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3 Answers

Back into flying: Self-study

Asked by: 4351 views ,
Aircraft Systems, Airspace, Commercial Pilot, FAA Regulations

I'm a commercially rated pilot, who used to be a CFII. I had a job change 8 years ago that took me out of flying for a while. I'm making plans and saving the money I need to get current again. My goal is to join the CAP, maintain my currency, and network with other pilots. I'd like to eventually transfer back into a pilot career field. In the next few years, I may try to get my CFI/II back to help with that.

In trying to save ground review time (and money) with a CFI, I'm trying to figure out what I can self-study to be prepared for a BFR. I feel completely overwhelmed with all the knowledge I could put back into my head.

I did my initial training at a flight academy, and so we delved deep into almost every aspect of aviation. I'm talking memorizing frequency ranges for different navaids, diagramming aircraft components, and other such things. While knowing these things prepared us to be a professional pilot, I'm confused on what knowledge is required of a non-professional pilot.

What subjects should I be studying, and how indepth do I need to be?

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3 Answers



  1. Sam Dawson on Sep 25, 2012

    Go to faasafety.gov. They have a wide variety of free courses available that can help you review subjects you might feel you have forgotten, help you with subjects that may have changed (such as GPS), and generally help you review. Some of the courses are through the FAA, but many are through third parties such as AOPA’s ASF. Most are free, some have a cost but you are told upfront and some of those may be worth the cost depending on what you are doing.

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  2. MaggotCFII on Sep 26, 2012

    Take a look here:

    http://www.aopa.org/members/files/guides/getback.html

    AOPA’s Guide for getting back into flying.

    Welcome back!!

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  3. Pilot Mission on Oct 04, 2012

    Hey Jeremiah, we’ve got some great materials that will help you brush up on your piloting knowledge. These products were designed specifically for individuals like you, who desire to return to flying, as well as individuals who are just getting into flying.

    They’re designed to provide a broad, encompassing, overview of the aviation training curricula, and I’ve used them myself for BFRs and IPCs and come out just fine in the end!

    Here’s a special promo for you, and everyone else on this site, to get 25% off the products through our online store: CFI2012

    In light of your current situation, we’d recommend the following package- You can take the hardcopies with you anywhere, and have a digital backup as well!

    http://www.pilotmission.com/physical-products/complete-private-pak

    Check ’em out! Blue skies!

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