Why Do I Need To Log My Flying?
Flying is tough enough, but logging that time is an entirely different struggle. We hear primary, secondary, and other, but what does that even mean?
In this article, we will go over what each means and why it is important to make sure you get it right.
Why even mark down the hours that you fly in the first place? Shouldn’t your flying abilities speak for themselves?
The short answer is yes, but for those you have not flown with, they cannot evaluate your abilities so hours will have to do. In the flying world, experience is shown not through years, but hours.
Flying is expensive so unless you are lucky enough to be getting paid to do it, it may take years to get the experience necessary to call yourself a pilot, let alone a good one.
This is a big reason why you must be proactive about logging the hours that you fly. It is important to be disciplined in recording specifics such as where, who, what, when, and why. This not only helps you keep track but if you are trying to make money by being a pilot, it will be the first thing the potential companies will ask to see.
Do yourself a favor. Rather than sweating about it later, it is smart to keep track of it now.
Military flight log
Since the beginning of military flight, there has been a disciplined system of flight records.
The military has recently shifted flight records to be digital. Naturally, there have been issues and it is not uncommon for flight records to disappear.
It is important to stay updated with your records and to have a backup copy. We recommend having a separate physical and/or digital copy of your own.
The flight logs are your pilot lifeline. They are what prove your experience to those who need to know.
The only person that will really care about your hours and the logging of those hours is you! Remember that, and you will never need to worry about someone else messing it up.
Logging Flight Hours and What They Mean
Now for the potatoes of this article. We will now get into what some of this lingo is and what it means.
So now that we understand that our lifeline is our hours, what do they mean? When broken down it is quite simple and easy to follow.
The first thing that we need to look at is flight duty positions
Duty Positions
Duty positions are simply the capacity at which you are piloting while flying the aircraft. You’ll notice SP, CP, FP, IP, and EP.
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Student Pilot: Pilot receiving flight instruction prior to becoming rated |
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First Pilot: The pilot who actively controls the aircraft or receives instruction time from an authorized instructor pilot at another set of flight controls. To log FP time, the pilot must be obtaining or maintaining qualification in the aircraft type. |
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Co-Pilot: The pilot who occupies a duty position with a set of controls but is not actively controlling the aircraft or instructing the pilot flying the aircraft, or receiving instruction from an instructor pilot at another set of flight controls. The pilot must be qualified or obtaining qualification in the type of aircraft to log CP time. |
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Instructor Pilot: Designated as an IP on the flight authorization and may log IP time when taking part in a mission on which they are required to instruct. This includes instruction that involves two pilots each at a set of controls |
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Evaluator Pilot: Flight examiners who are evaluating pilot or crew techniques and who do not occupy a duty position with a set of controls. |
Flight Time Categories
Flight time categories are a way of describing the role you played during the flight.
For example, you may have been a co-pilot sitting at the controls, but if you never flew and only did pilot monitoring duties than that would count as secondary flight time.
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Dual Received: Flight Instruction received while in Undergraduate Pilot Training and subsequent upgrade training (IQT, AC upgrade) |
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Primary Flight Time: Time logged by a member occupying a designated duty station and actively performing the duty associated with the aircrew specialty or receiving instruction from an authorized instructor |
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Secondary Flight Time: Flying time logged by a crewmember who is performing inflight duties related to the aircrew’s specialty but is not controlling the function of that specialty. This is a time logged while occupying a duty station with a set of flight controls, but not actively controlling the aircraft, instructing, or evaluating the pilot controlling the aircraft |
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Instructor Flight Time: Flying time logged by a designated and qualified member while actively performing authorized instructor duties. Instructors will also log primary, secondary, or other time, depending in their activity, when not performing instructor duties. |
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Evaluator Flight Time: Flying time flown by a designated and qualified flight evaluator while actively performing authorized flight evaluation duties. Evaluators will also log primary, secondary, or other time, depending on their activity, when not performing evaluator duties. |
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Other Time: Flying time flown by members who are on the flight authorization, but not occupying a designated duty station or conforming to the requirements of primary, secondary, instructor or evaluator time. |
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Pilot In Command: Flight time logged when the pilot is the sole manipulator of the controls of an aircraft for which they are rated, or when they are the sole occupant of the aircraft, or when they act as the pilot in command of an aircraft in which more than one pilot is required under the type of certification of the aircraft, or the regulations under which the flight is conducted. |
Flight Condition Times
Flight conditions are the circumstances in which you flew in. For example, you would log nighttime if a portion of the flight was after sunset.
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Nighttime: Time logged between the hours of official sunset and sunrise |
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Instrument Time: The time logged only when external conditions require that the aircraft attitude be maintained primarily by reference to the flight instruments |
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Simulated Instrument Time: May be logged only by an individual controlling the aircraft attitude primarily by reference to the flight instruments |
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Flight Total: Total duration of the sortie |
It may seem like a lot, but like any habit, it is easy to keep going once you start. It is important to stay disciplined and consistent in logging the hours.
Not only is it good practice to log your own hours, but it also satisfying looking back at all of the flyings you have done and where your journey has taken you. We hope this article helps!
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