Pilot Currency Tracking: What to Track for Each Pilot

Pilot currency tracking means recording, for each pilot, when every recurring item was last done and the last day it’s still good. Under Part 61 that is the flight review every 24 calendar months (61.56), three takeoffs and landings in 90 days to carry passengers and three more at night (61.57(a) and (b)), six approaches with holding and course tracking in 6 calendar months to fly IFR (61.57(c)), the medical certificate (61.23(d)) and, for aircraft that need two pilots or are turbojet-powered, a pilot-in-command proficiency check (61.58). Part 135 adds a knowledge test, competency check and line check every 12 calendar months and an instrument proficiency check every 6 (135.293, 135.297, 135.299), each with a grace month on either side (135.301(a)).

You can download a free CSV currency tracker with a row for each item below.

What pilot currency items do you need to track?

This table lists each item, the interval the rule sets and where it comes from.

The two kinds of interval count differently. “90 days” runs day by day from the last qualifying landing; “calendar months” runs to the end of a month. A Part 135 competency check passed on March 15 is good through March 31 of the next year, because the rule asks whether the pilot passed it “since the beginning of the 12th calendar month before that service.”

How often is a flight review required?

Section 61.56(c) says no person may act as pilot in command unless, “since the beginning of the 24th calendar month before the month in which that pilot acts as pilot in command,” that person has accomplished a flight review given by an authorized instructor in an aircraft the pilot is rated for, and has a logbook endorsement from that instructor. A review signed on May 14, 2025 covers PIC flying through May 31, 2027.

A professional pilot may never need a standalone flight review. Under 61.56(d), a person who passed “a pilot proficiency check or practical test conducted by an examiner, an approved pilot check airman, or a U.S. Armed Force, for a pilot certificate, rating, or operating privilege” within the same period doesn’t need one. So a 61.58 check, a Part 135 competency check or a type rating practical test, given by an examiner or an approved check airman, can take the review’s place. Record which event it was.

What does 61.57 require for passengers, night and instruments?

Section 61.57 holds three separate currencies, and a pilot can be current for one and not the others.

Carrying passengers

Under 61.57(a)(1), no person may act as PIC “of an aircraft carrying persons or of an aircraft certificated for more than one pilot flight crewmember” unless that person has made at least three takeoffs and three landings within the preceding 90 days, as sole manipulator of the controls, in an aircraft of the same category, class and type (if a class or type rating is required). Tailwheel currency needs full-stop landings in a tailwheel airplane. If the aircraft is certificated for two pilots, the 90-day landings apply to the PIC even with nobody in the back.

At night

Section 61.57(b)(1) requires three takeoffs and three landings “to a full stop” within the preceding 90 days, during the period from 1 hour after sunset to 1 hour before sunrise, to act as PIC carrying persons in that period. Touch-and-goes at night don’t count toward it.

Instrument currency

Under 61.57(c)(1), a pilot may act as PIC under IFR or below VFR minimums only if, “within the 6 calendar months preceding the month of the flight,” that pilot performed and logged:

1. “Six instrument approaches.”
2. “Holding procedures and tasks.”
3. “Intercepting and tracking courses through the use of navigational electronic systems.”

Full flight simulators, flight training devices and aviation training devices that represent the aircraft category count (61.57(c)(2)). A pilot who misses the window “for more than six calendar months” can get current again “only by completing an instrument proficiency check” (61.57(d)(1)). So track two dates: when the 6-month window closes, and when the next 6 months run out and only an IPC will do.

When 61.57 doesn’t apply

Section 61.57(e)(3) says the section doesn’t apply to a PIC employed by a Part 135 certificate holder when flying under Part 91 or 135 for that certificate holder, “if the pilot in command is in compliance with §§ 135.243 and 135.247.” Section 135.247(a) sets its own 90-day rule for carrying passengers: three takeoffs and landings in the same category, class and (if required) type, and for night flying three made at night, which also cover day flying. Charter crews track 135.247 in place of 61.57.

When is a 61.58 PIC proficiency check required?

Section 61.58(a) applies “to serve as pilot in command of an aircraft that is type certificated for more than one required pilot flight crewmember or is turbojet-powered.” It requires two things:

1. Within the preceding 12 calendar months, a PIC proficiency check in any aircraft that is type certificated for more than one required pilot or is turbojet-powered.
2. Within the preceding 24 calendar months, a PIC proficiency check “in the particular type of aircraft in which that person will serve as pilot in command.”

The tracker needs one row for the 12-month item and one row per type for the 24-month item.

In practice the rule falls on Part 91 flying, because section 61.58(b) says it “does not apply to persons conducting operations under subpart K of part 91, part 121, 125, 133, 135, or 137,” and 61.58(c) lets a PIC check given under 91K, 121, 125 or 135 satisfy it.

Section 61.58(i) gives a grace month: a check taken “in the calendar month before or the calendar month after the month in which it is due” counts as taken in the due month “for the purpose of computing when the next pilot-in-command proficiency check is due.” It doesn’t say the pilot may serve as PIC during the late month, so plan the check for the due month or earlier.

How long is a medical certificate valid?

Section 61.23(d) sets the duration by class, the pilot’s age at the exam and the privileges used. Each period ends “at the end of the last day of the” stated month after the month of the exam.

Under 61.23(a), first class is required “when exercising the pilot-in-command privileges of an airline transport pilot certificate” and at least second class for commercial privileges outside balloons and gliders. Under 135.243(a)(1), a Part 135 PIC carrying passengers in a turbojet airplane, or one with 10 or more passenger seats, must hold an ATP.

A worked example

The dates below are illustrative. A pilot is 41 on the day of a first-class exam dated March 10, 2026.

The same certificate has three end dates. A tracker that stores only the 12-month date shows that captain current for ATP PIC flying six months too long. Record the exam date and date of birth, and work out the date for the flying the pilot does.

BasicMed under 61.113(i) has its own clocks: a medical education course within the preceding 24 calendar months and a physician’s exam within the preceding 48 calendar months (61.23(c)(3)). It covers only the privileges listed in 61.23(c)(1), such as private pilot privileges, not commercial flying.

What checks do Part 135 pilots need?

Charter operators track up to four recurring tests and checks per pilot on top of the medical; the instrument proficiency check and line check apply to pilots in command. For which rules apply to which trips, see our comparison of Part 91, Part 135 and Part 91K.

Knowledge test and competency check (135.293)

Section 135.293(a) says no certificate holder may use a pilot, nor may any person serve as a pilot, unless “since the beginning of the 12th calendar month before that service” the pilot passed a written or oral test covering, among other areas, Parts 61, 91 and 135, the operations specifications and manual, and each aircraft type’s systems and procedures.

Section 135.293(b) adds a competency check on the same 12-calendar-month cycle, in the class of aircraft for single-engine airplanes other than turbojets and in the type for helicopters, multiengine airplanes, turbojets and powered-lift. The check pilot certifies each pass in the certificate holder’s pilot records (135.293(f)).

Instrument proficiency check (135.297)

Section 135.297(a) has the shortest cycle: no pilot may serve “as a pilot in command of an aircraft under IFR unless, since the beginning of the 6th calendar month before that service,” the pilot passed an instrument proficiency check given by the FAA or an authorized check pilot. A PIC assigned to more than one type takes the check in each type “in rotation” (135.297(e)).

The IPC can stand in for the competency check: section 135.293(d) says “the instrument proficiency check required by § 135.297 may be substituted for the competency check required by this section for the type of aircraft used in the check.” Record which event satisfied which item, since the substitution only covers the type used.

Line check (135.299)

Section 135.299(a) requires a PIC to have passed a flight check “since the beginning of the 12th calendar month before that service,” in one of the types the pilot will fly, over at least one route segment with takeoffs and landings at one or more representative airports. The check pilot certifies the result in the pilot training record (135.299(b)).

The grace month (135.301)

Section 135.301(a) reads: “If a crewmember who is required to take a test or a flight check under this part, completes the test or flight check in the calendar month before or after the calendar month in which it is required, that crewmember is considered to have completed the test or check in the calendar month in which it is required.”

That keeps the pilot’s base month fixed. Illustrative example: a competency check due in February and taken in January, February or March counts as a February check, so the next is due the following February. Taken in December, it counts as December and the cycle moves earlier for good. Store the due month next to the date the check was done.

How to set up a pilot currency tracker

1. List every pilot and whether each flies Part 91, Part 135 or both. That decides which rows apply.
2. Add each pilot’s certificate level, type ratings, date of birth and assigned aircraft types.
3. Add one row per recurring item from the table above, and one per type where the rule is per type.
4. Fill in the date each item was last done and its source record: logbook endorsement, medical certificate or training record entry.
5. Work out each row’s “valid through” date: 90 days counted day by day, calendar months to the month’s end, and the medical by class, age and privilege. For a check in a grace month, record the month it counts for.
6. Sort by “valid through” and review the top of the list before each schedule goes out.

The CSV tracker follows those steps, with a column for the grace or exception note. Its three example rows are fictional; delete them and add your own. If your trips live in a spreadsheet too, see our guide to a flight scheduling spreadsheet.

Common pilot currency tracking mistakes

• One expiry date for the medical. The same exam has different end dates for ATP PIC, commercial and private privileges, and the age at the exam changes them.
• Counting calendar months as days. A 12-calendar-month check runs to the end of the month, not to the anniversary date. Ending it on the anniversary date grounds pilots early.
• Tracking 61.57 for charter crews instead of 135.247. Under 61.57(e)(3), 61.57 doesn’t apply to a Part 135 PIC flying for the certificate holder who complies with 135.243 and 135.247.

For the duty and rest side of Part 135 crew scheduling, see our guide to Part 135 duty time limits.

Pilot currency tracking in Avion Desk

Avion Desk keeps certificates, training requirements and training records for each person, sorted with the most urgent first. When a trip seats a pilot who isn’t qualified on the aircraft, the trip is flagged. You can bring people, their credentials and their training in from CSV, so a spreadsheet you already keep can be loaded instead of retyped. See the crew features page and pricing. To try it, start a free trial and add your pilots and their certificates, or request a demo.

Frequently asked questions

How long is a pilot’s flight review good for?

Until the end of the 24th calendar month after the month of the review. A review on May 14, 2025 covers PIC flying through May 31, 2027. A proficiency check or practical test for a certificate, rating or operating privilege within that period also satisfies it (61.56(c) and (d)).

How many landings do you need to carry passengers?

Three takeoffs and three landings in the preceding 90 days as sole manipulator of the controls, in the same category, class and type if a class or type rating is required. At night, three takeoffs and three landings to a full stop in the period from 1 hour after sunset to 1 hour before sunrise (61.57(a) and (b)).

How long is a first-class medical valid?

It depends on the privileges used and your age at the exam. For ATP pilot-in-command privileges it runs to the end of the 12th month after the exam if you were under 40, or the 6th month if 40 or older. For commercial privileges it runs 12 months at any age, and for private privileges 60 months under 40 or 24 months at 40 or older (61.23(d)).

Does 61.58 apply to Part 135 pilots?

Not to their Part 135 flying. Section 61.58(b) excludes operations under Part 135, among others, and 61.58(c) lets a Part 135 PIC check satisfy 61.58 for that pilot’s other flying (61.58).

What is the grace month for Part 135 checks?

A test or check under Part 135 taken in the calendar month before or after the month it’s required counts as taken in the month it’s required, so the base month doesn’t move (135.301(a)).

This article explains the rules in plain language and isn’t legal advice; the regulation text governs.

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