Instrument PilotsIFR currency, tracked automatically

Know your instrument currency before the clouds do.

AeroCopilot re-derives your §61.57(c) instrument currency straight from your logbook — six approaches, holding, and intercepting/tracking over the preceding six calendar months — and tells you the exact date it lapses. It gates sim, AATD, FTD, and full-flight-simulator time by what each device actually counts for, and it says "not computed" when the data cannot support a clean answer instead of guessing. You decide whether you are legal; we make the recency picture impossible to misread.

Under 14 CFR §61.57(c), to act as pilot in command under IFR — or in weather below VFR minimums — you must, within the preceding six calendar months, have performed and logged six instrument approaches, holding procedures and tasks, and intercepting and tracking courses through the use of navigation electronic systems, in the appropriate category of aircraft or in a suitable full flight simulator, flight training device, or aviation training device. Miss any one of those tasks in that window and you are not current.

That sounds simple until you are counting approaches by hand across three months of scattered flights, wondering whether the RNAV you shot in the sim counts, and trying to remember whether that hold actually met the requirement. The math is unforgiving and the deadline is a moving 6-calendar-month wall — the day an approach ages out, your count silently drops below six, and the first time you notice is usually the morning of a hard-IFR departure.

AeroCopilot does that arithmetic for you. It reads your logbook — imported by CSV or one-way from MyFlightbook — re-derives your §61.57(c) tasks against the rolling window, and shows you the single date your currency lapses. It knows the difference between a full flight simulator and an aviation training device, logs your instrument time under §61.51(g), and when the data is ambiguous it tells you so rather than inventing a green light.

Automatic §61.57(c) tracking — six approaches, holding, and intercept/track re-derived from your logbook over the rolling six calendar months
The exact lapse date — the calendar day your instrument currency expires, and the day each task ages out of the window
Correct device gating — sim, FTD, AATD, and full-flight-simulator time counted for what each device actually qualifies for
"Not computed" honesty — when a log entry is missing the data to score a task, the app says so instead of guessing you current
Instrument time logged under §61.51(g) — actual, simulated, and training-device instrument time tracked the way the rule frames it
Printable currency proof — a clean recency summary you can hand an FBO or insurer, compliant with 14 CFR §61.51

IFR tools

What an instrument pilot actually needs. Currency you can trust, not a count you have to re-check.

Automatic §61.57(c) currency

Six instrument approaches, holding procedures, and intercepting and tracking courses — re-derived from your logbook over the preceding six calendar months, not tallied by hand. The dashboard shows how many of each task you have and the date the oldest one ages out of the window.

Correct device gating

The app knows what a device counts for. §61.57(c) lets you satisfy the tasks in the appropriate category of aircraft or in a suitable full flight simulator (FFS), flight training device (FTD), or aviation training device (ATD/AATD). Time is attributed to the right bucket and logged under §61.51(g) — a sim approach is scored as a sim approach, never silently promoted to aircraft time.

"Not computed" over a false green

A currency tool that overstates is worse than no tool. When a logbook entry lacks the fields to score a task — an approach with no type, a hold you did not annotate — AeroCopilot marks it "not computed" and tells you what is missing, rather than counting it and calling you current.

Import your existing logbook

Bring your history in by CSV, or one-way read-only import from MyFlightbook (our partner) — never a two-way sync that could write back to your book. Your last six months of approaches populate the currency picture on day one.

Printable currency proof

A clean, dated recency-of-experience summary — approaches, holds, intercept/track, and your lapse date — ready to print for an FBO checkout, a club, or an insurer. Compliant with 14 CFR §61.51, and honest about what it does and does not certify.

Know your IPC date

Fall out of currency and the clock changes character. The app shows the boundary between the grace window, where you can regain currency yourself, and the point where §61.57(d) requires an instrument proficiency check — so an IPC is a planned event, not a surprise on the ramp.

Day in the life

A currency check on AeroCopilot. How the recency picture fits an IFR-rated pilot.

Trip on the calendar

A hard-IFR cross-country next week. Open the dashboard: five approaches in the window, one shy of §61.57(c). The app shows exactly which task is short and the date the sixth would age out.

AATD session

An hour in the AATD knocks out two approaches, a hold, and intercept/track. Logged as training-device instrument time under §61.51(g), scored against §61.57(c) — the app counts it for what the device qualifies for, not for aircraft time.

Currency restored

The dashboard flips to current and posts the new lapse date. You determine you are legal for the trip; the app made the count unambiguous.

FBO checkout

A rental checkout wants proof of recency. Print the currency summary — approaches, holds, intercept/track, lapse date — compliant with 14 CFR §61.51, and hand it over.

Grace window watch

A quiet winter. The app warns you are approaching the edge of the grace window — regain currency yourself now, or an IPC under §61.57(d) becomes required before you can act as PIC under IFR again.

IPC scheduled

You choose the IPC on your terms. Once completed and logged, the app re-derives the full §61.57(c) picture and resets your lapse date.

Currency you can read at a glance, honest about what it knows.

Counting instrument approaches by hand is how good pilots end up a task short on the wrong morning. AeroCopilot turns your logbook into a live §61.57(c) picture — six approaches, holding, and intercepting/tracking over the rolling six calendar months — with the exact lapse date and correct handling of sim, FTD, and AATD time. Where a log entry cannot support a clean answer, it says "not computed" rather than guessing you current.

AeroCopilot helps you track your recency of experience, but you are solely responsible for determining your currency and legality to fly under 14 CFR §61.57.

Where we are honest about the edges

A currency tool only works if it never overstates. Here is what to keep in mind.

The app tracks recency of experience; you determine currency and legality. AeroCopilot re-derives your §61.57(c) count from your logbook, but the go/no-go legal decision under 14 CFR §61.57 is always yours.
The IPC-vs-grace boundary is nuanced. If you have been out of instrument currency for six calendar months or less, you can regain it yourself by logging the required tasks; once you pass the six-month grace window, §61.57(d) requires an instrument proficiency check. The app surfaces the boundary — it does not fly the tasks for you.
Device gating depends on correct logging. Whether a training-device approach counts, and for what, depends on the device (FFS, FTD, ATD/AATD) and on your logging it correctly under §61.51(g). If the log entry is incomplete, the app marks the task "not computed" rather than scoring it.
Currency is necessary, not sufficient. §61.57(c) recency does not by itself clear you to fly — aircraft airworthiness, personal minimums, and the conditions of the day all still apply.

Fly IFR knowing exactly where your currency stands.

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Instrument currency, answered.

What are the IFR currency requirements?

Under 14 CFR §61.57(c), to act as pilot in command under IFR or in weather below VFR minimums you must, within the preceding six calendar months, have performed and logged six instrument approaches, holding procedures and tasks, and intercepting and tracking courses through the use of navigation electronic systems — in the appropriate category of aircraft, or in a suitable full flight simulator, flight training device, or aviation training device representative of that category.

How many approaches do I need in 6 months?

Six instrument approaches within the preceding six calendar months, along with holding procedures and tasks and intercepting and tracking courses through navigation electronic systems, under 14 CFR §61.57(c). AeroCopilot re-derives the count from your logbook and shows the date the oldest qualifying approach ages out of the six-month window.

Can I log AATD/sim approaches for currency?

Yes. 14 CFR §61.57(c) lets you accomplish the instrument tasks in a suitable full flight simulator (FFS), flight training device (FTD), or aviation training device (ATD/AATD) representative of the aircraft category, and §61.51(g) governs how you log that instrument time. AeroCopilot counts training-device time for what the device qualifies for and logs it in the correct bucket — never promoted to aircraft time.

What is an IPC and when do I need one?

An instrument proficiency check (IPC) is an evaluation of the areas of operation and instrument tasks required to be conducted with an authorized evaluator. Under 14 CFR §61.57(d), if you have failed to meet the §61.57(c) instrument experience requirements for more than six calendar months, you may reestablish instrument currency only by completing an IPC — you can no longer regain it by logging the tasks on your own.

What's the difference between the 6-month and 12-month IFR window?

The first six calendar months are your currency window under §61.57(c): stay inside it by logging the required approaches, holds, and intercept/track, and you remain current. If you lapse, you get a grace period — for the next six months (through roughly twelve months from when you were last current) you can regain currency yourself by logging the tasks, typically with a safety pilot or in a suitable device. Once you have been out of currency for more than six calendar months, §61.57(d) requires an IPC to get back in.