BRFs are a PITA caused by the administrators knee jerk reaction to the Ceritos crash. I do not believe they contribute to anything except instructor's payday.
Years ago I was working on finally finishing up my PP ticket. I was standing in the lobby of the Mannasas Virginia airport and witnessed the following:
Young instructor - looked like we wasn't more than a year out of high school and still was showing that he must have been in a growth spurt as all his clothes looked one size too small - you know the shirt sleeves too short - high water pants, etc.- firmly but with increasing exasperation holding his ground with an older gentleman who was argueing for the instructor to sign off on what must have been a just completed BFR.
The older Gentleman looked to be in his mid to late 60s and based on the year this happened I'd bet the guy learned to fly during the Big One. Hovering in the background were two youngsters that, again supposition on my part but the dynamics gave the clues, appeared to be his grandchildren.
It became obvious from the converstation taht the "old man" wanted to give the kids a ride in an airplane and had been at the FBO for awhile trying to get his long past due BFR signed off so he could take them up. It had been a nice VFR day because if it wasnt a nice VFR day I would not have been anywhere near the airport at that stage in my progression. Manassas was (still is) under the outer shelf of the DC Class B which, while larger and more complex now than then, was still airspace you needed to know your way around as inbound to Dulles 747s filled to the gills from Europe, Asia, etc rountinely passed nearby at a few thousand feet. Of course a quick turn southwest and you were beyind Class B limits and even Mode C requirements in a matter of minutes and you never had to talk to Approach in those days as 9/11 and the ADIZ (now there is a knee-jerk reaction for you) were somthing nobody even dreamed could ever happen in the good ol USA.
From bits and pieces of the conversation it was clear that the Gentleman had not demonstrated knowledge of the airsapce and had been rusty in his airmanship as well. The kid instructor held his ground and wouldn't sign him. Offered to fly again with him and to spend more time on the ground portion, etc. The gentleman got madder and more frustrated because all he wanted to do was introduce the kids to a nice sightseeing flight on a nice VFR day.
I felt for the guy and sorta felt inside the kid was taking the letter of the law thing too seriously at the time. But in reality I admired his fortitude. It tooks guts to stand up to someone that obviously had more stick time than the kid could ever dream about knowing the old man must surely feel some humiliation being denied to fly infront of his ever more fidgity grandkids.
I've done my share of stupid things in airplanes and reading these posts has got me thinking that I need to take my flying much more
seriously.
The kid was right and the old man should have taken care of business before bringing the kids to the airport. I fairly confident that his lack of knowledge of proper radio calls and communications requirements to operate in a Class B would have had no bearing on his ability to operate the airplane safely. But his attitude that "that stuff doesn't apply to me" is the same one I've silently told myself from time to time about some stupid FAR or other admonision that has compromised my safety in ways I don't even understand.
Flying is less tolerant of mistakes than ground transportation as you can't just pull over and call AAA when the check engine light comes on. Nobody in the NTSB reports ever thought it could happen to them as as one who has survived one airplane crash I'm starting FINALLY to get it that its all about the discipline or lack of that starts the chain of events.
Doug is right we shouldn't tolerate the statistic and I'm taking a hard look in the mirror. I hope that kid is flying the next airliner I get on - more than anything else he showed the "right stuff" that day. I just hope he can finally afford some clothes that fit.
Richard