Flight Reviews & Instrument Proficiency Checks
Personalized recurrent training built around safe, confident flying.
Flight Reviews
A flight review is an opportunity to refresh essential flying skills, strengthen aeronautical decision-making, and address areas that deserve additional attention. At Full Throttle Aero, the objective is not simply to satisfy a regulatory requirement—it is to help you return to the cockpit with greater confidence, consistency, and proficiency.
FAA requirements
- For most pilots acting as PIC, a flight review must have been completed within the preceding 24 calendar months, unless an applicable exception or alternative applies.
- The review includes a minimum of 1 hour of ground training and 1 hour of flight training.
- It includes a review of applicable Part 91 operating rules and maneuvers and procedures selected to demonstrate safe exercise of pilot privileges.
- An endorsement is issued when the reviewing instructor determines the pilot has satisfactorily completed the review; additional training may be needed.
What we'll focus on
- Aircraft systems, limitations, and preflight preparation
- Airspace, regulations, weather, and risk management
- Takeoffs, landings, aircraft control, and emergency procedures
- Cross-country planning and navigation, as appropriate
- Individual areas of proficiency based on your recent experience and flying goals
The one-hour ground and one-hour flight requirements are regulatory minimums, not a promise that every review can be completed in two hours. An FAA Wings phase or other qualifying event may satisfy the flight-review requirement in certain circumstances.
Instrument Proficiency Checks (IPC)
Instrument flying demands consistent proficiency, disciplined procedures, and sound judgment when visibility and outside references are limited. Our Instrument Proficiency Checks are designed to help instrument-rated pilots restore or verify their IFR proficiency through structured evaluation and targeted instruction.
When is an IPC required?
To act as PIC under IFR or in weather below VFR minimums, a pilot generally must satisfy the recent instrument-experience requirements of 14 CFR § 61.57(c), including the applicable six instrument approaches, holding procedures and tasks, and intercepting and tracking courses within the preceding six calendar months.
If a pilot fails to meet instrument recency requirements for more than six calendar months after that recency period expires, an IPC is required to reestablish instrument currency.
Other circumstances may also require an IPC under applicable rules.
IPC training and evaluation areas
- IFR flight planning, clearances, and departure procedures
- Instrument scan, aircraft control, and navigation systems
- Holding procedures and course interception/tracking
- Precision and nonprecision approaches, as applicable
- Missed approaches, abnormal procedures, and partial-panel or equipment-failure scenarios
- Weather decisions, workload management, and risk mitigation
The IPC is conducted to the applicable tasks and standards in the FAA Instrument Rating – Airplane Airman Certification Standards and may be completed in an appropriately equipped aircraft or qualifying training device where permitted. There is no universal fixed minimum number of IPC hours. Completion depends on demonstrating the required proficiency, and an endorsement is provided upon satisfactory completion.
Estimated Training Investment
Aircraft rental and instruction are billed according to the time used. These examples assume one hour of flight instruction and one hour of ground instruction, and illustrate a possible starting point for a flight review—not a fixed-price package or an IPC estimate.
| Aircraft | Wet aircraft / hr | 1 flight hr + instructor | Plus 1 ground hr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cessna 150 | $130 | $195 | $245 |
| Cessna 152 | $155 | $220 | $270 |
| Cessna 172 | $185 | $250 | $300 |
| Cessna 182 | $235 | $300 | $350 |
Instructor rates: $65 per flight hour and $50 per ground hour. Aircraft availability and suitability, including IFR equipment and maintenance status, must be confirmed. Additional flight, ground, or simulator time and any other fees are extra. IPC cost is quoted based on your proficiency, aircraft, and training needs.
What to Expect
- Discuss your flying experience. Tell us about your certificate and ratings, recent flight activity, aircraft, and goals.
- Build a focused plan. We'll identify the applicable review or IPC tasks and any additional proficiency areas you want to strengthen.
- Complete ground and flight work. We will review knowledge and evaluate skills with a safety-first, scenario-based approach.
- Document satisfactory completion. When all applicable requirements are met, you'll receive the appropriate logbook endorsement. If more training is needed, we'll outline the next steps.
Official Requirements & Resources
14 CFR § 61.56 — Flight review
14 CFR § 61.57 — Recent flight experience and IPC
FAA Airman Certification Standards
General educational information only. Applicability depends on your certificates, ratings, aircraft, and circumstances. FAA regulations and current guidance control.