Recency of flight/ Currency requirements
 

hey guys.

I just had a quick question if anyone can help answering. Ive been flying abroad for some time now on my other license flying the ATR 42 with almost about 800 TT and 525 Multi which means that I haven't flown on my FAA license for almost about 3 years now. So what exactly do I need to do to get current after which I can apply to the regionals? Or am I eligible to apply right now as it is?

I do have to go get a new medical done i assume but is that all? or do I need to get back into a 172 or something for a couple of hours and go through a flight check or whatever. kindly let me know or help me out with this or any links to the FAA website would be great. I did try to search on faa.gov but didn't find much info there. Plus, i wanted to hear from you guys as to what a regional would be expecting off me and my license when I put in my app.

thanks.!

Do you have a Flight Review within the past 24 cal. months? If not you will want to get with a CFI and a flight school and do one, it can be done in a 172 if need be, or if you have someone at your job who is a CFI and they have flown with you maybe you can ask them to give you the endorsement and take care of the ground lesson. Look up 61.56 for the requirements.

Are you still Instrument current? Remember 6 approaches, intercepting, tracking, holding within the preceding 6 cal. months in actual or simulated instrument to keep IFR current, otherwise you get a 6 cal. month to get this done with a safety pilot or CFII, if it's been more than 12 months you'll need an IPC.

Deleted, bad info after checkingthe FAQ

Magnus already pointed you in the right direction for almost everything you'd probably need, but I recommend you also check 61.57 regarding passenger-carrying requirements for both day and night. I'm not quite sure if this is an item potential employers need to see met prior to employment or not, but it certainly can't hurt!

Your FAA license never expires. Your minimum currency to act as PIC in any kind of operation involves a current medical and current flight review under 61.56. Instrument PIC currency and passenger-carrying PIC currency are covered by 61.57. There are additional requirements if you're also talking about currency for Part 135 or 121 ops.

There are definitely others here far more qualified than me to address the practical aspects of the effect on potential employers but, FWIW, unless an application says that you need to have a current FAA Flight Review, or medical, or meet some or all other FAA currency requirements, I doubt that doing a FR in a 172 and hopping into a 172 or some other light single or twin to do three hops around the pattern will add anything to the 3-year ATR experience you have.

I'm trying to picture the discussion:

"Look this guy has been actively flying an ATR-42 overseas for three years."
"Who cares? Has he been in a 172 in the US recently?"