1.3 Instrument Recency & Currency Requirements

Instrument Recency & Currency Requirements (14 CFR § 61.57)

Quick Answer: To act as PIC under IFR or in weather below VFR minimums, 14 CFR § 61.57(c) requires logging 6-H-I-T-S within the preceding 6 calendar months: 6 instrument approaches, Holding procedures, and Intercepting & Tracking courses via electronic nav Systems. If currency lapses, you have a 6-month grace period (months 7–12) to regain currency with a safety pilot under the hood, a CFII, or in an approved simulator. Beyond 12 calendar months, you must pass an Instrument Proficiency Check (IPC) under 14 CFR § 61.57(d) administered by a CFII, DPE, or FAA inspector following the ACS Task Matrix.

Earning an instrument rating grants the legal privilege to fly under IFR, but maintaining the authorization to act as Pilot in Command under IFR requires ongoing recency of experience. Instrument flying skills are notoriously perishable. To ensure pilots remain proficient, the FAA established a structured recency lifecycle under 14 CFR § 61.57(c) & (d).

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14 CFR § 61.57(c) Instrument Currency ("6-H-I-T-S")

Under 14 CFR § 61.57(c)(1), no person may act as Pilot in Command under IFR or in weather conditions less than the minimums prescribed for VFR unless within the preceding 6 calendar months, that person has performed and logged in actual weather or simulated instrument conditions (or in an approved flight simulator/ATD):

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                   THE "6-H-I-T-S" CURRENCY FORMULA                    |
|                                                                       |
|   [6]  SIX Instrument Approaches (flown to DA/MDA or MAP)             |
|   [H]  HOLDING Procedures and Tasks (entry, timing, wind drift)       |
|   [I]  INTERCEPTING Navigational Courses                              |
|   [T]  TRACKING Courses via Navigational Electronic Systems           |
|   [S]  In the same category of aircraft / approved ATD                |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

Key Nuances of the 6-H-I-T-S Components:

1. Six Instrument Approaches: Approaches may be flown in an aircraft in actual IMC, in an aircraft under simulated conditions with a safety pilot (under a hood), or in an approved ATD/FFS. To count, the approach must be conducted on published segments of an instrument approach procedure starting at an initial approach fix (IAF) or intermediate fix (IF), crossing the final approach fix (FAF), and continuing down to the Decision Altitude (DA) or Minimum Descent Altitude (MDA) / Missed Approach Point (MAP).
2. Holding Procedures: Must execute a complete holding pattern, including proper entry (direct, teardrop, or parallel), timing or distance legs, and wind drift correction.
3. Intercepting and Tracking Courses: Must intercept and track published airways, radials, localizer courses, or RNAV GPS course lines using cockpit CDI/HSI navigation equipment.

Calendar Month Calculation

Under FAA regulations, "calendar month" means the period extending from any date in a month to the final day of the corresponding month.

Currency Window Example: If you completed your checkride or logged 6-H-I-T-S on January 10, your 6-month currency remains active through the last day of the 6th month: July 31. On August 1, your instrument currency lapses unless you have logged the required tasks within the rolling 6-month lookback window.

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The Three Phases of Instrument Currency

Instrument currency operates across a three-phase timeline: Active Currency, the 6-Month Grace Period, and the Expired/IPC-Required phase.

|-------- Months 1 through 6 --------|-------- Months 7 through 12 -------|------- Month 13+ -------|
|          PHASE 1: CURRENT           |       PHASE 2: GRACE PERIOD        |    PHASE 3: EXPIRED     |
|  Legal to act as PIC under IFR     |  NOT legal to act as PIC under IFR  |  NOT legal under IFR    |
|  Maintain with 6-H-I-T-S in IMC,   |  Regain currency using:             |  Must pass an IPC under |
|  under hood, or in ATD             |  - Safety Pilot (under hood in VMC) |  14 CFR § 61.57(d) with |
|                                    |  - CFII dual instruction           |  CFII, DPE, or FAA      |
|                                    |  - Approved ATD / FSTD             |  (Safety pilot INVALID) |

Phase 1: Active Currency (Months 1–6)

• The pilot is fully current and authorized to act as PIC under IFR in IMC or on an IFR flight plan.
• As long as the pilot continuously logs 6-H-I-T-S on a rolling 6-calendar-month basis, currency never lapses.

Phase 2: The 6-Month Grace Period (Months 7–12)

• Once the initial 6 calendar months pass without logging 6-H-I-T-S, the pilot enters the grace period.
• Operational Restriction: The pilot CANNOT act as PIC under IFR or in weather conditions below VFR minimums.
• How to Regain Currency: The pilot can still regain currency without taking a formal evaluation. They may fly with a Safety Pilot in visual meteorological conditions (VMC) under a hood, fly dual with a CFII, or complete the tasks in an FAA-approved ATD/FSTD to log the remaining required approaches, holds, and tracking.

Phase 3: Expired Currency / IPC Required (Beyond 12 Calendar Months)

• If 12 full calendar months elapse without regaining currency (6 months active + 6 months grace period), all self-remediation privileges terminate.
• A safety pilot CANNOT be used to regain currency.
• The pilot must satisfactorily complete an Instrument Proficiency Check (IPC) under 14 CFR § 61.57(d).

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The Instrument Proficiency Check (IPC) (14 CFR § 61.57(d))

An Instrument Proficiency Check (IPC) is a comprehensive flight and ground evaluation designed to ensure a pilot whose currency has expired meets the ACS standards for safe instrument flight.

Who Can Administer an IPC?

Under 14 CFR § 61.57(d), an IPC may be conducted by:

1. An authorized flight instructor holding a CFII certificate.
2. An FAA Aviation Safety Inspector (ASI).
3. A Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE).
4. An authorized military check airman or Part 121/135/142 check airman.

The ACS IPC Task Table (FAA-S-ACS-8C, Appendix 1)

The IPC is not an arbitrary flight. The minimum Tasks are published in Appendix 1 of FAA-S-ACS-8C ("Instrument Proficiency Check") — not in an Appendix 5, which no longer exists in the C revision. Read the table exactly as the FAA writes it: several Areas of Operation require no Tasks at all.

[!IMPORTANT] Device limitations straight out of Appendix 1: an Advanced Aviation Training Device (AATD) may be used for the majority of an IPC as specified in its Letter of Authorization, but the circling approach, the landing Task, and the multiengine Tasks must be accomplished in an aircraft or in a Level B, C, or D full flight simulator. A Basic Aviation Training Device (BATD) cannot be used for any part of an IPC. Conduct guidance lives in AC 61-98 (as amended), Currency Requirements and Guidance for the Flight Review and Instrument Proficiency Check.

Upon successful completion of all required tasks, the instructor issues a formal logbook endorsement under 14 CFR § 61.57(d). This endorsement immediately resets the pilot's instrument currency clock for a fresh 6 calendar months.

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Interplay Between IPC and Flight Review (14 CFR § 61.56)

Pilots must carefully distinguish between instrument currency (14 CFR § 61.57) and the general Flight Review (14 CFR § 61.56):

• 14 CFR § 61.56 Flight Review: Required every 24 calendar months for all pilots to act as PIC in any aircraft. Consists of a minimum of 1 hour ground instruction and 1 hour flight training covering Part 91 general operating rules and maneuvers.
• Practical Test for a Rating (IRA Checkride): Passing an official practical test for a new rating (such as passing the IRA checkride with a DPE) satisfies the 14 CFR § 61.56 flight review requirement under § 61.56(d), resetting the 24-calendar-month flight review clock.
• IPC Recency Check (14 CFR § 61.57(d)): Passing an IPC does NOT automatically satisfy a flight review. However, an instructor and pilot may deliberately combine an IPC with a flight review by covering both the Part 91 general review requirements (1 hr ground + 1 hr flight) and all required IPC tasks, resulting in two distinct logbook endorsements.

Passenger Carrying Currency Interplay

Instrument currency (61.57(c)) does not override passenger carrying recency under 14 CFR § 61.57(a) & (b):

• Day Passenger Currency: 3 takeoffs and landings in the same category, class, and type (if required) within the preceding 90 days.
• Night Passenger Currency: 3 takeoffs and landings to a full stop during the period beginning 1 hour after sunset and ending 1 hour before sunrise within the preceding 90 days.
• To legally carry passengers on an IFR flight at night, the pilot must be both instrument current under 61.57(c) and night passenger current under 61.57(b).