The rule in one paragraph
To act as pilot in command you need a flight review within the preceding 24 calendar months (14 CFR 61.56). It is a minimum of one hour of ground instruction and one hour of flight training with a certified flight instructor, who signs your logbook when satisfied. It is not a test: there is no pass or fail and nothing is reported. People still call it the “biennial” or BFR, and so do we on our flight review page.
What the ground hour covers
- What changed since your last review. Airspace, weather products, ADS-B, the newer FAA guidance on things like preflight briefings and runway safety.
- Your flying. Where you go, what you fly, what you have not done in a while. The instructor tailors the flight to that, which is why an honest conversation here makes the next hour better.
- The parts of Part 91 you actually use. Currency rules, required equipment, fuel reserves, right of way, and the local procedures around Aero Valley Airport (52F) and the DFW Class B shelf.
What the flight hour covers
The regulation leaves the content to the instructor's judgment, so it depends on you. A typical review out of Aero Valley includes:
- Preflight and a proper takeoff briefing.
- Slow flight, power-off and power-on stalls, steep turns.
- Simulated engine failure and an emergency descent.
- Pattern work: normal, short-field and soft-field takeoffs and landings, and a go-around.
- Anything from the ground discussion that deserved a look, such as a diversion or a crosswind landing.
If you are rusty, say so. The instructor would rather spend the hour on what you need than on a checklist, and there is no penalty for needing a second flight.
Checklist for the day
- Pilot certificate and government photo ID.
- Medical certificate or BasicMed paperwork, current.
- Logbook, so the endorsement goes in on the spot.
- Headset if you have one; we have loaners.
- Your airplane's documents (airworthiness, registration, weight and balance) if you are bringing your own aircraft.
- Fifteen minutes early, and a note of anything you want to work on.
What it costs
Instructor time is $75 per hour with a two-hour minimum per session, which fits a review exactly: about $150 for the instructor. In your own airplane that is the whole bill. In one of our round-gauge Cessna 172s, add the $180 wet hourly rate (fuel included) for roughly $330 for a one-hour flight; the glass-panel airplanes are $195. If you plan to rent from us afterward, we can roll a rental checkout into the same session. See how our rates work.
Flight review or instrument proficiency check?
Instrument-rated pilots have a second clock. To fly IFR you need six approaches, holding, and intercepting and tracking courses within the preceding six months. Let that lapse and you have six more months to get current with a safety pilot; let that lapse and you need an instrument proficiency check with an instructor. An IPC can be combined with your flight review in one longer session, which is how most of our instrument pilots do it.
Booking
Call (940) 905-3090 or send a note with your certificate, how recently you have flown, and whether you are bringing an airplane. Reviews are scheduled seven days a week by appointment.