Don’t Dread the Flight Review

Pilots should make it more than a lunch date and be prepared for the best results.

Meg Godlewski

Tuesday, July 15, 2025 at 09:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

Making a plan to stay proficient between flight reviews is an important step towards your overall safety and flying enjoyment. [Pixabay]

Key Takeaways:

Flight reviews are a mandatory 24-month requirement (per cFAR 61.56) for pilots to maintain currency and privileges, often dreaded but crucial for verifying skills.
Pilots should plan ahead by booking CFIs and aircraft well in advance (e.g., 2 months) and allotting sufficient time (e.g., 3 hours) to avoid feeling rushed during the review.
While new ratings, certificates, or the FAA WINGS program can substitute for a flight review, pilots undergoing one should study beforehand as instructors assess both flight skills and knowledge appropriate to their certificate; endorsement can be withheld if standards are not met, requiring additional instruction.

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There is something about the thought of doing a flight review that makes pilots cringe as though they are talking about a trip to the dentist.

Per cFAR 61.56, a flight review usually consists of at least an hour of ground and one of flight, which isn’t a lot in the grand scheme of things. Yet there are pilots who treat them with dread or look for a way to make it as painless as possible, such as the old “fly to lunch with my buddy who is a CFI, talk about flying for an hour, and get an endorsement” route.