United States pilot certificates do not expire. Once granted, they are given for life unless otherwise revoked. This does not mean however that the pilot is legally able to exercise the privileges of their certificate. To exercise the privileges of a pilot certificate, the pilot must be “current”. This requires a flight review to “renew” the privileges. These reviews can be conducted by FAA Certificated Flight Instructors, FAA Designated Pilot Examiners, or FAA staff Aviation Safety Inspectors. A flight review is required every 24 calendar months.
Find an instructor or an examiner who will be able to conduct a flight review. All United States certificated flight instructors and FAA Designated Pilot Examiners can conduct a flight review. These individuals can be found by contacting aviation training companies at a local airport or by reviewing a national database listing of instructor members with organizations such a the National Association of Flight Instructors to find a local instructor.
Conduct a flight review. A flight review will consist of at a minimum one hour of ground instruction and questioning and one hour of flight proficiency operations in an aircraft on which the pilot is certificated to act as pilot in command. The flight portion of this review will typically include multiple takeoffs and landings, review of aircraft stalling procedures and aircraft maneuvering. Ground portions of the review will typically cover regulatory requirements, aircraft systems reviews and airspace requirements along with a variety of other pilot knowledge areas.
Receive an endorsement. After completing the flight review, an endorsement is required in the pilot's logbook from the instructor or examiner who conducted the review. Without this endorsement the pilot's certificate is not considered current.
