Sincerely,
Ernie
Greetings Ernie:
Strange as this may sound, your flight review applicant can't legally fly by himself (much less with passengers) until you provide the endorsement for the flight review. As it stands now, if this pilot has a private pilot certificate, he can't become a student pilot again. Therefore, he can't exercise student pilot privileges in the same category and class of airplane for which he is already rated. There is simply no practical way for someone in his position to obtain just enough proficiency to fly by himself or herself without carrying passengers. In other words, while it may seem reasonable to resolo a private pilot at student pilot proficiency levels with student pilot-like restrictions, the FAA makes no provision for this in the federal aviation regulations.
There is, however, one technical and oddball way this could be done, though it's not a route that I can see a lot of people actually taking. It involves the voluntary surrender of this person's pilot certificate for revocation. This would make the person a nonpilot and allow him to start over again. Yes, all his flight time would still be valid and apply toward the reacquisition of his private certificate. If someone attempted to voluntarily surrender his certificate for this reason, the FAA would probably make him take a drug test. Why? Because only someone under the influence would contemplate doing such a goofy thing.
The only other option is learning to fly an aircraft of a different category or class than the one in which the person is already rated. In other words, if the person in question has a single-engine land rating, he could train in a glider, helicopter, or even a multiengine land airplane. He would then be considered a student pilot and, after being signed off, could fly solo, though only in the new category or class while obtaining proficiency in this aircraft. Of course, this isn't necessarily practical, either.
The best thing for your flight review student is to train until you consider him proficient enough for a flight review endorsement.
Comprehending ATC Clearances
Dear Rod:
I'm having a lot of difficulty with a portion of my instrument training. I'm not able to understand all the verbiage that the controller uses when he clears me for an approach while I'm receiving radar vectors. All I hear is a stream of Mach One words, and my instructor expects me to understand them and repeat them all back. I can't. Any suggestions?
Sincerely,
Martha
Greetings Martha:
Yes, air traffic controllers always seems to wait for their caffeine to kick in before delivering the approach clearance. Never fear - all is not lost here. Part of the solution lies in anticipating what the controller will say when he or she gives you this clearance. An approach clearance usually contains at least the following items: aircraft identification, your position, a heading, an altitude, and the name of the approach for which you're cleared.
It can sound something like this: "Two-One-Three-Two Bravo is three miles from BECCI, turn left heading two seven zero, maintain 1,600 feet until established on the localizer, cleared for the ILS Runway 30 approach to Long Beach, contact the tower 119.4 at BECCI." Of course, it doesn't sound quite like that when the controller fails to breathe as he says it. This is especially true when the controller speaks at 60 with peak gusts to 90.
So, what does all this mean in this instance? At this stage of your development the clearance above means: Get on the thickest black line shown in the chart's plan view and go to the airport. The minimum that ATC expects you to read back is your identification and any altitude or heading assignments. So, you should at least say, "Two-One-Three-Two Bravo, 270 degrees and 1,600 feet." Once you become more comfortable with the approach clearance (and you will with practice) you should be able to repeat back the entire clearance by saying something like, "Two-One-Three-Two Bravo, 270 degrees, maintain 1,600 feet until established on the localizer, cleared for the approach, tower at BECCI."
Argumentative Pilots
Dear Rod:
I'm a 21-year-old flight instructor with a dilemma. I was recently approached by an older fellow who needed a flight review. This person is experienced, with more than 4,000 hours of flight time. He has been flying for nearly 30 years and owns his own airplane. While setting up our first meeting via phone, he indicated that he was sick and tired of flying with instructors who humiliate him and insist that he learn things that he considers unnecessary. He said that he never goes near big airports, airports with control towers, or complex airspace. Therefore, he didn't need to know anything about airspace or complex regulation. He also indicated that he didn't want the review to go over the minimum time of one hour on the ground and one hour aloft. He sounded real defensive on the phone. He also indicated that he has only a week left before his current flight review expires. I have yet to meet with him. What can I expect?
Thank you for your reply,
Jerry
Greetings Jerry:
You can expect trouble!
My take is that this fellow phone-fishes for CFIs that he can push around. When he finds one who seems sufficiently pliable, he sets the hook by setting a date for the review. His behavior seems peculiar, bordering on the paranoid, with the word victim stamped all over it. There's enough tragedy in his lament for him to star in his own country-western song (did you hear any violin music during his call?). The fact that he doesn't fly near bigger airports or in busy airspace is all the more reason why he needs to know about these things. Can you imagine how argumentative this person is likely to be when you begin discussing Class D airspace? I've run into only a few people like him over the years, and I can assure you that they are no fun to be with, much less teach.
In my mind, there are few things in aviation as offensive as an older, more experienced pilot who attempts to push around a young CFI. My advice is to ask yourself if you really want your name in this person's logbook. If you do, then identify your standards for the review in advance. Make it very clear what you expect of him and what he can expect of you. Also make it clear that you'll walk away from the review the moment that he deviates from these standards.
Safety Pilot Safety Issues
Dear Rod:
A friend of mine wants me to act as a safety pilot for him in his Mooney while he obtains the instrument experience necessary to be instrument current. I am private pilot, single-engine land rated. Most of my experience is in a Cessna 172. I don't have any high-performance or complex airplane time. Am I wrong in thinking that I need a high-performance and complex airplane endorsement in my logbook to act as a safety pilot? If I don't, would you consider this to be a safe thing to do?
Thank you for your time,
(No name provided)
Dear Pilot With Good Question:
No, you're not wrong in thinking that you can act as a safety pilot in a Mooney without a high performance and complex endorsement. It's perfectly legal to do so. In this instance, you'll be acting as a safety pilot (or second in command) and won't be acting as pilot in command. You only need the high-performance and complex endorsements to act as PIC. The regulations say that the safety pilot must possess at least a private pilot certificate with category and class ratings appropriate to the aircraft being flown. Since the Mooney is a single-engine-land airplane, you meet those requirements.
Not having a high-performance or complex endorsement doesn't mean you can't perform the duties of a safety pilot in a Mooney. There's nothing necessarily unsafe about being a safety pilot in this airplane. Obviously the same couldn't be said if you elected to act as a safety pilot in a helicopter (since you're not rated in a helicopter). There, you wouldn't know which chopper stick to move to maneuver that machine.
Rod Machado is a flight instructor, author, educator, and speaker. A pilot for 32 years and a CFI for 28, he has flown more than 8,000 hours and owns a Beech A36 Bonanza. Visit his Web site ( www.rodmachado.com ).
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