Private BFR
By way of intro I'm a 47 year old VFR, single engine, Private rated pilot, I currently rent a C172 SP, but have flown Piper Cherokee and Arrow (complex is not current) I've been flying for 10 years, typically local flights of 50 - 100 miles, have approx 300 hours of total time, which means that I do not fly may hours a year. When child #1 came I flew every 4-6 weeks approx, when child # 2 came along it went to flying every 6-8 weeks. I keep it safe by flying to same 4-5 local airports, my opinion is safe flying is a function of decision-making as much as knowledge and skill. I stick to good VFR weather, no night flying recently as I do not feel comfortable enough to attempt, but I have approx. 50 hours of night flying. When my frequency improves I will slowly get back into night VFR.
This looks like a CFI forum, but I need some free advice on a recent BFR. I went up with a young guy recently graduated from a top rated school. The flying went Ok the first 1.3 hours, I had not been up for 7 weeks and the rust was there, after landing we did an hour of ground which went well as I'm not a steel trap with all of the FARs. We booked another trip about 10 days later and re did all of the practical maneuvers - stalls, steep turns, emergency landing. Landed with both parties in a good mood, then CFI proceeds to second ground lesson which was not expected - this went less well - asked me to complete a checkout quiz on 172 SP, which I did previously, and finally manual computation of weight and balance. I challenged this part of the ground as not real flying - there are many online tools for weight and balance, and flight planning and others - all pilots use the tools available. I left the ground and went home.
Later I protested to his boss and other CFI that I knew. His boss offered a free ground to close the BFR which I'm doing soon. Question to the group - do Private Pilots get any credit, for lack of a better word, for 10 years of safe consistent flying? Or is the BFR a reset back to the FAA written and oral? Is manual computation of the old standards like flight plan or weight and balance useful or realistic?
Thanks in advance,