+--------------- | Sam Spade wrote: | > David Clayton wrote: | >> Put together a difficult, realistic test (you know, like the ones that | >> pilots have to do before being accredited to fly) ... .... | > Depends on the pilot. Private pilots are subject to minimal testing and | > some never seek further training after a fairly easy training course. | > Professsion pilots are a different matter (for good operators at least) | >>
| >> Such tests will need to be repeated every few years to ensure that the | >> skills are still there - no "licence for life" rubbish - which also | >> won't be cheap. | >
| > How about every six months like the professional pilots do? | | Whatever is reasonable, the whole concept that someone who passes a test | that is directly reliant on a set level of physical and mental skills at | one point in time and is then assumed to retain those skills forever is | absurd.
+---------------
In fact, even private pilots must pass a flight review[1] every two years in order to keep flying, per FAR 61.56 (quoted in [1]) which requires:
...a minimum of 1 hour of flight training and 1 hour of ground training. The review must include: (1) A review of the current general operating and flight rules of Part 91 of this chapter; and (2) A review of those maneuvers and procedures that, at the discretion of the person giving the review, are necessary for the pilot to demonstrate the safe exercise of the privileges of the pilot certificate.
[Note: Part 91 contains the bulk of the regulations applying generally to all pilots. Commercial pilots have to follow Part 135 (commercial) and/or Part 121 (air transport) regs as well.]
Plus, there are other rules regarding "currency of experience" in order to be legal for various types of flight operations. E.g., in order to carry *any* passengers a private pilot must have done at least three takeoffs & landings within the last three months [and if carrying passengers at night, the required TOs/landings must have been performed at night and to a "full stop" rather than "touch-and-go"s.] For instrument rated (IFR) pilots, there's a whole other set of currency requirements, etc.
Would that we had something a *tenth* as rigorous for automobile drivers!!
-Rob
[1] Used to be called the "Biennial Flight Review" (BFR) a.k.a. "beef-er", but was renamed a few years ago to simply "flight review", since different types of flight reviews are required for the different categories of licenses and flight conditions. For a
*very* good summary of the requirements, see:
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Pilot's Guide to the Flight Review [8 pages]
----- Rob Warnock
627 26th Avenue San Mateo, CA 94403 (650)572-2607