FAR 61.57 Recent Flight Experience
 

During my CFI checkride, the examiner explained to me that if a pilot was to comply with the recent flight experience for night, that he/she also met the requirements for the day recent flight experience. His reason for this was that, the day time requirements had no set time for the take offs and landings to be completed, therefore that even if you did the take offs and landings, given that they were to a full stop, at night you were meeting the day time requirements as well. This is something that I had never heard of in my training. Has anyone heard of such a thing. I want to make sure that this is true, before I try it myself or teach my students this.

CFR14 (always include this because there are lots of Codes of Federal Regs) FAR 61.57 (a)(2) says the currency requirement has to met by flying "under day VFR" or day IFR".

I am not sure right off hand what day VFR is to a minute but common sense would dictate it can't be an hour after sunset or an hour before sunrise, which is the definition of Night Currency given in 61.57 (b), so, I believe he is wrong in this case.

That is correct - for purposes of currency to carry passengers, you can do 3 take-offs and landings at night and it meets BOTH day and night currency requirements.

§ 61.57 Recent flight experience: Pilot in command.

(a) General experience. (1) Except as provided in paragraph (e) of this section, no person may act as a pilot in command of an aircraft carrying passengers or of an aircraft certificated for more than one pilot flight crewmember unless that person has made at least three takeoffs and three landings within the preceding 90 days doesn't say that it has to be done during the day, and—

(i) The person acted as the sole manipulator of the flight controls; and

(ii) The required takeoffs and landings were performed in an aircraft of the same category, class, and type (if a type rating is required), and, if the aircraft to be flown is an airplane with a tailwheel, the takeoffs and landings must have been made to a full stop in an airplane with a tailwheel.

(2) For the purpose of meeting the requirements of paragraph (a)(1) of this section, a person may act as a pilot in command of an aircraft under day VFR or day IFR, provided no persons or property are carried on board the aircraft, other than those necessary for the conduct of the flight. meaning you can be a PIC if you aren't carrying passengers or property and haven't done the take-offs and landings required. So if you were a private pilot flying around by yourself you don't have to do the recency requirements every 90 days unless you plan to carry people or property. Note: If the private pilot flies with a safety pilot (required crew member), the safety pilot does not count as a passenger, therefore the recency requirements no longer apply to the private pilot.

(b) Night takeoff and landing experience. (1) Except as provided in paragraph (e) of this section, no person may act as pilot in command of an aircraft carrying passengers during the period beginning 1 hour after sunset and ending 1 hour before sunrise, unless within the preceding 90 days that person has made at least three takeoffs and three landings to a full stop during the period beginning 1 hour after sunset and ending 1 hour before sunrise, and—

(i) That person acted as sole manipulator of the flight controls; and

(ii) The required takeoffs and landings were performed in an aircraft of the same category, class, and type (if a type rating is required).

Actually you are mis-applying this. This section clarifies that you can fly under VFR or IFR to regain landing currency. It doers not require that you do daytime landings to be day current.

Section (1) applies literally: "three takeoffs and landings within 90 days"...no caveats.

Night LDGs are good for day currency.

Thanks for the input, that clears things up alot. This was one of those things that never got explained in groundschool.