I don't think we should start panicking just yet.

61.56(e) talks about "FAA sponsored pilot proficiency award program".
Both old and new WINGS were/are exactly that, so either one qualifies.
Whether the AC is updated or not does not matter.

As for the faasafety web site, it says:
"Pilots participating in the WINGS - Pilot Proficiency Program to at
least the Basic Phase need not accomplish the flight review
requirements of 14 CFR part 61, if since the beginning of the 24th
calendar month before the month in which that pilot acts as pilot in
command, he or she has satisfactorily completed or currently holds the
Basic or higher WINGS - Pilot Proficiency Program phase in an aircraft
(reference 61.56(e))."

- Tom

On Fri, 05 Jun 2009 12:42:32 -0700, Sylvain wrote:


Just a little heads up: if like me, you rely on the WINGS program to
satisfy the proficiency requirements of 14 CFR 61.56, then you might be in
trouble and you most definitely want to look into it before your next
flight:

The old program has, I am told, been 'sunset' on December 2007. In other
words, if you are today flying under the impression that you are legal to
do so because you completed a Wings phase under the old system, you might
very well be mistaken (or so says the dude at the FSDO to whom I spoke as
well as the nice person from AOPA with whom I exchanged a couple of
emails);

It gets even better: to my knowledge, and please correct me if I am wrong,
the advisory circular which describes the Wings program and the requirement
that must be met to satisfy 61.56(e), i.e., AC 61-91H, has NOT been
superseded. And that's where it is getting fun, because what it describes
is the old Wings program, not the new one. So, until proven otherwise,
the new Wings program is of no value whatsoever to satisfy the requirements
of 61.56 either.

...and good luck finding anything on the faasafety.gov web site about what
are the relevant regulations and/or advisory circulars that are relevant to
the new Wings program (you do find references to AC 61-91H and AC 61-98A,
but that's not what I was looking for);

So, first thing I do this afternoon is calling the nice folks of the AOPA
legal team, and I have scheduled myself a BFR this weekend.

--Sylvain