In short
Logged night (14 CFR 1.1) starts at the end of evening civil twilight, when the sun is 6° below the horizon.
Night currency (14 CFR 61.57(b)) counts only take-offs and landings from one hour after sunset to one hour before sunrise. In between there is a stretch, often about half an hour, that is night to log but does not count for currency.
01 The rule
- To act as pilot in command carrying passengers during the period from one hour after sunset to one hour before sunrise, you need, within the preceding 90 days, at least three take-offs and three landings to a full stop made during that same period.
- You must have been the sole manipulator of the controls, in an aircraft of the same category, class and type (if a type rating is required).
- The rule has more to it, including simulator options and the exceptions in 61.57(e). Read the current text of 14 CFR 61.57 before relying on this summary.
02 Night to log, but not current
Circuits at KJFK on 15 January 2026, from 22:25Z to 22:50Z:
| Sunset | 21:53Z |
|---|---|
| Civil dusk: logged night begins | 22:23Z |
| Circuits flown | 22:25–22:50Z |
| 61.57(b) window opens | 22:53Z |
| 61.57(b) window closes (16 Jan) | 11:16Z |
All 0:25 of the circuits is night to log, and not one of the landings counts for 61.57(b): the window opened at 22:53Z, after the last one.
03 What NightLog Pro shows
- The Airport Solar Data gives the 61.57(b) window at both the departure and the arrival, next to the sunset and sunrise it comes from.
- For a flight that starts and ends at the same airfield, the result card also gives the window, and says so when none of the flight fell inside it.
- NightLog Pro does not count your landings. It tells you when the window is open; how many landings you made in it is yours to log.
04 More
- What counts as night: EASA and FAA
- UK licence night: the 30-minute rule
- How accurate is NightLog Pro? Sunrise and sunset checked against the US Naval Observatory.