Refresher Training
   Many pilots leave aviation for months or even years at some point in their flying career. Money, family obligations, and other interests intervene on a pilot's ability to keep flying. But many of these pilots want to go back to it, but don't know where to go for that 'brush up' training they need.
   Most pilots are surprised at how quickly their skills return when they start flying again, even after many years of disuse. For most pilots, 3-10 hours of instruction are plenty to get back into the swing of things, learn the changes that have taken place during their layoff years, and feel comfortable flying their friends and family again. Call me to get started.

Biennial Flight Reviews (BFR)
   To remain current, pilots are required to participate in a BFR every 24 months. The BFR consists of a minimum of 1 hour of ground review and 1 hour of flight time with a CFI, during which the pilot and instructor discuss areas of concern to the pilot and maybe sharpen a skill or two that may have gone stale since the last review. 
   The BFR is not a test, but a friendly review of the pilot's flying habits. Most every pilot knows he's weak in one area or another.  For some, flying into an unfamiliar controlled airport causes the acid to start flowing. Others try to avoid crosswinds. Still others start to sweat when they fly into a mountain airport in high-density altitude conditions. Whatever the area of concern, the BFR is the perfect time to address it and learn something. You've got to spend the time anyway, so you might as well do something challenging while you've got a CFI with you, right? Need a BFR? Call me and let's do it.

Instrument Proficiency Checks (IPC)
   If you want to exercise the privileges of your Instrument Rating but have not met the requirements for recency of experience (6 instrument approaches, holding procedures, intercepting and tracking courses through the use of navigation systems within the preceding 6 months, or 6 months thereafter), you must get an Instrument Competency Check with a CFII or other qualified check pilot/instructor.
   These "comp checks" are generally more rigorous than a BFR, since the instructor or check pilot is attesting that the pilot is fully qualified and competent to operate in the complex national airspace system under Instrument Flight Rules. That's a major responsibility for the person conducting the IPC, and most take it very seriously.
   Your IPC will include a short cross country flight to a neighboring airport served by an instrument approach procedure. You'll be asked to conduct the flight as a 'real world' experience, and pilots should plan to do the following:

1. Get a standard weather briefing before the IPC begins;
2. Do a thorough IFR preflight inspection prior to the IPC;
3. Plan a flight to either Stockton or Sacramento Executive Airport;
4. Review all chart and plate symbols and be ready to explain them;
5. Review the appropriate sections of the FAR Parts 61 and 91 as they pertain to instrument flight;
6. Explain basic emergency procedures during the departure, enroute, and approach segments of the flight, including mechanical failures and lost communication procedures;
7. Conduct the flight in accordance with all FARs and common safety practices;
8. Demonstrate competent radio communication procedures;
9. Demonstrate proper use of checklists and safety procedures;
10. Perform at least two instrument approaches, with one under "pilot navigation" to a published missed approach, and one to a full stop;
11. Explain and demonstrate holding procedures, both at VORs/intersections or GPS waypoints (if aircraft so equipped);
12. Discuss the concept of Personal Minimums and explain how these minimums lead to good decision making (ADM).

The IPC should take about 1 hour on the ground and 1 -1.5 hrs in the air. More time may be needed if problem areas are uncovered. The IPC is meant to be an instructional and educatiional experience for the pilot as well as a review of current skills and abilities.

For more information, or to schedule an IPC, call me or drop me an email.