Good to Go for Another Two Years

February is drawing to a close and I crossed two things off my to-do list: my flight review and my CFI renewal. As an added bonus I got to fly a pretty cool plane.

Pilot certificates never expire but pilot privileges can. In order to act as pilot-in-command, all pilots must accomplish a flight review within the past 24 calendar months. Several things substitute as a flight review, such as passing a pilot checkride. Checkrides have almost always prevented me from needing a flight review. But with no fresh ratings on my certificate lately, I was due this month.

I could have demonstrated my expertise in flying a 172 almost with my eyes closed, but I thought hey, why not do something a little more interesting. So I took advantage of CFI Doug's offer of tailwheel time and did my flight review in a super-fun, crazy-high-performing 180-HP Citabria. (Thanks Doug!) A strong, gusty crosswind was plenty to test my coordination skills. I didn't have to do the normally required ground training of the flight review because I just got done renewing my flight instructor certificate.

Unlike pilot certificates, which have no expiration date, flight instructor certificates expire 24 calendar months after they are issued. We need to renew before the certificate expires or else take a practical test (checkride), either for one of the ratings already listed on the certificate or a new rating. Taking a checkride is about the last thing most of us want to do, so instructors generally renew their certificates an easier way, even if they aren't actively instructing.

Although there are a few lesser-known exceptions such as becoming a NAFI Master Instructor, the FAA regulations give us four main options to renew an unexpired CFI certificate:

1. Retake and pass the checkride for one of the ratings already listed on the certificate (yikes, not fun), OR, pass a checkride for an additional rating, like I did in 2006 when I took the CFI-instrument checkride.
2. Endorse at least five people for checkrides in the past 24 calendar months, and have at least 80 percent of them pass. Although I'm reasonably active, the high dropout rate among students means this sadly hasn't been an option for me.
   
3. Serve as a check airman, chief flight instructor, airline flight instructor, or some other leadership position regularly evaluating pilots.
   
4. For the rest of us, there's the option to take a Flight Instructor Refresher Course (FIRC) in-person or online. It's at least 16 hours of ground training either way.
   

The online FIRC is best for me, so that's what I did in 2008 and again now. Both times I went with the AOPA Air Safety Foundation course offered through Jeppesen.

So after hours of reading and a whole bunch of quizzes, and getting my paperwork together and notarized and sent in, I'm able to keep doing what I do best for another two years.

A Random Repeat

Of all the thousands of distant airports I could visit by random chance, what are the odds of ending up at the same western Minnesota airport twice? When I flew an Ercoupe to Montana in the summer of 2006, bad weather forced me to make an unplanned stop in Alexandria, Minnesota. Well it turns out Alexandria is home to some experts on the Bellanca Viking series of aircraft, and my hangar-neighbor Doug just happens to own a Viking that needed to be dropped off there. So for today's mission, Jim and I followed him there and brought him back.


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Jim did the flying and I rode along. We took off from Brennand Airport in 15X, the Cessna 172. Then Doug took off in his Viking. After a few minutes I saw him zooming past us at practically twice our speed. I figured he'd be sitting in the pilot's lounge in Alexandria long before we would even hit the state border! He radioed, "What's your ground speed?" I hadn't yet turned on the handheld GPS, so all I could say was, "Uhhh...." and wish he could tow us.

We flew through some flurries around the Waupaca area, and then it was fine to the west but turbulent the whole time. The wind was somewhat strong on the ground so we got bumped around a bit over the hills on approach to Eau Claire, our fuel and pit stop. I also stopped there in 2006 with the Ercoupe, so this trip was total deja vu except the ground was white.



I knew from NOTAMs that Alexandria's airport was going to be icy and slippery, but as we flew in, I couldn't believe my eyes. I had never seen such thick ice coating an airport! The runway markings were under there..... somewhere! There was no traction anywhere, not even on the taxiways or ramp. I'm well-versed in handling planes on glare ice, so I knew we'd be OK as long as we were careful, and we were. The hardest part was just getting out of the plane and walking around! Can't winter be over already?



After refueling, Doug joined us and we took off with the setting sun behind us. We had a tailwind on the way home and the air smoothed out a little. Two hours of the return trip were night flying. We stopped at Eau Claire again, this time to have a good steak dinner in the terminal restaurant. It was a long day but as always, it was fun to leave our home area and fly a trip.

2006...



2010