The role of the flight instructor during the review is to provide an evaluation. However, the instructor is not limited to this role and may provide specific instruction to an airman on any areas the instructor notes as being weak. This additional instruction does not preclude the pilot’s successful completion of the review as long as the deficiencies are corrected. If the additional instruction does not correct the deficiencies, and/or it becomes apparent to the instructor that additional flights will be necessary, the flight instructor should discuss the situation with the pilot and proceed accordingly.

Upon completion of the review, the flight instructor should complete the summary and evaluation portion of the flight review checklist (if used) and debrief the pilot. Whether or not the review was satisfactory, the flight instructor should provide the pilot with a comprehensive analysis of their performance, including suggestions for improving any weak areas. FAA-H-8083-9, Aviation Instructor’s Handbook, Chapter 5, The Teaching Process, provides specific suggestions for conducting the postflight evaluation discussion as a “collaborative critique.”

The FAA does not intend for the flight review to be a practical test. If the review is not satisfactory, the flight instructor should log the flight as “dual instruction given” and not as a “failure.” If the pilot does not perform well enough for the flight instructor to endorse the pilot for satisfactory completion of the flight review, the instructor should use the applicable ACS or PTS as the objective standard to discuss areas needing improvement, as well as areas where the pilot performed well. In this case, the flight instructor should offer a practical course of action—ground training, flight training, or both—to help the pilot under review to return to proficiency standards. The flight instructor should then recommend additional training in the areas of the review that were unsatisfactory. A pilot who does not receive an endorsement for a satisfactory flight review may continue to exercise the privileges of their certificate, provided that a period of 24 calendar months has not elapsed since the pilot completed at least one of the requirements that satisfies the flight review event as specified in § 61.56. However, a pilot may not act as PIC of an aircraft if that pilot’s flight review has elapsed.

When the applicant has successfully completed the review, the flight instructor should endorse the pilot’s logbook to certify that the pilot has satisfactorily accomplished the flight review. The flight instructor should make the endorsement for a satisfactory review in accordance with AC 61-65, Certification: Pilots and Flight and Ground Instructors. The flight and ground time must also be logged in the pilot’s logbook in accordance with § 61.51(a)(1).