Definition
The minimum flying activity a pilot must have logged within a defined recent period in order to legally act as pilot in command, carry passengers, or fly under specific conditions. In U.S. civil aviation, these requirements are set out in 14 CFR 61.57 and include items such as three takeoffs and landings within the preceding 90 days for carrying passengers, with additional requirements for night operations and instrument flight.
Plain English
Rules that say a pilot must have flown a certain amount in the recent past before they're allowed to fly again with passengers or in certain conditions. If you haven't flown enough lately, you're not legally current.
Context Anchor
Seen in FAA training and rule discussions about pilot currency, carrying passengers, night flying, and returning to flying after time away.
Derivation
Recent comes from a Latin word meaning fresh or new. Experience comes from a Latin word meaning to try or test. Together, the phrase points to flying skill that has been tested recently, not just learned sometime in the past.
Why Pilots Care
Pilots must verify recent flight experience to remain legal and safe when carrying passengers, as required by regulations like 14 CFR 61.57.
Intuition Check
Do not read recent flight experience as a vague idea of having flown sometime lately. In FAA use, it usually means specific required actions completed within a specific recent time period.
Example Sentence 1
Before taking his friends up for a sightseeing flight, he checked his logbook to confirm his recent flight experience met the three takeoffs and landings within the last 90 days.
Example Sentence 2
Failing to maintain recent flight experience can ground a pilot from carrying passengers until they complete the required currency flights with an instructor.