TL;DR
- Instrument currency: Six approaches, holding procedures and tasks, and intercepting and tracking courses within the six calendar months preceding the month of the flight (§61.57(c)).
- Night currency: Three takeoffs and three full-stop landings between one hour after sunset and one hour before sunrise within the preceding 90 days (§61.57(b)).
- Passenger currency: Three takeoffs and three landings within the preceding 90 days (§61.57(a)).
- Lapsed instrument currency: You cannot act as PIC under IFR while not current. During the next six calendar months, you may regain currency by completing the required tasks. After failing to meet the requirements for more than six calendar months, you need an instrument proficiency check (IPC).
- Simulators count: A qualifying full flight simulator, FTD, or ATD can satisfy instrument recency. Your logbook or training record must identify the device, time, and content (§61.51(g)(5)).
What instrument currency means
Instrument currency is the legal standard that allows a certificated, instrument-rated pilot to act as PIC under IFR or in weather conditions below VFR minimums. It is defined and governed by 14 CFR §61.57(c).
Currency is not a rating. It is a recency-of-experience standard. Your instrument rating does not expire, but you must remain current to exercise its privileges as PIC.
The 6-HITS rule
The instrument currency requirement is built around three tasks, collectively known as 6-HITS IFR: six approaches, holding, and intercepting and tracking. Under §61.57(c)(1), within the six calendar months preceding the month of the flight, you must have performed and logged:
- Six instrument approaches
- Holding procedures and tasks
- Intercepting and tracking courses through the use of navigational electronic systems
The window is six calendar months, not 180 days. If your last qualifying event was on March 15, that March event remains inside the lookback window for a flight through the end of September.
Under §61.51(g)(3), each instrument approach logged for recency must include the location and type of the approach. If a safety pilot is required for simulated instrument flight in an aircraft, the safety pilot’s name must also be recorded.
| Task | Minimum required | Time window |
|---|---|---|
| Instrument approaches | 6 | Six calendar months preceding the month of flight |
| Holding procedures and tasks | Must be performed | Six calendar months preceding the month of flight |
| Intercepting and tracking courses | Must be performed | Six calendar months preceding the month of flight |
What counts toward instrument currency?
Not every flight hour builds IFR currency. The FAA specifies what qualifies.
Actual instrument conditions. Under §61.51(g)(1), you may log instrument time when operating the aircraft solely by reference to instruments in actual instrument conditions. A qualifying approach performed and logged under those conditions can count toward recency.
Simulated instrument conditions in flight. Flying with a view-limiting device in VMC qualifies when you operate solely by reference to instruments. A safety pilot is required under §91.109, and their name must be logged under §61.51(g)(3).
Full flight simulator, FTD, or ATD. Under §61.57(c)(2), the required tasks may be completed in a full flight simulator, flight training device, or aviation training device. The device must represent the category of aircraft for the instrument-rating privileges being maintained, and the tasks must be performed in simulated instrument conditions. You may combine work completed in an aircraft and qualifying devices.
For recency, §61.51(g)(5) requires the logbook or training record to identify the device used, time logged, and content performed. A qualifying ATD can satisfy recency, not only training, when these conditions are met.
When instrument currency lapses
Missing the initial six-calendar-month window does not suspend your certificate. It limits your IFR privileges.
During the following six calendar months. You are not current and cannot legally act as PIC under IFR or in weather below VFR minimums. You may regain currency by completing and logging the required approaches, holding tasks, and intercepting and tracking work under appropriate actual or simulated conditions.
After more than six calendar months without meeting the requirement. Under §61.57(d), the only path back is an instrument proficiency check (IPC). Completing approaches on your own is no longer enough.
What an IPC covers. The IPC includes the applicable areas of operation in the Airman Certification Standards listed in Appendix A to Part 61. FAA Advisory Circular AC 61-98E, issued October 30, 2024, provides guidance for pilots and instructors conducting the check.
An IPC is a proficiency check, not a new practical test for your rating. It may be given by an authorized instructor, examiner, or another person authorized under §61.57(d). Completing it begins a new six-calendar-month currency window from the month of completion.
Night currency requirements (§61.57(b))
Night passenger currency is separate from instrument currency and daytime passenger currency. Under §61.57(b)(1), to carry passengers at night you must have made, within the preceding 90 days:
- Three takeoffs and three landings to a full stop
- During the period beginning one hour after sunset and ending one hour before sunrise
- As the sole manipulator of the flight controls
- In an aircraft of the same category, class, and type if a type rating is required
Touch-and-goes do not satisfy night passenger currency. The landings must be to a full stop.
Lapsing night currency does not suspend your certificate or prevent you from flying solo at night. It prevents you from carrying passengers during the §61.57(b) night period until you complete the required takeoffs and full-stop landings.
| Currency type | Task | Minimum | Window | Full stop required? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Night currency (§61.57(b)) | Takeoffs and landings at night | 3 takeoffs and 3 landings | 90 days | Yes |
| Passenger currency (§61.57(a)) | Takeoffs and landings | 3 takeoffs and 3 landings | 90 days | Only for tailwheel airplanes |
| Instrument currency (§61.57(c)) | Approaches, holding, intercepting and tracking | 6 approaches plus required tasks | 6 calendar months | N/A |
Passenger currency (§61.57(a))
General passenger currency is the most basic recent-experience requirement. Under §61.57(a)(1), to carry passengers, or to act as PIC of an aircraft certificated for more than one pilot flight crewmember, you must have made at least three takeoffs and three landings within the preceding 90 days as the sole manipulator of the flight controls.
The takeoffs and landings must have been performed in an aircraft of the same category, class, and type if a type rating is required. For tailwheel airplanes, all takeoffs and landings must have been made to a full stop.
Night passenger carriage requires its own set of three takeoffs and three full-stop landings during the specified night period. Day landings do not satisfy the night standard.
What to log as proof of currency
Your currency depends on records that demonstrate you completed the required experience.
For instrument recency, §61.51(g)(3) requires each approach entry to include:
- The location of the approach, such as the airport identifier
- The type of approach, such as ILS, RNAV, or VOR
- The safety pilot’s name, if one was required
For logged flights, §61.51(b) requires the date, total flight or lesson time, departure and arrival locations, aircraft or training-device identification, applicable pilot experience or training, and flight conditions. These conditions include day, night, actual instrument, and simulated instrument time.
Skyden automatically classifies takeoffs and landings as day or night from the flight times and airport coordinates. It also records approach types and counts, holding procedures, and intercepting and tracking tasks. Its FAA currency view calculates status from that logged flight data. The calculation does not include IPC or training-device details, so those records still need your attention.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use a simulator to maintain instrument currency?
Yes. Under §61.57(c)(2), a full flight simulator, FTD, or ATD may be used to complete the instrument-recurrency tasks. The device must represent the category of aircraft for the instrument-rating privileges being maintained, and the tasks must be performed in simulated instrument conditions. For recency, §61.51(g)(5) requires your logbook or training record to specify the device used, time logged, and content performed.
Does an IPC reset my six-month instrument currency window?
Yes. A completed IPC satisfies the instrument-experience requirement and begins a new six-calendar-month window from the month in which the IPC was completed.
Can a safety pilot log instrument time?
No. Only the pilot operating solely by reference to instruments logs instrument time. A safety pilot may log PIC time when designated as acting PIC and the §61.51(e) requirements are met, or SIC time when the §61.51(f) requirements are met. The safety pilot does not log instrument time merely by serving as safety pilot.
What is the difference between instrument currency and instrument proficiency?
Instrument currency is the legal minimum that makes you eligible to act as PIC under IFR. Instrument proficiency is your actual skill level. AOPA’s currency-versus-proficiency guidance explains why a pilot can be current without being ready for demanding instrument conditions. Currency is a floor, not a ceiling.
Do night-currency landings need to be full-stop?
Yes, for carrying passengers at night. §61.57(b)(1) requires landings to a full stop. Touch-and-goes during the specified night period do not count toward night passenger currency.
Does instrument currency expire on a specific date?
No. The rule uses a rolling six-calendar-month lookback measured from the month of the proposed IFR flight. If a qualifying event occurred in February, it remains in the lookback window through August. New qualifying events remain usable while they fall within the applicable six-calendar-month window.
Sources
- 14 CFR §61.57: Recent flight experience
- 14 CFR §61.51: Pilot logbooks
- FAA Advisory Circular AC 61-98E
- AOPA: Currency vs. Proficiency
For the broader recordkeeping rules behind these entries, read 14 CFR 61.51 Explained: FAA Pilot Logbook Requirements. You can also see how the FAA’s currency-night window differs from loggable night in How Night Time Is Actually Calculated.
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