How flying clubs can systematically track pilot currency — BFRs, 90-day rules, IPC requirements, and medical certificates — before a member ever gets in the left seat.
A recurring administrative gap in flying clubs is members flying with lapsed currency. When currency tracking lives in a spreadsheet that isn't checked at booking time, a member with an expired BFR can book and fly an aircraft without anyone flagging the issue. Systematic tracking with booking-time enforcement is what closes that gap.
Under FAR 61.56, a pilot must have completed a flight review within the preceding 24 calendar months to act as pilot in command. Under FAR 61.57, recent flight experience requires at least three takeoffs and landings in the preceding 90 days to carry passengers, with additional requirements for night currency.
For instrument-rated pilots flying in IMC, FAR 61.57(c) requires six instrument approaches, holding, and intercepting/tracking courses within the preceding six calendar months, or an Instrument Proficiency Check (IPC) with a CFII.
The full list of currency checks a club typically needs to track:
| Check | Rule | Interval |
|---|---|---|
| Flight Review (BFR) | FAR 61.56 | 24 calendar months |
| Passenger-carrying currency | FAR 61.57(a) | 3 takeoffs/landings in 90 days |
| Night currency | FAR 61.57(b) | 3 night T&Ls in 90 days |
| IPC / Instrument currency | FAR 61.57(c) | 6 approaches + holding in 6 months |
| Medical certificate | FAR 61.23 | 12, 24, or 60 months depending on class |
Add club-specific requirements (type-specific checkouts, club proficiency checks) and you have a non-trivial tracking matrix across potentially dozens of members.
Most clubs start tracking currency in a shared spreadsheet. The maintenance burden is the problem. Every time a member completes a BFR, someone needs to update the cell. When that doesn't happen reliably — because people forget, because the member doesn't report it, because the CFI who did the review isn't the one who updates the sheet — the spreadsheet drifts out of sync with reality.
A stale spreadsheet is worse than no spreadsheet, because it creates false confidence.
There's also a second problem: a spreadsheet doesn't prevent a booking. If N2847B is reserved for 8am Saturday and the member's BFR is expired, the spreadsheet doesn't know, and the scheduler isn't checking at booking time.
Effective pilot currency tracking for a flying club has three components:
Each member needs a record that captures their relevant currency dates:
This data should live in the system you use for scheduling, not in a separate spreadsheet, so it's always current when a booking is made.
The goal isn't to catch an expired currency after the flight. It's to flag it 30–60 days out so the member has time to schedule a BFR or IPC before it becomes a problem.
Color-coded alerts work well here: green (current), yellow (due within 60 days), red (lapsed). Admins and CFIs should see these alerts on a dashboard, not buried in a member list.
The most valuable safeguard is preventing a lapsed member from booking an aircraft in the first place. When a member opens the scheduling calendar and their BFR is expired, the system should block the reservation and explain why.
This removes the burden from the front desk (who may not know the member's status) and makes compliance automatic rather than dependent on someone checking a spreadsheet.
Many clubs require members to complete a checkout flight in each aircraft type before booking it solo. A Cessna-rated member shouldn't be able to book the club's Piper Arrow without completing the appropriate checkout with a club CFI.
Tracking aircraft checkouts per member is a separate problem from currency tracking, but it's closely related. The system should know which aircraft types each member is approved for and block bookings accordingly.
Aloft360's member management includes aircraft checkout tracking per member alongside currency tracking, so both checks happen at booking time.
Here's the workflow that eliminates most currency-related incidents:
When scheduling and currency tracking live in the same platform, the enforcement is automatic. No one has to remember to check the spreadsheet.
There's a practical question: do you take a member's word for their BFR date, or do you require documentation?
Most clubs accept a member-entered date on good faith, relying on the honor system. The important thing is that the date exists in the system and generates alerts. For high-stakes situations (instrument currency for IFR flight in club aircraft), many clubs require the member to upload their logbook entry or a CFI sign-off before the currency is marked current.
Aloft360 lets admins set currency dates per member, and members can update their own profiles, but admins always have override visibility.
If you're running a flying club and want to see how this works in practice, Aloft360's free trial lets you add your member roster and configure currency tracking in an afternoon.
For related reading, see our guide on flying club scheduling software and aircraft maintenance tracking.