IFR Currency Requirements: What Every Pilot Must Know

To act as pilot in command under IFR, you must satisfy 14 CFR 61.57©: within the six calendar months preceding the month of flight, you need logged instrument approaches, holding procedures and tasks, and intercepting and tracking courses using navigational electronic systems as required by regulation. Miss that window for more than 12 calendar months, and 61.57(d) kicks in, requiring an Instrument Proficiency Check before you fly IFR as PIC again.

Before your next IFR flight, check three things:

• Have you logged six approaches, holds, and intercept/tracking tasks in the trailing six calendar months?
• If not, are you within the 6 to 12 month grace window, where you can still legally regain currency without an IPC?
• Has it been more than 12 calendar months? If so, an IPC with a CFII, DPE, or authorized check airman is mandatory before IFR PIC operations.

Key Takeaways

Meeting 14 CFR 61.57© requires six logged approaches, holding tasks, and intercept/tracking work within six calendar months, and exceeding 12 months without them mandates an IPC.

This article is general information, not a substitute for advice from a qualified lawyer. Consult a qualified legal professional about your own circumstances before acting on anything here.

Table of Contents

• What the Statute and FAA Guidance Actually Require
• What Counts Toward the Six Approaches, Holds, and Tracking Tasks
• How to Regain Currency at Each Stage of the Timeline
• How Should You Log Instrument Experience to Prove Currency?
• Building a Personal IFR Currency Program That Beats the Minimum
• What Should You Expect During an Instrument Proficiency Check?
• Sources

What the Statute and FAA Guidance Actually Require

The regulatory language is precise, and pilots who skim it tend to misapply it. 14 CFR 61.57© requires six instrument approaches, holding procedures and tasks, and intercepting and tracking courses using navigational electronic systems, all within the six calendar months before the month you intend to fly. 61.57(d) says that once you exceed 12 calendar months without meeting those requirements, only an Instrument Proficiency Check restores your privileges. It’s not a self-serve fix at that point.

Notice the word “calendar months,” not days. The eCFR text of §61.57 confirms this lookback runs from the first of the month, not the exact date of your last approach. Fly an approach on March 3, and it stays valid through the end of September, not just 180 days out. That distinction changes how you should plan currency flights.

The FAA doesn’t treat this rule as a proficiency benchmark. AC 61-98E states plainly that the six-approach standard is a minimum baseline, not a measure of skill, and recommends pilots build a personal currency program around it rather than treating it as the finish line.

Pro Tip: Set a recurring reminder for the first of every month to audit your logbook against the trailing six-calendar-month window. Catching a gap on day one gives you time to schedule a flight before it becomes a lapse.

What Counts Toward the Six Approaches, Holds, and Tracking Tasks

The “6-HITS” shorthand covers six instrument approaches, holding procedures and tasks, and intercepting and tracking courses using navigational electronic systems. Not every approach counts the same way, and pilots frequently misjudge the edge cases.

Precision approaches (ILS), nonprecision approaches (RNAV, VOR, LOC), and circling approaches all qualify, provided you fly them to minimums or a missed approach point using the aircraft’s instruments. Partial-panel approaches count too, and many CFIIs recommend mixing them in deliberately since they demand more from you than a fully-coupled autopilot approach.

Holding procedures and intercepting/tracking tasks don’t require a fixed count. One well-executed hold and one intercept/tracking task in the six-month window typically satisfies the requirement, distinct from the six-approach minimum.

Simulated instrument flight with a safety pilot counts identically to actual IMC, as long as you’re under a view-limiting device and the safety pilot meets the qualifications in 61.57©. Devices matter too:

The 2018 Part 61 final rule expanded how these devices can be used for recent instrument experience, but every device operates under its own Letter of Authorization. A category or class mismatch, logging approaches in a single-engine ATD when you only fly multi-engine IFR, won’t transfer.

Pro Tip: Before logging any simulator session toward currency, confirm the device’s LOA covers the specific task you performed. An unapproved task doesn’t count, even if it felt real.

How to Regain Currency at Each Stage of the Timeline

Where you stand in the calendar determines exactly what you’re allowed to do.

1. Months 1 through 6 (current): You retain full IFR PIC privileges. Use this window to fold approaches into normal cross-countries rather than flying dedicated “currency flights.” An IFR flight plan to a familiar airport with an approach tacked onto the end covers real currency needs without extra flight time.
2. Months 7 through 12 (grace period): You’ve lost the ability to act as PIC under IFR, but you haven’t triggered the IPC requirement yet. You can regain currency solo with a qualified safety pilot under a view-limiting device, with a CFII, or in an approved FFS, FTD, or ATD. Log each approach, hold, and intercept/tracking task with full detail, since you’re rebuilding a six-month record from scratch.
3. Beyond 12 calendar months: 61.57(d) requires an Instrument Proficiency Check. A CFII, DPE, FAA inspector, or authorized check airman can administer it. Passing the IPC immediately restores currency; there’s no waiting period afterward.

A concrete example: if your last qualifying approach was flown in January, you remain current through July. Fly nothing in February through July, and August through December becomes your grace period. Reach January of the following year without action, and you now need an IPC before any IFR PIC flight, per the calendar-month mechanics in the eCFR.

How Should You Log Instrument Experience to Prove Currency?

14 CFR 61.51 requires that the experience you use to meet 61.57 be documented in your logbook, and vague entries create real problems if your currency is ever questioned. Each entry should include the date, airport or fix identifier, approach type, whether it was actual or simulated, and the safety pilot’s name when one was required.

A defensible log entry looks like this:

• “3/12/26, KORL, ILS 7 to minimums, actual IMC.”
• “3/19/26, KSFB, RNAV 9, simulated, safety pilot: J. Martinez.”
• “3/19/26, hold at ZELMA intersection, simulated, safety pilot: J. Martinez.”
• “3/26/26, ATD session, RNAV approach x2, hold, intercept/track VOR, device: Redbird TD2, LOA #on file.”

FAA InFO 15012 confirms this safety pilot logging requirement directly and offers additional detail on acceptable methods of accomplishing instrument experience.

Building a Personal IFR Currency Program That Beats the Minimum

Six approaches and a hold will keep you legal. They won’t necessarily keep you sharp. Pilots who fly the minimum and nothing else often lose their edge on missed approaches, partial-panel work, and high-workload transitions from approach to landing, exactly the moments where real IFR flying gets demanding.

A stronger monthly plan blends three elements: one flight in actual IMC when weather allows, one hood session with a safety pilot practicing approaches you rarely fly (circling, partial-panel, non-precision without vertical guidance), and a quarterly simulator session focused on abnormal procedures. AC 61-98E backs this approach, recommending pilots integrate currency tasks into normal flying rather than treating them as isolated exercises.

1. Log every session in your primary logbook first, using EFB apps like ForeFlight only as a cross-check, not the system of record.
2. Schedule your next CFII session well ahead of any lapse in currency.
3. Review your six-month window regularly to maintain compliance.

Pro Tip: If your flight review is coming up and you’ve also let instrument currency lapse, don’t assume one event covers the other. A flight review restores your pilot certificate privileges; it does nothing for IFR currency, which lives entirely under 61.57.

What Should You Expect During an Instrument Proficiency Check?

An IPC isn’t a scripted run through six approaches. It’s evaluated against the Instrument Airman Certification Standards, and a CFII, DPE, FAA inspector, or authorized check airman can administer it. Expect coverage of preflight planning, approaches (precision and nonprecision), holding, missed approaches, partial-panel procedures, and unusual attitude recovery.

Bring your logbook, aircraft or device paperwork, and any relevant medical or certificate documentation. Most CFIIs recommend one or two practice sessions, in the aircraft or an approved ATD, before the actual check, especially if you’ve been out of the cockpit for several months.

• Review your logbook for gaps before scheduling.
• Confirm the administering instructor holds current CFII or DPE authority.
• Treat the IPC as structured training, not a pass/fail hurdle, and use it to shore up whatever feels rusty.

Pro Tip: Walk into your IPC with a list of the three maneuvers you’re least confident in and ask your CFII to prioritize them. You’ll get more out of the session than if you just let the instructor pick a random sequence.

How Flightschoolusa Supports Pilots Regaining or Maintaining Currency

Flightschoolusa runs instrument training, CFII-led hood flights, and simulator sessions using FFS, FTD, and ATD platforms suited to every stage of the currency timeline. Pilots in the 7 to 12 month grace period can rebuild the 6-HITS through instructor-led sessions, while those beyond 12 months move straight into IPC prep.

• CFII instruction and safety pilot arrangements for hood work
• Approved simulator access for approaches, holds, and intercept/tracking tasks
• In-house FAA checkrides through Self Examining Authority, cutting scheduling delays
• A track record of over 90% first-time pass rates on FAA practical exams

Instructor Perspective: Proficiency Beats the Regulatory Minimum

Too many pilots chase six approaches and call it done, then get caught off guard by a partial-panel circling approach in real weather. The habit that actually works is logging vague entries less and flying harder tasks more, and never assuming your single-engine currency covers a multi-engine airplane.

Where to Book IPC Prep, Simulator Time, or Currency Flights

Whether you’re inside the grace period or facing an overdue IPC, the fastest path back to legal currency is structured, instructor-led practice rather than piecing it together solo.

Flightschoolusa gives pilots access to CFII instructors, approved ATD and simulator sessions, and in-house FAA checkrides under Self Examining Authority, which means no waiting weeks for an outside examiner once you’re ready for your IPC. If you’re in months 7 through 12, book a block of simulator time paired with CFII-led hood flights to rebuild your 6-HITS efficiently. If you’ve passed 12 months, schedule IPC prep directly, bring your logbook and any device LOA paperwork, and financing options are available if you’re combining currency work with a broader rating or certificate. Visit the Flightschoolusa training programs page to check simulator availability and book your next session.

Sources

• 14 CFR § 61.57 – Recent flight experience: pilot in command
• eCFR — § 61.57 Recent flight experience: pilot in command
• Federal Register: Amendment to 14 CFR Part 61 (2018 final rule)

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