I haven't had to do a BFR yet, so my question may sound naive. Why should a BFR last longer than a checkride? Anything more than that sounds like the CFI thinks that they are special and people must meet their standards instead of the standards set forth by the FAA.
This is an interesting question to me, from my own personal flight experience perspective. If I have learned anything at all about flying it is that "safe flying" must be, and can only be, a personal decision . . . a personal value if you will.
(Side note: The difference between a personal "priority" and a personal "value" is like the difference between shaving every morning and getting dressed before you go to work. Shaving is a priority . . . dressing is a value!
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I read through this entire thread, which I believe has yet to run its entire course, and I feel like I can detect the personal values placed on the FAA's rules from some of the participants here.
Until one is a CFI, who must live with his decisions to "sign off" on a pilot, then one cannot attribute "self aggrandization" to a CFI simply because he takes his job seriously and professionally.
It has been my experience that some pilots, who lack the knowledge and experience to be considered 100% competent, are the ones who tend to "resent" the check pilot. I know I did. I did not want a peer to criticize my flying and head work ability. I did not want them to "nitpick" and point out deficiencies in my pilotage capabilities.
Now, I welcome any CFI who can teach me something I don't know, and re-enforce the things I do. I am a sponge for the aviation experience of others. I have set a personal goal of improvement every time I strap on a flying machine. Because of my earlier flying experience (I've been out of the cockpit for 20 years,) I feel like an excited young newbie wanna be aviator again as I start my quest for a sport pilot license and airplane ownership. I want my CFI to "drill" me on anything he believes is important so I can reenforce my personal confidence. The last thing I want to be is the infamous star of Flying Magazine's "I Learned About Flying from That . . ." article detailing how I killed my wife of 39 years.
Since logging a couple of thousand hours during a tour of duty as a Naval Aviation flight instructor (basic, tactical, and instrument) you would think that I am the one who would resent a GA CFI from trying to tach me anything on a biennial review. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Aviation maturity, developed in part with a few close call over the years, teaches me to challenge myself as a proficient, safe pilot. I would be disappointed if a CFI took shortcuts just because they thought I might be "offended" because of my past record of flying.
I admire the CFIs who have taken the time to respond to this thread. After reading the FAA's written guidance on biennial reviews, (thanks for posting that,) it is clear as a bell to me that the FAA gives the CFI a long rope to decide what they think is important and should be covered during the review. The minimums (one hour ground, one hour flying) is just that, a minimum which satisfies the federal law. I would never purposely hire a CFI who only believes in minimum requirements in his teaching repertoire.
Finally, I learned from some pretty savvy Marine Corps, Air Force, and Navy flight instructors that the pleasure they attained from flying required a consistent diligence and pursuit of perfection. . . always on speed, always on altitude, always on heading, coupled with good headwork (staying ahead of the airplane.) I have discovered, during my eclectic flying career that the pursuit of flying perfection is a worthy goal, and one that yields a good measure of enjoyment and personal satisfaction. If you haven't yet tried it yet, don't knock it until you do. Also, thank your sweet ass for the professional CFIs who care enough about the personal safety of pilots and passengers everywhere to take their "jobs" seriously. I'm just pursuing a recreational hobby for retirement, but the responsibility of the CFI who signs my logbook is just as important as the one he signes for the 40,000 hour ATF pilot who flies hundreds of passengers weekly.
