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Aviator Showcase shows off the latest in the industry

July 11, 2023 By Julie Summers Walker

Editor's note: This article has been updated to reflect free admission for AOPA members.

AOPA’s Aviator Showcase will be held at the National Aviation Community Center at AOPA headquarters in Frederick, Maryland, September 8 and 9.

Photography by David Tulis

Ask AOPA

Rolling currency

Keeping good records is another way to deal with regulations that seem confusing

By Craig Brown

Q: How frequently should I check to confirm my instrument approach currency?

A: Once a month is all that is needed. The regulation in question here, 61.57(c), states that within the six calendar months preceding the month of the flight, the pilot must have performed six instrument approaches. Because it is a calendar month requirement, if you are instrument current on the first day of the month, you are instrument current on the last day of the month. Once a new month comes around, your currency will need to be checked again; so, the beginning of the month is probably the best time to confirm your currency.

I call this a rolling currency because it is always changing and could be different from one month to the next. My method of checking currency is to start with the last approach entry in my logbook and count back until I reach approach number six. Note the month that sixth approach is logged in and count forward six months. You are current until the last day of that month.

An astute student of the regulations will note the disparity in the wording of the phrase “Within the six calendar months preceding the month of the flight….” This implies that the six approaches you flew this month, or even this morning for that matter, do not make you current, but the six approaches you flew six months ago does. Logically, this makes no sense. Would you not be more current (and proficient) today than you were six months ago? One would certainly believe so, but we shall leave that as it is. I suppose all pilot currency is in rolling form, one way or another, so keep good records and always be sure yours has not lapsed prior to your next flight.

Craig Brown is a senior aviation technical specialist in the AOPA Pilot Information Center. [email protected]

Come visit your association and join hundreds of pilots and aircraft owners for an exclusive gathering with the industry’s leading experts in avionics and cockpit technology, flight planning and weather resources, and aircraft manufacturing and sales.

Pilots and aircraft owners come to the showcase eager to not only see, but also learn, and buy; they are hungry for the latest information on new aircraft, avionics, flight planning tools, safety resources, and aviation services. Exhibits and educational seminars are offered both days. Of interest to student pilots are seminars on choosing a flight instructor, how to buy an airplane, and insurance. Topics include what’s new in ForeFlight, weather and briefing tools, and 100 octane issues. Industry experts include Royal Canadian Air Force Maj. Cameron Lowdon and The Aviator’s Academy’s Hank Gibson, as well as AOPA leaders like Kollin Stagnito, Dave Hirschman, and Paul Deres.

The AOPA Aviator Showcase shows off the industry’s latest products or services. Are you searching for the perfect aircraft or looking to upgrade? Aviation services such as paint shops, avionics manufacturers, and aircraft detailers will be here to help. You can also talk to financiers, insurers, and dealers about buying the aircraft of your dreams.

AOPA headquarters tours are available both days, and a happy hour is held on Friday at 5 p.m. Show times are noon until 7 p.m. on Friday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.

[email protected]

Registration is now open

Please register; space is limited. You can expect high-quality engagement with subject matter experts. Tickets are free for members and $20 for nonmembers. Walk-up attendance available. Let us know you are coming!

aopa.org/aviatorshowcase

JARGON: Currency versus proficiency

Currency and proficiency aren’t the same thing. The FAA sets minimum standards for currency—which has a lot to do with staying legal, but not much to do with being a competent pilot. Individual needs vary, but for most of us, meeting FAA requirements (and nothing more) is simply not enough. The obvious solution to the proficiency problem is to do more flying. But when it comes to proficiency—being prepared to handle any situation with which you might reasonably be presented—quality beats quantity. Push yourself. One hundred hours of pattern work in the past year (all of it on windless days) might make for smooth calm-wind landings, but it won’t count for much the first time you’re faced with a 15-knot crosswind.

Julie Summers Walker

AOPA Senior Features Editor

AOPA Senior Features Editor Julie Summers Walker joined AOPA in 1998. She is a student pilot still working toward her solo.

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