CFI in plane for solo?

4RNB

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A friend made it sound like he had his CFI sit in plane but not instruct during solo X country. Is this permissible? If allowed, are there conditions that make it allowed vs not?
 
For PPL? No. If the CFI is in the plane, they either have to log dual time(making it *not* a solo XC), or the student would be illegally carrying a passenger as a student. I could be wrong but seems iffy to me. Maybe he was doing a dual practice run of the XC? I did that with one of mine, to get familiar with the area I was flying to.

Not to mention, 3/4 of the excitement of the solo XC is not having the CFI there and doing it on your own!
 
A friend made it sound like he had his CFI sit in plane but not instruct during solo X country. Is this permissible? If allowed, are there conditions that make it allowed vs not?
I want to know what type of aircraft was used. I believe there is a carve out in the regulations that allow for this if training is in a sufficiently complicated airplane like a twin in which insurance companies dictate a certain amount of time in type in order to act as PIC.

But for most, if not all, trainer type aircraft, the flight must be solo, as in sole living human being.
 
A friend made it sound like he had his CFI sit in plane but not instruct during solo X country. Is this permissible? If allowed, are there conditions that make it allowed vs not?

My instructor did a practice 'solo' cross country with me. He announced before engine start that he wasn't going to say anything for the duration of the flight. And he didn't; though he did a debrief later. But that flight wasn't logged as solo, and it wasn't even to the same airport that I later went to on my solo cross country.
 
drummer4468 is right. Not an allowable option for PPL. The exception Greg B. refers to is only applicable for Commercial pilot training, 61.129(a)(4) for singles, 61.129(b)(4) for twins.
 
It’s a whole lot more fun when the ballast is out, trust me
 
A friend made it sound like he had his CFI sit in plane but not instruct during solo X country. Is this permissible? If allowed, are there conditions that make it allowed vs not?

This couldn't have been a solo XC. Most likely the instructor told the student to pretend this is a solo flight and he will just sit back and watch. It is still a dual flight.
 
It’s a whole lot more fun when the ballast is out, trust me
emoji51.png
As I was turning crosswind on my first solo, the tower asked me if it didn't fly better
 
It’s a whole lot more fun when the ballast is out, trust me

The only time it can be classified as a solo flight with a passenger on board is when your MIL is in the plane. They didn't think you were good enough for their daughter and never acknowledged your existence anyway. ;)
 
The only time it can be classified as a solo flight with a passenger on board is when your MIL is in the plane. They didn't think you were good enough for their daughter and never acknowledged your existence anyway. ;)

Yeah ... I was surprised at how "spirited" the airplane was without that 245 pounds in the other seat.

... and as for the mother-in-law ... I told her that she had no right to tell me how to raise my children as I had seen her work! :p
 
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Yeah ... I was surprised at how "spirited" the airplane was without that 245 pounds in the other seat.

... and as for the mother-in-law ... I told her that she had no right to tell me to raise my children as I had seen her work! :p

I inadvertently managed to ingratiate myself with my MIL. Late in life she told me I was her favorite son-in-law...because apparently I was the only one that never asked to borrow money from her. :rolleyes:
 
Thanks everyone.
 
I want to know what type of aircraft was used. I believe there is a carve out in the regulations that allow for this if training is in a sufficiently complicated airplane like a twin in which insurance companies dictate a certain amount of time in type in order to act as PIC.
The "performing the duties of pilot in command with an authorized instructor" carve-out appears in a number of places in Part 61:
  • 61.65(g) - pilots working on their private and instrument simultaneously, for the instrument cross country PIC requirement.
  • 61.129 - for various ratings as a substitute for required solo.
 
61.65(g) doesn't allow pseudo-solo to be used for solo. There's no "solo" requirement for the instrument. It lets you count some dual XC time from the private toward the instrument rating requirement requiring PIC XC time. Pre-private dual otherwise can't be treated as PIC time for the aeronautical experience.

61.129 is the commercial solo requirement previously mentioned.
 
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