Originally Posted by
jarhead1
... Do Private Pilots get any credit, for lack of a better word, for 10 years of safe consistent flying?...
No not really, it is not an insurance rate we are talking about. The only payoff is you are safe all that time.
...Or is the BFR a reset back to the FAA written and oral?...
No it's not that either but any topic is fair game. The FAA knows every pilot does not fly every flight profile, and that's why they allow CFIs to tailor a program to a pilot.
... Is manual computation of the old standards like flight plan or weight and balance useful or realistic?...
It depends. It's such simple stuff I would be worried about anyone who can't do it. There are electronic E6B's that can do it also. Read up in the Pilot Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (PHAK) FAA-H-8083-25, or better yet Aircraft Weight and Balance Handbook FAA-H-8083-1. These books are cheap and your study should take about an hour.