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4 Answers

Commercial XC Requirement

Asked by: 3726 views Commercial Pilot, FAA Regulations, General Aviation, Student Pilot

Hi everyone, I'm hoping to do my long 300 nm commercial XC sometime in the next few weeks-if I get some cooperation from the Pacific Northwest autumn weather gods! I'm aware that part 61 requires this flight to be done solo-In this example, could I interpret solo to mean "without an instructor?" Could I take a friend up on a very long $100 hamburger run and call that my long commercial XC, assuming all other requirements are met? Or do I have to be the sole occupant of the aircraft? Thank you                                                                                                                                                                        Matt

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4 Answers



  1. Matthew Waugh on Oct 08, 2013

    Sole occupant of the aircraft I’m afraid. 61.51(d)

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  2. Kris Kortokrax on Oct 08, 2013

    61.129 (a)(4) says either solo or while performing the duties of a PIC with an authorized instructor on board.

    Solo, according to 61.51, means you are the only one on board the aircraft.

    So, you can go solo and pay for the airplane. You can go with an instructor and pay for the airiplane and instructor. You can’t take anyone else with you.

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  3. Aaron on Oct 08, 2013

    to elaborate: F.A.R. 61.51 (d) Logging of solo flight time. Except for a student pilot performing the duties of pilot in command of an airship requiring more than one pilot flight crewmember, a pilot may log as solo flight time only that flight time when the pilot is the sole occupant of the aircraft.

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  4. Matthew Drooyan on Oct 08, 2013

    Thanks everyone! That’s what I figured, I just wanted to make sure first.

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