Instrument Currency and the IPC: What Counts as an Approach, Safety Pilot Rules, Simulators, and the Grace Period
Updated: Sep 26
Flying under Instrument Flight Rules is one of the most empowering and demanding privileges a pilot can hold — it lets you operate in reduced visibility, through clouds, and in complex airspace that demands precision and constant proficiency. Two concepts sit at the heart of safe IFR flying: instrument currency and the Instrument Proficiency Check. They're often mentioned together but serve different purposes, and the details behind them trip up a lot of instrument pilots: what actually makes an approach "count," who can serve as a safety pilot (and what they and the aircraft need), how simulators and training devices figure in after the rules changed, and exactly how the grace period works. Understanding these turns instrument currency from a source of confusion into a manageable discipline.
This post covers instrument currency and the IPC in practical depth: the 6-6-HITS requirement and what each element means, what makes an instrument approach count, the safety pilot requirements, how simulators and ATDs work for currency, the grace period and when an IPC becomes mandatory, what an IPC involves, and staying genuinely proficient.
Study this full length lesson (video, podcast, flashcards, and quiz) here: Full Length Lesson >
What Instrument Currency Is
Instrument currency is the regulatory requirement (14 CFR 61.57(c)) that determines whether a pilot may act as PIC under IFR or in weather below VFR minimums.
The core requirement:
Within the PRECEDING 6 CALENDAR MONTHS
The pilot must have performed and logged specific instrument tasks
In the appropriate aircraft category (or an approved simulator/training device)
To act as PIC under IFR or in IMC
What currency governs:
Acting as PIC under IFR (in the system, on an IFR clearance)
Flying in weather conditions less than VFR minimums (in IMC)
Not required for VFR flight in VMC
The instrument privileges
The "preceding 6 calendar months" detail:
Calendar months (not a rolling 6 months exactly)
Look back 6 calendar months from the current month
The tasks must fall within that window
Calendar-month based
The category-specific nature:
Instrument currency is maintained for a CATEGORY of aircraft (airplane, helicopter, etc.)
Approaches in an airplane maintain airplane instrument currency
For airplanes, it's generally category-wide (not class-specific for currency, though proficiency matters)
The tasks are done in the appropriate category
The 6-6-HITS Rule
The memory aid for the currency tasks, broken down with what each actually requires.
The requirement — within 6 calendar months:
6 instrument approaches
Holding procedures and tasks
Intercepting and Tracking courses using navigational electronic systems
(The "6-6" is 6 months and 6 approaches; HITS is the tasks)
Element 1 — Six instrument approaches:
Six approaches, performed and logged
Must be actual instrument approaches (to published minimums — see below)
Can be different types or the same type
The bulk of the requirement
Element 2 — Holding procedures and tasks:
At least one holding procedure/task
Entering and holding at a fix
Demonstrates holding proficiency
Part of the required tasks
Element 3 — Intercepting and tracking courses:
Intercepting and tracking courses using navigational electronic systems
VOR, GPS, localizer course intercepting and tracking
Demonstrates navigation proficiency
The tracking task
How they're typically accomplished:
Often all in one or two IFR practice flights (or actual IFR flights)
Six approaches with holds and course tracking
Efficiently combined
A practice session can cover it all
The conditions for the tasks:
In actual IMC, OR
In simulated IMC (with a safety pilot, under the hood/view-limiting device), OR
In an approved flight simulator, flight training device (FTD), or aviation training device (ATD)
Any of these count (with conditions)
What Makes an Instrument Approach Count
A crucial detail the basic treatment glosses over: not every approach counts, and the conditions matter.
The approach must be flown in actual or simulated instrument conditions:
To COUNT for currency, the approach must be conducted in actual IMC or simulated IMC (under a hood/view-limiting device)
Simply flying an approach in clear VMC (no hood) does NOT count
You must be "in the soup" or "under the hood"
The conditions requirement
The FAA guidance on the conditions:
The aircraft must be operated in actual or simulated instrument conditions from BEFORE the final approach fix (FAF) to the MINIMUMS (MDA/DA)
You need to be in instrument conditions for the segment where instrument flying matters (the final approach segment down to minimums)
Per FAA legal interpretations (the "actual/simulated to minimums" guidance)
The hood/conditions must be maintained through the descent to minimums
To published minimums:
The approach should be flown to the published minimums (MDA/DA)
Flying a partial approach (leveling off high) may not count
Complete the approach to minimums
The full approach
The simulated-conditions detail:
Under the hood (view-limiting device) with a safety pilot
The hood stays on to minimums (or until landing/missed as appropriate)
Removing the hood early may invalidate the approach for currency
Maintain the simulated conditions
The "in the soup" reality:
In actual IMC, you're in instrument conditions naturally
The approach counts if flown in actual conditions
Breaking out at minimums is normal (you flew it in IMC to minimums)
Actual conditions satisfy it
The common question — VMC approaches:
An approach flown in VMC without a hood does NOT count for currency
Even if you fly the full procedure
You need actual or simulated conditions
This trips up pilots (flying approaches but not logging them as currency-qualifying)
The Safety Pilot Requirements
A heavily tested detail the basic treatment omits: flying under the hood in simulated conditions requires a safety pilot, and there are specific requirements.
When a safety pilot is required:
To fly in SIMULATED instrument conditions (under a hood/view-limiting device)
A safety pilot must be aboard (to see and avoid traffic)
Required by 91.109 (simulated instrument flight)
The safety pilot watches for traffic while you're "under the hood"
The safety pilot requirements (91.109b):
Must possess at least a PRIVATE pilot certificate
With category and class ratings appropriate to the aircraft being flown
Must have a current medical certificate (they're a required crewmember)
The aircraft must have dual controls (or an FAA-approved configuration)
The category/class detail:
The safety pilot must be rated in the CATEGORY AND CLASS of the aircraft
(e.g., for a single-engine airplane, the safety pilot needs airplane single-engine land)
Not just any pilot — appropriately rated
A common test point
The medical requirement:
The safety pilot is a REQUIRED crewmember
They must hold a current medical certificate
(BasicMed may suffice in some cases per the rules)
Required because they're acting as a crewmember
The dual-controls requirement:
The aircraft must have dual controls
So the safety pilot can take control if needed
Or an FAA-approved alternative
Standard for simulated instrument flight
Who logs what:
The pilot under the hood logs PIC (sole manipulator, if rated) and instrument time
The safety pilot logs SIC time (as a required crewmember) — or PIC if they're the acting PIC by agreement
Both can log time (per the arrangement)
The logging can be shared
The acting-PIC question:
The pilot flying (under the hood) can be PIC (sole manipulator of controls, if rated in the aircraft)
OR the safety pilot can be the acting PIC (if agreed and qualified)
Determine who's PIC before the flight
Affects logging and responsibility
Simulators, FTDs, and ATDs
How training devices count for currency, including the rule change the basic treatment doesn't mention.
The three device types:
Full Flight Simulator (FFS): high-fidelity, motion (Level A-D)
Flight Training Device (FTD): fixed-base, aircraft-specific (Level 4-7)
Aviation Training Device (ATD): basic (BATD) or advanced (AATD) — the common desktop/pilot training devices
Using devices for currency:
Instrument currency tasks CAN be accomplished in an approved FFS, FTD, or ATD
The device must be approved for the tasks
An instructor may or may not be required (depending on the device/tasks)
A cost-effective way to stay current
The 2018 rule change (important):
Before 2018, using an ATD for currency had restrictions (e.g., tasks had to be done within a certain time, an instructor present, etc.)
The FAA REMOVED many of these restrictions
Now, currency tasks in an approved ATD are treated more like aircraft (combined with aircraft tasks, no separate 2-month rule)
The rules were simplified
A pilot can mix aircraft and ATD approaches toward the six
What changed specifically:
Old rule: ATD approaches had to be done within 2 calendar months and couldn't be freely combined
New rule (post-2018): the tasks in an ATD count like other tasks (within the 6 calendar months, combinable with aircraft tasks)
No more separate ATD-specific timing restriction
Simpler and more flexible
The practical benefit:
Fly some approaches in the aircraft, some in an ATD, combine them
Maintain currency efficiently
The ATD is a legitimate currency tool
Especially useful for practicing holds and approaches cheaply
The device approval:
The device must be FAA-approved (with a letter of authorization for ATDs)
Used per its authorization
Confirm the device is approved for currency
Not just any simulator/game
Logging vs. Legality
The distinction the basic treatment makes well, reinforced.
Logging instrument time ≠ being current:
You can LOG instrument time (actual or simulated) without becoming current
Currency requires the specific TASKS (6 approaches, holding, tracking)
Logging time alone doesn't make you current
Task completion is what matters
The distinction:
Instrument time: time spent flying by reference to instruments (logged)
Instrument currency: completing the 6-6-HITS tasks within 6 calendar months
Different concepts
You need the tasks, not just the time
The careful-logging imperative:
Log the approaches, holds, and tracking specifically
Note the conditions (actual/simulated)
Track the dates (for the 6-calendar-month window)
Good records prevent currency confusion
What to log for each approach:
The date, the type of approach, the facility/airport
The conditions (actual or simulated instrument)
Enough to establish it counts
Complete records
The Grace Period: Months 7-12
The currency recovery window, expanded.
If you don't complete 6-6-HITS in 6 months:
You're no longer instrument-current
But you have a recovery window (the next 6 calendar months)
Months 7-12 after your currency lapsed
Not lost yet
During months 7-12:
You may regain currency by completing the required tasks
With a safety pilot (simulated), in actual IMC, or in an approved device
Same tasks (6 approaches, holding, tracking)
The recovery process
The critical limitation:
During months 7-12 (while not current), you may NOT act as PIC under IFR or in IMC
You can only regain currency (do the tasks in VMC with a safety pilot, or in a device)
You can't use IFR privileges until current again
A recovery window, NOT an extension of privileges
How to regain currency in the grace period:
Do the 6-6-HITS tasks (in simulated conditions with a safety pilot, or in a device)
You don't need an instructor (a safety pilot suffices for the simulated approaches)
Once complete, you're current again
No IPC needed (if within the 12-month window)
The key point:
Within 12 months of lapsing: regain currency WITHOUT an IPC (just do the tasks)
The tasks can be done with a safety pilot in VMC (simulated) — you don't need to be current to do them
This is the recovery window
Simpler than an IPC
Why it's not an extension:
You can't fly IFR as PIC during months 7-12 (until current)
It's time to REGAIN currency, not continue using it
A recovery period
Don't confuse it with continued privileges
When an IPC Is Required
The 12-month threshold, expanded.
The rule:
If MORE than 12 calendar months have passed since you were last instrument-current
You can no longer regain currency by simply doing the tasks with a safety pilot
An Instrument Proficiency Check (IPC) is REQUIRED
The 12-month threshold
The timeline:
Months 1-6: current (if you did the tasks)
Months 7-12: not current, but can regain by doing the tasks (recovery window)
After 12 months: IPC required to regain currency
Three phases
Why the IPC after 12 months:
After a year of being non-current, skill fade is significant
The FAA requires a proficiency evaluation (IPC), not just task completion
Ensures the pilot is actually proficient
A higher bar for a longer lapse
The practical takeaway:
Don't let currency lapse beyond 12 months (IPC required)
Within 12 months: regain with tasks (recovery window)
After 12 months: IPC
Track your currency to avoid needing an IPC
What an IPC Is
The IPC explained, expanded.
The definition:
An Instrument Proficiency Check is a formal evaluation of IFR proficiency
Unlike currency (quantitative — number of approaches), the IPC is QUALITATIVE (proficiency, judgment, competence)
Conducted per 14 CFR 61.57(d)
Evaluated to the Instrument Rating ACS standards
Who can conduct an IPC:
A Certified Flight Instructor–Instrument (CFII)
An FAA-designated examiner (DPE)
An FAA aviation safety inspector
Certain other authorized evaluators (e.g., in a training program)
The regulatory basis:
14 CFR 61.57(d) defines the IPC
References the Instrument Rating ACS as the standard
The tasks come from the ACS
The evaluation standard
The ACS-based content:
The IPC covers the required ACS tasks (the areas of operation)
A representative set demonstrating IFR proficiency
Not every task, but enough
The ACS is the guide
What an IPC Includes
The content, expanded.
The ground portion (typically):
IFR regulations and procedures
Weather interpretation and decision-making
IFR charts and flight planning
Lost communications procedures
Aircraft systems relevant to IFR
(Not always formal, but proficiency is assessed)
The flight portion (the required ACS tasks include):
Aircraft control by reference to instruments
Navigation (ground-based and RNAV/GPS)
Holding entries and procedures
Course intercepts and tracking
Unusual attitude recovery
At least one precision approach (ILS or LPV — an approach with vertical guidance)
At least one non-precision approach (VOR, LOC, LNAV)
Missed approach procedures
Partial panel operations (recovery from instrument failures)
A circling approach (per the ACS, if applicable)
The approach requirements:
The IPC requires a precision (or APV — approach with vertical guidance) approach AND a non-precision approach
Demonstrating both types
Plus a missed approach
The core approach tasks
The partial-panel emphasis:
The IPC includes partial panel (simulated instrument failure)
Demonstrating the ability to fly with failed instruments
A key IFR skill
Part of the check
Not a traditional pass/fail:
The IPC isn't a pass/fail checkride in the traditional sense
If the pilot isn't proficient in an area, the instructor provides training
The IPC is completed once proficiency is demonstrated
Training-oriented
How an IPC Differs from a Checkride
Reassuring the anxious pilot, expanded.
The differences:
No FAA examiner required (a CFII can do it)
No temporary certificate issued
No permanent failure record (it's training, not a certification test)
Can be completed with additional training if needed
The mindset:
An IPC is structured recurrent TRAINING, not punishment
It restores currency AND reinforces proficiency
View it as valuable training
Not a test to fear
The completion:
Once the pilot demonstrates proficiency (with training as needed)
The instructor endorses the logbook
Currency is restored
A positive outcome
The "no failure" nuance:
If a pilot can't complete the IPC in one session, it's just incomplete (more training)
No "failure" on record
Complete it when proficient
Low-stakes structure
Logging and Endorsements
The paperwork, expanded.
The IPC endorsement:
Upon satisfactory completion, the CFII (or evaluator) endorses the logbook
Stating the IPC was completed per 61.57(d)
With the date and the evaluator's information
The record of completion
The effect:
The endorsement immediately restores instrument currency
You're current as of the IPC completion
The 6-calendar-month clock restarts
Back to current
The endorsement content:
The pilot's name and certificate number
That the IPC was completed per 61.57(d)
The date
The CFII's signature and certificate number
Standard endorsement format
Keeping the record:
The endorsement is in the logbook
Proof of the IPC
Establishes current status
Retain it
Currency vs. Proficiency
The safety message, expanded.
Legal ≠ safe:
Instrument currency is a MINIMUM legal standard
It doesn't guarantee proficiency
A pilot can be legally current but not truly proficient
The gap between legal and safe
The illustrative example:
Fly six approaches in one day (current)
Then don't fly IFR for five months
Still legally current (within 6 calendar months)
But proficiency has faded
Legal, not necessarily safe
Why experienced pilots do more:
Regular practice approaches (not just to maintain currency)
Scenario-based IFR flights
Periodic training with a CFII (even when current)
Treating proficiency as ongoing
The proficiency mindset:
Currency is the floor, not the goal
Real proficiency requires regular, varied practice
The demanding IFR environment rewards it
Stay sharp, not just legal
Recent Experience to Carry Passengers (A Different Thing)
A clarification worth making: instrument currency is separate from passenger-carrying currency.
The distinction:
Instrument currency (61.57c): to fly IFR/in IMC
Passenger-carrying recency (61.57a/b): 3 takeoffs/landings in 90 days to carry passengers (day and night versions)
Different requirements for different privileges
Don't confuse them
Both may apply:
To fly an IFR flight with passengers, you need BOTH
Instrument currency (for the IFR) AND passenger recency (for the passengers)
They're separate
Meet both
Why the distinction matters:
Being instrument-current doesn't make you passenger-current
Being passenger-current doesn't make you instrument-current
Track both
Separate clocks
Practical Tips for Staying Proficient
The advice, expanded.
Fly IFR regularly, even in VMC (file and fly in the system)
Use simulators/ATDs to practice holds and approaches efficiently (and cheaply)
Vary approach types (ILS, LPV, VOR, LOC, RNAV) — don't just fly the easy one
Practice failures (partial panel, GPS outages, missed approaches)
Schedule a mock IPC annually as a proficiency benchmark
Log carefully (incomplete logs create currency confusion)
Fly actual IMC when safe (with proficiency) to build real experience
Brief and debrief your IFR flights
Final Thoughts
Instrument flying is a perishable skill, and the regulations — instrument currency and the IPC — exist to protect pilots from skill fade in a demanding environment. Understanding the details makes them manageable: the 6-6-HITS tasks within 6 calendar months, the requirement that approaches be flown in actual or simulated conditions to minimums, the safety pilot rules (rated in category/class, current medical, dual controls), and the flexibility to use approved simulators and ATDs. The grace period (months 7-12) lets you regain currency by doing the tasks, but after 12 months an IPC is required.
Instrument currency keeps you legal in the short term; the IPC restores legality when currency lapses and reinforces real proficiency; and regular, varied practice keeps you safe. Treat IFR proficiency as an ongoing discipline, not a box to check, and you'll be ready when the weather, the airspace, and the system demand your best.
On the Written Test and Checkride
Instrument currency and the IPC appear on tests and checkride orals (instrument and CFII especially). The most commonly tested topics:
The 6-6-HITS requirement (61.57c)
What makes an approach count (actual/simulated conditions to minimums)
Safety pilot requirements (rated in category/class, current medical, dual controls)
The grace period (months 7-12) and the 12-month IPC threshold
Who can conduct an IPC (CFII, examiner)
Currency vs. proficiency
Quick Reference
Instrument Currency (61.57c):
Required to act as PIC under IFR or in IMC
Within the preceding 6 CALENDAR MONTHS
Maintained by category
6-6-HITS (within 6 calendar months):
6 instrument approaches
Holding procedures and tasks
Intercepting and Tracking courses (navigational electronic systems)
What Makes an Approach Count:
Flown in ACTUAL or SIMULATED instrument conditions
In conditions from before the FAF to minimums (MDA/DA)
To published minimums
VMC approach without a hood does NOT count
Conditions Allowed:
Actual IMC
Simulated IMC (hood + safety pilot)
Approved FFS, FTD, or ATD
Safety Pilot Requirements (91.109):
At least PRIVATE certificate
Category AND class ratings for the aircraft
Current medical (required crewmember)
Aircraft needs dual controls
Simulators/ATDs:
FFS, FTD, ATD can be used (if approved)
Post-2018: ATD tasks count like aircraft (combinable, within 6 months, no separate 2-month rule)
Cost-effective currency
Logging vs. Currency:
Instrument time ≠ currency
Currency requires the TASKS (not just time)
Log approaches, holds, tracking, and conditions
The Grace Period (Months 7-12):
Not current, but can REGAIN by doing the tasks
With a safety pilot (simulated), actual IMC, or a device
May NOT fly IFR as PIC until current
Recovery window, NOT an extension
No IPC needed (within 12 months)
After 12 Months:
IPC REQUIRED to regain currency
Can't just do the tasks anymore
IPC (61.57d):
Qualitative proficiency evaluation
Conducted by a CFII or examiner
To the Instrument Rating ACS
Includes: precision + non-precision approach, holding, tracking, missed approach, partial panel, unusual attitudes
Not traditional pass/fail (training-oriented)
Endorsement restores currency
Currency vs. Proficiency:
Currency = minimum legal standard
Proficiency = actual skill (requires regular practice)
Legal ≠ safe
Instrument vs. Passenger Currency:
Instrument (61.57c): for IFR/IMC
Passenger (61.57a/b): 3 T/O and landings in 90 days
Separate requirements — need both for an IFR flight with passengers
Key Principle:
Instrument currency (61.57c) requires 6 approaches, holding, and course intercepting/tracking within 6 calendar months — and approaches only count if flown in actual or simulated conditions to minimums. Simulated flight needs a safety pilot (rated in category/class, current medical, dual controls). If currency lapses, months 7-12 are a recovery window (regain by doing the tasks, but no IFR PIC until current); after 12 months, an IPC is required.
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Author: Nathan Hodell
CFI, CFII, MEI, ATP, Creator and CEO
Nathan is an aviation enthusiast with thousands of hours of flying and dual instruction over the past 15+ years. Through his aviation career he has been able to earn his ATP, fly as an airline pilot, own/operate flight schools, and create and host wifiCFI.