Welcome Guest. Sign in or Signup

2 Answers

Can I, a PPL Instrument Student, log PIC when in IMC and my CFII is sitting next to me?

Asked by: 2915 views FAA Regulations, Instrument Rating, Student Pilot, Weather

Im an instrument student and my CFII says I can not log PIC when under an IFR clearance/in IMC. That doesnt seem right according to 61.51 (e)(i).

Ace Any FAA Written Test!
Actual FAA Questions / Free Lifetime Updates
The best explanations in the business
Fast, efficient study.
Pass Your Checkride With Confidence!
FAA Practical Test prep that reflects actual checkrides.
Any checkride: Airplane, Helicopter, Glider, etc.
Written and maintained by actual pilot examiners and master CFIs.
The World's Most Trusted eLogbook
Be Organized, Current, Professional, and Safe.
Highly customizable - for student pilots through pros.
Free Transition Service for users of other eLogs.
Our sincere thanks to pilots such as yourself who support AskACFI while helping themselves by using the awesome PC, Mac, iPhone/iPad, and Android aviation apps of our sponsors.

2 Answers



  1. Kris Kortokrax on May 23, 2017

    Your instructor is wrong. You could not act as PIC, as you do not have an instrument rating, but, if you are rated for the aircraft you are piloting, and you are sole manipulator of the controls, you certainly can log PIC time.

    +2 Votes Thumb up 4 Votes Thumb down 2 Votes



  2. Russ Roslewski on May 23, 2017

    It doesn’t even have to be your instructor with you. If you are with a current, instrument-rated pilot, and you are the one doing the flying, you can also log PIC and Actual IMC. See the FAA interpretation on it here:

    http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/agc/pol_adjudication/agc200/interpretations/data/interps/2011/walker%20-%20(2011)%20legal%20interpretation.pdf

    +2 Votes Thumb up 2 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes


The following terms have been auto-detected the question above and any answers or discussion provided. Click on a term to see its definition from the Dauntless Aviation JargonBuster Glossary.

Answer Question

Our sincere thanks to all who contribute constructively to this forum in answering flight training questions. If you are a flight instructor or represent a flight school / FBO offering flight instruction, you are welcome to include links to your site and related contact information as it pertains to offering local flight instruction in a specific geographic area. Additionally, direct links to FAA and related official government sources of information are welcome. However we thank you for your understanding that links to other sites or text that may be construed as explicit or implicit advertising of other business, sites, or goods/services are not permitted even if such links nominally are relevant to the question asked.