How Does FAA’s Currency Rule Changes Affect Pilots?
Here’s what the agency’s wording changes allowing easier regaining of currency mean for aviators.
FAA has made a wording change in its rules on pilot currency. [Credit: Shutterstock]
Question: I understand the FAA has made a language change for the rules on pilot currency. Does this make it easier or more difficult to stay current?
Answer: The old rule, FAR 61.57(a) and (b), read that in order to maintain currency, the pilot in command (PIC) needed to perform three takeoffs and landings as the sole manipulator of the controls of an aircraft of the same category, class and type (if required) within the preceding 90 days in order to act as PICof an aircraft carrying "passengers." The pilot also needed three takeoffs and landings to a full stop at night for currency to carry "passengers" at night.
The new rule changes "passengers" to "persons" and importantly adds exceptions that permit a noncurrent flight instructor to provide instruction to a noncurrent flight student. This scenario is only for the purpose of the flight student regaining their pilot currency, and only if they are otherwise capable of acting as pilot in command.
So if both the CFI and the learner are out of currency and the learner is at least a private pilot and can act as PIC, they won’t have to wait on the ramp for their CFI to do three takeoffs and landings to achieve their recurrency before the instructional flight can begin.
The rule includes the caveat that the CFI and learner must be the sole occupants of the aircraft during a recurrency flight.
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