Poll: How should I accomplish my BFR?

How should I accomplish my BFR?

  • Just do the stinking BFR, you silly overachiever

    Votes: 14 21.9%

  • Seaplane rating

    Votes: 22 34.4%

  • Glider rating

    Votes: 16 25.0%

  • Flight instructor certificate

    Votes: 11 17.2%

  • Balloon rating

    Votes: 1 1.6%
  • Total voters
    64
iamtheari

iamtheari

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Ari
I’m due for a BFR by the end of February 2023. I always tell people not to get a BFR when you could get a new rating for a lot more money and glory, not to mention fun. I currently hold a commercial pilot license with ASEL, AMEL, and instrument airplane ratings. I have some flexibility in my December and January schedule.

I am torn between trying to get into Jack Brown to get my float plane rating, ideally in their J-3 Cub since that’s what I learned on to start with, or trying to get a glider rating in Arizona where I have a place to stay and telecommute between lessons. They’re both tremendously useless ratings for me. I never keep friends long enough to get a tow even if I had a glider, and where I live there is only one big lake so it doesn’t make sense to get a float plane to go lake-hopping. (An amphibious plane would be really cool, I guess, but I think I’m too cheap to maintain a normal boat, much less a flying one.)

Another option would be to get my flight instructor certificate. I had been studying for the written tests so I could go off to an accelerated school until a year ago when things really went sideways in my life for a while. I could probably hit the books hard and get that done. It could even be useful as I could make a niche for myself doing tailwheel endorsements for POA members at Airventure. That’s totally an untapped market.

For the poll, I included the double-plus unfun option of just doing a normal BFR. I hope that option loses big. But it deserves to be there.

So, what says the peanut gallery?
 
IT'S A <<< F L I G H T R E V I E W >>> WAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!



so that kinda rules out CFI
I'd say definitely either seaplane or glider or maybe just get the BFR
 
A glider rating isn't necessarily useless. It's fun and challenging to keep yourself in the air without an engine. Plus the principles of flying gliders translates over to powered planes; where to find sources of lift, L/D and how that translates for emergency procedures, etc. So if you want something fun that has some correlation to powered flight, I'd go for a glider rating.
 
eman1200 said:
IT'S A <<< F L I G H T R E V I E W >>> WAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!



so that kinda rules out CFI
I'd say definitely either seaplane or glider or maybe just get the BFR
Click to expand...
Peanut Gallery Cereal. Now with extra peanuts! Two scoops of peanuts in every box!
 
Not much to go on, since you didn’t mention total hours or currency. A BFR could easily be worked into any of the other ratings.
 
I would suggest going for the Glider rating.

The skills will improve your every day flying, and (if you have a place to store it) buying a glider is cheap (by airplane standards) if you fall in love with soaring.

Last, even without friends, some of the experimental motorgliders out there are vary interesting aircraft.
 
rhkennerly said:
Not much to go on, since you didn’t mention total hours or currency. A BFR could easily be worked into any of the other ratings.
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No working-in necessary. Under 14 CFR 61.56(d), if you pass a practical test for a pilot certificate, pilot rating, flight instructor certificate, or additional rating on a flight instructor certificate (among a few other things), it counts in lieu of a BFR and resets the 24-month clock.

I have 870 hours. I’m current and reasonably proficient in all my ratings and endorsements with a good mix of single, multi, night, and IMC time in the past 90 days. I’m probably a little rusty in the J-3 but with 70 hours in it and 17 hours of tailwheel time in the past 90 days, I should be approximately an average student getting into a J-3 on floats.

MarkH said:
I would suggest going for the Glider rating.

The skills will improve your every day flying, and (if you have a place to store it) buying a glider is cheap (by airplane standards) if you fall in love with soaring.

Last, even without friends, some of the experimental motorgliders out there are vary interesting aircraft.
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If you treat your A&P badly enough, every plane is a potential experimental motorglider. :)

The glider rating probably has the greatest return on investment for stick and rudder skills. I’ll undoubtedly add that rating eventually in lieu of a BFR. It’s just a question of it being this BFR or a couple years down the road.
 
I added a poll option for ballooning. Because that’s even harder to do without any friends.
 
I wish I had done the CFI sooner.
But then I really like teaching and flying with people.
Best thing is I get to fly lots of different interesting airplanes and people pay me to do it.

Brian
CFIIG/ASEL
 
nauga said:
Powered lift rating. Go big or go home.

Nauga,
flying, not acting
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Do you know any places that teach that rating to civilians? I think they would get some entertainment value out of my phone call.
 
One of my reviews was for my tail wheel endorsement. I'm seriously considering gliders next. I like the approach of, "let's go over what I should already know while I learn something else ..."
 
Glider rating, no contest. The others would be fun, but you'll never use them without owning your own aircraft. There are gliderports all over the place, even in fun vacation destinations.
 
I enjoyed getting my Seaplane rating in the J3 at Jack Browns last February, and it is now the bench mark date for my next flight review. They do a fine job and it is a great place to hang out and watch others. I would like to go back this winter and get some time in the 172.
 
Lindberg said:
Glider rating, no contest. The others would be fun, but you'll never use them without owning your own aircraft. There are gliderports all over the place, even in fun vacation destinations.
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How does renting a glider work? Is it like renting an airplane, do a short checkout flight (one tow?) with their CFI and then you're good to go?
 
Safety wise you're best served doing multi engine training. If you're flying twins frequently you're unlikely to be doing OEI drills unless it's a specific training event...and if you were doing training events you probably would have already gotten 61.56 credit.

Flight instructor training is pretty intense. Great if you really want to be an instructor. Also you will quickly meet the requirements for flight review during your training, so you can stay 61.56 current with an endorsement even if you haven't taken your checkride.

Balloons, gliders, and seaplanes are fun but the safety benefit is somewhat limited.
 
eman1200 said:
IT'S A <<< F L I G H T R E V I E W >>> WAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!



so that kinda rules out CFI
I'd say definitely either seaplane or glider or maybe just get the BFR
Click to expand...

Completion of a CFI practical test satisfies the requirement of a flight review. 61.56 (d)
 
Put the options in a hat? Leave out the boring one if you reaaally don't want to be boring like all us normies, or keep it in if you like the gamble of drawing such a lame option. :D

I'd go for the seaplane or glider ratings. Both are really cool.
 
I voted Glider probably because we’ll gee, that’s what I did. Kinda. Was doing it as a Commercial add on. Life stuff got in the way and didn’t finish but I woulda had a non commercial glider rating by then. I’ll jump on the glider experience makes you a better stick bandwagon here. Getting the commercial can open up some money making opportunities. One of the Gliderports I was flying at was always looking for someone to be the Commercial pilot on duty hanging out to give people glider rides. They’d get quite a few weekends. My daughter did that for awhile. The rides spanned from wide eyed kids to great grandmas checking off the bucket list.
 
Dana said:
How does renting a glider work? Is it like renting an airplane, do a short checkout flight (one tow?) with their CFI and then you're good to go?
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Like everything, it depends. But yes, it could be taking a tow with an instructor. Or taking a couple of pattern tows.
 
When did they change the CFI ride as resetting the flight review?
There's a CC opinion to Ron Levy in 2008 saying the opposite.
 
iamtheari said:
I’m due for a BFR by the end of February 2023. I always tell people not to get a BFR when you could get a new rating for a lot more money and glory, not to mention fun. I currently hold a commercial pilot license with ASEL, AMEL, and instrument airplane ratings. I have some flexibility in my December and January schedule.

I am torn between trying to get into Jack Brown to get my float plane rating, ideally in their J-3 Cub since that’s what I learned on to start with, or trying to get a glider rating in Arizona where I have a place to stay and telecommute between lessons. They’re both tremendously useless ratings for me. I never keep friends long enough to get a tow even if I had a glider, and where I live there is only one big lake so it doesn’t make sense to get a float plane to go lake-hopping. (An amphibious plane would be really cool, I guess, but I think I’m too cheap to maintain a normal boat, much less a flying one.)

Another option would be to get my flight instructor certificate. I had been studying for the written tests so I could go off to an accelerated school until a year ago when things really went sideways in my life for a while. I could probably hit the books hard and get that done. It could even be useful as I could make a niche for myself doing tailwheel endorsements for POA members at Airventure. That’s totally an untapped market.

For the poll, I included the double-plus unfun option of just doing a normal BFR. I hope that option loses big. But it deserves to be there.

So, what says the peanut gallery?
Click to expand...


Seaplane or glider might be the simplest for someone with an airplane pilot certificate.
Flight instructor certiftcate is significantly more intense.
 
I agree that additional ratings are a great way to fulfill a flight review. I've done several that way myself.

But if you don't want to go to that level, but still want to learn something new/improve your skills, there is always the option to just do your flight review in a type of airplane you've never flown before.

For instance, one year I did it in a Beech Travel Air, only because one was available and I'd never flown one before. I think one year I did it in a Cessna 182RG (excuse me, R182) for the same reason.

So if you can find something for rent that you've never flown, you can just do your flight review in that.

I also agree with @Brad Z 's recommendation that since you're multi-rated, you do your flight review in a multi. Too many multi-rated pilots get too little recurring training in engine-out scenarios.
 
How far out of the box do you want to go? What about rotorcraft?
 
Wow your mind wanders, like mine does haha. Careful not to share your thoughts with your doctor, therapist or the FAA, they might classify you with a disorder and take away your medical.

Rotorcraft and glider both seem fun but involve quite a bit of time to get it done with. Easier options are seaplane rating like you mentioned, but how’s the weather right now for you?

I thought about CFI but I don’t think I’d use it, except for complex endorsements and flight review. I enjoy flying but I want to keep it at that and not be attached to students through an entire rating especially when I’m not that close to the airport. Let’s see my opinion may change later.
 
EdFred said:
And then she probably petitioned to get her own ruling changed.
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For me, the stupidest part isn't the conclusion that a FI certificate exam doesn't count to skip the BFR. That part is stupid, for sure, and I'm glad they fixed it with a regulation amendment. But the stupidest part is the suggestion that pilots ask the examiner to provide a BFR during the exam. The BFR requires 1 hour of ground instruction plus 1 hour of flight instruction. Has anyone ever asked a DPE to sign your logbook to show that he gave you instruction? The last examiner I flew with repeated several times that I was free to learn during the exam but he wasn't allowed to teach me anything.

lsaway said:
How far out of the box do you want to go? What about rotorcraft?
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I think that's too far outside the financial planning box this time around, although I can see going outside the fixed-wing box in the future. :)

RussR said:
I also agree with @Brad Z 's recommendation that since you're multi-rated, you do your flight review in a multi. Too many multi-rated pilots get too little recurring training in engine-out scenarios.
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I agree with @Brad Z and you on this. I am leaning toward a simulator recurrent training for the multi, though, because in the sim they can do things to you that are too dangerous in the plane. I think that an appropriately-rated simulator can be used for the BFR so I've reached out about this option. If I do a straight BFR, this would be my first choice.

Your suggestion about getting into a new type of plane would be my second choice. I have one whole hour in a Cessna 172 and always feel like I should have more than that. Another thing I've wanted to do but the weather hasn't cooperated with is get some lessons in ski flying so I can have at least a landing or two behind my belt when I strap the skis I got onto the J-3. (Pro tip: If you buy skis for your plane, it will not really snow again during your natural lifetime.)
 
mandm said:
Rotorcraft and glider both seem fun but involve quite a bit of time to get it done with. Easier options are seaplane rating like you mentioned, but how’s the weather right now for you?
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I was thinking about doing a destination flight training for the seaplane. Jack Brown has me on their cancellation list for the winter, but they report that I can't do it in the J-3. I've lost some weight this year but have a way to go before I fit their 190 lb limit. Oh well, I've always wondered how a Super Cub would feel.
 
The issue with those destination flight trainings is aircraft, instructor and DPE availability. I couldn’t get in any of them and when I did the day before it was cancelled due to mx.
 
iamtheari said:
I was thinking about doing a destination flight training for the seaplane. Jack Brown has me on their cancellation list for the winter, but they report that I can't do it in the J-3. I've lost some weight this year but have a way to go before I fit their 190 lb limit. Oh well, I've always wondered how a Super Cub would feel.
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I'm looking at Jack Brown's as well. I'm interested in Commercial and unless it's an oversight, their website lists commercial for the PA-18 and the C-172 but not the J-3.
 
jsstevens said:
I'm looking at Jack Brown's as well. I'm interested in Commercial and unless it's an oversight, their website lists commercial for the PA-18 and the C-172 but not the J-3.
Click to expand...

Commercial training requires a complex airplane or a TAA. A J-3 seaplane is not a complex (no flaps or constant speed prop) and is not likely to be a TAA. ;)
 
Last edited:
RussR said:
Commercial training requires a complex airplane or a TAA. A J-3 seaplane is not a complex (no flaps or constant speed prop) and is not likely to be a TAA. ;)
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That's what I figured, but I didn't look up the details yet. Thanks for the clarification.
 
jsstevens said:
That's what I figured, but I didn't look up the details yet. Thanks for the clarification.
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Yeah, but on further reflection, my answer is woefully incomplete. Presumably most people would be doing the seaplane as an add-on to their commercial, not as an initial. And in that case, a complex aircraft is not required, as it is not required for the check ride anyway, and no training would need to be done in one.

So it's possible that Brown's just hasn't updated their website or syllabus since that change was made (which has been a few years now). I DO think you could do it in a J-3 as an add-on.
 
RussR said:
Commercial training requires a complex airplane or a TAA. A J-3 seaplane is not a complex (no flaps or constant speed prop) and is not likely to be a TAA. ;)
Click to expand...
Time in a complex or TAA is required to get a commercial certificate. Whether the SES is an add-on or a new commerical certificate, that time needn't be in a complex/TAA seaplane, nor is one required for the check ride.
 
RussR said:
Commercial training requires a complex airplane or a TAA. A J-3 seaplane is not a complex (no flaps or constant speed prop) and is not likely to be a TAA. ;)
Click to expand...

That was my first thought too, but it would be rare for a PA18 to have a constant speed prop. But maybe the one in question does?
 
My last “BFR” was a Seaplane Rating. DId it at Flying Fish near St Louis. Great experience, so much so I have an Aventura HP Amphibian Kit on order.

Seaplane or Glider seem like a great idea. I probably take the Glider route next time.

Cheers
 
The poll doesn't have tailwheel or backcountry or mountain flying. Also you can't choose more than one. I just completed my 8th BFR, and one of those included a Seaplane rating. I have considered a tailwheel endorsement but I don't need one yet, so I have used my BFR to get better at flying my own bird. I like grass strips so I try to have my BFR focus on the skills I need for that stuff. It makes the larger strips look easy.
 
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