wrote in message
oups.com...
So, let me guess.....

You are IFR rated.....
You do an ILS approach in solid IMC, and break out 400 AGL.
Not a countable approach by FAA standards since I didn't take it to
minimums only on instruments.

You won't count it as an approach?

The FAA does not require an approach to minimums to be useful for instrument
currency. But if it did, is it really so unreasonable to expect pilots to
comply with federal regulations?

Suffice it to say, I will in my logs, not so much for the definition,
but for the fact that I stay proficient.

Needless to say, after 8 landings 15 minutes after the sun set below
the horizon (mix of touch and goes and stop and goes), I feel
comfortable to say I am night proficient and current.

And if you've made three of those landings and three of those takeoffs at
least one hour after sunset (or some equivalent combination within the last
90 days), you can say so ("current", that is) truthfully.

Gimme a break, the sole purpose of the post was to share a positive
experience, not nit pick about FAA regs.

The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

Cliches aside, you cannot expect to post an article to this newsgroup and
not have it read. If it is read, you cannot expect errors to be ignored.
And you have certainly made an error if you think any takeoffs or landings
done prior to one hour after sunset count toward your night currency
requirement.

Whether they are useful for proficiency is a completely different matter. I
agree that you can gain beneficial practice even before the one hour after
sunset cut-off. But that doesn't make it applicable for the currency
requirement, and that's all the self-admitted nit-pick was commenting on.
No reason to get your shorts in a twist over a valid, truthful, and
inoffensive comment.

Pete