Logging vs. Being PIC

You are an instrument-rated private pilot. Your friend is working on the rating and you have acted as her safety pilot while she practices under the hood. Shes doing great. Today ceilings are high but below final approach fix altitudes. You feel comfortable filing IFR as pilot in command while she flies, so you file and off you go in the clubs 172. No hood for your friend today. She does all the flying. Two approaches, with 12 minutes in actual instrument conditions. She did well.

Mark Kolber

Tuesday, February 19, 2019 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

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Key Takeaways:

Flight time logging rules (FAR 61.51) are independent of a pilot's actual "Pilot In Command" (PIC) status or authority, serving solely for qualification and currency requirements.
A pilot rated for the aircraft type may log pilot-in-command flight time (PICFT) whenever they are the sole manipulator of the controls, irrespective of endorsements or currency for *acting* as PIC.
This distinction can result in situations where the pilot ultimately responsible for the flight logs no time, while another pilot (e.g., a non-instrument-rated friend manipulating controls in actual IMC) logs PICFT.

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You are an instrument-rated private pilot. Your friend is working on the rating and you have acted as her safety pilot while she practices under the hood. She’s doing great. Today ceilings are high but below final approach fix altitudes. You feel comfortable filing IFR as pilot in command while she flies, so you file and off you go in the club’s 172. No hood for your friend today. She does all the flying. Two approaches, with 12 minutes in actual instrument conditions. She did well.

Back on the ground, the logbooks come out. How does she log the flight time? How do you?