If you want her mobile phone number email me.

[englishal]

In my experience (4 or 5 BFRs) a club rental checkout will suffice and it is not a big deal. The last BFR I did was in the UK in my aeroplane, without a US chart in sight. Most sensible FAA instructors can see if you can fly or not in the first few minutes and obviously base the BFR content upon that.

[S-Works]

The instructor doing the flight review should always interview the applicant to determine his needs, then tailor the flight review to his needs...but it must still cover the material required by the FAA...and that's the only mandatory part of the review. Anything else covered is extra and at the discretion of both parties.

Yep, and thats exactly what I said to you......... But you still took it as an opportunity to have a pop. So who is the arrogant and immature one.....

[SNS3Guppy]

Yep, and thats exactly what I said to you......... But you still took it as an opportunity to have a pop. So who is the arrogant and immature one.....


Apparently as you keep rambling on about it...you. Give it a rest, already.

[S-Works]

Apparently as you keep rambling on about it...you. Give it a rest, already.

Well if I can't just say........ I know you yanks like hitting things with bigger and bigger hammers to make your point, just thought I would make you feel at home.... :ok:

But consider it rested now.
;)

[Biz]

Many thanks one & all for the useful input! Have just got around to replying to the PM's I received.

With this helpful information, I should have enough contacts to have a ring around now.

Thanks once again :ok:

[S-Works]

bose-x
Quote:
I know you yanks...
There you go again making your wild assumptions.

Wow, You still here? Go on get back in yer box, yank or Brit abroad I care not.
;)

[SNS3Guppy]

Perhaps with bosex, the best thing to do is ignore him or her. The ignore list works wonders, a little like internet earplugs. Makes the whining noise go away.

For someone that doesn't care about what goes on abroad, he sure imagines he has a clue about foreign policy and regulation...yet somehow consistently gets it wrong.

Where's that ignore button, again?

[S-Works]

Where's that ignore button, again?

Who said that?

[hjmemon]

Hi guys,
I tried going through this post but couldnt really make out what i am looking for.
I am FAA CPL/IR and CFI holder. I am almost due for my BFR and CFI renewal.
If I have another FAA CFI available, can he do my BFR in a non N-Registered airplane.
Also I have all the requirements for CFI renewal. Have successfully given more than 10 sign offs within past 24 months with more than 80% passrate. Do I have to be present in US to get it renewed or it can be done while i am physically in my own home country.
Thanks,
HJM

[IO540]

If I have another FAA CFI available, can he do my BFR in a non N-Registered airplane.I see you are in Pakistan.

There is NO law I know of in the USA which requires an N-reg plane for a BFR, or any other FAA related instruction for that matter.

Checkrides (not your case) may be a different matter. There are some indications that it is a current requirement from the FAA office in New York which is now responsible for authorising FAA DPE examiners to do checkrides abroad, that checkrides must be done in an N-reg. I have never seen this verified, however.

But you are not after a checkride; just a BFR, and I cannot see a problem with doing that in Mongolia, in a plane registered in the Belgian Congo, so long as you do it with the proper FAA CFI or whatever :)

However, I have heard recently that a CFI renewal outside the USA does involve getting some documents notarised or something like that... worth checking this with the FAA. It could be nonsense, or not.

Out of interest, what are the requirements an FAA CFI needs to meet to continue being a CFI?

[Shunter]

Personally I find Bose's to-the-point, no-nonsense attitude very refreshing.

Given the truly international scale of civil aviation, national rules can't cater for every situation, and applying them without common sense or context is simple stupidity.

[SNS3Guppy]

If I have another FAA CFI available, can he do my BFR in a non N-Registered airplane.
Also I have all the requirements for CFI renewal. Have successfully given more than 10 sign offs within past 24 months with more than 80% passrate. Do I have to be present in US to get it renewed or it can be done while i am physically in my own home country.


There is no requirement to have a N-registered airplane for a flight review.

You do not need to be in the US to renew your flight instructor certificate. Do it online. You can do it with proof of your instructing records, but you can also do it with a refresher course online, too.

[midairsa]

Can you introduce a long retired Laker Airways skipper to you FAA CFI in the UK to refresh my rapidly dimming memory so I can fly my little N reg Seminole around the Med in the sunshine. Thanks

[Sam Rutherford]

I did my CPL flight test in Sept last year, I am happily assuming that this also counts as my last BFR - er, am I right?

Safe flights all, Sam.

[SNS3Guppy]

Sam, you're correct. Having completed a flight check (practical test) for an airman certificate or rating or privilege, you're covered.

[carb]

You can do an FAA BFR or IPC at Panshanger Airfield (EGLG), contact North London Flying School and ask for Colin, no special fee, normal dual training rates apply

[lharle]

And if you want to come over and spend a week end in Le touquet, I ll be more than happy to help you.

[flugalrascal]

Check out www.faapilot.co.uk

[B2N2]

So why don't you sod off and pontificate elsewhere

Since you put it so eloquently Bose-X let me reciprocate:
as usual you're being a jack-@ss....:yuk:

[S-Works]

Quote:
So why don't you sod off and pontificate elsewhere
Since you put it so eloquently Bose-X let me reciprocate:
as usual you're being a jack-@ss....

Erm, is there any reason why you have chosen to respond to a comment made FOURTEEN months ago.......... Strikes me a bit of a long time to bear a grudge?

[Lister Noble]

Maybe he's a slow thinker?;)

[Fuji Abound]

Maybe he was just checking you were still around, Bose. :)

You have been very quiet of recent.

[B2N2]

Maybe he's a slow thinker?
No it's this bloody QWERTY keyboard that's taking me ages.:ugh:
Honestly I didn't read the dates on the thread so my apologies to Bose-X.
You WERE a jack-@ass 14 months ago, maybe you lightened up a little in the mean time? You've had 4,005 posts to practice...:}