Logging Sim Time

Mark Kolber

Wednesday, August 23, 2023 at 08:50 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Since 2018, FAA regulations permit rated pilots to use approved training devices (Full Flight Simulators, Flight Training Devices, Aviation Training Devices) to maintain instrument currency without an instructor, provided the device's Letter of Authorization (LOA) allows the logged activities.
When logging device time for currency, pilots must include the date, a specific description of the device used (e.g., make/model, ATD type, aircraft emulated), the time spent, and a detailed list of accomplished tasks (e.g., instrument approaches, holding procedures, course tracking).
It is crucial not to log device time in logbook columns typically reserved for actual "flight time," aircraft category/class, PIC/SIC, or actual instrument conditions, instead using designated "ground-trainer" entries or remarks to differentiate it.

See a mistake? Contact us.

Back in 2018, the FAA expanded our ability to use training devices to maintain instrument currency. Incomprehensible distinctions between aircraft and various types of simulators were removed. Rated pilots may log currency tasks without an instructor. An increased market for training devices and their increased use—often by pilots who logged little or no device time in the past—was predictable and beneficial. Let’s walk through a simulator exercise for currency and see how we might log it.

In “The Box”