Instrument Currency

Instrument currency is a pain in the tuchus. Convergence of soupy weather, aircraft availability, and free time rarely occurs. Even flying weekly, as I do, results in few actual instrument approaches. Unlike with landings, you cant maintain instrument currency on your own in VMC without a safety pilot or instructor.

jmiller

Friday, November 14, 2014 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Instrument currency can be maintained either through an Instrument Proficiency Check (IPC) or by meeting specific experience requirements outlined in 14 CFR 61.57.
While options exist for gaining experience using aviation training devices (ATDs), complex combination methods (like options four and five) are often confusing, impractical, and provide little benefit over simpler approaches or an IPC.
For simulator, flight training device, or ATD time to count towards legal instrument currency, an authorized instructor must be present to observe the training and sign the pilot's logbook.
The article emphasizes that merely being legally current does not equate to actual pilot proficiency, and a lack of real-world practice beyond minimum requirements can lead to dangerous situations.

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Instrument currency is a pain in the tuchus. Convergence of soupy weather, aircraft availability, and free time rarely occurs. Even flying weekly, as I do, results in few actual instrument approaches. Unlike with landings, you can’t maintain instrument currency on your own in VMC without a safety pilot or instructor.

Detailed currency requirements aim to keep us safe. The feds know we need options in our quest for currency, but options make for complex rules. Simple rules, though, can be onerous and encourage pencil-whipping currency. So, options abound. We’ll look at legal currency, but I’ll point out that proficiency isn’t necessarily the same.