It would be natural to assume this question would have a straightforward, quantitative answer; surely, there is a clear number of flight hours codified in law somewhere, that a pilot can clearly see if he or she has met the required time to stay current.

This assumption, though reasonable, would be incorrect. This question on maintaining certifications is far from easy to answer. The difficulty lies, in part, that rules for maintaining certifications – what I will often refer to as maintaining ‘currency’ – differ for pilots operating at an airline from pilots operating privately. Because of this, we will look at the requirements for both airline pilots and pilots operating privately. This is a basic guide and not an exhaustive look at the law.

But first, it is important to distinguish that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) values recent experience over a pilot’s logbook size. Said another way, for example, a pilot with 10,000 hours has vast experience, but if they haven’t flown in a year, they are not as current as a pilot with 1,000 hours, all of which he flew in the last 3 years. This is because flying is a complex task requiring both physical and mental excellence. Plus, regulations around flying, airspace, and other rules tend to change frequently, and active, recent pilots often have a better handle on the latest rules or regulatory guidance.

With this said, the FAA does not require a minimum number of flight hours per year for a pilot to maintain currency in his or her certifications. Recent experience trumps hours.

Flying for fun

Keeping certifications required for the recreational pilot – the term I’m using to describe flying for fun – generally comes down to the basic rules of Part 61, the part of the law dealing with pilot qualifications and certifications. Simplified, a pilot must have logged 3 takeoffs and landings to carry passengers in the last 90 days. If carrying passengers at night, the pilot must have logged 3 takeoffs and landings at night in the last 90 days.

Further, the pilot must receive a flight review every 24 calendar months. This event is a minimum of 1 hour of ground instruction and a minimum of 1 hour of flight time with a certified flight instructor. The ground time is meant to review relevant or new regulations, and the time in the air is meant to review the proficiency of the pilot.

Another set of requirements must be met if the pilot has an instrument rating – simplified, 6 instrument approaches and a holding pattern in actual or simulated instrument conditions are required within the last 6 months.

Flying for airlines

Airline pilots must also log 3 takeoffs and landings in the last 90 days, with no distinction between day and night, and these can be done in a qualified full-motion simulator. All airline pilots have an instrument rating, but the required currency mentioned above does not apply to airline operations, often referred to as ‘Part 121,’ referring to the section of the law regulating airlines.

Airline pilots must also attend recurrent ground school and simulator events, at least annually but sometimes as often as every 6 months, depending on the program operated by the pilot’s airline. The subject and frequency of this training are spelled out in the airline’s Advanced Qualification Program, or AQP, an FAA-approved airline training and recurrent program run by the airline. An FAA-approved AQP program is an alternate means of recurrent compliance with Part 121 regulations. The FAA estimates that nearly 90% of all U.S. airline pilots participate in AQP through their respective employer airlines.

This is a basic look at maintain qualifications as a pilot – a difficult subject to address with brevity.