TOMATO FLAMES? Are you kidding? I’m sitting with my friend and CFI Paul Sallach in the restaurant at the Inn at Furnace Creek in Death Valley, California, nibbling on a turkey BLT while doing the ground portion of my flight review, what people used to call a biannual flight review. All is well thus far. I know my airspace and cloud clearances. I know what I need to know about sunset, sunrise and the beginning and end of civil twilight. And I’ve got all the buttons, switches and functions of the Cirrus Perspective by Garmin avionics suite dialed in. But TOMATO FLAMES? Seriously?
Back In the Saddle
Key Takeaways:
- A pilot returned to flying after a seven-year hiatus, choosing a familiar Cirrus SR22 for his flight review to ease the transition back into the cockpit.
- The review emphasized adapting to modern "NextGen" aviation technology, including iPad-based flight apps like Garmin Pilot, which significantly enhance situational awareness with features like synthetic vision and ADS-B.
- Despite initial rustiness with basic maneuvers and regulatory knowledge (e.g., the "TOMATO FLAMES" VFR equipment acronym), the pilot successfully regained proficiency and confidence through rigorous ground and flight training.
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