FAAST Wings program

[Doug G.]

It surprises me around here how little people know or make use of the Wings program. I just finished the basic level and set my biennial reviw back a year. (The date it gets set back to is the end of the month when you completed your Wings level.) With a flight or two with a CFI on a couple more topics I will be able to move it again. And...the little brass wings I have received will be suplemented with purdy silver ones. :-)

 

Is anyone else doing this? It makes sense to me because I keep working on my knowlege and skills instead of a one shot thing every two years.

[Tom Baker]

_{You make it sound like you are adding cumulative to the expiration of you flight review. In fact you are not adding you resetting the date for when the 24 calendar months start. If you are 1 year in I guess it would feel like adding a year. Tom}

[S3flyer]

I think it's a great program but don't seem to be able to find CFIs locally that share my view. I got tired of explaining how to do it and which requirements I was working on.

[Jim Meade]

I use the Wings program rather unenthusiastically. I liked the old one much better.

I have a buddy CFI and we go out and exchange training with each other. That keeps the cost down.

Perhaps the main reason I subscribe to the Wings program is that it can (no guarantee) reduce insurance premiums. My experience is that you have to ask the insurance company BEFORE or AT the application, not AFTER, for Wings to be considered in premium calculations. Other insurance companies may be different.

The new, internet centered Wings is awkward to understand and use for the person who doesn't do it often. If one does it often, it's not so bad.

I've found the "canned" courses they offer are not realistic to me.

Having said all that, I do use it and I recommend it. I just wish I could get more excited about it.

 

[CT4ME]

The idea is great and there are many good individual "courses", but like many things done by the FAA, the program is way too complicated. The previous version wasn't so bad, but the new one is just too convoluted. Of over 600,000 pilots, only about 17,000 have done some part of the Wings program (less than 3%). 'nuff said.

tim

[Doug G.]

Evidently my problem is that I am a rookie and didn't know the "old" program. I have a nearby CFI that is familiar with the plane and is willing to do the WINGS program, which is a real blessing since it is hard to find anyone who even understands Light Sport. Yes, I realize it is just spacing the review out over time and resetting the date, but I like the method. Besides that have you ever had a CFI give you a set of pin on wings for your biennial review? :-)

[rookie]

I’ve taken a slightly different approach. This year I decided to make my Flight Review an annual event rather than bi-annul. At least I will as long as I fly my LPA (little plastic airplane) to Arizona for the winter. Here I have Coppercity who not only know Light Sport but have extensive experience with the CT. At home few if any CFI’s are knowledgeable in LSA let alone the CT.

I also approach the review with a different attitude. Instead of thinking of it as a performance I have to do to be legal I review the type of flying I do and decide what areas would be most useful to me. Then I outline the objectives I have for the review, both ground school and flying.

In the past I put off the review as long as possible, this year I did it months before I was due and I’m already planning for and looking forward to next years.

Hadn’t thought of it until now but I bet instructors would prefer it this way.

[Doug G.]

That sounds a lot like the way the WINGS program works. There are three online courses and three in-air activities with a CFI. They expire after a year so you need to do this once a year.

I am not trying to be a salesman for the program, just saying it works for me and that a lot of folks don't seem to have a clue how it works around here.

[johngpilot]

it seems like a pretty good way to do it. In my opinion the CT's fly very much like a Cirrus ( less 50 Knots) so some of those CSIP's from Cirrus might be helpful. Get them to look at the plane a bit differently. It's one thing to fly when someone else foots the bill but they might enjoy the simplicity and feel of the CT..

[N751JM]

I am a fan of the WINGS program as a way to keep pilots involved in on-going proficiency vs. the every-2-year "dreaded" Flight Review. As a FAASTeam Rep I find that many CFI's do not understand it, or, more accurately, do not want to put the time in to understand it (although some do, of course). As one writer put it, it is a bit convoluted, but no worse than anything else from the Fed's we have to do (taxes, for example...) - I've found if I walk pilot's through it the first time they "get it" and can go from there. I like the discount that I get on my CFI Liability insurance, and the local flight school also offers "Wings Bucks" ($20) toward aircraft rental when you complete a Wings phase.

 

An added benefit for CFI's that actively participate is that you can renew your unexpired CFI certificate by providing Wings Flight activities to pilots: at least 15 Flight Activities with 5 different pilots in the last 2 years allows you to renew your CFI - that's how I did it last time. Might give your CFI some encouragement to get involved!

[CT4ME]

What's wrong with this picture...? You have the Cream-of-the-Crop, proven, intelligent CFIs and Pilots... "one-percenters" who've struggled through a very demanding program that few people are capable of doing.... who can't understand a program that they know will benefit them. It's just too complicated. Sure, given enough time and effort, it can be done. (but then, they will change it...). But it just stinks of Government Overcomplicatedness. We're all aware of the Government Programs that are meant to weed out half of the applicants by making the process so complicated. But FAAST/WINGS shouldn't be one of them.

It's like they hired someone who used to create the class catalogs for UCLA.

And, for safety's sake, you should be able to take the classes without registration. I've know many who've clicked on an interesting class, only to discover they have to get all enrolled before they can view the class. Maybe they don't want to do all the award tracking or apply for insurance discounts, but just want to increase their knowledge and safety? Why create barriers?

[Runtoeat]

Tim, you've described my attempt to use the Wings program. I am not a CFI but sat in on a FAA CFI renewal session recently and the Wings program was highly recommended. Afterwards, I went on the Wings website fully intending to complete the course. After spending an hour and seeing how much time it would take to fully understand what was required and then knowing the committment of time this would take, my decision was to just take the Flight Review once every two years. Another factor in my decision is that I often fly with my CFI and we always work on various "what if's" while going places in our CTs. Considering the fact I'm retired and probably have much more descretionary time to spend on this than a young person who's working and may also be managing a family, it is understandable that a fraction of pilots are taking part in the Wings program.

[Doug G.]

I'm not sure how much they improved the site, but they did an update a couple of months ago. I am tech savvy and did not find an issue. The toughest thing was finding out exactly how it changed your biennial flight review, but I tracked that down too. I suspect that there are a number of CFIs that would need to be educated on how this is supposed to work. And, you need to realize that it is meant to keep you involved so things expire after one year. I suspect if you can figure out your Garmin and Dynon you probably can do this too.

 

As far as things not be available, all you have to do is sign up and all the online courses are there for you. You don't have to do the flight stuff if you don't want you would just do your normal 2 year review. Of course, that won't affect insurance for you. I have done a ton more of the online courses than I needed and I know some of them will expire before I do the next phase of the flight portion. (I believe I simply have to do them over at that point. Not a big deal.)

 

It may be different from the CFI side, I wouldn't know. I do the Airman and AMT stuff.