IR revalidation by experience: the missing examiner hour
Captain A, 38, holds an IR(A) valid on the A320 until 30 November 2025. Today is 15 October 2025. Between 1 September and 10 October 2025 she logged 12.0 hours of instrument flight time as pilot flying: 7.5 hours in the aircraft and 4.5 hours in a Level D full flight simulator qualified for A320 instrument training. All sessions were conducted with a colleague acting as safety pilot; none involved an examiner or an instructor. She has a routine line check next week but no IR proficiency check is booked. She wants to use the experience route to revalidate the IR and avoid a simulator check. Her Class 1 medical is valid until January 2026. The operator's training department says the FSTD hours are acceptable because the device is Level D.
1. Does Captain A satisfy the experience route for IR revalidation? Explain the elements you check.
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No, on the facts she does not. The experience route requires, within the applicable period before expiry, at least 10 hours of instrument flight time as pilot flying, of which no more than 5 hours may be in an FSTD, and the 10 hours must include at least 1 hour with an examiner or an instructor. She has 12.0 hours as pilot flying, and only 4.5 of those are in the FSTD, so the 10-hour total and the 5-hour FSTD cap are met. The missing element is the 1 hour with an examiner or instructor. A colleague acting as safety pilot does not satisfy that requirement. The Level D qualification alone does not cure the defect. Therefore the experience route is not complete and she cannot rely on it as it stands.
2. What can she do before 30 November 2025 to keep the IR valid without taking a full proficiency check?
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She can complete the missing 1 hour of instrument flight with an examiner or instructor before expiry. That hour must be logged as instrument flight time as pilot flying and must be conducted in an aircraft or in an FSTD approved for the purpose. The instructor or examiner must be authorised, and the FSTD must be qualified for the credit. If she adds the hour in the aircraft, her total becomes 13.0 hours as pilot flying, with 4.5 hours in the FSTD, which remains within the 5-hour cap and includes the required examiner or instructor hour. If she adds it in the FSTD, the simple total would be 13.0 hours with 5.5 hours in the FSTD; she would then need to count only 5.0 FSTD hours within the qualifying 10 hours, selecting the examiner hour and dropping other FSTD time. The cleaner option is an aircraft hour. She must also hold a valid medical and ensure the hour is completed before expiry.
3. If she instead books a proficiency check, what must she and the examiner confirm about the FSTD?
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They must confirm that the FSTD is qualified for the specific IR proficiency check and for the A320, with a valid qualification certificate, and that the examiner holds the appropriate authorisation for the IR and for the device or type. The session must be conducted within the device's approved configuration. Any downgrade, unserviceability or restriction that affects the qualification basis must be assessed before the check is treated as valid. The examiner should record the device identification and the qualification basis in the check report. The candidate must also hold a valid medical and meet any pre-requisites for the check. A valid Level D label by itself is not enough; the specific credit must be covered.