Army helicopter to FAA fixed wing instrument

[rookie1255]

It's a really specific question but I can't find the answer. As a helicopter pilot who went through Army flight training I was issued an FAA commercial/instrument rotorcraft. I'm looking into doing my fixed wing private and instrument in a Cessna 172. For an instrument rating 50 hours XC are required but only 10 have to be in an airplane.

I know I did cross country time in rotorcraft but I have no idea how much. I don't keep a logbook because the Army automatically records flights. However, when I printed out the Army record the log does not break down what flights are XC. It basically only gives the dates and duration of the flight.

If nothing else, could I at least use the fact that I have a commercial rotorcraft certificate to certify that I have at least 10 hours XC in a helicopter, since that's a prerequisite for a commercial rotorcraft certificate?

 

[Maxnr]

It's a really specific question but I can't find the answer. As a helicopter pilot who went through Army flight training I was issued an FAA commercial/instrument rotorcraft. I'm looking into doing my fixed wing private and instrument in a Cessna 172. For an instrument rating 50 hours XC are required but only 10 have to be in an airplane.

I know I did cross country time in rotorcraft but I have no idea how much. I don't keep a logbook because the Army automatically records flights. However, when I printed out the Army record the log does not break down what flights are XC. It basically only gives the dates and duration of the flight.

If nothing else, could I at least use the fact that I have a commercial rotorcraft certificate to certify that I have at least 10 hours XC in a helicopter, since that's a prerequisite for a commercial rotorcraft certificate?

Take your 759's and copys of orders to the FSDO and put these questions to the public servants there. You may be surprised at what they tell you.
I used to fly with some guys from a foreign Air Force that showed up one day in 1975. They had few if any logs, documents or anything other than what was in their pockets. One good friend managed to land on a USN carrier and kept his feet dry. His squadron Ops Officer had to ditch alongside and swim for it. Many, many others had similar stories. My friend was later taught the shoe repair trade by a church group. That gig lasted until a helpful gulf coast offshore pilot questioned him about his back ground and took him to a FSDO. Despite having no written proof of any aviation quals, they issued him a FAA Comm RW/HEL cerificate based on just an interview. The others that were picked up out of the water that day got the same treatment.They all became successful professional pilots. Another of those pilots sticks in my mind. Even 10 yrs after that day in 75, when Col Ho walked into a room, all the former VNAF pilots stood.

 

[Velocity173]

Bring your -12s if you kept them as well. There’s at least 10 hrs of XC built into instruments I know that.

 

[IK04]

Your 759 will have your PIC time on it and unless you spent your entire life in the pattern at Lowe, you have enough XC time.

 

[kep5niner]

FAA Ruling that I use, that I got from a CW3 IE - CFII/ATP Part 121 in the real world:

"J. Logging Cross-Country Flight Time. The FAA recognizes that pilots who have logged flight time acquired in a military aircraft may not have distinguished cross-country flight time from total flight time. In that case, the FAA will allow applicants to make a reasonable estimation of their cross-country flight time as defined in § 61.1. This time, which cannot exceed the pilot's total time in the applicable category and class, may be used to meet the aeronautical experience requirements in the applicable 14 CFR section. Pilots who annotate their estimation of cross-country time in their logbook will be considered to have logged this time for the purposes of meeting the aeronautical experience requirements of part 61."