FAA Pilot Currency Calculator (USA)
Check if you're current to carry passengers by day or night under 14 CFR 61.57, when it runs out, and exactly what to fly to get it back. Advanced adds IFR currency and your flight review.
Passenger currency 14 CFR 61.57(a) and (b)
Count back 3 takeoffs and landings (by day or night) in this category and class.
Night here is 1 hour after sunset to 1 hour before sunrise.
Add each flight's landings in one category and class (for example, single-engine land). Night full stops also count for day currency.
Instrument currency 61.57(c) and (d)
Approaches, holding and tracking come from the logbook rows above.
Flight review 61.56
A checkride with an examiner counts under 61.56(d); for a WINGS phase, check it meets 61.56(e).
Which landings count (61.57(a) and (b))
| Landing | Day, nosewheel | Day, tailwheel | Night |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day, touch-and-go or full stop | Counts | No | No |
| Day, full stop | Counts | Counts | No |
| Night, touch-and-go | Counts | No | No |
| Night, full stop | Counts | Counts | Counts |
Each takeoff and landing must be as the sole manipulator of the controls, in the same category and class (and type, if a type rating is needed). Source: 14 CFR 61.57 on eCFR, checked on 17 Oct 2026.
How your currency is worked out
Passenger rules count 90 days. Instrument and review rules run to a month end.
- 1
Day passengers
3rd ldg 5 Sep 2026+ 90 days= 4 Dec 2026
- 2
Night passengers
3rd night 1 Aug 2026+ 90 days= 30 Oct 2026
- 3
Instrument
Oldest task Apr 2026+ 6 calendar months= 31 Oct 2026IPC after 30 Apr 2027
- 4
Flight review
Review Nov 2024+ 24 calendar months= 30 Nov 2026
Read more: the rules, a worked example and what counts
Pilot currency is a set of clocks in 14 CFR 61.57. To carry passengers you need recent takeoffs and landings: 3 within the preceding 90 days under 61.57(a), and 3 to a full stop at night under 61.57(b) if you carry them between 1 hour after sunset and 1 hour before sunrise. To fly as pilot in command under IFR, 61.57(c) asks for 6 approaches, holding, and intercepting and tracking courses within the preceding 6 calendar months. The flight review under 61.56 runs on calendar months too.
The formula
day passengers: 3rd most recent landing + 90 days
tailwheel: 3rd most recent full-stop landing + 90 days
night passengers: 3rd most recent night full-stop landing + 90 days
IFR: oldest task = earliest of (6th approach, last holding, last tracking)
IFR current to: last day of (oldest task month + 6)
catch-up to: last day of (oldest task month + 12), then IPC
flight review: last day of (review month + 24)
Worked example
A pilot checks on 17 October 2026. Their 3rd most recent landing was on 5 September 2026: 25 days left in September + 31 in October + 30 in November = 86, plus 4 more is 90, so they can carry passengers by day through 4 December 2026, which is 48 days away (14 + 30 + 4).
Their 3rd most recent night full-stop landing was on 1 August 2026: 30 + 30 + 30 = 90, so night passenger currency runs through 30 October 2026, 13 days away.
For IFR, their 6th most recent approach was on 22 April 2026 and holding and tracking on 14 May 2026. The oldest task is in April, so they're current to the end of April + 6 months: 31 October 2026. If they fly no more approaches, they can catch up with a safety pilot or a training device until the end of April + 12 months, 30 April 2027; after that only an IPC restores it.
Their flight review was on 9 November 2024: November 2024 + 24 calendar months = November 2026, so it's good to 30 November 2026, 44 days away.
Logbook mode
Add a row for each flight's landings with its kind. The calculator sorts the rows by date, ignores any after the check date, counts back to the 3rd landing that qualifies, and counts how many are still inside the 90-day window (the check date minus 90 days, through the check date). If you're not current, it says how many more to fly and how long that would keep you current. If you are, it shows how far one more landing would push your date.
Edge cases
- The night period for 61.57(b) is 1 hour after sunset to 1 hour before sunrise. That is not the same as the night time you log, which starts earlier, so check the time of each landing.
- For the 90-day rule, a 3rd landing on 1 January 2026 keeps you current through 1 April 2026; in a leap year (2024) through 31 March. Some pilots count one day fewer to be safe.
- A month end in February lands on the 29th in a leap year: approaches in August 2027 keep you IFR current to 29 February 2028.
- Strictly, 61.57(c) counts the 6 calendar months before the month of the flight, so tasks flown this month are sure to count from the 1st of next month.
- Rule 61.57(a) also applies when you fly an aircraft certificated for more than one pilot crewmember, even with no passengers.
- Approved full flight simulators, flight training devices and aviation training devices can count for parts of 61.57(a), (b) and (c) (see (c)(2)), and 61.57(e) has exceptions. Check the rule for your case.
Sources, checked on 17 Oct 2026
- 14 CFR 61.57 on eCFR (up to date as of 14 Oct 2026): the day, night, tailwheel, instrument and IPC rules used here were confirmed on this page.
- 14 CFR 61.56 on eCFR: the flight review (at least 1 hour of ground and 1 hour of flight training) within the 24 calendar months before the month you fly as pilot in command, and what can stand in for one: a proficiency check or practical test by an examiner under 61.56(d), or a phase of an FAA-sponsored pilot proficiency program under 61.56(e). Checked on 17 Oct 2026 (eCFR up to date as of 14 Oct 2026). The section doesn't name WINGS, so check that your phase counts.
Need your medical expiry too? Use the FAA medical & currency expiry calculator. Practising holds? The holding pattern entry calculator works out the entry.
Planning and training aid only. Always check the current regulations and your logbook, and ask your CFI or CFII.
Common questions
How do I stay current to carry passengers?
Under 14 CFR 61.57(a) you need 3 takeoffs and 3 landings within the preceding 90 days, as the sole manipulator of the controls, in the same category and class (and type, if a type rating is needed). This calculator counts 90 days from your 3rd most recent landing.
Do touch-and-go landings count?
For day currency in a nosewheel airplane, yes. In a tailwheel airplane the landings must be to a full stop, in a tailwheel airplane. For night currency under 61.57(b), every landing must be to a full stop.
What counts as night for passenger currency?
Section 61.57(b) uses the period from 1 hour after sunset to 1 hour before sunrise. You need 3 takeoffs and 3 landings to a full stop in that period within the preceding 90 days to carry passengers then.
Do my night landings count towards day currency?
Yes. Rule 61.57(a) asks for 3 takeoffs and landings within 90 days without saying they must be by day, so night landings count too (to a full stop if the airplane is a tailwheel).
What happens if my instrument currency lapses?
You cannot act as pilot in command under IFR. Under 61.57(c) you can still log the 6 approaches, holding and intercepting and tracking with a safety pilot in simulated conditions, or in an approved simulator or training device. Once you have been behind for more than 6 calendar months, 61.57(d) says only an instrument proficiency check (IPC) restores it.
When is my flight review due?
Section 61.56(c) asks for a flight review within the 24 calendar months before the month you fly as pilot in command, so a review on any day in November 2024 lasts to 30 November 2026. Check 61.56 for what can stand in for one, such as a checkride for a new certificate or rating.
Related calculators
Made by Zulu Calculator, part of AlphaZulu LLC. Formulas are shown in full and rule figures are checked against official sources; see how we build calculators.