Q: Is a person required to hold a pilot certificate in order to log flight training time in his or her logbook?
A: No. A person is not required to hold a pilot certificate to log flight training time. The regulations easily support this. If you look at FAR 61.51(a) regarding training time and aeronautical experience, it states that each person must document and record certain types of training. Additionally, FAR 61.51(h) further states that a person may log training time when that person receives training from an authorized instructor. The important point to note here is the use of the word person as opposed to pilot. A pilot is a person, but a person is not necessarily a pilot. And a pilot is a person who holds a valid pilot certificate of any grade. Person has eight definitions in FAR 1, but individual is the most common use. The member who asked me this question thought that a person taking initial pilot training could not log time until he or she obtained a student pilot certificate. While that is not the case, what a person cannot do without holding a student pilot certificate or temporary student pilot certificate is solo. That person can fly with an instructor for any amount of time and log all the training time, without limitations. And all that time counts toward the next higher pilot certificate being sought, be it sport, recreational, or private. That same member also thought discovery or introductory flights were limited to three flights or three hours. Where that came from I have no idea, as there is no regulation to support that sentiment. An introductory flight, however, is typically limited to one hour of flight. After that, it is no longer an introduction.
Craig Brown is a senior aviation technical specialist in the AOPA Pilot Information Center.
[email protected]
Related Articles
