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Application in civil aviation. The pilot in command (PIC)) of an aircraft is the person aboard an aircraft who is ultimately responsible for its operation and safety during flight. This would be the captain in a typical two- or three-pilot flight crew, or "pilot" if there is only one certificated and qualified pilot at the controls of an aircraft.
- Understanding The Rules.
- Why Log Flight time?
- Pilot in Command
- Regulatory “Boxes”
- Picft: Sole Manipulator
- Picft: Two Pilots
- Both Log Picft
- Our Scenario
- No One Logs Picft?
- Have A Headache Yet?
The flight-time logging rules in Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations—what we informally call the FARs—have generated confusion, discussion and heated arguments, probably nearly going back to the Wright Brothers. We will examine a few common logging questions, but my goal is different. I hope to provide you with the tools to understand and a...
61.51 Qualification and Currency (c) Logging of pilot time. The pilot time described in this section may be used to: (1) Apply for a certificate or rating issued under this part or a privilege authorized under this part; or (2) Satisfy the recent flight experience requirements of this part. We have many reasons to log our flight time. The FAA has o...
Nowhere is the difference between pilot status and logging flight time, more evident or more difficult to grasp than logging pilot-in-command flight time. That will be our focus, although the Golden Key applies to all flight-time logging questions. A major part of the problem is the FAA’s historical decision to use the phrase “pilot in command” to ...
Think of 61.51 as giving us, in typical regulatory outline format, a series of regulatory boxes for logging various types of flight time—pilot in command, second in command, solo, actual and simulated instrument among them. If you fit into a 61.51 box, you log the flight time. If you don’t fit any box, you log nothing. If you fit into two or more b...
61.51(e)(1)(i) A … recreational, private, commercial or airline transport pilot may log pilot in command flight time…when the pilot is the sole manipulator of the controls of an aircraft for which the pilot is rated… (Sport pilots excluded for clarity.) That’s it. Do not read a single extra word into it. If you are a recreational, private, commerci...
61.51(e)(1)(iii) A … private, commercial or airline transport pilot may log pilot in command flight time… when the pilot…acts as pilot in command of an aircraft for which more than one pilot is required under the type certification of the aircraft or the regulations under which the flight is conducted… (Sport and recreational pilots excluded for cl...
Creech Letter, 2013 Safety-Pilot Scenario Pilot A flies the aircraft and Pilot B acts as the pilot-in-command… [I]n this scenario Pilot A may log the entire flight as PIC flight time because that pilot was the sole manipulator of the controls for the entire flight. Additionally, Pilot B may log PIC time for the time during which Pilot B acted as th...
We began with a flight where an instrument-rated pilot acts as PIC while his non-instrument rated friend actually flies. Safety pilot rules don’t apply because no one was under the hood. And letting someone else fly doesn’t change a Cessna 172 into a plane requiring two pilots. The instrument pilot is definitely required, but the non-instrument pil...
Are there situations in which no one may log PICFT? Theoretically, yes. Consider a multi-engine pilot who allows his single-engine rated friend to handle the controls of his twin (with the multi-rated pilot in command, of course). While the single-engine pilot is flying, there is no Universal Rule “box” for either of them. The single-engine pilot i...
There are a few logging situations that are not directly handled by 61.51. For example, the definition of “cross country” in 61.1 changes with the certificate, rating or privilege being applied for. It is also subject to a series of legal interpretations beyond the scope of this article that limit cross country logging (i.e., a safety pilot may not...
- Mark Kolber
If there are two pilots, one is the Captain (PIC) and the other is the First Officer (SIC). However, for us Part 91 pilots, several factors will determine who is PIC, and who can be held responsible for the flight. The most common two-pilot situation in a Part 91 operation is flight instruction. In the case of a student pilot taking primary ...
Sep 4, 2024 · Pre-Flight Responsibilities: Before the flight begins, the Pilot In Command ensures that the aircraft is fully prepared. This includes checking the airworthiness of the plane, verifying that all necessary equipment is on board, and confirming that the weight and balance are correct. In-Flight Duties: During the flight, the PIC must ensure that ...
The PIC is the person legally in charge of the aircraft and its flight safety and operation, and would normally be the primary person liable for an infraction of any flight rule. The strict legal definition of PIC may vary slightly from country to country. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) definition is: "The pilot ...
Oct 28, 2023 · The pilot in command is a position of who is controlling the aircraft at the time (sole-manipulator). For instance, two private pilots flying in an aircraft can switch off PIC time between each other based on who has control of the aircraft. A time where two private pilots can both log PIC time is if one is under a hood to get simulated ...
People also ask
Should a PIC always be a pilot in command?
What is a pilot in command (PIC)?
Can a pilot log a flight time as a PIC?
Who is a PIC in a flight?
Should you always be a pilot in command?
What makes a PIC a good pilot?
Sep 22, 2020 · Becoming a pilot in command comes with great responsibility, and every PIC should have these four characteristics. It sounds like it would be great to always be pilot in command—either the person flying the aircraft in a solo flight, or the captain of the crew when there is more than one pilot working.
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