Which FAA currency rules this checker applies
This page is a date calculator for the currency rules most private and commercial airplane pilots use. It cites the regulation on each result. It does not know your ratings, the aircraft you flew, or whether a landing was at night or to a full stop — you have to enter qualifying dates honestly.
Passenger currency — 14 CFR 61.57(a) and (b)
To carry passengers you need 3 takeoffs and 3 landings in the preceding 90 days, in the same category and class (and type, if a type rating is required). Night passenger currency requires those landings to a full stop in the period beginning 1 hour after sunset and ending 1 hour before sunrise. Tailwheel airplanes require full-stop landings in daytime as well. If the qualifying (third) landing was on 12 August, you are current through 10 November (the 90th day) and expired on 11 November.
Instrument experience — 14 CFR 61.57(c) and (d)
To act as PIC under IFR or in IMC you need 6 instrument approaches, holding procedures, and intercepting and tracking courses within the 6 calendar months preceding the month of the flight. Tasks completed on 15 January keep you current through 31 July. From 1 August you are in the grace period: you may complete the 61.57(c) tasks to regain currency (typically with a safety pilot in VMC), but you may not act as PIC under IFR until you do. After 6 more calendar months (31 January in this example), an instrument proficiency check is required.
Flight review — 14 CFR 61.56
A flight review is required in the preceding 24 calendar months. An event on 15 January 2024 is good through 31 January 2026. A practical test for a new certificate or rating also satisfies the requirement.
Medical certificates — 14 CFR 61.23(d)
Duration is counted from the date of examination to the last day of a later calendar month, and the length depends on the privileges you want to exercise and whether you had reached your 40th birthday on the exam date:
- First-class privileges: 12 calendar months (under 40) or 6 calendar months (40 and over).
- Second-class privileges: 12 calendar months.
- Third-class privileges: 60 calendar months (under 40) or 24 calendar months (40 and over).
So a first-class exam on 10 March 2025 at age 40 is good for first-class privileges through 30 September 2025, second-class through 31 March 2026, and third-class through 31 March 2027. BasicMed is a separate path under 61.23(c)(3) and Part 68 (CME every 48 calendar months, medical education course every 24).
How to use it
- Leave “as of” at today, or set it to the date of a planned flight.
- Enter the date of your third most recent qualifying day (and night) landing, the date you last completed the instrument tasks, the flight-review date, and the medical exam date and date of birth.
- Read each card: current, expired, in the IFR grace period, or IPC required, with the expiry date and the FAR citation.
- Confirm anything that matters against the current text of the regulation and your logbook. This page does not replace a CFI, AME, or the FAR/AIM.
Frequently asked questions
How long is passenger landing currency good for?
Under 14 CFR 61.57(a) and (b), you may not carry passengers unless you have made 3 takeoffs and 3 landings in the preceding 90 days in an aircraft of the same category, class, and type (if a type rating is required). Night landings must be to a full stop in the period beginning 1 hour after sunset and ending 1 hour before sunrise. Tailwheel landings must be to a full stop. Currency runs through the calendar day that is 90 days after the qualifying landing.
When do I need an instrument proficiency check?
61.57(c) requires 6 instrument approaches, holding, and intercepting and tracking courses within the 6 calendar months preceding the month of the flight. If that lapses, you have 6 more calendar months (the grace period under 61.57(d)) to complete those tasks and become current again — you may not act as PIC under IFR in the meantime. After the grace period, an instrument proficiency check is required.
When does a flight review expire?
61.56(c) requires a flight review in the preceding 24 calendar months. A review on 15 January 2024 is valid through 31 January 2026. A practical test for a new certificate or rating also counts under 61.56(d).
How long is my medical certificate valid?
Under 61.23(d), duration is measured to the last day of a calendar month and depends on the class of privileges and whether you had reached your 40th birthday on the date of the examination. First-class privileges last 12 months if you were under 40, 6 months if you were 40 or older; second-class privileges last 12 months; third-class privileges last 60 months under 40 or 24 months at 40 or older. A first-class certificate then “steps down” to second- and third-class privileges for the remaining time.