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Archive for the ‘Currency’ Category

Lance asked:

“Can I do my instrument currency approaches, hold, and intercepting a radial in an aircraft that is not IFR certified? Such as a DA-20 with Garmin 530, so long as I’m in VFR conditions with a safety pilot? Thanks!”

The FARs are permissive in the sense that if something is not prohibited, then it’s allowed. Here’s my interpretation. 91.205 (one of the few number I know by heart) specifies what equipment is required for IFR flight. You said you’ll be in “VFR conditions” which I interpret to mean that you’ll be flying VFR in VMC conditions. Thus, your aircraft only has to be equipped for VFR flight.

61.57 (c) states what experience is required to act as “pilot in command under IFR or in weather conditions less than the minimums prescribed for VFR.” It talks about the 6 approaches, hold, etc. required during the prior six months. It says that experience must be “performed and logged under actual or simulated instrument conditions, either in flight in the appropriate category of aircraft for the instrument privileges sought or in a flight simulator or flight training device..”

You can certainly simulate instrument conditions in a VFR aircraft. Thus, you could get your instrument experience in an aircraft that’s certified for just VFR, as long as don’t fly IFR, remain in VMC conditions and bring a safety pilot who’s rated in the aircraft and has a current medical. One minor point, while doing this, if you ask ATC for a clearance to fly approaches, make it clear that you’re requesting a “VFR practice approach.” Otherwise, you’ll be treated as an IFR aircraft, which is not permitted if you’re not instrument current. If I’ve requested one but am “cleared for the approach,” I’ll readback “cleared for the VFR practice approach” just so it’s clear to everyone that I’m not IFR.

Nick has two questions about currency:

If I do 3 full stop landings at night, do I have to do 3 T&G’s and/or full stop landings in the day time time to fly as PIC during the day or do my night landings take care of the day requirement?

Do I have to complete 3 FS landings in both a tailwheel aircraft and non tailwheel aircraft to be current to act as PIC at night in both types of aircraft?

To answer your first question, your three takeoffs and landings to a full stop at night will also fulfill the recent flight experience requirements for day currency. If you never flew during the day, and did a full stop landing at night weekly, you’d still be legal to carry passengers day or night. Remember, you aren’t maintaining currency to act as PIC, you’re staying current to carry others in your airplane.

As for your second question, to be current in a tailwheel airplane, you must do landings in a tailwheel airplane. There is no such limitation on tricycle gear (or bicycle gear, for that matter). It’s like the old rectangle/square rule—tricycle currency doesn’t apply to tailwheel aircraft, but tailwheel currency works for tricycle aircraft. If you want to dig through the regs, FAR § 61.57 (a)(1) and (b)(1) is the place to look. There’s a lot in there, but most of it is aimed at pilots with instrument ratings or with jobs flying jets.

Mike is looking into regaining his currency and asks:

I’m thinking about doing the Recreational Pilot flight review instead of the Private Pilot this time around. I haven’t been able to fly much in the last 15 yrs. but want to restart. Can I do the Rec Pilot and then get a medical and redo a check to Private later?

The short answer is that it doesn’t really matter. The long answer is that since it’s been a while, it could be that you’re actually thinking of Sport pilot, rather than Recreational. This is totally understandable—the FAA doesn’t always make it easy to determine requirements for, and privileges of, different types of pilot certificates. However, recreational pilots still must hold a current medical, as required by the FAA, and (as of 2006) there were fewer than 250 of them left in the country. While there are some caveats, a sport pilot does not need to hold a medical.

However, a flight review is a flight review, regardless of what pilot certificate you hold, and it must consist of at least one hour of flight and one hour of ground. You could do your flight review in a light sport aircraft without a medical, and that would allow you to exercise sport pilot privileges, but you’ll also have to learn new regulations that apply only to sport pilots, and you’d also have to operate within some (potentially significant) limitations.

Given that relatively flew FBOs offer Light Sport aircraft for rental or for training, it may make more sense to simply get a Third Class medical and stick with the Private certificate, and not necessarily in that order. You can certainly start the flight review process without a current medical. I’ve done several flight reviews with pilots who haven’t flown (at all) in over 10 years, and the amount of time it takes them to get used to flying the airplane—and, often more significantly, new regulations—is fairly reasonable, ranging from 2 and 10 hours of flight and ground time.