How should I log safety pilot time?
Here’s a good question concerning logging of pilot time that I received from Don:
Can one log time as a safety pilot? If so, under what heading, eg, PIC, or a separate category “safety pilot“? Thanks.
First a quick review.
A “safety pilot” is a required flight crew member when another pilot is flying under simulated or actual instrument conditions in order to meet the IFR recency requirements of 14 CFR 61.57. FAR 61.57 requires that in order to file and fly on a IFR flight plan you have to be instrument current, which means that within the past 6 months you have logged 6 approaches, holding and intercepting and tracking procedures. If for some reason, those 6 months pass, the pilot has another six month grace period in which he can fly with a safety pilot under simulated instrument conditions in order to become fully instrument current again. In simulated instrument conditions the pilot wears a view limiting device that blocks the pilot’s view of the outside world so that he can only see the instrument panel (we call them foggles). This can present a problem for other airplanes as the flying pilot is unable to see where he is going! The FAA found a solution to this problem by creating the safety pilot. A safety pilot is simply that, someone who looks out for other airplanes (safety) while the other pilot is flying blind “under the hood”.
Instrument Training Glasses “Foggles”
So how do you log time flown as a safety pilot?
Because you are a required crew member when flying with a pilot under simulated instrument conditions the FAA allows you to log this time as SIC or second-in-command (61.51(g)). If you agree to be the “acting” PIC you and the other pilot could both record the time as PIC but only when the other pilot is under the hood and the other pilot is the “sole manipulator of the flight controls.” In order to be the “acting PIC” you will have to make sure that you meet the full PIC requirements for that flight and aircraft, which will include any necessary medical, category, class, type, recency and ratings requirements.
Don’t forget! If you use a safety pilot to gain instrument currency the FAA requires that you record the name of the safety pilot in your logbook.
As always…fly safe!
Mark Silva on Aug 08, 2010
Dear Sir,
With regard to Safety Pilot, can the safety pilot on an IFR flight plan log the flight as IFR as well?
Paul on Aug 08, 2010
Mark,
I’m not sure what you mean by logging the time as IFR? Do you keep track of all your time on an IFR flight plan? Most of the logbooks I’m familiar with have an instrument column that is then broken down to “simulated” or “actual”. The simulated column is usually reserved for the instrument flight time performed under the hood and the actual is for logging actual IMC time. The only time I log instrument time is when I was the PIC and “sole manipulator of the flight controls” (either simulated or actual). Also, as a flight instructor when I am training an instrument student who is not yet able to act as PIC on an IFR flight plan; if we go up in the soup, and I had to file an IFR flight plan, then even if I’m not flying, I’ll still log the time under PIC, dual given and actual IMC.
Professional pilots spend most of their pilot time on an IFR flight plan. Many pro pilots will still only log the time in actual IMC conditions. When you are at FL410 and it’s clear skies, there is really no point in logging “IFR”?
Again, as it has been pointed out before, you can log just about anything you want, it just might make it complicated when it comes time to sorting out how your flight experience can be applied to currency, recency or the required time towards a certificate or rating (which is all logbooks are legally really for)
Paul