Learn what an FAA flight review covers, its 24-calendar-month deadline, what counts instead, and why it does not renew passenger or IFR currency.
An FAA flight review is recurrent ground and flight training required for most pilots who act as pilot in command. It must normally be completed every 24 calendar months and include at least one hour of ground training and one hour of flight training, followed by an instructor’s logbook endorsement.
In our Aviation & Real-World Flying coverage, flight review means the US requirement in 14 CFR 61.56. Pilots still call it a biennial flight review or BFR, but the regulation simply calls it a flight review. Other countries use different recurrent-training and revalidation rules.
When is an FAA flight review due?
You need a valid flight review before acting as pilot in command once your previous review or qualifying substitute falls outside the preceding 24 calendar months. The requirement applies to exercising PIC privileges, not merely holding a pilot certificate or receiving training.
Calendar months matter. A review completed on 7 May 2026 remains valid through 31 May 2028, rather than expiring on 7 May. If it lapses, you cannot fly yourself to the review as PIC; an appropriately qualified instructor or another eligible pilot must assume that responsibility.
Your pilot certificate does not expire when the review lapses. The distinction between certificate validity and operational currency is covered in our explanation of FAA licence expiry and recency rules.
What happens during a flight review?
A flight review is tailored recurrent training rather than a fixed list of manoeuvres. The authorised instructor must cover two minimum elements:
- At least one hour of ground training: This includes a review of the current general operating and flight rules in Part 91. Expect discussion of airspace, weather decisions, aircraft limitations and regulations relevant to the flying you actually do.
- At least one hour of flight training: The instructor selects the manoeuvres and procedures needed to judge whether you can exercise your privileges safely. A typical review may include take-offs, landings, slow flight, stalls, navigation, emergencies and automation management, but no single profile fits every pilot.
- A satisfactory endorsement: The review is complete only when an authorised instructor endorses your logbook. Merely logging an hour of ground and an hour in the aircraft does not satisfy the rule.
The two hours are minimums, not a promised finishing time. A rusty pilot, an unfamiliar aircraft or demanding operations such as night or instrument flying may justify a longer review. The common mistake is booking exactly two hours and expecting an automatic endorsement.
A review can normally be completed in any aircraft for which the pilot is rated; the FAA does not require a separate review for every make and model. It is still sensible to use an aircraft and operating environment relevant to your planned flying. Glider pilots have a specific provision allowing three qualifying instructional glider flights in place of the one-hour flight minimum.
Is a flight review a checkride?
No. A flight review is not an FAA practical test and has no formal pass-or-fail result, but the instructor can issue the endorsement only after finding your performance satisfactory.
If you are not ready, the instructor records the training received and arranges further work. There is no notice of disapproval like the one associated with a failed practical test. This makes the review a useful opportunity to correct weak areas, but it does not make the endorsement automatic.
Events that can replace a flight review
Several qualifying FAA events can satisfy the flight-review requirement or alter what must be completed.
| Event | Effect on the flight review |
|---|---|
| Qualifying practical test or pilot proficiency check | Can satisfy the requirement when it falls within 14 CFR 61.56(d) and was completed during the applicable 24-calendar-month period. |
| Completion of an FAA pilot proficiency award programme phase | Qualifying completion can substitute for a flight review. |
| Instrument proficiency check or aircraft checkout | Does not automatically count. It can be combined with a flight review when all flight-review requirements are covered and the correct endorsement is made. |
| Flight instructor certificate renewal | Does not automatically replace the entire review. A qualifying renewal can remove the one-hour ground-training requirement, but not necessarily the flight portion. |
Student pilots actively undergoing training are treated separately when operating with the required current solo endorsements. Airline, military and other professional proficiency checks may also qualify, but pilots should confirm that the particular check meets the wording of the regulation rather than assuming any recurrent course counts.
Currency a flight review does not renew
A flight review restores only the general flight-review requirement for acting as PIC. It does not by itself renew or establish:
- Passenger-carrying currency, including the separate night take-off and landing requirement.
- Instrument currency or an instrument proficiency check.
- A medical certificate or BasicMed compliance.
- A missing tailwheel, complex or high-performance endorsement.
- An insurer, flying club or operator checkout.
- Aircraft-specific recurrent training or proficiency checks required by another rule.
These requirements may be completed during the same flying when the instructor covers each standard and records the appropriate endorsements, but one entry should never be assumed to satisfy everything.
Can a flight simulator count?
A consumer flight simulator cannot by itself satisfy an FAA flight review. Microsoft Flight Simulator, X-Plane, Prepar3D and home cockpits are useful for rehearsing procedures, instrument scans and checklists, but that practice receives no flight-review credit.
FAA rules permit certain approved full flight simulators or flight training devices in a qualifying approved course, subject to specific conditions. A device being advertised as FAA-approved does not make an informal home or club session acceptable; the device, course, instructor and resulting endorsement must all meet the regulation.
Preparing for the review
Good preparation lets the instructor spend time evaluating real proficiency rather than reconstructing your records or reteaching forgotten rules.
- Confirm the due date: Check the date of your last review, qualifying practical test, proficiency check or recognised proficiency-programme phase.
- Describe your intended flying: Tell the instructor about the aircraft, airspace, day or night operations and VFR or IFR work you plan to undertake.
- Refresh the regulations: Review Part 91, aircraft limitations, local airspace and the procedures most relevant to your normal operations.
- Allow enough time: Do not plan around the statutory two-hour minimum, especially after a long break from flying.
- Check the endorsement: Before leaving, make sure satisfactory completion is recorded and dated correctly. Our guide to recording flight training and endorsements explains what belongs in a pilot logbook and why the instructor’s entry matters.