Commercial Question 61.129(a)(4)(ii)

[EdFred]

§ 61.129 Aeronautical experience.

(a) For an airplane single-engine rating. Except as provided in paragraph (i) of this section, a person who applies for a commercial pilot certificate with an airplane category and single-engine class rating must log at least 250 hours of flight time as a pilot that consists of at least:

(4) 10 hours of solo flight in a single-engine airplane on the areas of operation listed in §61.127(b)(1) of this part, which includes at least—



(ii) 5 hours in night VFR conditions with 10 takeoffs and 10 landings (with each landing involving a flight in the traffic pattern) at an airport with an operating control tower.

Can those be touch and goes? Obviously if they aren't full stop, I can't use them for currency. I'm just trying to finish all my commercial requirements, and just curious. I'm under the impression that if it doesn't say implicitly state so in the FARS then it's not necessary.

 

[Ed Guthrie]

Can those be touch and goes? Obviously if they aren't full stop, I can't use them for currency. I'm just trying to finish all my commercial requirements, and just curious. I'm under the impression that if it doesn't say implicitly state so in the FARS then it's not necessary.

T&G's are okay. What you can't do is multiple T&G's without a circuit per T/O and landing (i.e., no multiple T&G's per pattern circuit on a very long runway).

You do realize that you can count every night T/O and landing you've ever made at a towered airport, right? Knowing your flying habits I would think that you have 10 matched sets of those in your logbook today.

 

[EdFred]

T&G's are okay. What you can't do is multiple T&G's without a circuit per T/O and landing (i.e., no multiple T&G's per pattern circuit on a very long runway).

You do realize that you can count every night T/O and landing you've ever made at a towered airport, right? Knowing your flying habits I would think that you have 10 matched sets of those in your logbook today.

Looks like I can only count solo ones, and I'm usually into non-towered fields. I couldn't belive I only had 4 at towered fields solo at night.

 

[Jeff Oslick]

Ed-

I was in the same boat before going for my Comm. T&Gs are ok, if you can find a towered airport that permits them at night, many don't due to noise abatement procedures. With it getting dark so late, you might also need to check that the tower will still be open when you're doing your landings. At FUL, the tower closes at 2100 local, which doesn't leave a lot of "night-towered" time this time of year.

Jeff

 

[SCCutler]

Guess I am lucky I base at a field with tower ops until 10:00 pm, and am surrounded by other, training-friendly tower-controlled fields. My favorite around here is Alliance (AFW), which is huge, has controllers so nice you expect them to buy you coffee (guess they're lonely), and other than the occasional FedEx heavy, has little traffic.

I still cannot wait to, someday, fly into Jeff's field (FUL); years ago I lived in Fullerton, would listen to the airplanes and the tower on the scanner as they marched in from the east, flying right over my house on the way to 24. Now *that* is one busy airport on nice days (or it was in late 80s/early 90s when I was there), especially for its small size.

 

[Jeff Oslick]

I still cannot wait to, someday, fly into Jeff's field (FUL); years ago I lived in Fullerton, would listen to the airplanes and the tower on the scanner as they marched in from the east, flying right over my house on the way to 24. Now *that* is one busy airport on nice days (or it was in late 80s/early 90s when I was there), especially for its small size.

Unfortunately, it hasn't been that busy lately.

Last Sunday was a good example. Gorgeous morning, not too hot, just about CAVU. Best day in the last 10. I was there at 0900 to start washing the plane. For the first 45 minutes or so it was pretty busy, an operation every 3-5 minutes. Then around 10am it got slow. Ok, maybe it was the flight schools cycling onto the next round of lessons...but it never really picked up again, and we were there till 12:30pm. Even during our short "blow-dry" flight out over the Long Beach practice area, there were relatively few planes in the air. I kept looking and listening, but they just weren't there.

Mornings like that I start to wonder either 1) did I miss a TFR? or 2) what was so good on TV?

What could possibly be more important than being at the airport on a nice Sunday morning?

Jeff

 

[poadeleted20]

You do realize that you can count every night T/O and landing you've ever made at a towered airport, right? Knowing your flying habits I would think that you have 10 matched sets of those in your logbook today.

Not "every" one, but every SOLO one. Note that this requirement comes under the subparagraph listing the requirement for solo flight. "Solo," to the FAA, means the pilot logging the time is the only live human being aboard, with dogs, corpses, and fetuses (feti?) not counting against it.

 

[EdFred]

KGRR has the tower open until 11 pm or midnight, so it won't be an issue. Mostly commerical around the airport - at least to the N and W and to the S and E, pretty sparse population. I'm just east of the approach to 35 and I never hear any singles.

 

[ScottM]

Looks like I can only count solo ones, and I'm usually into non-towered fields. I couldn't belive I only had 4 at towered fields solo at night.

That was one that almost bit me. Two weeks before my check ride I was marking my logbook up to verify all the prereqs were done. I counte dup my night, solo, towered to/lnds and had only 6.

I went out the next next a flew down to DPA and did 8 more just to make sure I had 'em.

Scott