Night Flight Log Question

FlyingTiger

FlyingTiger

Pre-takeoff checklist
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FlyingTiger
Night Flight Currency/Log Question

Once you complete your bi-annual review (during the day) and are signed off, are you cleared to fly at night? The reason I ask is that I did my first flight at night in a long time with my instructor and he did not put it down as PIC despite me being signed off in the aircraft and being bi-annual current. I realize I could not carry passengers up to that point but otherwise I was under the impression I could of actually flew at night solo and I only brought the instructor along because it has been a long time. Am I missing something here?
 
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Sounds like you wanted him as a paid safety pilot and he viewed it as instruction.
 
BFR does not reset your landing currency, except as it includes landings, so it likely resets your clock on "day" currency (as most BFRs will include at least 3 TO/Landings)

However, a BFR during the day does not count at all to your night passenger carrying capability. Coincidentally, neither does your checkride.

You can always fly solo at night (absent a restriction that will be listed on your certificate). You cannot carry passengers unless in the prior 90 days you have made 3 takeoffs and 3 landings (to a full stop) during the period starting 1 hour after sunset until 1 hour before sunrise.
 
FlyingTiger said:
with my instructor and he did not put it down as PIC despite me being signed off in the aircraft and being bi-annual current.
Click to expand...

Your instructor doesn't "put it down" as PIC. You do. Your instructor is responsible only for the "Dual" column.

If you were the sole manipulator of the controls, then you are free to log PIC.
 
MD11Pilot said:
Sounds like you wanted him as a paid safety pilot and he viewed it as instruction.
Click to expand...

Doesn't matter. If you're rated in category/class, you can log the time as PIC even if it is instruction. Conditions (night/IFR) are not relevant to that ability.
 
You have a pilot certificate, are properly rates in the category and class you were flying, the instructor is not a "passenger". Log it as PIC. Similar to logging PIC while getting your complex endorcement(which you can do).
 
If you were not night current IAW 61.57(b), the only legal way for you to be bringing your instructor along would be if he was giving you training or, assuming he was night current, acting as PIC (note that if he was not night current, the flight would still be legal as long as he was giving you training -- see the Kortokrax interpretation on that point). However, either way, you can log it all as PIC time since you were the sole manipulator of the controls of an aircraft for which you were rated. If he signed your logbook, then he must have been giving you training, but that doesn't change the issue of you logging it as PIC time under 61.51(e)(2)(i) as sole manipulator of the controls.
 
Thanks for all the responses and in particular, that link Ron. I am guessing he felt that he had to be PIC alone otherwise he would be considered a passenger and that was not permitted. He said he would look into it but in the meantime, I sent him the opinion info to help him out :)
 
If I'm getting a complex endorsement and I'm the sole manipulator of the controls, I can log PIC and dual time?
 
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