Definition
The condition of having up-to-date navigation data loaded in onboard avionics such as a GPS, FMS, or electronic flight bag, reflecting the most recent published cycle of charts, waypoints, airways, approach procedures, frequencies, and obstacle information.
Plain English
Database currency means the navigation information stored in your aircraft's electronic equipment is the latest published version, not an old one.
Context Anchor
A pilot checks database currency during preflight planning and cockpit setup before relying on a navigation unit, chart app, or other flight-planning system.
Derivation
Currency' here doesn't mean money. It comes from the Latin currere, meaning 'to run' or 'to flow,' and in English it came to mean something that is in current use or up to date. So 'database currency' simply means the database is current — running on the latest published information.
Why Pilots Care
An out-of-date database can produce incorrect guidance on instrument approaches and violate regulatory requirements for IFR operations.
Analogy
It is like checking the date on a road map before driving in an unfamiliar city. If the map is old, some roads may have changed even though the map still looks useful.
Intuition Check
Currency does not mean money here. It means whether the aviation data is current and valid for use.
Example Sentence 1
During preflight, she checked database currency on the GPS and confirmed the cycle was still valid for the trip.
Example Sentence 2
With database currency expired, the approach procedures were no longer valid for use.