IFR currency rules are perverse

The clouds rolled in to SoCal last week so I wanted to go fly some
approaches, but I had fallen out of currency the week before so I
couldn't go. It occurred to me that one can easily get into a situation
where you can have quite a bit of recent IFR experience but still not be
current. The most extreme case is something like this: I fly 6
approaches on Jan 31. On June 30 I fly five more. On July 1, despite
the fact that I've flown five approaches the day before, and eleven in
the previous 180 days, I am not current.

On the other hand, if I'd flown the original six approaches on Feb 1
instead of Jan 31, I'd be current through July 31 whether or not I flew
any additional approaches in the intervening time.

A better way to measure currency would be to have every approach you fly
make you current for 30 additional days up to a maximum accrued currency
of 180 days. This wold have the same net effect as the current rules,
but with less of the perverse non-linearities.

I am accepting bets that this will happen at 100:1 against.

rg

Ron,

You're counting your currency incorrectly. If you had your requirements met
on January 31, you are good through July 31 - six months. You start with the
date you desire to fly (July 1) and go back 6 months - June, May, April,
March, February, January. If you completed your requirements within those
months (including ALL of January, you're good to go until the end of July.

Additionally, it's not just the approaches - you also need holding, along
with intercepting and tracking.

Karl

"Ron Garret" wrote in message
...
The clouds rolled in to SoCal last week so I wanted to go fly some
approaches, but I had fallen out of currency the week before so I
couldn't go. It occurred to me that one can easily get into a situation
where you can have quite a bit of recent IFR experience but still not be
current. The most extreme case is something like this: I fly 6
approaches on Jan 31. On June 30 I fly five more. On July 1, despite
the fact that I've flown five approaches the day before, and eleven in
the previous 180 days, I am not current.

On the other hand, if I'd flown the original six approaches on Feb 1
instead of Jan 31, I'd be current through July 31 whether or not I flew
any additional approaches in the intervening time.

A better way to measure currency would be to have every approach you fly
make you current for 30 additional days up to a maximum accrued currency
of 180 days. This wold have the same net effect as the current rules,
but with less of the perverse non-linearities.

I am accepting bets that this will happen at 100:1 against.

rg

Karl wrote:

Additionally, it's not just the approaches - you also need holding, along
with intercepting and tracking.

I always thought that was funny...

If you successfully flew an approach, did you intercept and track? G

I did...

Not if you did 6 SAR approaches, I guess.

"B A R R Y" wrote in message
...
Karl wrote:

Additionally, it's not just the approaches - you also need holding,
along
with intercepting and tracking.

I always thought that was funny...

If you successfully flew an approach, did you intercept and track? G

I did...

In article ,
"Karl" wrote:

Ron,

You're counting your currency incorrectly. If you had your requirements met
on January 31, you are good through July 31 - six months. You start with the
date you desire to fly (July 1) and go back 6 months - June, May, April,
March, February, January. If you completed your requirements within those
months (including ALL of January, you're good to go until the end of July.

Additionally, it's not just the approaches - you also need holding, along
with intercepting and tracking.

Karl

"Ron Garret" wrote in message
...
The clouds rolled in to SoCal last week so I wanted to go fly some
approaches, but I had fallen out of currency the week before so I
couldn't go. It occurred to me that one can easily get into a situation
where you can have quite a bit of recent IFR experience but still not be
current. The most extreme case is something like this: I fly 6
approaches on Jan 31. On June 30 I fly five more. On July 1, despite
the fact that I've flown five approaches the day before, and eleven in
the previous 180 days, I am not current.

On the other hand, if I'd flown the original six approaches on Feb 1
instead of Jan 31, I'd be current through July 31 whether or not I flew
any additional approaches in the intervening time.

A better way to measure currency would be to have every approach you fly
make you current for 30 additional days up to a maximum accrued currency
of 180 days. This wold have the same net effect as the current rules,
but with less of the perverse non-linearities.

I am accepting bets that this will happen at 100:1 against.

rg

Yes, I was off by a month. Doesn't change the point I was making.

rg

On Sun, 15 Feb 2009 11:12:52 -0600, "Steven Barnes"
wrote:

Not if you did 6 SAR approaches, I guess.

"B A R R Y" wrote in message
...
Karl wrote:

Additionally, it's not just the approaches - you also need holding,
along
with intercepting and tracking.

I always thought that was funny...

If you successfully flew an approach, did you intercept and track? G

According tot he local DE if you do the approaches you are also
considered to have done the intercept and track. Why they listed the
durn things separate...who knows?

OTOH back in my training days (some where around the Pleistocene) I
was doing, timed (NO GYRO), climbing (and descending turns) to
intercept a radial both inbound and out bound at a given altitude..
It was basically flying along when the instructor would say, give me a
left climbing turn to intercept the 320 radial out of MBS at 5000 (in
bound or he might say give me a right turn to intercept the 320 radial
out of MBS outbound at 4500. He varied the direction, altitude and
heading and expected the radial intercept and reaching altitude to
happen at the same time. IOW I had to figure how long it'd take me
to make the turn AND what rate of climb I'd need based on that time to
reach the radial AND altitude at the "same time" and then do it.
Remember this is all partial panel, half standard rate turns. He
wanted to hear me say what I'd need for a ROC and then see it on the
VSI

We spent something like 2 to 2 1/2 hours doing this before doing
actual approaches that day. That was one real workout:-))
Of course, that was also the day he failed virtually everything that
could fail, so I was doing approaches (and holds) partial panel. We
even did a descending hold over GDW which is an NDB. Again the 180 at
the one end had to be timed to bring me out at the proper heading and
altitude.

After the hold and approach to GDW we came back and did the VOR-A into
3BS. Of course that was with only one radio plus partial panel.

This was just before taking the PTS and I think I was more proficient
at that point than I ever was after taking (and passing) the PTS.




I did...

I'm glad your not in charge. I don't want to do my currency every 30
days!!! We get low fog here every 6 months or so so I can usually get
6 approaches with zero/zero at mins for my currency.

-Robert