Define SOLO time

[Flysher]

Ok dumb question coming up...

A buddy of mine that I'm signing off for his CFII calls me last night and brings up this question reguarding his 8710, well long story short he didn't know that solo time is when your the only SOUL onboard.

He thought that he could count solo time with his girlfriend riding along or someone like that, because hes the only pilot onboard, therefor hes solo.

Solo time is when you are the only SOUL onboard the aircraft, correct? That is how I have always logged it, however my logbook has always had a seperate column for solo time.

Most of these logbooks out there ( besides jepps big one) DON'T have a seperate column for solo time, they combine solo with PIC. As a matter of fact, at the school I teach at I looked through 4 different style logbooks and they ALL have a column that says SOLO/PIC in the same box. I thought WTF?!

anyway, turns out hes logged tons of "solo" time when he really wasnt solo.

 

[Andy Neill]

To me the issue isn't so much that he logged solo time erroneously but that he did not comply with the restrictions of a student pilot (if applicable to the case at hand). 61.89a(1) says: "A student pilot may not act as the pilot in command of an aircraft that is carrying a passenger." If you are referring to the time he logged AFTER getting his private as solo, then I don't see the issue.

 

[cvsfly]

Ok dumb question coming up...

Solo time is when you are the only SOUL onboard the aircraft, correct? That is how I have always logged it, however my logbook has always had a seperate column for solo time.

Most of these logbooks out there ( besides jepps big one) DON'T have a seperate column for solo time, they combine solo with PIC. As a matter of fact, at the school I teach at I looked through 4 different style logbooks and they ALL have a column that says SOLO/PIC in the same box. I thought WTF?!

And you are a CFI signing off another CFI....scary. "Solo" time ends when you get your category and class rating/license then it becomes PIC or SIC. Yes, to be "solo" prior to your checkride you can't carry passengers.

 

[midlifeflyer]

And you are a CFI signing off another CFI....scary. "Solo" time ends when you get your category and class rating/license then it becomes PIC or SIC. Yes, to be "solo" prior to your checkride you can't carry passengers.

Um, to be solo =after= your checkride, you can't carry passengers either.

==============================
61.51(d) Logging of solo flight time. Except for a student pilot performing the duties of pilot in command of an airship requiring more than one pilot flight crewmember, a pilot may log as solo flight time only that flight time when the pilot is the sole occupant of the aircraft.
==============================

And there =are= post private certificate solo requirements - like the 10 hours of solo currently required for the commercial certificate (including the long solo cross country).

So, exactly what was "scary" about a legitimate question?

Flysher, I think that since the number of solo requirements under the FAR are so limited, with so few after the private certificate, many logbook manufacturers just decided to not waste a column on something of limited use. Just identify the necessary post-private solos in the remarks for the flight - the way you identify the "long cross country" required for the private and commercial without creating a separate column for them.

 

[ultrarunner]

Solo time is that time you fly an aircraft under a solo endorcement prior to being rated in it. That's it.

For most folks it's all their solo time prior to getting their private pilot certificate.

When I was "learning" I also had a solo endorcement to fly a mulit-engine airplane before I too my multi-engine checkride. I count that in my solo time as well.

 

[cvsfly]

Um, to be solo =after= your checkride, you can't carry passengers either.

==============================
61.51(d) Logging of solo flight time. Except for a student pilot performing the duties of pilot in command of an airship requiring more than one pilot flight crewmember, a pilot may log as solo flight time only that flight time when the pilot is the sole occupant of the aircraft.
==============================

And there =are= post private certificate solo requirements - like the 10 hours of solo currently required for the commercial certificate (including the long solo cross country).

Ok, so after the commercial license, why would you log solo time in the same cat & class. It really shouldn't add up to much.

 

[ultrarunner]

Ok, so after the commercial license, why would you log solo time in the same cat & class.

You wouldn't

 

[Ralgha]

Ok, so after the commercial license, why would you log solo time in the same cat & class. It really shouldn't add up to much.

Why shouldn't it add up to much? Something wrong with flying an airplane by yourself?

 

[Ralgha]

Solo time is that time you fly an aircraft under a solo endorcement prior to being rated in it. That's it.

For most folks it's all their solo time prior to getting their private pilot certificate.

When I was "learning" I also had a solo endorcement to fly a mulit-engine airplane before I too my multi-engine checkride. I count that in my solo time as well.

Solo time is any time that you are the SOLE occupant of the aircraft. It has nothing to do with what ratings/certificates you do or do not have.

 

[Ralgha]

You wouldn't

You can, and some people do. It's not required, but neither is anything else except to show legal proficiency.