wmarti31

Do you combine your actual and simulated (hood) instrument time with your FTD/sim time? I have always kept them separate because I have a chunk of FTD time which I don’t include in my total time. I was told that total instrument time includes actual, simulated, & FTD times. Your replies will be appreciated.

Thanks in advance

rickair7777

I would keep seperate columns for:

IMC
Hood
Sim/FTD (you might want to keep sim and FTD seperate too)

Flight schools who want to sell you sim time will often tell you that sim/FTD counts like airplane instrument time...unfortunately it does not.

When an employer asks for "instrument time" or "total instrument time" they mean IN A REAL AIRPLANE, ie hood or IMC. Some will specify actual only, not hood. Any airline minimums are always in a real (fixed-wing) airplane (not glider, helo, sim) unless otherwise specified. What the FAA might legally count towards experience requirements for ratings has nothing to do with what employers want.

If they want your sim/FTD time, they will ask for that seperately, or tell you explicitly how much you can count.

Don't show up at an interview with non-airplane instrument time counted towards the required min instrument time.

Ottopilot

A FTD is a simulator, just a different level/certification of one. I put all FTD and Simulator under the "simulator" column. It is NOT flight time. It is NOT an airplane.

UnlimitedAkro

I have 16,000 hours in a 777 on microsoft flight simulator and all my friends go out on weekends while I plug away at the computer and blog on aviation internet forums. Will Delta hire me? I almost have an instrument rating and I plan on finishing my GED next year. Will Delta think that I have no life because I have 3000 posts on APC?

wmarti31

That's how I have it. But as rick stated above, when a flight school wants to sell you sim/FTD time, they will tell you that it counts as instrument time in an airplane. That's what happened with me.

Thanks for your replies guys.

the King

That's a lame sell. I always tell my student that it counts like airplanes in our syllabus, but that's no airplane so no total time.

PFGiardino

Odd... this just came up with one of my students. It isn't "simulated instrument" because that's considered a condition of FLIGHT.

I really get a hoot out of instructors at our school who log sim time. Ha.

rickair7777

I would probably log dual-given in a sim (seperate from airplane time of course). If you ever need a job as a sim instructor at FS or something, it will be nice to have that documented.