mcartier713

As safety pilot you log the time they are actually under the hood. Per the FARs (91.109), a safety pilot is a "required" crew-member when under simulated instrument conditions, which gives them the PIC authority... but thats ONLY under the simulated instrument conditions. so you only log the time you're buddy's actually under the hood, nothing more, nothing less.

Because you're considered PIC, you log it as PIC. Because its flight time, you log it as total time, and in all the other respective columns (day, night, cross country, etc)... you just don't count the landings or instrument approaches.

i'll use that example from earlier... 3 hour cross country flight and you're friends was under the hood for 2.7 hours. you would log(as safety pilot):

total time: 2.7
PIC: 2.7
day SEL: 2.7
cross country: 2.7
PIC cross country: 2.7
landings: 0
approaches: 0

wmarti31

Thanks guys.

wmarti31

Now, can I act as the safety pilot of a pilot who is not instrument rated yet? A friend of mine is asking to be his safety pilot, but he is a private pilot and currently working on his instrument rating. He wants to do some hood work.

the King

If you are rated for the aircraft, you can act as a safety pilot. It really doesn't matter much about the other guy. Some people use safety pilots to augment their instrument training, others to keep current or practice.

patton33

Just don't teach him anything and you'll be fine

wmarti31

Sounds good. Thank you.

Engineer Pilot

Can anyone clarify??

I have my instrument checkride in a week. My CFII said that I can't count my 7 hours I logged as x-country PIC when I was a safety pilot and that I will need to fly these hours before the check ride. Please let me know!!!

Engineer Pilot

My question from the FARs: Do you have to do the landing yourself? As safety pilot you don't normally land the plane....



(3) Cross-country time means --

(i) Except as provided in paragraphs (b)(3) (ii), (iii), (iv), and (v) of this section, time acquired during a flight --

(A) Conducted by a person who holds a pilot certificate;

(B) Conducted in an aircraft;

(C) That includes a landing at a point other than the point of departure; and

(D) That involves the use of dead reckoning, pilotage, electronic navigation aids, radio aids, or other navigation systems to navigate to the landing point.

(ii) For the purpose of meeting the aeronautical experience requirements (except for a rotorcraft category rating), for a private pilot certificate, a commercial pilot certificate, or an instrument rating, or for the purpose of exercising recreational pilot privileges (except in a rotorcraft) under §61.101(c), time acquired during a flight --

(A) Conducted in an appropriate aircraft;

(B) That includes a point of landing that was at least a straight-line distance of more than 50 nautical miles from the original point of departure; and

(C) That involves the use of dead reckoning, pilotage, electronic navigation aids, radio aids, or other navigation systems to navigate to the landing point.

(iii) For the purpose of meeting the aeronautical experience requirements for any pilot certificate with a rotorcraft category rating or an instrument-helicopter rating, or for the purpose of exercising recreational pilot privileges, in a rotorcraft, under §61.101(c), time acquired during a flight --

AmericanEagleFO

EngineerPilot, your CFII has no idea what he is talking about. At the school where I taught the only safety pilot PIC time our students got were Night X-C. They would get the plane at 8pm and bring it back at 6am. Out of the HUNDREDS of students we had none of them got in trouble for that. Plus, think of it from the FAA standpoint. Why would they care if it was local 8 hours or if you went 50 miles away? They don't care, so niether should you.

As far as the pilot under the hood being the only sole manipulator of he controls goes, what good is that if you have no idea where you are going. A little kid can fly a heading and altitude, it is the safety pilot that I think takes talent. This is assuming you are doing it right. PM me if you have any more questions or if I need to clarify. Just be honest with the examiner too, heck, why not call him and ask this question. He would be the one to veto it anyways so go straight to the source.

rickair7777

I agree, there is no limitation on a safety pilot logging conditions of flight such as night and XC. The airplane has to travel a certain distance and land at two points (depending on what you need the XC time for), but it does not matter who lands it.

EDIT: This post was correct in 2008 when I wrote it, but the FAA interpretation in 2009 changed that. You should be able to log night but no longer XC. Of course don't log IMC as SP.