Back in the left seat? Get your radio back first.

A pilot certificate doesn't expire, but under 14 CFR 61.56 you can't act as pilot in command without a flight review in the preceding 24 calendar months, and the part everyone finds rustiest is the radio. The words come back faster than you think, in the right order and at the right pace, if you say them out loud before you're on a busy frequency. This refresher is built from the AIM and practiced at your own airport.

Fly a refresher flight Free radio check first

What has to be current, and what doesn't

Your certificate is good for life, and for flights inside the US the FCC requires no radio operator permit. What lapses is the flight review: at least an hour of ground and an hour of flight training with an instructor, within the preceding 24 calendar months. A practical test, proficiency check or a completed phase of the FAA's WINGS program in that time counts instead.

The initial call, in the AIM's order

Who you're calling, who you are, where you are, what you want, and the ATIS code. Returning pilots usually remember the pieces and lose the order. Practice the shape until it's automatic again.

Readbacks a controller will accept

Runway assignments, hold short instructions, altitudes, headings and frequencies all get read back, with your call sign. The common rusty-pilot mistake is "roger" where a readback is required. TowerTalk grades every readback and shows the wording it compared you with.

Non-towered fields: CTAF and self-announce

If you learned at a towered field and are coming back at a non-towered one, or the other way round, the calls are different. Position reports in the pattern, announcing on CTAF, and listening before you transmit all get a run-through.

Flight following, squawks and hand-offs

Requesting VFR flight following, reading back a squawk, answering a traffic advisory and switching to the next controller are the en-route calls that go quiet first. They're in the refresher.

Your airport, today's weather

Pick your own airport from 4,717 public-use fields, with its real frequencies and the current METAR. The controller answers what you actually said, so your mistakes surface on the ground.

How it works

1
Check
Find the date of your last flight review.
2
Read
Skim AIM 4-2 and the Pilot/Controller Glossary entries you use.
3
Practice
Fly your usual calls out loud and read the grading.
4
Review
Book the flight review with the radio already back.

Frequently asked

Does my pilot certificate expire if I stop flying?

No. But 14 CFR 61.56 says you may not act as pilot in command unless you've completed a flight review within the preceding 24 calendar months, so after a long break the review is the first step back. Medical certificates and currency for passengers have their own rules.

Do I need a radio license to fly again?

Not for flights inside the US: the FCC requires no Restricted Radiotelephone Operator Permit for domestic VHF use. It is required for international flights, along with an aircraft radio station license.

What is a flight review?

Under 14 CFR 61.56 it is at least an hour of ground training and an hour of flight training with an authorized instructor, covering the current part 91 rules and the maneuvers the instructor considers necessary. There is no pass or fail grade; the instructor endorses your logbook when satisfied.

Has the phraseology changed since I learned?

The AIM is updated regularly, so read Chapter 4 Section 2 again rather than relying on memory. The Pilot/Controller Glossary is where the exact meaning of each instruction lives.

How long does the radio take to come back?

For most returning pilots, a handful of sessions of saying their usual calls out loud and correcting what the grading flags. The knowledge is usually still there; it's the fluency that needs the reps.

Make your first call back somewhere it doesn't matter

Free to start. Fly your usual calls at your own airport and find out what's rusty before a controller does.

Start the refresher free