Wed Sep 04, 2002 8:22 am
#1075
Yup did it in July at Plymouth, Mass. Went OK but took two sessions......
1. The ground school (at least 1 hr the book says). Spent just over the hour chatting to instructor, mainly about differences in airspace between UK and US. He seemed more interested in UK airspace & maps than he did in me, though I suspect he was feeling out my aviation knowledge by the ways in which he steered his conversation. But note that the approach to ground school could be entirely different at another flight school or indeed with another instructor - they can, if they wish, set you a written test or quizyou more formally on various aviation aspects. There's a Big Book called the (I think) FAAAR or FAIR or something which I'd bought on a previous trip, as well as a pamphlet (50 pages) on the biennial, which I'd read up previously.
Hot topics seemed to be airspace regulations & VFR clearance from clouds & viz in the various classes, plus incursion awareness (eg knowing the airfield signs & not taxying out onto runways). We also discussed the performance & capacities of the aircraft I would be flying (C172).
2. Flight sessions. We had to do a second session because the viz got too bad for upper air work. First session was mainly in the circuit, pulling off various landings & T/offs, (short, soft field, flapless, xwind, etc). He tried a little distraction by getting me into a conversation on 9-11 so as to see how I coped with the workload, and he pulled an engine failure on late downwind on me.
Second session was tight turns, stalls in various flap configs and a bit of slow flying. Other BFRs have included figure of eights and turns around a point to test my speed, attitude & situational awareness but not this time.
Be aware that you'll be paying for instructor ground time as well as aircraft time. Whatever, I'm now cleared to fly C172s at Plymouth anytime and would certainly go back there for my next BFR.
----- Worth noting - a year back, I went on a business trip to LA, and intended to do my BFR whilst there. I was short on time, but booked a ground and air session at a little outfit north of LA. When I arrived, the instructor indicated that the ground session would be intensive and would include a written exam. Because I hadnt revised well enough, I declined and just had a pleasure trip instead with him, but that was what prompted me to buy the FAA book and pamphlet, so as to arrive in a more knowledgeable state.
