Currency Requirements and Guidance for the Flight Review and Instrument Proficiency Check (AC 61-98D)

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This advisory circular (AC) provides information for certificated pilots and flight instructors to use in complying with the flight review required by Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) part 61, § 61.56 and the recent flight experience requirements of § 61.57.

This AC is directed to General Aviation (GA) pilots and flight instructors. This AC does not apply to training programs or proficiency checks conducted pursuant to 14 CFR part 121 or 135, nor to curriculums approved pursuant to 14 CFR part 142. Full flight simulators (FFS) and flight training devices (FTD) may not be used for logging airman experience or for any training, checking, or qualification credit unless qualified and approved by the Administrator (§ 61.4). Additionally, a flight review cannot be accomplished in an FFS or FTD unless it is used in accordance with an approved course conducted by a training center certificated under part 142 (§ 61.56(i)(1)).

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Purpose of the Flight Review

The Flight Review provides a regular evaluation of pilot skills and aeronautical knowledge. Consequently, a flight review is a routine evaluation of a pilot's ability to conduct safe flight. In effect, it is a proficiency-based exercise in which the airman is required to demonstrate the safe exercise of the privileges of their pilot certificate.

The flight instructor should be aware that the flight review is not a practical test, but rather a training event in which proficiency is evaluated. The review must consist of a minimum of 1 hour of ground training and a minimum of 1 hour of flight training.

However, all flight instructors should fully understand that the instructor should conduct "a review of those maneuvers and procedures that, at the discretion of the person giving the review, are necessary for the pilot to demonstrate the safe exercise of the privileges of the pilot certificate." If the pilot does not demonstrate the proficiency to conduct safe flight, then more training is required.

For this reason, the FAA reminds flight instructors that a flight review may require more than 1 hour of ground training and 1 hour of flight training.

Since satisfactory completion of a flight review is based on pilot proficiency, it is up to the instructional service provider to determine what type of instruction is required and how much additional training time, if any, is required to ensure that the pilot has the necessary knowledge and skills to conduct safe flight operations.

While flight instructors are encouraged to manage the expectations of the pilot under review and discuss the outline of the flight review with the pilot, it is the flight instructor that ultimately determines the total training time required for a flight review.

Structure of the Flight Review

For the reasons previously discussed, a flight instructor should not develop a flight review plan of action based on regulatory minimums. Instead, a flight instructor should develop a plan based on achieving a flight proficiency and knowledge level that meets regulatory requirements.

§ 61.56 states that a flight review must include a review of the current general operating and flight rules of 14 CFR part 91. It also states that a person conducting the review has the discretion to determine the maneuvers and procedures necessary for the pilot under review to demonstrate "safe exercise of the privileges of the pilot certificate."

With the increasing complexity of the aviation operating environment, flight instructors are encouraged to structure the flight review and develop a plan of action that is specific to the needs of the pilot under review.

FAA Guidance

The FAA has provided the following recommended guidance in this paragraph to help flight instructors develop a plan of action for an effective flight review.

Before undertaking the review, the flight instructor should interview the pilot to determine the nature of their flying and operating requirements. Elements to consider should include, but not be limited to, the following areas:

Type of Equipment Flown: A pilot must accomplish a flight review in an aircraft for which that pilot is rated. A pilot might hold multiple ratings. In such cases, the pilot may take a flight review in any one of the aircraft for which the pilot holds a rating or operating privilege, and they will have met the regulatory requirement for all aircraft for which the pilot holds a certificate and/or rating. The reviewed maneuvers and procedures will vary depending on the category, class, and make and model (M/M) of the aircraft used.

Nature of Flight Operations: The flight instructor should consider the type of flying usually done by the pilot before establishing a plan of action for conducting the review.

Amount and Recency of Flight Experience: The flight instructor should review the pilotŐs logbook to determine total flight time, time in type, and recency of experience in order to evaluate the need for particular maneuvers and procedures in the review.

Agreement on the Conduct of the Review: After completing the above analysis, the flight instructor should review these considerations with the pilot and reach an understanding regarding how the flight instructor will conduct the review. The flight instructor should also review the criteria for satisfactory completion of the review with the pilot. The flight instructor may wish to provide the pilot with reading materials or recommend publications for study before conducting the flight review.

Instructor Qualifications: Instructors should also consider their own experience and qualifications in a given M/M aircraft prior to giving a review in that model. The flight instructor conducting a flight review must hold a category, class, and (if appropriate) type rating on their pilot certificate, as well as their flight instructor certificate or a category/class flight instructor privilege in their logbook appropriate to the aircraft in which they will conduct the review.

Planning and Recording the Review

After reaching an agreement on how the flight instructor will conduct the review, the flight instructor should prepare a plan of action for completing the review. The plan of action should include a list of regulatory subjects that the flight instructor will cover, the maneuvers and procedures that the pilot will need to accomplish, the anticipated sequence in which the segments will occur, and the location where the flight instructor will perform the review.

AC 61.98 includes a suggested plan of action form.

AC 61.98 recommends that instructors include the following in flight reviews:

• Review of Part 91 Operating and Flight Rules
• Pilot Deviations
• Automation Competency
• Angle of Attack Systems
• Review of Maneuvers and Procedures

The review of maneuvers and procedures can include takeoffs, stabilized approaches, slow flight, stalls, spin avoidance, unusual attitudes, and flight by reference to instruments.

Post-Review Considerations

Upon completion of the review, the flight instructor should complete the summary and evaluation portion of the flight review checklist (if used) and debrief the pilot.

Whether or not the review was satisfactory, the flight instructor should provide the pilot with a comprehensive analysis of their performance, including suggestions for improving any weak areas.

The FAA does not intend for the flight review to be a practical test. If the review is not satisfactory, the flight instructor should log the flight as "dual instruction given" and not as a "failure."

If the pilot does not perform well enough for the flight instructor to endorse the pilot for satisfactory completion of the flight review, the instructor should use the applicable ACS or PTS as the objective standard to discuss areas needing improvement, as well as areas where the pilot performed well.

When the applicant has successfully completed the review, the flight instructor should endorse the pilotŐs logbook to certify that the pilot has satisfactorily accomplished the flight review.

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Flight Instructor Test Questions

Practical Test Standards: Flight Instructor