FAA Instrument Rating Currency

[scavalenger]

I am an Australian flying in AU and I also have FAA CPL/ ME IR...I haven't flown IFR for a while and it has gone expired..can someone please tell me how can I do renewal my FAA IR? Do I need to do a test flight with FAA examiner in the US or as long as I shoot those approaches/holdings and airways tracking with a safty pilot, would that be current again?? Thanks!

[SNS3Guppy]

If it's been more than 12 months you'll need to take an Instrument Proficiency Check with a flight instructor or training facility. Plan on an hour to an hour and a half of flight time, plus an hour or so of ground time...assuming you're proficient at instrument flying now.

If you're not proficient, it will take whatever time is required to get you proficient.

An IPC, or Instrument Proficiency Check, will be conducted to the standards of the instrument rating and the certificates you hold...think of it as an instrument checkride with some instruction thrown in. Plan on some steep turns, stalls, holding, intercepting and tracking a course, and several kinds of instrument approaches. If you'll be doing them in a multi engine airplane, plan on some of those approaches being flown with an engine out.

The FAA instrument rating doesn't have an expiration, but does have time limits within which instrument experience must be exercised (recency of experience) or a proficiency check must be taken. If these are not met, then one may not exercise the privileges of the instrument rating until proficiency has been demonstrated.

The relevant regulation is 14 CFR 61.57(c), and may be found at:

Electronic Code of Federal Regulations: (http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=ecfr&sid=8094f6e687ea1de5f45cd7a8b35dde47&rgn=div8&view=text&node=14:2.0.1.1.2.1.1.35&idno=14)


§ 61.57 Recent flight experience: Pilot in command.

(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.

(2) For the purpose of obtaining instrument experience in a glider, performed and logged under actual or simulated instrument conditions—

(i) At least 3 hours of instrument time in flight, of which 11/2hours may be acquired in an airplane or a glider if no passengers are to be carried; or

(ii) 3 hours of instrument time in flight in a glider if a passenger is to be carried.

(d) Instrument proficiency check. Except as provided in paragraph (e) of this section, a person who does not meet the instrument experience requirements of paragraph (c) of this section within the prescribed time, or within 6 calendar months after the prescribed time, may not serve as pilot in command under IFR or in weather conditions less than the minimums prescribed for VFR until that person passes an instrument proficiency check consisting of a representative number of tasks required by the instrument rating practical test.

(1) The instrument proficiency check must be—

(i) In an aircraft that is appropriate to the aircraft category;

(ii) For other than a glider, in a flight simulator or flight training device that is representative of the aircraft category; or

(iii) For a glider, in a single-engine airplane or a glider.

(2) The instrument proficiency check must be given by—

(i) An examiner;

(ii) A person authorized by the U.S. Armed Forces to conduct instrument flight tests, provided the person being tested is a member of the U.S. Armed Forces;

(iii) A company check pilot who is authorized to conduct instrument flight tests under part 121, 125, or 135 of this chapter or subpart K of part 91 of this chapter, and provided that both the check pilot and the pilot being tested are employees of that operator or fractional ownership program manager, as applicable;

(iv) An authorized instructor; or

(v) A person approved by the Administrator to conduct instrument practical tests.

[scavalenger]

Thanks so much for the info..so basically if I've done 6 approaches, holding and airways tracking within 6 months, I don't need to renew it or proficiency test with the examiner?

[SNS3Guppy]

That's correct, assuming you were current to begin with.

If you went three years without currency, flying six approaches, tracking, and holding wouldn't make you current. You'll need the IPC.

If you're current in the airplane, you have six months before you're out of currency. That is, you need to be able to look back at any given time and find that you meet the currency requirements in the last six months. This is for flying passengers.

If you don't meet those requirements, you have six more months in which you can meet them...during these six months you can't fly passengers under IFR until you've met the currency requirements. If you go past those six months...in other words if you haven't met the currency requirements in the last 12 months, you need an IPC.

Obviously these are for legality, only. The truth is that it's hard to be considered current on only six approaches and some holding and tracking. There's a difference, too, between currency and proficiency. I encourage you to look not only at your legal currency, but very closely at your own proficiency and ensure that you're not only legal, but up to the task.

Instrument flying in a single pilot cockpit is perhaps some of the highest workload there is to be had in a cockpit, and it's one of the most potentially unforgiving environments. Add the potential for an abnormal situation, such as a slowly failing vacum pump or partial panel situation, and you can very quickly be in far over your head. Add to this complex airspace, such as flyin in Southern California during your visit, and you can have a quick leap from barely legal to in jeopardy for your life. If there's any question at all that you're not fully proficient and ready for whatever may occur in the cockpit, spend the extra dollars and seek the training.

I have to undergo that training for work. I do it next month again. In the past, I've done a lot of seasonal work where I may not fly instruments at all in the summer, then do solid IFR all winter. On a number of occasions, I've rented an airpalne and an instructor, or a simulator, or whatever was available, not for the sake of legal currency, but to maintain proficiency. I'm far from the sharpest crayon in the box, but I find that three weeks off the gauges and my proficiency begins to slack considerably. I've spent the last few days in the books going over procedure and regulationa as I prepare for my training again next month, and find that as usual, more than I thought has disappeared into the murky reaches of my mushy brain...recurrent training is never a bad thing, and we all tend to forget more than we realize.

They say it's like riding a bicycle...but it's not. I'm living proof of that. Or perhaps I just don't do well with bicycles either...but instrument flying is a different animal that requires constant effort and training. It's truly a skill that if one doesn't use, one will lose.