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3 Answers

Logging FAA Time Abroad (in Non-N Aircraft)

Asked by: 7241 views FAA Regulations, Light Sport Aircraft

I hold a valid FAA license which I have validated in France. This means the French authorities allow me to use my FAA license to exercise the privileges of a private pilot in France, on F registered aircraft. I am curious as to how I should be logging hours out here, which I hope can still potentially count towards experience for future FAA certificates.

For what concerns French certified aircraft, I have logged it as I would in the US. However, I have also been flying some ULMs (the French equivalente of an LSA). In France, one does not use the same logbook for ULMs and certified aircraft. In fact, you can not even fly a ULM with a French private pilot license (you need a specific ULM license).

In the US, I have logged LSA hours under my single-engine engine land column, in the same logbook I have used for all my other flying. Would it be ok to do the same for ULMs in France?

To make matters more interesting, I have done both autogyro and fixe-wing flying here (both under the ULM category). Can I log both in my FAA logbook?

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3 Answers



  1. Kris Kortokrax on Apr 29, 2012

    First, you can log anything you want in your logbook.  The big question is what can you use to qualify for additional certificates or ratings.
     
    61.1 (b)(1) defines aeronautical experience.  It may be obtained in an aircraft.  No requirement for that aircraft to be of US registry.
     
    61.41 (a)(2) allows you to credit training given by a foreign instructor toward a US certificate.
     
    61.52 deals with crediting time acquired in an ultralight.  If the French ULM is an ultralight, then time accrued after January 31, 2012, it cannot be used.

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  2. Alan on May 01, 2012

    Thanks for your insight Kris.
    I agree with being allowed to log whatever one wants. The issue lies, as you pointed out, in what can count as experience for future FAA ratings.
    61.1 (b)(2) & 61.41 (b)(2) are good news!
    However, I do not think 61.41 (a)(2) appiles, since the ULM aircraft I’ve been flying are not considered ultralights by FAA standards (even though ULM stands for “Ultra-léger motorisé” in French, or “motorized ultralight” in English). Both the A22 Vision & the Magni M16 are too fast and too heavy to meet the requirements under Applicability of part 103.1.  On the other hand, I do not know that I can consider them (or that they’re certified) as LSAs. If they were, I’d assume logging it as ASEL & rotorcraft would be fine.

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  3. Alan on May 13, 2012

    Correction:
    I mistakenly stated that the French ULM is equivalent to the USA’s LSA category. My remark originated from the similarities in ULM and LSA aircrafts and training requirements, though it was an inaccurate extrapolation.
    A better comparison might be between the FAA’s LSA category and the EASA’s CS-LSA. The latter, however, still seems to be early in its development phase and not really operational (at least not in France).

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