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Tag: #SafetyPilot

  • Safety Pilot Qualifications: 5 Essential Requirements for Safe & Compliant Flying

    Safety Pilot Qualifications: 5 Essential Requirements for Safe & Compliant Flying

    Introduction

    Safety Pilot Qualifications

    Here from Falcon Imagery and today I’m going to be going over the topic of safety pilot qualifications and how both the left seat and right seat pilot can both claim PIC time in their log books, while one’s acting as a safety pilot and while one is under the foggles or hood doing simulated instrument flying, so stay tuned, let’s get into this—safety pilot qualifications and how both pilots can earn PIC time.

    1. Purpose of Acting as a Safety Pilot

    So the purpose of acting as a safety pilot, let’s just go into that a little bit. So, if you hold at least a Private Pilot certificate and want to build some simulated IFR flight time using foggles or a hood and flying in actual VFR conditions, you can do so if you meet the Safety Pilot Qualifications and have a fully qualified safety pilot with you on board and at the other control seat in the aircraft. 

    You can also use these types of simulated IFR flights to build cross-country flight time, at least for the person who is the sole manipulator of the controls of the aircraft, and in actually doing the simulated instrument flying. The safety pilot, however, cannot earn PIC time for that cross-country flight. You may also want to use a safety pilot if you’re an IFR-rated pilot and you want to maintain your currency, such as within the six months, getting your six required approaches in, your holds, and course intercepting and tracking tasks.

    2. Qualifications for Acting as a Safety Pilot

    So let’s go over the Safety Pilot Qualifications for acting as a safety pilot. So per 91.109(c), no person may operate a civil aircraft in simulated instrument flight unless one, the other control seats is occupied by a safety pilot who possesses at least a Private Pilot certificate with category and class ratings appropriate to the aircraft being flown.

     And there are some deeper caveats to that we’re going to get into in a few minutes. And then Part 61.3, the safety pilot must have a current medical to act as a required crew member on board during that flight.

     And so they either need a Class 1, 2, or 3 medical or operate under BasicMed. It’s important to note that a Sport or Recreational Pilot doesn’t qualify as becoming a safety pilot because neither pilot license may act as a required pilot flight crew member in an operation requiring more than one pilot. So this operation of building the simulated instrument time requires a safety pilot, and so that in itself precludes a Sport or Recreational Pilot from acting as a safety pilot, not to mention 91.109(c) specifically calls out a Private Pilot certificate at least.

    3. Logging PIC Time as a Safety Pilot

    Let’s get into the qualifications for a safety pilot to log PIC time or piloting command time. So for the safety pilot to qualify to log pilot in command time while acting as a safety pilot, they should be fully legal to fly the aircraft, including category, class, and any required endorsements to fly the plane, such as a high performance, a complex, and/or a tailwheel endorsement. Also, before the flight, the two pilots need to decide which one is going to be the legal commanding pilot. 

    Normally, the safety pilot in the right seat is the legal pilot in command during the time the pilot in the left seat has the foggles and/or hood on, and the pilot in the left seat, during the time they are under the foggles or hood, is the acting PIC—provided the safety pilot qualifications are fully met by the right-seat pilot.

    Safety Pilot Qualifications

    4. Who Logs What on a Cross-Country Flight

    So, who logs what on a cross-country flight? Well, the pilot doing the takeoff and landings as the sole manipulator of the control gets to log the entire flight from the Hobbs start to stop, the entire time as acting PIC time, which is the whole Hobbs start to stop time, the cross-country flight, and the simulated instrument time while the foggles or hood were on—provided the safety pilot qualifications are met by the other pilot onboard.

    The pilot acting as the safety pilot gets to log PIC time when the other pilot has their foggles or hood on. The safety pilot cannot log the cross-country time since they did not do the takeoffs and landings.

    5. Example Logbook Entry: Pilot Under Foggles

    So let’s look at a couple of examples of how the logbook would be filled out for this. So the logbook entry is for the pilot sitting in the left seat on the cross-country. This is the person who’s getting the simulated instrument time. So in this example here, we show them leaving on March 19th in a Piper Warrior, tail number 405C Bravo, with a safety pilot on board who meets all the required safety pilot qualifications.

    They’re leaving a Leonian and going up to Bangor, Maine, and they’re going to make a remark that’s saying they’re doing simulated instrument flying with John Doe as the safety pilot, and they’re going to shoot two approaches up in Bangor and they’re going to do one landing. The total flight’s going to take 1.4 hours from start Hobbs to stop Hobbs. 

    The cross-country of course is 1.4 hours, it’s daytime flight, so 1.4 simulated instrument, the person here in the seat had their foggles on for 1.1 hours, so they get simulated instrument of 1.1 hours and they were the PIC either acting or legal PIC for the entire flight, 1.4 hours, and the total flight duration was the 1.4 hours. So, for the pilot left seat on a cross-country flight with foggles on for simulated IFR and cross-country time building, that’s what they would put in their logbook.

    6. Example Logbook Entry: Safety Pilot

    Now, for the safety pilot, the person sitting in the right seat, for example, here, the same information goes in: the date, the make and model, the aircraft, the identifier from/to particular airports. But now they’re saying safety pilot for, let’s say, Jane Doe. Now, where they get to claim PIC time is when they’re flying an airplane, single-engine land, 1.1 hours, daytime flight, 1.1 hours, pilot command 1.1, and total flight 1.1—assuming they meet all the necessary safety pilot qualifications.

    Safety Pilot Qualifications

    So that 1.1 is the time that the guy in the left seat was wearing the goggles. You notice this particular right seat person is not putting any landing in, not doing approaches, but in the end, do they get to get this 1.1 hour of PIC time, 1.1 hour flight that they can put in their logbook? Now I put in green here: safety pilot has to be fully rated to fly the aircraft and can only log the time as the PIC when the left seat pilot is foggles or hood on. 

    So again, not only have to be category and class, but if they’re flying now a complex plane as the safety pilot, they had better have their complex endorsement to be able to count this PIC time, otherwise they have to do something different, which we’re going to talk about next.

    7. Logging SIC Time as a Safety Pilot Without Endorsements

    And here we go—qualifications for a safety pilot to log SIC time or second-in-command time. So the safety pilot can log second-in-command time that can be counted towards, for example, an ATP aeronautical experience per 61.51(f)(2). And this is again—get to count this as SIC time if you don’t have the proper endorsements to fully fly the aircraft, even if you meet the basic safety pilot qualifications.

    For example, you are flying in the proper category in the proper class, airplane single engine land, but you don’t have the complex endorsement. In that case, you could log this, your safety pilot time, as second-in-command time, and it could go toward your aeronautic experience toward, let’s say, an ATP rating. 

    ATP rating requires per 61.159 a total of 1500 hours of total time as pilot, that includes at least 500 hours cross-country, 100 hours of night flight time, 50 hours of flight time in the class of airplane for the rating side, 75 hours of instrument flight time in actual/simulated instrument conditions, and overall 250 hours of flight time in an airplane as PIC or as SIC performing the duties of PIC while under the supervision of a PIC or any combination thereof.

    8. Recommendation: Be Fully Qualified as a Safety Pilot

    So if you notice at the top here in this section, you need a total time, total time of 1500 hours. That total time could be some PIC time, could be some SIC time, and so your time as a safety pilot only operating as a second-in-command could be applied toward meeting the ATP aeronautical experience. Now that said, I’m not a big fan of accruing SIC time for safety pilot, partly just for the safety perspective.

     You know, I would rather have somebody as a safety pilot who is fully capable of flying the aircraft in the event I have a problem and am incapacitated or whatever. 

    So I want to make sure that person knows how to operate a complex aircraft or a high-performance aircraft if that’s what we’re flying in. And so I always suggest, if at all possible, get your endorsements that you need to fly the aircraft that you plan to be a safety pilot in, so you’re legal.

    9. Final Thoughts

    I’ll say one other point here—you noticed that it says 500 hours of cross-country time, that is for a full ATP. You can go to the airlines with a restricted ATP with 200 hours. So, just a kind of a side note there. So those are the requirements for being a fully qualified safety pilot, and how both you as a safety pilot and the person as a sole manipulator of the controls can earn PIC time while flying, as long as all safety pilot qualifications are met.

    I think the most important thing to remember here, though, is to make sure if you’re going to be the safety pilot that you’re fully qualified to fly that aircraft as if you were flying it yourself. So not only the category and the class, but if there’s any required endorsements for that aircraft for you to legally fly—such as high performance or complex, or tailwheel endorsement—have those too before you actually go out and act as a safety pilot. 

    This way, there’s no doubt you’re fully qualified and capable of being the PIC in that aircraft in the event something needs to be done to safely fly that airplane, as long as you meet all the required safety pilot qualifications.

    1. What are the basic requirements to act as a safety pilot?

    You need at least a Private Pilot certificate with category and class ratings matching the aircraft, and a current medical certificate (Class 1, 2, 3, or BasicMed).

    2. Can both pilots log PIC time during a simulated instrument flight?

    Yes, the pilot under the hood logs PIC time for the entire flight (including cross-country time), while the safety pilot logs PIC time only when the other pilot is under the hood.

    3. What should a safety pilot do if they lack endorsements for the aircraft (e.g., complex, high-performance)?

    They can log the time as Second-in-Command (SIC) instead of PIC, though it’s recommended to get the necessary endorsements to be fully qualified.

  • Requirements for Safety Pilot: 7 Comprehensive Guide to Qualifications, Duties

    Requirements for Safety Pilot: 7 Comprehensive Guide to Qualifications, Duties

    Requirements for Safety Pilot

    In a world of practical flight testing, aerobatic flight, and high-demonstration aircraft training, the role of a safety pilot is both important and often low. Whether you are involved in test flights, aerobatic competitions, or advanced instrument training, understanding the requirements for safety pilots is necessary to ensure flight safety, regulatory compliance, and operating success.

    1. What Is a Safety Pilot?

    A safety pilot is a qualified aircraft that helps another pilot under a specific type of aircraft operations where additional supervision is required. The security pilot monitors the flying road, looks for traffic, and intervenes if necessary – mainly works like the second set of eyes and hands when the primary pilot is occupied with special features.

    Although it is not always compulsory, it is strongly recommended to be a security pilot – and sometimes essential – for example, in scenarios:

    1. Flight test new or modified aircraft

    2. Training pilot in aerobatics or unusual attitude recovery

    3. Simulated instrument flying (eg, when a pilot carries a display-limiting device)

    4. Practical flight certification flights

    2. Understanding the Requirements for Safety Pilot

    To qualify as a security pilot, some standards must be met. These requirements for security pilots are different depending on the type of aircraft, the aircraft’s nature, and the governing aviation authority (eg, FAA, EASA, A, or other national regulators). However, the usual norms apply in most courts.

    The first and most essential requirement for the security pilot is to maintain a valid pilot certificate suitable for the aircraft. For example:

    If you fly an unmarried engine stamp aircraft, the safety pilot should possess at least a private pilot license (PPL).

    For multimotor aircraft, a multimotor assessment is required.

    In some cases related to complex or turbine-operated aircraft, a tool assessment may also be required.

    The security pilot must be state -species and talented within the unique brand and version of the aircraft, especially if the changes or accurate structures are related.

    2. Newer experience and currency

    Mudra is important when meeting the safety pilot requirements. Most airlines require pilots to complete the minimum amount for starting and landing in the same category and processing of the aircraft over the last nine days.

    In addition, security pilots should be familiar with emergency techniques, communication protocols, and aircraft-written structures to ensure that they can effectively respond if needed.

    3. Medical authentication

    Another important requirement for the security pilot is to preserve a valid doctor’s security pilot must be appropriate to rely on the manipulation of the aircraft physically and mentally, if it is important.

    In many cases, the security pilot may be called to handle the duties of flying, especially during a period of checkout or high-endangered maneuvers. Therefore, preserving accurate health and scientific fame is non-parasitic.

    4. Knowledge of flight systems and modifications

    While serving as a security pilot for experimental or prototype aircraft, a thorough understanding of this knowledge ensures that the safety pilot can respond properly to anomalies or emergencies.

    Before each flight, the security pilot should review the air book, change register, and any known problems or boundaries. This step is the majority of the requirements for security pilots in experimental aviation.

    5. Communication and coordination skills

    In addition to technical expertise, strong mutual skills are part of the requirements for security pilots. Safety pilots should maintain clear communication with primary pilots, air traffic controls, and grassroots personnel.

    During simulated instrument flights or aerobatic exercise, the safety pilot often acts as a primary operator, making radio calls and complying with airspace. This coordination is important for maintaining status awareness and preventing collisions in the medium or fracture of the airspace.

    6. Status awareness and decision-making ability

    Perhaps the most important soft skills for security pilots are among the requirements to maintain a constant state of consciousness. It also includes:

    1. Traffic and monitoring of the area

    2. Look for a change in the weather

    3. Aviation

    4. Prepared to take control of the need

    Security pilots should be careful and active throughout the flight, never becoming complacent even under regular segments.

    3. When Is a Safety Pilot Required?

    Although no longer always mandated via regulation, there are several situations in which having a protection pilot is strongly advocated or officially required:

    Requirements for Safety Pilot

    1. During Experimental Aircraft Testing

    Experimental planes, whether homebuilt or modified, often require extensive flight checking out before being deemed airworthy. In these instances, the FAA and other regulatory bodies suggest or mandate the usage of a protection pilot because of the unknown overall performance characteristics and ability dangers.

    2. While Conducting Aerobatic Training

    When a pilot is gaining knowledge of aerobatic maneuvers, the presence of a safety pilot enables revealing altitude, orientation, and airspace safety. Many aerobatic faculties and opposition teams hire safety pilots to enhance training effectiveness and decrease the risk of accidents.

    3. For Simulated Instrument Flying

    Under FAA guidelines (FAR 91.109), while a pilot is training instrument flying, the usage of a view-restricting tool (like a hood), another pilot needs to act as a safety observer — 

    pleasant, the function of a protection pilot. This man or woman should be rated inside the plane and capable of taking charge if necessary.

    4. Responsibilities of a Safety Pilot

    Understanding the requirements for security pilot also means wunderstanding hat the role is. A security pilot is not just a passenger – they take real responsibility for the safety of the entire flight crew and the aircraft. Large responsibilities include:

    1. Second aircraft

    2. Monitor engine instruments and system performance

    3. Calls the deviation in height, speed, or title

    4. Help with checklists and emergency procedures

    5. If the primary pilot is disabled or disoriented, the plane takes control

    These duties emphasize why the requirements for the safety pilot are so seriously taken in aviation circles.

    5. How to Become a Safety Pilot

    If you are interested in becoming a security pilot, there are steps to meet the standard requirements for safety pilot  here:

    1. Earn a suitable pilot license for the plane you want to fly.

    2. Maintain currency through regular flights and recurrent training.

    3. A valid medical certificate is required to obtain the discount.

    4. Get experience with a specific aircraft type or assignment profile.

    5. Take special training, such as aerobatic or formation flight courses.

    6. Networking with experienced pilots and organizations using security pilots, such as the Test 7. Pilot Association or Aerobatic Club.

    Many pilots start their journey towards becoming a security pilot by helping trainers during instrument training or helping volunteers at local practical aircraft builders.

    6. Common Mistakes to Avoid

    Even skilled pilots can fall into traps whilst serving as a protection pilot. Some not unusual errors that violate requirements for safety pilot  include:

    1. Becoming distracted or complacent throughout the flight

    2. Failing to talk really with the primary pilot

    3. Not being organized to take manipulate of the plane fast

    4. Ignoring non-public fatigue or fitness problems before flying

    5. Overestimating one’s potential to deal with unfamiliar aircraft or conditions

    Avoiding those pitfalls ensures that the protection pilot stays powerful and ready to meet their vital function.

    Requirements for Safety Pilot

    7. Conclusion: Meeting the Requirements for Safety Pilot Ensures Safe Skies

    Whether you are preparing for your first test flight, a student helps fly a master instrument, or supports an aerobatic team, the security pilot must understand the requirements for safety pilot for aviation.

    Pilots can serve in this important role of confidence, by completing licensing, currency, medica,l and skills and embracing the mentality of vigilance and teamwork. After all, a well-trained security pilot is not just a backup are protectors of the sky.

    Therefore, if you are considering becoming a security pilot or working with one, remember: The requirements for safety pilot are not limited, but for safety, to ensure that each flight ends safely on the ground.

    1. What are the main duties of a safety pilot?

    Safety pilots must maintain constant vigilance, monitor traffic and weather, and be ready to take control of the aircraft if needed.

    2. When is a safety pilot required?

    While not always mandated, safety pilots are strongly recommended or required during simulated instrument flight, emergency procedures training, and other high-workload scenarios.

    3. What qualifications does a safety pilot need?

    Safety pilots need recent experience (minimum takeoffs and landings in the same aircraft category within the last 90 days), medical certification, and familiarity with emergency procedures and communication protocols.