Flight Reviews and Recent Flight Experience 14CFR 61.56 and 61.57

Flight Review and Recent Experience 61.56 and 61.57

As pilots, we're well briefed on 14 CFR 61.56 Flight Reviews and 61.57 Recent Flight Experience Pilot in Command. The content of these regulations is drilled into every pilot regardless of their certificate level. Part 61.56 mandates that we must subject ourselves to a flight review every 24 calendar months. To eliminate any miscommunication as to what is required in the review, the FAA has stipulates reviews must consist of minimum of one hour of ground instruction along with an hour of flight training.

This puts pilots in front of an instructor at least once every 24 calendar months. Now that’s a good start, and if you fly frequently-say 100 or more hours a year- it’s a completely appropriate number.

Part 61.57 is different. It details our recent experience obligations to serve as Pilot in Command. When operating VFR,  sections A & B specify that we only need concern ourselves with three take offs and landings within 90 days and the type landings they should be, day or night; three take off and landings every ninety days equal one per month.

Naturally, instrument pilots must delve deeper. To stay IFR legal we have section C and its requirement to perform six (6) approaches intercepting and tracking courses and flying holds within the preceding 6 calendar months. If we allow our “six in six” to elapse, section D is very clear in specifying that remediation comes via an instrument proficiency check (IPC) with an examiner, or an authorized instructor. These rules specify the absolute minimum quantity of experience that we need to be legal: twelve approaches a year, or one per month.

It’s interesting that the FAA wants us to conduct one flight operation per month, whether we’re flying VFR or IFR. That doesn’t sound too difficult, does it?

So why is it that many pilots find themselves bumping into the edges of their currency requirements? May I suggest "life gets in the way"?

I’m fond of saying “time, funds and weather, pick any two”. You can have the time and the weather but lack the funds; you can have the time and the funds but lack the weather, or the funds and the weather and be short of time.  Lord knows, there are numerous other values that we can plug into that matrix as reasons we don’t fly often enough.

This strikes me as odd when one considers the level of effort expended to obtain these certificates and ratings in the first place. Personally, I’ve found that injecting some training into my flying adds purpose to the experience. I can then justify expending limited time and funds by creating personal goals which put a "credit" on the achievement side of “my ledger”.  Rather than just going out for an hour airplane ride, I spend the same hour practicing pylon turns and then head to another airport for some take-off and landing practice.  

Filing and flying IFR on every $100 hamburger trip is a good way to stay connected with the system. You’ll have to fly accurately and precisely, while learning the routes in and out of your airport in good weather so you’ll know what to expect when it folds while you’re trying to get home. That’s good to know, because whether you’re planning, or already flying the trip, you’ll be able to visualize where ATC will be sending you (regardless of what you filed), and make an appropriate decision as to whether you’re going to want to fly that.

At the end of the day, by getting these ratings, we’ve committed to adhere to certain legal standards. Whether we want to just meet the minimum standard or to strive to rise to some level above it is a personal choice each pilot makes.

Make the right choice.

Back to School

Flying as 'Higher Education'

Everywhere you turn people are winding down their summer activities and preparing for the new academic year. From packing the car to buying Junior new clothes, our involvement, planning, and preparation are necessary to ensure our loved ones are ready to meet the approaching challenges. 

 

Naturally, we want the best for your families. Helping them puts our minds at ease, knowing we've done everything we can to provide them an environment in which to succeed.

Anxiety is the price for  being unprepared. You know that feeling, and you never want anyone belonging to you experiencing it.

But what about you? When was the last time you challenged yourself from an aviation perspective? For most pilots it's been far too long. This year may I suggest that you seize that same opportunity and start the new school  year by committing yourself to scheduling some necessary flight training.

In a few short weeks our weather briefings will begin to contain Airmet Zulu's. As the freezing level descends into our cruising altitudes', traveling in light airplanes is going to additional planning or become more difficult.

If you're a VFR pilot, setting the goal of achieving your instrument rating before the next beach season would be a great way to add purpose to your flying. Additionally, next summer you'll be able to make the "go decision," rather than wait out a low ceiling burning off at your departure point, even when you know the destination is clear. 

 

For Instrument rated pilots,  how about spending some time flying approaches, or taking some unusual attitude recovery training. You might also get some practice dealing with the demands of ATC while navigating our confusing local airpspace. All of this will increase your confidence. 

With the stakes being what we should all give refreshing our piloting skills the same attention that we do making sure Junior's cafeteria cash card is filled. 

Oshkosh 2010- A Real Airventure- Tstorms, Flat Tires, Indian Casinos, Water, Mud, Mosquitos

We departed Danbury Wednesday July 21st heading for Oshkosh for our year 10 at the big show. The weather was forcast to be good with nothing in our way.

Starting off VFR at 3000 in 5 Miles visibility in mist and haze our route brought us up to Albany where we joined Victor 2. As we came through Utica we panned the XM NexRad westward only to see Buffalo getting engulfed by yellow and red returns. We monitored this as we flew and when Rochester started to fold we decided that we would land in Syracuse and call LMFSS to ask them what had changed from the briefing we had received only a few hours ago.

 

I ducked nto Syracuse and our call confirmed what we were seeing, air mass thunderstorms were blocking our way. The area forcast and the TAF's along the route made no mention of thunderstorms but here they were so we decided to hang out in SYR a few hours to see what was up. Well we waited from 10 in the morning until 5:30 and the stuff still hadnt dissapated so we called it a day after 1:30 of flying checked into the Candlewood Suites and walked to supper at Zeb's a local burger and wings joint we frequented the last time we visited SYR.

 

The forecast for the morning was for low IFR 400 overcast and 2 miles in Mist so we planned a late morning departure and ate and drank heartilly at Zeb's.

 

I woke up at 6AM to clear and unrestricted so I called LM FSS and asked them what was up. Once again I got a roses and sunshine briefing all the way thru to OSH. We departed at 8:30 into blinding sunshine filed for Saginaw MI. The plan at that point was to fuel up in MBS and then climb to 12000 to cross the lake at little sable point to FAH VOR. The winds aloft were light and variable so we made good time along V2 then V84 through Canada at 4000 feet.  We landed MBS and enjoyed their complementary hot dogs soda's and a .25 a gallon oshkosh discount.

 

Jim from Denton TX called me on my cell asking about my progress. Jim always beats us into OSH so I was expecting him to ask me where the hell we were. He opened with have you looked at the OSH radar? I said I was looking at it now and saw the entire state of Wisconsin under a mosaic of red and yellow returns. Jim was calling for Mobly Mi. and we strategized on the possibility to diverting west to approach OSH. We departed MBS heading for Traverse City-TVC. Halfway there we saw the storm was crossing the lake and the darker green was encroaching on the western shore and TVC. It had not reached as far north so we decided to head up to Pellston MI the cross the lake up by Macinac Island. Once again not trusting what I was seeing in the cockpit I decided to confer with a LMFSS briefer.   We landed at Pellston and then on taxiing in our right main tire went flat as we entered the ramp.

 

Pellston looks to be a great place but they don't have any mechanic's who work there. The FBO people called a mechanic from an airport an hours drive away, they confirmed they had a tire and tube and set about to drive down to replace the tire.

 

We left Pellston and headed north to Mackinac and crossed the lake at the very top. We followed the lake shore westward staying low at 2000 feet. We got to Schoolcraft County in Manistique MI and set down there. Seeing nothing promising we tried to blast off from Manistique but when we called Green Bay radio they informed me to stand by as I was number four. The clouds were rolling in, it was getting dark, so we called it a day and got a room at the Holiday Motel for $39 a night. Dinner and breakfast were had at the Indian Casino while we waited for the fog to burn.

 

We blasted off from there IFR and flew to OSHkosh at 6000 on top. We got the GPS 27 approach and broke out at minimums and almost clocked a baron on right base VFR

 

We landed on the green dot and saw Pete and Beth in their camp in row 506 of the north 40 (which was empty). They drove over to Orion and picked us and our gear up. We set up camp and relaxed a bit. Little did we know the adventure was just starting.

 

As the sun was setting and we were eating a delicious meal of Porterhouse, Cowboy Beans, and green Salad the Mosquitos decided to fill up on us. They had been slumbering in the mud and standing water and now the sun was going down they decided that the feast was on. We all lathered up with repellent but to no avail the damage was done.

 

In the morning I looked at my feet which looked like they were hit by buckshot from all the bites.