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What Is a Flight Review and How Do You Prepare for One?

The flight review — still commonly called a BFR (biennial flight review) by many pilots — is one of the most misunderstood requirements in general aviation. Many pilots treat it as a bureaucratic hurdle to check off. The pilots who get the most out of it treat it as something else: a structured opportunity to reset, recalibrate, and get honest feedback from a qualified instructor.

Here's everything you need to know.

What the FAA Requires

Under FAR 61.56, to act as PIC of an aircraft you must have completed a flight review within the preceding 24 calendar months, counted from the beginning of the 24th calendar month before the month you fly. A review in March 2025, for example, is good through March 31, 2027. The review must include:

• At least 1 hour of ground training
• At least 1 hour of flight training

The regulation specifies a review of the general operating and flight rules of FAR Part 91 and a review of those maneuvers and procedures that the instructor deems necessary to determine that the pilot can safely exercise the privileges of their certificate.

That's it. The FAA does not specify a syllabus, a list of required maneuvers, or a pass/fail standard. The CFI determines the content and decides whether to sign off.

Important: If the CFI is not satisfied with the pilot's performance, they simply don't sign the logbook. There is no "failed flight review" — there's a flight review that wasn't completed. The pilot can return for more training and another review.

Who doesn't need one: a practical test or proficiency check given by an examiner for a pilot certificate, rating or operating privilege takes the place of a flight review, and so does completing a phase of the FAA's WINGS pilot proficiency program. An instrument proficiency check from an instructor does not. Student pilots don't need a flight review while they are training for a certificate with a current solo endorsement.

What It Is Not

The flight review is not a checkride. It is not a test you pass or fail in the traditional sense. It is an assessment and a training flight combined. A good CFI uses it to identify areas that need work, provide instruction, and confirm that the pilot is operating safely.

It is also not a minimum standard. Meeting the FAA's requirement — 1 hour ground, 1 hour flight, logbook endorsement — satisfies the regulation. It does not guarantee proficiency. Pilots who've been flying regularly and maintaining genuine currency will have a different experience than pilots who haven't flown in 18 months and are technically legal but realistically rusty.

What a Typical Flight Review Covers

While the CFI sets the content, most flight reviews include:

Ground Portion:

• Review of recent FAR Part 91 changes (airspace rules, equipment requirements, recent regulatory updates)
• Review of weather services and pilot weather decision-making
• Discussion of the pilot's recent flying, goals, and any areas of concern
• Aircraft systems and POH review
• Aeronautical decision-making (ADM) and risk management

Flight Portion:

• Preflight inspection (the CFI is watching from the start)
• Takeoff and departure
• Airwork: steep turns, slow flight, stalls
• Emergency procedures (simulated engine failure, engine out landing)
• Navigation or cross-country segment (often abbreviated)
• Pattern work: normal, soft-field, and short-field landings
• Anything specific to the pilot's certificate level or recent experience gaps

Pilots pursuing an instrument rating or already instrument-rated may include hood work or approaches in the flight review, though this is at the CFI's discretion.

How to Prepare

1. Brief Yourself on Part 91

Read through FAR Part 91 before your ground session. Pay specific attention to the rules you use most — airspace requirements, equipment requirements such as ADS-B Out, and VFR weather minimums. The CFI will likely discuss at least some of these, and arriving informed makes the ground session more productive.

2. Know Your Aircraft

If you're doing the flight review in an aircraft you haven't flown recently, review the POH before the flight. Know the Vx, Vy, Va, Vfe, and Vno. Know the emergency procedures for engine failure, electrical failure, and fire. Know the fuel system and how to switch tanks. Arriving without this knowledge wastes ground time and tells the CFI something you might not want them to know.

3. Be Honest About Your Recent Flying

If you haven't flown in 8 months, say so at the start. A good CFI will adjust the flight to focus on areas where rust has accumulated, provide actual instruction, and give you feedback that makes you a safer pilot. Trying to project more currency than you have helps no one.

4. Fly Before Your Review

If it's been more than a few months since your last flight, consider scheduling a solo flight or proficiency dual session before the official review. Arriving at a flight review after many months away makes the session less efficient — you'll spend time shaking off rust that could have been addressed in advance.

5. Bring Your Logbook

The CFI endorses your logbook upon successful completion. Bring it. Also bring your pilot certificate, medical certificate, and government-issued photo ID.

6. Treat It as Training

The most valuable flight reviews happen when the pilot shows up with an open mindset and a specific question: "Where are my weak spots?" A CFI who is asked that question directly will give you a more useful session than one where you're trying to demonstrate that you're already great.

What Happens If the CFI Doesn't Sign Off?

If the CFI isn't satisfied that you've demonstrated safe proficiency, they won't complete the endorsement. This is not an FAA enforcement action and it's not on any permanent record. It simply means you need more training before the review can be completed.

The appropriate response is to schedule additional dual instruction, address the specific areas identified, and complete the review when you're genuinely ready. Most pilots who run into this outcome are grateful afterward — the review did exactly what it was designed to do.

Flight Reviews at Cornerstone Flight Academy

Cornerstone Flight Academy instructors give flight reviews in our Cessna 172 and Cessna 150. The review consists of the FAA-required minimum of 1 hour ground and 1 hour flight — extended as needed based on the pilot's currency and the CFI's assessment.

If your flight review is coming up, don't wait until the last minute. Schedule it with enough time to address any identified gaps before your currency actually lapses.

Check availability and schedule your flight review here.

Certificated pilots renting Cornerstone Flight Academy aircraft need a current flight review (within 24 calendar months). Student pilots fly solo under their instructor's endorsements instead. Contact info@flycornerstone.com with questions.

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