Welcome Guest. Sign in or Signup

3 Answers

When is student solo flight not PIC time?

Asked by: 4862 views ,
General Aviation

A student pilot meeting all the requirements of 61.51 (4) is always logging PIC time when flying solo.  Any exceptions? 

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.

3 Answers



  1. Ron Klutts on Aug 06, 2012

    I’m not aware of any exceptions. If a student is on a solo flight they also log it as PIC.

    0 Votes Thumb up 0 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes



  2. Wes Beard on Aug 06, 2012

    They always log PIC time assuming they have a valid solo endorsement and they are undergoing training for a pilot certificate. See 61.51(e)(4)

    0 Votes Thumb up 0 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes



  3. CFI Academy on Aug 07, 2012

    Only when the student solo flight is not legal. For example, expired student pilot certificate, medical, incorrect or incomplete endorsements etc. Other than that, it will always be PIC, if solo.

    0 Votes Thumb up 0 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.