Self-Hire Minimum Hours Restriction
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Canada
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If a pilot wishes a check ride, they should fly one. I'm sure the aircraft rental outfit will accommodate. I've known pilots who had flown in a while, who were over confident (hey, I've know pilots who flew yesterday who were over confident - but that's outside the scope of this discussion).
As BPF has said, it should be easy for a good instructor to assess another pilot in one or two circuits. I have never had a check ride be longer than that.
But, there are other things to consider. In some aspects of piloting, checkrides are just not possible for some pilots, and certainly 28 day recency is not possible. When a pilot flies a floatplane or skiplane, it might be the first flight on type in six months or more - when I flew skis last February (as that was the first useful snow last winter), it was the first time in several years. When I flew the 182 floatplane in March (in Norway, still frozen in Canada), it was the first time I had flown it, or it had flown since October.
As a pilot gains more experience, and maintains basic skills, "muscle memory" becomes more of a factor, and frequent check flights may be less necessary.
I've had my plane insured with the same company for 29 years. I once asked the insurance broker how little a year I would have to fly before the insurer would become worried about my skills eroding. His answer, fly less than ten hours a year, and they'll worry. That's a flight every 36 days, so based upon that, a 28 day rule does not seem too far off!
As BPF has said, it should be easy for a good instructor to assess another pilot in one or two circuits. I have never had a check ride be longer than that.
But, there are other things to consider. In some aspects of piloting, checkrides are just not possible for some pilots, and certainly 28 day recency is not possible. When a pilot flies a floatplane or skiplane, it might be the first flight on type in six months or more - when I flew skis last February (as that was the first useful snow last winter), it was the first time in several years. When I flew the 182 floatplane in March (in Norway, still frozen in Canada), it was the first time I had flown it, or it had flown since October.
As a pilot gains more experience, and maintains basic skills, "muscle memory" becomes more of a factor, and frequent check flights may be less necessary.
I've had my plane insured with the same company for 29 years. I once asked the insurance broker how little a year I would have to fly before the insurer would become worried about my skills eroding. His answer, fly less than ten hours a year, and they'll worry. That's a flight every 36 days, so based upon that, a 28 day rule does not seem too far off!
