Need Quick Help: PPL X-Country Question

[User546]

Part of the requirements under the Aeronautical Experience of FAR 61.109 states that a student pilot must have 3 hours of night flying to include: "One cross-country flight of over 100 nautical miles total distance..."

Does 100 miles TOTAL distance mean, that you can plan a x-country to another airport 50 miles away? To fly to that airport, and then return back to your home airport would be 100 miles total.

Or do they mean the airport needs to be 100 miles away, not to include the return leg?

Someone who has a dealt with a lot of student pilots please define this for me. I'm finishing up a students training, and I need to make sure we do this one right the first time.

 

[minitour]

Just like you said...100nm TOTAL distance...there and back...

1 airport 50nm away should do the trick

-mini

 

[User546]

Thanks Mini...

I just wanted to clarify that, maybe I was over thinking it. But my hang up was this - to log a cross country it has to be atleast 50 nm to another airport, so naturally you'll have a 100 nm round trip. So I wasn't for sure why they didn't just say a cross country flight rather then giving a specific distance. In other words, theres no way you can do a cross country without it being atleast 100 nm.

Well anyways... ROUND OF DRINKS FOR MINI on my tab....

 

[100LL... Again!]

That is because you may log cross country on flight shorter than 50nm. Just not for private, comm, or atp.

Flying 10 miles to another airport still counts as xc for 135 PIC purposes.

Each reg addressing xc requirements specifies what type of flight meets the definition of xc for that cert or rating. Read through the fars and you'll see what I mean.

 

[minitour]

Thanks Mini...

I just wanted to clarify that, maybe I was over thinking it. But my hang up was this - to log a cross country it has to be atleast 50 nm to another airport, so naturally you'll have a 100 nm round trip. So I wasn't for sure why they didn't just say a cross country flight rather then giving a specific distance. In other words, theres no way you can do a cross country without it being atleast 100 nm.

Well anyways... ROUND OF DRINKS FOR MINI on my tab....

SWEET!

A round of pink virgin daqueries for the two beer kweer!


-mini

100LL...so does that mean that I should be logging that as xc?? just can't use it for the IR/COM/ATP stuff?

 

[User546]

That is because you may log cross country on flight shorter than 50nm. Just not for private, comm, or atp.

So are you saying that I can log x-countrys that are shorter then 50nm as long as it is not going towards any particular rating (PPL/CML/ATP) ??

If not, then please clarify some more please.

 

[100LL... Again!]

Yes.

Anytime you fly to another airport and land, you may count that time toward the 500 required for part 135.

To qualify for the atp, you need 500 hours of over 50 nm xc OR a flight to a point at least 50 nm straight line from departure. This was added to allow search and rescue pilots to log time toward the atp.



From memory now, so doublecheck me:

Any xc over 50 nm counts for commercial, EXCEPT for the specific day, night and long xc specified in pt 61.

For pvt, any xc over 50 counts EXCEPT for the 3-leg, one segt more that 50nm from orig pt of departure, blah, blah.

Log every bit of it in case you need to fly 135.

I used to put a small note in the logbook remarks section noting that a particular flight qualified for comm, or atp, so I could fill out my 8710 easier.

 

[100LL... Again!]

Again, read each reg carefully to determine each certificate's requirements.

Make sure you get the needed time.

But log the rest of it.

The FARs define xc as any flight to another airport where you use pilotage, dead reckoning, or radio nav.

Even if it is a 5 mile hop. Go figure.

 

[Illini Pilot]

14 CFR 61.1

(3) Cross-country time means—

(i) Except as provided in paragraphs (b)(3)(ii) through (b)(3)(vi) of this section, time acquired during flight—

(A) Conducted by a person who holds a pilot certificate;

(B) Conducted in an aircraft;

(C) That includes a landing at a point other than the point of departure; and

(D) That involves the use of dead reckoning, pilotage, electronic navigation aids, radio aids, or other navigation systems to navigate to the landing point.

 

[100LL... Again!]

SEMANTICS ALERT!!

Cross-country time means—
(i) Except as provided in paragraphs (b)(3)(ii) through (b)(3)(vi) of this section, time acquired during flight—
(A) Conducted by a person who holds a pilot certificate;
(B) Conducted in an aircraft;
(C) That includes a landing at a point other than the point of departure; and
(D) That involves the use of dead reckoning, pilotage, electronic navigation aids, radio aids, or other navigation systems to navigate to the landing point


Suppose I do a cross country with a student before they have their medical.

Does that mean that they can't log it as xc?

It's a reach, I know.



Other weird FAR question:

PVT pilot, no instrument rating.

Flying over Lake Erie at night under low overcast with 5 mi vis.

Legal, right? Absolutely NO outside references available.
Pilot must use instruments to maintain control.
Can he log actual?