Don’t overthink it
Logging PIC time and acting as PIC are two separate concepts
A:
Yes. AOPA’s Pilot Information Center receives this question on a somewhat regular basis, and I can assure you that no regulation prohibits the pilot from logging a flight review as PIC if his medical is not current. Now, if the pilot does not have a current medical qualification for the aircraft you’re flying (sport pilot, BasicMed, or medical certificate), you as the instructor must act as PIC for the flight, while the pilot can still log PIC time in accordance with FAR 61.51(e). If you are good with that, then the flight review can proceed as planned.
Another common misconception is that a pilot cannot log the flight review as PIC if his most recent flight review has expired. Again, pure hogwash. There is no regulation that requires a pilot to have a current flight review to log PIC time. But, also again, you as the instructor must be the legal PIC for the flight to occur.
I recently took a flight review in a helicopter with my most recent flight review expired. The instructor told me that I could not be PIC and that he would be for the flight. That is true. But he also did not log the time for me as PIC, which was wrong as I noted above.
As pilots, we must understand that logging PIC time and acting as PIC are two separate concepts and covered under different regulations. While a pilot can always log PIC while acting as PIC, there are many instances when a pilot can log PIC time and not act as PIC. FAR 61.31 addresses several of them, such as tailwheel training, complex airplane training, and high-performance airplane training.
Remember, you need only be rated in the aircraft and sole manipulator of the flight controls to log PIC. That’s it. Don’t overthink it.
Craig Brown is a senior aviation technical specialist in the AOPA Pilot Information Center.
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