Step
4: Flight
Currency: How to maintain flying proficiency.
Flying
an airplane isn’t like driving a car. If you don’t
fly frequently, there are a lot of small procedures you will
forget that affects the safety of your flight, the safety
of other aircrafts flying around you, and the publics’
safety on the ground. Remember the phrase, “If you don’t
use it. You lose it.”
Flight currency is a topic that many students have questions
about. After you have earned your pilot certificate(s) and
rating(s), it is your responsibility to maintain flight currency
and proficiency for the various aircrafts and conditions (i.e.
Instrument
Flight Rules (IFR)) you plan to fly. Maintaining flight
currency and proficiency involves continuous flying throughout
the year, in which flight currency keeps you legal to fly
and proficiency keeps you safe. There is no required amount
of flight time you must fly each year to maintain flight currency
or proficiency.
However, FAA regulation FAR 61.57 Recent flight experience:
Pilot-in-command requires that all pilots (acting as pilot-in-command):
• Maintain a current medical certificate
• Take a Biennial Flight Review (BFR) every 24 months
• Maintain Instrument Flight Proficiency (for Instrument
Rated Pilots)
• Maintain currency to carry passengers
• Maintain Nigh Currency to fly at night
Maintaining
Flight Currency
Whenever you fly as Pilot-In-Command (PIC) of an aircraft,
you should document the flight time in your logbook. Documenting
your flight time will help you keep track of flight currency
requirements.
Form many pilot, the cost of renting an
airplane from a local flight school or fixed base operator
(FBO) is expensive. AvScholars recommend joining a local
flying organization/club and rent the club’s aircraft(s).
Flying organizations/clubs allow their members to rent the
clubs’ aircraft(s) at a reasonable hourly fee. As
a member, you will also have to pay membership dues, which
are typically used for general business, aircraft maintenance,
fuel, etc. Register and search My
AvScholars’ Organizations/Clubs Directory to find
a Flying Organization/Club near you.
The
FAA and other national organizations (i.e. AOPA, EAA, etc.)
offer programs for pilots to stay proficient and learn about
new/changing regulations, procedures, events that affect
the flying community.
Re-establishing
Flight Currency
To re-establish currency, contact a certified flight instructor
(CFI) at a local flight school and ask the CFI about the
process of re-establishing flight currency, costs, and
then schedule a few dual lessons. Upon successfully completing
the checkride, the CFI should document the information in
your logbook. The logbook entry should indicate that you
satisfactorily completed a flight currency checkride.
The CFI should also sign, date, and include his/her CFI number
with the logbook entry.
Credit: Written
by: Sedgwick Hines Copyright 2004-2007 AvScholars
Publishing, LLC. All Rights Reserved. All photos
copyrighted by their respective owners.
AvScholars.com: Learn to Fly is your one-stop source to information on flight training, flying lessons, flight schools, and helicopter schools. Learn about the entire flight training process to help you earn your pilot certificates or ratings such as student pilot certificate, commercial pilot certificate, instrument rating, and others. Search MyAvScholars: Flight Schools Directory to find flight schools and aviation colleges offering flight training programs.
