Anyone who intends to act as pilot in command must complete a flight review.
For command pilots, any Level 1 or higher certificated instructor. For instructors, the flight review will be conducted by their CFI or a Level 3 Instructor authorised by the RM/O. For CFIs and Deputy CFIs, a Level 3 Instructor assigned by the RM/O.
Yes, the reviewer is to complete the ‘Flight Review’ form generated by the GFA Online system and have this signed by the pilot. The original should be filed by the club’s CFI, and a copy given to the pilot to upload on their GFA profile.
No. The GFA is not notified of the outcome of your flight review where the instructor determines that you are not yet competent and remedial training is required. If the instructor conducting the flight review is unsatisfied with your performance, he or she will withhold the logbook endorsement until you can demonstrate proficient piloting abilities. The CFI of your Club will be notified.
The purpose of the review is to ensure that you continue to update and expand your skills as a pilot. You fly with an instructor who will assist you in improving your piloting abilities and make sure you’re up-to-date on current regulations, operating practices, and other subjects he or she deems appropriate. The goal is to make flying safer for everyone. Additionally, you would be in violation of GFA Operational Regulations if you acted as pilot in command after the expiration date of your flight review. All pilots need to maintain currency, in addition to scheduled flight reviews.
Flight reviews are valid for the period set by the reviewer up to a maximum of 24 months. Your flight review will remain current through to the end of the month that it expires.
Your pilot certificate is valid until surrendered, suspended, revoked, or you cease to be a member of the GFA. You must not act as pilot in command until you satisfactorily complete a flight review; however, you may act as second pilot.
No. You are acting as pilot in command during solo flight. Therefore, you need a current flight review.
Simple. Satisfactorily complete a flight review.
No. However, you cannot act as pilot in command until you have been issued with a valid medical certificate.
No. You may complete the flight review with a different instructor. However, using the same instructor may save time because that instructor should have already evaluated some areas as satisfactory.
No. There is no provision in the GFA Operational Regulations that permits an instructor to endorse a pilot’s logbook for solo flight following the expiration of a flight review.
You can ask, but he or she won’t likely agree to it. If you do so, recognise that you are asking the instructor to rely on memory of your previous flight(s) to ascertain whether, at that time, you met the criteria for the satisfactory completion of a flight review. Furthermore, endorsement of a flight review under those circumstances does not permit the instructor to evaluate and comment on your current flight proficiency and knowledge of the Regulations.
No. The satisfactory completion of a flight review allows you to exercise the privilege of pilot in command in all classes of gliders on your pilot certificate (e.g. sailplane or powered sailplane). However, recognising that flight characteristics of aircraft differ, many pilots elect to get flight reviews in each class held on their pilot certificate. Your assessing instructor may also require you to demonstrate competencies relevant to the class of operations you normally conduct, such as a short navigation exercise or a flight into controlled airspace for TMG pilots.
Yes. There is a requirement that you demonstrate your knowledge of the general operating and flight rules by taking an online examination. Upon completion of the online examination you will receive:
By completion of the online examination. Your instructor may also conduct an informal question-and-answer session with you.
The ‘Flight Review’ exams draw on the same questions (and answers) from the ‘A’, ‘B’ & ‘C’ Certificate and the Flight Radiotelephone exams that our GPC students have been answering for the past two years. These cover basic airworthiness, basic theory, flight rules and procedures, meteorology, airspace and altimetry, and radio procedures. In addition, we’ve added some Human Factors questions, and for the instructor exam we have added some questions around Instructor Theory and Practise.
The online ‘Exam Menu’ can be accessed via the ‘MyGFA’ tile in ‘GoMembership’. The exams are not time limited and can be done open book or researched online. The aim of the exam is to encourage pilots to get back into the books to refresh those things they may have forgotten.
There are multiple source documents in the Operations Section of the GFA Documents Library at THIS LINK, such as our Manuals and Human Factors Resources, or in the Manual of Standard Procedures document suite. There are also many online resources, including Regulatory information from CASA (e.g. CAAP 166-1, the Aeronautical Information Publications, the Civil Aviation Regulations, etc.) and Skybrary from the Flight Safety Foundation.
The pass mark is 70%; or 28 questions out of 40 for instructors and 25 questions out of 35 for non-instructor pilots. If a person fails the exam, they get the opportunity to sit another exam with different questions that they can take in their own time using references.
It does not matter if a person fails the exam. All exam participants will receive an email with their answers to each question, together with the correct answer. They can present this email to their instructor as evidence they took the exam, and their instructor can work with them to fill any knowledge gaps as part of their flight review.
Your logbook will be endorsed by the flight instructor who gave you the flight review.
The endorsement should read as follows:
“I certify that [Pilot’s Name], has satisfactorily completed a flight review in accordance with
GFA OAN 01/20 on [date]”.
[Signed] [Instructor’s name].
No. However, you must be able to produce evidence of a satisfactory flight review when asked by an appropriate authority.
Your CFI, an Operations Officer of the GFA, an authorised representative of the CASA, an authorised representative of the ATSB, or any state or local law enforcement officer. Additionally, you may be asked to show the evidence to the instructor supervising operations at a gliding site you intend to fly from.
