Currency
I’m in the second half of my IFR training. And so I’m trying to think ahead and consider what IFR currency means to me and how I will maintain it. The legal currency in the US is as stated in FAR 61.57(c):
(c) Instrument experience. Except as provided in paragraph (e) of this section, 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:
(1) For the purpose of obtaining instrument experience in an aircraft (other than a glider), 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 that is representative of the aircraft category for the instrument privileges sought—
(i) At least six instrument approaches;
(ii) Holding procedures; and
(iii) Intercepting and tracking courses through the use of navigation systems.
That’s to be legal. But what is the currency to be comfortably safe and feel on top of things? More experienced pilots that myself say that going over a month or two without doing an approach makes them feel rusty. Well, if that’s for experience pilots, then I should do at least as much.
The VFR rules for currency are the FAR 61.57 rules about biannual flight reviews, three landings and takeoffs in 90 days, and also night landing currency of three takeoffs and landings in 90 days. That’s the legal requirement.
But in addition to that I typically make a flight by myself every month or two where I climb to a safe altitude and find a nice unused chunk of airspace to cover this:
1) slow flight at minimum airspeed, including turns
2) a stall series: straight slow speed stalls, accelerated stalls, and turning stalls
3) coordination exercises: steep turns and dutch rolls
4) landing practice
That’s all to PTS standards or better. I plan to add to the above list, I’ll also do two IFR approaches per month, along with course tracking. I’ll add holding as well every few months. This will put me in 6 approaches in THREE months or half the time for the legal currency. That sounds conservatively safe to me.
Pilots for United and other large carriers typically have a 6 month check flight. And they have thousands of hours of experience and fly two-pilot aircraft. I have 300 hours and fly single pilot. So, I plan to have a currency exercise with an instructor every 6 months too. This constitutes a flight review and can be signed off as such. I can add instrument tasks to this flight review as well.
But, every flight I try to debrief myself too. Plastic Pilot has a post where he formalizes that self-debrief nicely. Since my goal is to improve, I need to have a plan to do so. Self-debriefing is the bottom most rung of that ladder. My monthly flights and 6 month reviews are higher levels.
I do this all mostly because I don’t like feeling like I’m just able to do something. I like to feel confident that whatever happens I can handle it. This is what it takes for me.