Important Pic Question

I guess I just want to get this straight. So let's say I am current and hold a private pilot certificate and wish to log some simulated instrument time. My safety pilot has not logged 3 landings/takeoffs in the past 90 days, yet holds a private pilot certificate and also a current medical. Also, to clarify, I would be acting as PIC for most of the flight (i.e. doing the landings and handling most of the flight outside of the hood too). Would it be possible for him to then act as a safety pilot? Also, how would we log the time?

The reason I ask this is that I am currently working on my instrument rating and know several pilots who are not current at the moment (but do have a current medical).
-Kukov
 
SteveC said:
I'm heading for the door and don't have time right now to do a thorough look, so I stole this from MidlifeFlyer's FAQ page (thanks Mark!), just to get the discussion started:
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Yes but don't misunderstand.

Assuming two pilots in a flying pilot/safety pilot situation who are both qualified to act as PIC, who is actually the acting PIC with ultimate responsibility is a matter of choice by the pilots. Whatever they say goes. There's no "default" FAA rule about who it is "unless they agree to something else."

JaceTheAce said:
But the FAR doesn't say that you have to have a medical. It leaves it omitted. Where does it specifically say that you have to have a medical?
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FLpilot has it right. 61.23(a) says that you are required to have a current medical when exercising pilot crewmember privileges. A safety pilot is a required pilot crewmember.
 
genkukov said:
I guess I just want to get this straight. So let's say I am current and hold a private pilot certificate and wish to log some simulated instrument time. My safety pilot has not logged 3 landings/takeoffs in the past 90 days, yet holds a private pilot certificate and also a current medical. Also, to clarify, I would be acting as PIC for most of the flight (i.e. doing the landings and handling most of the flight outside of the hood too). Would it be possible for him to then act as a safety pilot? Also, how would we log the time?
Click to expand...
Yes. Your friend may act as your safety pilot. All that requires is at least a private certificate with category and class ratings and a current medical. he does not have to be current for landings.

But I'm not sure what you mean by acting as PIC for "most of the flight." Were you planning on giving up responsibility to your friend? When you add the i.e. about handling the controls, it sounds like you're still confusing acting with logging.

"Sole manipulator" is a rule that has to do with permission to log the flight in the PIC column of a logbook. Who handles the controls has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with who is the acting PIC responsible for the flight.
 
MidlifeFlyer said:
Yes but don't misunderstand.

Assuming two pilots in a flying pilot/safety pilot situation who are both qualified to act as PIC, who is actually the acting PIC with ultimate responsibility is a matter of choice by the pilots. Whatever they say goes. There's no "default" FAA rule about who it is "unless they agree to something else."
Click to expand...

Concur.

Yeah, I probably overstated the thought, but wheel's statement ("the safety pilot is *THE* PIC, as in responsible for the flight (unless of course the 'crew' decide that the safety pilot is not responsible....") overstates the case in the opposite direction, I think.

The point that I guess I should be making (instead of saying what I did) is that the pilots need to have a clear understanding of "who's the Boss", and that is the real background to the PIC/SIC for the safety pilot question.
 
SteveC said:
The point that I guess I should be making (instead of saying what I did) is that the pilots need to have a clear understanding of "who's the Boss", and that is the real background to the PIC/SIC for the safety pilot question.
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And is really the issue in =any= situation in which more than one pilot are sharing flight duties.
 
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