Loggable or not??...

[CaptO'Brien]

Hi i was just offered by a friend the oppourtunity to fly 21 hours for the low cost of free on his "aircam" homebuilt/ultralight...now it has registration just like anyother plane so i have been told it is registered as a homebuilt which would make me able to log it as PIC MULTI time (since it has two engines)...looking at this thing it looks like a canoe with wings attached and it flys at 80mph so it doesnt seem logical to me that i would be able to log it the same as a twin...funny thing is this canoe has EFFIS instruments...for what?!?! haha ohwell i cant complain but im sure ill get lauged at when i taxi by! anyways does anyone know about this? i have talked to people and they seem to say i can log it? what is that gonna look like in my log book? thanks for your help!!

 

[CaptO'Brien]

Oh one more thing i forgot to ask....is there a shortened form to log it? instead of putting "Aircam" in my log book is there something better like "A-110" or something haha i just came up with that randomly but you knwo what i mean. Thanks

 

[Thresh]

when in doubt, call your FSDO

 

[nosehair]

...if the airplane has an "N" number, then it is an airplane, not an ultra-light.
The time is loggable. As the PIC, you would be responsible enough to check the airworthiness documents, ie., airworthiness certificate and registration, weight & balance, and maintainace records to determine appropriate inspections complied with. Somewhere in those documents should be an aircraft identifier that you might use.

 

[AngelKing]

I think I would walk....wait.....run.... as fast as I could away from that thing.

When you look through the NTSB accident synopsis, it is unbelievable how many homebuilt accidents there are. Ok...flame away.

Ak

 

[mtrv]

I think I would walk....wait.....run.... as fast as I could away from that thing.

When you look through the NTSB accident synopsis, it is unbelievable how many homebuilt accidents there are. Ok...flame away.

Ak

And it's also unbelievable how many current and retired commercial/military pilots actually build and fly homebuilt/experimental/kitbuilt aircraft. Thousands upon thousands.

Turns out that these guys/gals find the enjoyment of flying again, and some continue into their 80's!

A homebuilt could range from $20,000 to a half a million just in materials. They can not be generalized as a pile of tubes and rags. Besides, in regards to safety, the AirCam probably has a BSR chute. And the NTSB report ratio of the experimental catagory versus production aircraft, is certainly not out of whack.

 

[gringo]

Man, I've been wanting to fly one of those for a while now, after I saw them in Air & Space Magazine a few years back- looks like a ton of fun! (Especially if you get it on floats!)

You can log it as multi, but if you're doing it to build hours, I'd be cautious. Although the single engine characteristics would probably be more severe than a Semilole or 310, and therefore much more challenging to fly, I would doubt that an employer would look at that time very seriously.

But otherwise, man, I envy you! Some of the most fun I've EVER had flying was in a Breezy- sittling out there all in the open, bugs in my teeth- MAN! It's been 4 years and I STILL remember it!

 

[avbug]

when in doubt, call your FSDO

As the FSDO has no authority to interpret regulation, and you will often get conflicting answers even from the same FSDO (as many inspectors don't understand or know the regulation as they should), calling the FSDO for regulatory answers is often a waste of time. Doing so may also place you in legal jeopardy, if you are foolish enough to believe what you're told at the FSDO level as being authoritative.

If the aircraft has a registration and is airworthy, then log it. Why do you think that being an 80 mph aircraft makes it somehow less loggable? It's a registered multi engine airplane; fly it, have a ball, and log it. Take a picture, stick it in your logbook, and if you're ever asked about your entries, show the picture. A great conversation point, and probably some enjoyable flying, too.

 

[CaptO'Brien]

Yea i already called up the FSDO and they told me registration=loggable...i am kinda using it as a bit of a time builder (i obviously need the time)...but 21 hours isnt really going to change anything i just want to fly it because it seems pretty neat with the open cockpit and all! The reason im a little bit nervous about logging the time is because i guess i would be doing it under the multi section of my log book but i guess if its ok its ok.

avbug: good call on taking a picture and keeping it for a convo piece...

nosehair: yea i have been checking documents and making sure i have everything onboard when i go...i want to make sure everything is done legally.

mtrv: Yea i hear ya that some of these homebuilts are getting extravegant. The people who own this Aircam also build several more homebuilts as well as convert planes to turbines with full EFFIS and FMS some of them cost over a million dollars. So im pretty sure its safe considering they are pro builders and own a shop that is dedicated to building complex custom aircraft.

Does anyone have an answer to what i would mark this down in my log book as? i would rather not put in "aircam" in there...dont know if it makes much of a diffrence.

 

[Mr Wu]

Does anyone have an answer to what i would mark this down in my log book as? i would rather not put in "aircam" in there...dont know if it makes much of a diffrence.

Do a search on the FAA website for the reg number. It will show what the official designation is.