Logbook Conundrum, Please Help...

[ShyFlyGuy]

Gentlemen, Ladies. Once again, I turn to the wealth of knowledge that is the collection of great minds at Flight Info. Obviously, I have a question.I have been working for a 121 company for some time now and in 2006, I made less than $16,500 as a professional pilot. So, in order to supliment my income (and because I love to do it), I have continued to flight instruct throughout my time at this company while I'm back at home.I have aspirations to fly for a "real" company soon, so I am working on my logbook. But I've got an ethical and regulatory question. What do I do with the nearly 1000 hours I've accumulated while two-timing my company?I expect to have to show my logbook to the CP here soon (upgrade), and I will, no doubt show my logbook at the interview with the real company at some point, so I don't want two different logbooks covering the same time period. Smells fishy.For the record, I maintain very good records of each student and endorsement I give. I am asking if I should log this time, how I should log it, how I should explain it, and if there is any interpretation that could guide me in this conundrum.I am leaning toward just maintaining my records at the place I instruct and onl logging the 121 time and any non-commercial flying I do on the side. But then what's the point of keeping a "logbook" if it's not accurate?Shy

 

[WMUSIGPI]

It would depend on the policy of the company you are at now. When I was at a 121 company they required prior permission from a CP to do any other commercial flying. However they specifically stated in the same reference that flight instructon was allowed without any special permission or notification. YMMV.
My current 135 company allows me to do whatever I want on the side.

 

[Big Duke Six]

Definitely log your 121 time, then log as much of the other time as you can and still be legal. Cuz, I'm sure you didn't do anything illegal right? Right.

 

[Huck]

Get a letter from your CP saying it's ok first, then log it.

 

[FLYCSA!]

Providing the time you logged as an instructor did not take you over regulated time limits, 30/7, 8/24 etc I would say get the letter then log it.

 

[FlaZoomie]

You flew 1000 extra hours and couldn't make a living on that income alone? Man, as always, there is something seriously wrong with being in this profession and pay. Just another cause of regional use and abuse.

 

[ackattacker]

Presumably your 121 company has some sort of policy about commercial flying on the side. Most don't care as long as you don't bust any regs, but they ALL require you to report that time in some fashion so that they can track your weekly/monthly/yearly flight time limits. Since you obviously haven't been reporting it there is no way to log it and avoid some hot water with your CP. How much you care about the consequences of said carpet dance is a decision only you can make.

 

[dhc8fo]

Man, I sure hope that $16,500 was for about half the year, otherwise, log what you flew and who cares what the CP thinks....had to feed the family, right?

 

[Lear70]

First, how the HELL did you accumulate an EXTRA 1,000 hours of flight instruction in ONE YEAR up and above your Part 121 flying?

Mathematically, assuming you had even 15 days off each month, that's 180 days a year you could have been instructing if you didn't take ANY days off, requiring you to log 5.5 hours PER DAY of instructing?

I was lucky to ever do that when I was instructing FULL TIME??!!

2nd issue. Flight Instructing IS counted as commercial flying and counts against your FAR regulatory limits.

THEREFORE, you could NOT do both 1,000 hours of instruction AND be legal for much of ANY Part 121 flying, specifically NONE if the instruction was done BEFORE the 121 flying each month. You'd hit a flight time limit somewhere about halfway through each month for 121 flying.

This is why most companies have the "other commercial flying" restriction in the company manual (FOM or policy manual).

SO... as another pilot said, you get a WRITTEN letter from the C.P. authorizing you to flight instruct on the side, THEN you get ONE logbook and enter ALL of your Part 121 time (it's more valuable) and then figure out WHICH flights you can enter in your logbook and still be legal for your next 121 trip.

Remember, you must have at least 24 hours off every 7 calendar days.

You may not fly more than 30 hours in ANY 7 day period.

You may not fly more than 100 hours in ANY CALENDAR month (not a 30 day period, it's calendar month).

You may not fly more than 1,000 hours in any CALENDAR year.

The 8 hours max flying only applies to 121 flying. Just make sure you don't have any flight instructing logged in the 8 hours BEFORE the start time of any Part 121 trip to show legal look-back rest.

You can flight instruct as much as you want AFTER the trip was done and go over 8 hours of flying in a single day AFTER your Part 121 duty is done.

Good luck, sounds like you have a LOT of logbook work to do.

I did the same thing when I was a 727 F/O doing 6 days on, 8 days off. Picked up a 2nd gig as a Lear CA doing day charter for $400 bucks a day on my days off. It was VERY difficult to keep everything legal, don't know how you did it doing 1,000 hours in a year.

 

[ackattacker]

ShyFlyGuy hasn't responded to this thread yet, but in his original post I did not get the impression that he accumulated 1000 extra hours in just one year. I think he meant over the course of his 121 job ("throughout my time at the company).