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2 Answers

Safety Pilot on IFR Flight Plan

Asked by: 5231 views FAA Regulations, General Aviation, Instrument Rating, Private Pilot

I am planning a cross-country flight, and hoping someone could confirm the legality of logging time under the given situation. To start, I am an instrument rated private pilot (IFR Current), and I will be flying with a NON-instrument rated private pilot. We will be flying our club's Cessna 182, which we are both checked out in and hold High Performance Endorsements. The plan is to split the trip, so myself and the other member can both log time and split operating costs, since we are both owners of the airplane. The other member is seeking an instrument rating under part 61 (I received mine part 141), so this is a chance for him to obtain XC and simulated instrument time. I understand that there should be no problem with him flying one leg left seat under the hood (operating as a VFR aircraft, of course), while I act as safety pilot. However, my concern lies in the return leg when I would fly left seat. In order for the other member to log time as a safety pilot, I would plan to fly my leg under the hood (though I don't need any simulated instrument time). Being instrument rated, if I were to file and operate the flight as an IFR aircraft, provided we are in VMC, could the other member still act as safety pilot? In addition, in regards to the entire flight, are we eligible to log XC time as safety pilots, or are we only able to log PIC and total time?

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2 Answers



  1. John D Collins on Jun 12, 2015

    The pilot who is manipulating the controls can log the time as PIC. The safety pilot may only log the time as a safety pilot, but not the cross country time because a safety pilot is only a required crew member during the period that simulated instrument flight time is being conducted. If by agreement, the safety pilot acts a PIC, they may also log the time as PIC during the time they are also performing the duties of the safety pilot, but again not for the entire time when the other pilot is not under the hood and is the sole manipulator of the controls. If you act as PIC for an IFR flight, it may be conducted under IFR and the conditions do not need to be VMC. However, during the time you were in actual instrument conditions, you would not be acting as a safety pilot and could not log this time unless you were the sole manipulator of the controls.

    If the other pilot was the sole manipulator of the controls and you acted both as a safety pilot and PIC, then you could log most of the time except for the takeoff and landing or any portion of the flight where a safety pilot was not required. You would not be able to log the time as cross country. The other pilot could log all of the time and the cross country time as long as they were the sole manipulator of the controls.

    Anytime you were operating under IFR, you would have to be the pilot acting as PIC, regardless of the conditions of flight. Whoever is the sole manipulator of the controls can log that time as PIC. The safety pilot may only log the time they are acting as the safety pilot and not the time that a safety pilot is not required, such as during takeoff and landing or when in actual instrument conditions, The safety pilot may only log the time as PIC if they are acting as PIC for the flight, otherwise they may log the time as safety pilot. Only if a pilot is the sole manipulator of the controls for the entire flight, may they log it as cross country. All this is covered in 61.51 and 91.109.

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  2. Kris Kortokrax on Jun 13, 2015

    The FAA has issued a legal interpretation dealing with your question. See:

    http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/agc/pol_adjudication/agc200/interpretations/data/interps/2009/gebhart%20-%20%282009%29%20legal%20interpretation.pdf

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