After the FAA Military Competency Exam..

[Biff]

Does anyone here happen to know the answers to these questions? I just recently graduated UPT and passed the FAA test, but I'm not sure where I need to pick up....

1) Do I need a new flying class III physical if my old one is out of date or will my military physical suffice?

2) How about a biennial flight review? I'm guessing I will need another one if I'm oustide the window to exercise my PPL, right?

3) Does a "military checkout in a T-34C" (as is stamped in my military logbook) fill the requirements for a complex and high performance logbook endorsement?

4) And lastly, does all the instrument approaches I accomplished while in UPT qualify for the instrument currency prescribed in the FAR/AIM as long as they are within the past six months?

 

[Snoopy58]

Biff,

If you just want to HAVE the comercial-multi certificate, you don't need to do anything else. If you want to FLY in the civillian world with it, then you WILL need a civillian class I/II/III flight physical (unless you only want to fly with an instructor, in which case he can act as PIC & you don't need one). Some flight docs used to be able to give you the FAA physical at the same time, but it's rare-to-never anymore.

BFR, yes, you'll need one of those in your logbook to do PPL flying.

As to 3. and 4., my guess would be "yes" to both, but I'll defer to someone with more CFI wisdom than I on that score.

Cheers!

 

[korn]

FARs

First, you have to visit your local FAA FSDO and turn in the paper work. Then, you'll need a Class II to exercise your commercial privileges or a Class III for private privileges.

FAR 61.56 says that you don't need a BFR if you are getting regular proficiency checks in the military.

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From FAA.GOV:

(c) Except as provided in paragraphs (d), (e), and (g) of this section, no person may act as pilot in command of an aircraft unless, since the beginning of the 24th calendar month before the month in which that pilot acts as pilot in command, that person has--

[ . . . ]

(d) A person who has, within the period specified in paragraph (c) of this section, passed a pilot proficiency check conducted by an examiner, an approved pilot check airman, or a U.S. Armed Force, for a pilot certificate, rating, or operating privilege need not accomplish the flight review required by this section.
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High Performance and Complex endorsements require an endorsement from an authorized instructor.....nothing about military instruction. I'd ask for an opinion at the FSDO. There is a specific mention in the same section (61.31) on a military exemption for the pressurized aircraft endorsement.

Approaches in military aircraft should update your civilian currency.

Korn

 

[Tweetdrvr]

Your approach work counts, as long as you also meet the holding and course intercepts.

Your T-34/T-37 is high perf time, your T-1/38/44 is your pressurized training.

That being said, no FBO is going to rent you an airplane without a rental checkout due to their insurance requirements. So if you are trying to rent a plane with retractable gear and or more than 200HP, they will probably have a total time requirement, a high perf TT requirement, and maybe time in that particular type of plane. If you are out for an airline job or corporate flying, then the company will have a training program that will reaccomplish your high altitude stuff. Most all of this is driven by insurance companies and lawyers.

I would probably go ahead and get the BFR signed off as part of your rental checkout. I have had some discussion with other CFIs who are also mil pilots and there are disagreements about the military competency check satisfying the need for a BFR. If you are flying a multi-engine, IFR to the max extent practical, transport, does your every 12-18 month Form 8 really satisfy the intent of flying single engine VFR bugsmashers? Some say because it isn't single-engine then no, but my answer is that F-16 guys aren't flying VFR either. I would say that because of the type of flying operation, T-6 and T-34 instructors do not need BFRs. Besides, how many pieces of paper are you really wanting to carry around to prove you don't have to have that endorsement in your log book? From a safety standpoint, having someone go over the rules for VFR and airspace and discussing the fine points of props, mixture and carb heat is probably not a bad thing if you are the kind of person who had only 60-80 hours civilian time before mil training and doesn't fly very much outside the military. If you get a FSDO to answer your questions and they give you an answer that you like, get it in writing because the opinions can vary by location.

Good luck and fly safe!

 

[Pistlpetet]

Depending on your sitution..Remember the FSDO is going to check and see that you have Logged 10hours of PIC time with in the past 12 months.

You will also need to download FAA form 8710 (application for certificate) to give them.

No Medical Certificate required to get your license.

BFR FAR 61.56 Par (D)

A person who has, within the period specified in paragraph C of this section (24 months), passed a pilot proficiency check conducted by an examiner, an approved pilot check airman, or a US Armed Force, for a pilot certificate, rating, or operating privedlege need not accomplish the flight review required by this section.

Whether you feel that you are safe to fly a 172 after flying a C-5 is up to you and the person who owns the airplane.

 

[Biff]

Post FSDO visit

After asking all these questions with the FSDO in OKC today, I figured it'd be beneficial to post the answers here....

Military physicals do not suffice for a Flying Class physical. the only people who can issue these are either military or civilian doctors who have permission from the FAA to issue these.

As a few of you mentioned, FAR 61.56 (D) allows the pilot to use a military proficiency check to substitute a BFR. I was told, for me, that this date is the date I graduated UPT. However, it's strictly up to the FBO whether or not they will honor this or require you to peform a BFR in a GA aircraft to satisfy their rental policy.

The "military checkout in a T-34C" stamp in my military logbook is a complex and high performance endorsement. I was told to xerox it and place it in my GA logbook for the endorsement. Although, I think that I could probably find a CFI to write the endorsement into my logbook once I show him (or her) how many hours I have in the T-34C and demonstrate my competency in a complex/high performance airplane.

Finally, my instrument currency also starts from the day I graduated UPT. Hence, during the next six months I will need to accomplish the required number of instrument procedures to retain the currency. The FSDO examiner also informed me that as long as my instrument proficiency stays current in the military, I would be current as far as the FARs are concerned.

I hope some of this cleared up some confusion for you. It sure as heck did for me.

 

[Pistlpetet]

With regards to the military physical.....If you have a flight surgeon that is an FAA Medical Examiner, he can give you a second class FAA medical certificate. Usually if you have a valid military physical he will just sign it off.

Also, I have had friends get free medicals from civilian docs when they found out they were military pilots. One thought it was patriotic to give to him for free.