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6 Answers

IFR currency requirements

Asked by: 32565 views
Instrument Rating

my last IFR flight was 13 months ago. What should I do to become current again?

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6 Answers



  1. Matthew Waugh on Sep 04, 2011

    Complete an IPC (assuming we’re talking US).

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  2. Earl Kessler on Sep 05, 2011

    The rule is 6-6-HIT.  6 Approaches within 6 months including Holding, Intercepting and Tracking.  If you go beyond 6 months after the initial 6, (12 months) you have no choice but to do an Instrument Proficiency Check with an instructor, a designated pilot examiner or an FAA guru.  Your best bet for the future is to do an instrument approach on each flight you can once you are current.  Take along a pilot who is capable of flying your plane (legally) as a safety pilot if you are in VMC and in your logbook note the type of approach you flew and the name of your safety pilot.  It’s a pain to do an IPC and better if you strive to remain current by frequently doing approaches, even if you are wearing foggles.

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  3. Wes Beard on Sep 06, 2011

    Earl,
    I’m sure you already knew this but for others reading.  A safety pilot only has to be appropriately rated on their certificate.   They do not need any endorsements required by 61.31 or even have a current flight review.  91.109 doesn’t mention anything about being current (having meaning in 61.2).  The safety pilot cannot log PIC time in this situation but can log SIC time.

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  4. John D. Collins on Jan 01, 2012

    This rule (FAR 61.57) was just updated on Dec 16, 2011, although the FAA stated that it is only a clarification.
    For example, a pilot competed an IPC on Jan 1, 2011.  That means that for the next 6 calendar months they are legally current, so counting starting at Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul is 6 calendar months following the IPC. This means the pilot is legal to act as PIC thru July 31, 2011. As of August 1, 2011, if they had not remained current by the requirements, this would be the first day they no longer met the currency requiremnt. Counting from Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec, Jan is the six calendar months since they last met the currency requirement and any time during this period all the way up to Jan 31, 2012, they could do the 6 approaches with a safety pilot, etc. and reestablish currency without requiring an IPC. On or after Feb 1, 2012, the only way to reestablish currency would be to satisfactorily complete an IPC. In this example, counting the months including the month in which the IPC was originally completed, this is 13 months or 396 days that they had to complete the required approaches, etc., without requiring an IPC.

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  5. Joel Jeppson on Aug 11, 2014

    I am a instrument rated pilot but only fly VFR in my small airplane. I am not instrument current. If I am trapped on top of an overcast, is it legal for me to pick up an IFR clearance to descend to VFR conditions. I fly an experimental aircraft that is instrument equipped.

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  6. Mark Kolber on Aug 13, 2014

    Joel, it’s “legal” for you to declare an emergency and request assistance getting down through the overcast.

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