The pilot currency checklist: every clock that's ticking on your certificate

Most pilots don't bust currency because they're careless. They bust it because the FAA runs half a dozen independent clocks against your certificate, each with its own window, its own reset condition, and zero notifications. Here is every clock in one place.

Flight review — 24 calendar months

14 CFR 61.56: a flight review (minimum 1 hour ground, 1 hour flight) within the preceding 24 calendar months. "Calendar months" means it expires at the end of the month, not on the anniversary date — a review on March 3, 2025 keeps you legal through March 31, 2027. A new certificate or rating, a WINGS phase, or a proficiency check all reset it.

Passenger currency — 90 days, per category and class

14 CFR 61.57(a): three takeoffs and three landings within the preceding 90 days to carry passengers, in the same category, class, and type (if a type rating is required). Tailwheel landings must be to a full stop. This is the clock pilots miss most, because it expires silently between flights.

Night passenger currency — 90 days, full stop, at night

61.57(b): three takeoffs and three landings to a full stop between one hour after sunset and one hour before sunrise. Day landings do not count, touch-and-goes do not count, and being night-current does not make you day-current or vice versa.

IFR currency — 6 months, then a 6-month grace window

61.57(c): within the preceding 6 calendar months, six instrument approaches plus holding procedures and course intercepting/tracking. Miss the window and you get 6 more months to regain currency with a safety pilot — but you cannot file IFR during the grace period. Miss that too and you need an instrument proficiency check.

Medical or BasicMed

• Third class under 40: 60 calendar months. 40 and over: 24 calendar months.
• BasicMed: physician exam every 48 months, online course every 24 months.
• Special issuance timelines are whatever your authorization letter says — read it twice.

The clocks nobody regulates

Club and school rules: 30/60/90-day dual requirements per aircraft type, annual checkouts, insurance open-pilot warranty minimums. These aren't FAA rules, but they ground you just as effectively — and they're the ones least likely to be tracked anywhere.