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6 Answers

Questions about Commercial Pilot Aeronautical Experience Requirements

Asked by: 5783 views Commercial Pilot, FAA Regulations, Helicopter

Hey guys, a commercial certificate question, for your dual instuction you need 20 hours which includes the 5 hours of insturment!!My question is...say i have ten hours of the regular dual instruction,,and have covered all the required maneuvers! the other 10 I have instrument training in a helicopter!! Would that cover the 20 hours of dual instruction required including th 5 hours of insturment!! Was just wondering if i would be allowed to include more than 5 hours insturment toward that total 20 hours of dual instruction!! thanks

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6 Answers



  1. Ian on Dec 01, 2011

    Jason,
    There are multiple factors here. First, you must have logged 20 hours of instruction total. That’s clear. What makes up those 20 hours is listed under 61.129(3), and includes things like the complex time, etc. It also says 10 hours of instrument time, of which 5 hours must be in a single-engine airplane (assuming you’re going for single commercial). So, if your entire 10 hours is in a helicopter, then you would need 5 hours in an ASEL.
    To directly answer your question, you can always credit more time toward the total, assuming you have covered the other sub requirements.
    A final thought…if you have 10 hours of instrument helo, are you going for an add-on? If so, all this changes. But if you’re thinking Commercial ASEL as the initial, that’s the answer.

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  2. Wes Beard on Dec 01, 2011

    Jason,
    For a Commercial Helicopter applicant you need to have 20 hours of dual instruction with a minimum of 5 hours of flight time “solely by reference to instruments”.  You also need to have a minimum of 2 hours  for a day XC and a minimum of 2 hours for a night XC and a minimum of 3 hours in preparation for the practical test. 
     
    I couldn’t tell from your question if you thought your hours attained while training for your instrument rating in a helicopter would count towards meeting the 5 hours of flight time solely by reference to instrument for the commercial training.  The answer is that it depends on whether or not your CFII logged those instrument training flights as meeting both the requirements of §61.65 and §61.129.
    http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/agc/pol_adjudication/agc200/interpretations/data/interps/2010/Hartzell.pdf
     

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  3. Best Answer


    Jason Raber on Dec 01, 2011

    Hey Wes,
        My question is,,can I count more than those five hours of insturment required for the commerical rotorcraft certificate toward the regular 20 hours of dual instruction(normal commerical manuvers)!!
    I have lots of insturment time,, but I dont have fifteen hours of regular dual instruction!! I have ten hours of commerical dual instuction,,,,so could I count ten hours of insturment instead of just five…so that I have the total 20 hours required(assuming i have done all the required maneuvers,x-country etc…)    thanks for you guys in put? Jason

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  4. Wes Beard on Dec 01, 2011

    Jason,
    Yes you can count more than those five hours for your commercial training time.  I think the intent of the regulation is pretty clear that they want you to have 20hrs of training time with the intent of completing the commercial certificate not that you have instrument time from a previous rating or to keep instrument current.
     
    I hope that helps

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  5. Kris Kortokrax on Dec 01, 2011

    Jason,
    Can you clarify the circumstances surrounding your question?  On http://www.faa.gov, the pilot database shows a Jason Raber, who holds a Commercial Pilot certificate with Rotorcraft Helicopter and Instrument Helicopter, with Private privileges for Airplane Single Engine Land and Instrument Airplane.  If this is you and you already hold a Commercial Helicopter certificate, then we must assume that you are seeking a Commercial Airplane Single Engine Land rating.
     
    If you are pursuing a Commercial Airplane, then you cannot count helicopter instrument dual towards the 20 hours of dual required for an airplane rating (discounting 5 hours of helicopter instrument which may be applied towards the 10 hours of instrument training required by 61.129(a)(3)(i)).
     
    The more information you can provide in your question, the easier it becomes to provide a meaningful answer.

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  6. Jason Raber on Dec 01, 2011

    Yes that is me Kris,,,I will explain the situation to you in an email!! thanks Jason

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