Logging Landings as a CFI

Baronman

Well-Known Member
As a CFI, can we log all the landings performed during a flight or only those performed by ourselves? I tend to log them all, just like I log the time as my own. Any opinions? Am I a degenerate CFI??hehe
 
Im kinda torn on this subject. I used to log them all, as I was once told that as long as your giving instruction, you can log it. However, one of the reasons we log landings is in order to show currency. The regs. state that in order for a landing to count towards currency, you must be sole manipulator. This obviously isn't the case when giving dual instruction, unless your demonstarting landings. So now I just log the ones I perform as sole maniuplator. BUT, how am I supposed to prove that a cross country was a cross country without the landings there to prove it? Obviously the regs definition of cross country changes depending on what your applying for, but other then to meet requirements for an ATP, you must prove you landed somewhere other then the origination airport (at the least). SO if I entered 0 in the landing column, would it still count?

I guess I've asked more questions then answered :) However, if anyone could give me any opinions I'd be very grateful!
 
Baronman,

You're a degenerate all right, but for a totally different set of reasons!
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Chunk
 
</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
BUT, how am I supposed to prove that a cross country was a cross country without the landings there to prove it?

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By putting the points of landing in the departure/destination columns.

If I fly from Hanscom Field (BED) and shoot approaches at Lawrence (LWM) and return to BED, I log BED-LWM-BED if we touched down at LWM, and BED-BED if we didn't. I still know we were in the vicinity of LWM because I log the approaches we flew.

I log landings only if I was the sole manipulator. I don't add them up, because early in my CFI career I logged a bunch that my students flew.

I log the names of the approach no matter who flew, but I tally them in the instrument approach column only if I was sole manipulator. This way I can see if I am current for landings (day or night) or approaches by looking at the landing and approach column.

I wish there was a resourse of how to log things like this, as well as other sticky subjects like PCATD/simulator time etc.

Stephen
 
Sounds like the best way to do it. However, I have been logging flights to this date of airports I haven't touched down in (eg- HWO FXE HWO if I did practice approaches at FXE, but only did low approaches). And I started off on my first 2 or 3 log book pages logging all landings then I stopped doing that, and only logged sole manipulator landings.

my log book is definately a mess. It's gonna take me a while to sort this out!!
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I don't log any landings that I am not sole manipulator, but I do log any time we touch down. If it is a practice approach I put the id in ( ) like HIO-(PAE)-HIO
 
I logged all of my landings that were made while I was in the aircraft practicing CFI duties.

But in retrospect, it really doesn't matter. I've filled out absolutely every airline application there is, during my pursuit of a major airline job. Not one asked how many landings I had because it's largely arbitrary.
 
I've heard that they don't count towards currency unless you are sole manipulator. In practice, it doesn't matter what you log as long as you are current. I usually log student landings just to help me keep track of their progress.
 
No really cares how you log your landings, but for currencey you must be the sole manipulator of the controls. This holds true for instrument approaches. I don't log either unless I fly them and I just looked at my logbook. I fly 6 days a week and have not logged a landing in almost 2 months (damm commercial time building students!)
 
As others have noted it says in 61.57 that you must be the sole manipulator of the controls for a landing to count for currency. If you were not the sole manipulator of the controls then I would not log the landing. If I need to keep track of the number of landings my students do, I write it in the remarks section of my log book. I generally only do this with presolo students. I do not feel guilty occasionally taking landings from my students, you only need 6 every 90 days, so it is not a big deal.

As far as getting cross country time, if you are a CFI you do not need to log a landing for it to count. If you look in 61.1, you only need to land an an airport 50 nm away for private, instrument, and commercial ratings. So, your student needs to log a landing but you do not. Since you must be an instrument rated commercial pilot to be a CFI, you only need cross country for the ATP and no landing is required. It must only be to a point 50 nm straight line distance from the point of departure. You do not even have to go to an airport.

As a side note, if you want that 135 job and need 1200 hrs and 500 hrs of cc time, it does not have to be 50 nm away. Part 135 cc time is any flight time that includes a landing at a point other than the point of departure. I am not sure if you must log the landing. If your student flew the plane and the flight "included" a landing, I would think that it would count if you recorded that a landing occurred in the remarks.
 
ONE POINT, IF YOU JUST DO 3 LANDINGS AT NIGHT TO A FULL STOP EVERY 90 DAYS YOU WON'T HAVE TO TAKE AWAY AS MANY LANDINGS FROM YOUR STUDENTS. DOING THE THREE AT NIGHT WILL COVER NIGHT AND DAY CURRENCY, WHERE AS, DOING LANDINGS DURING THE DAY WOULD ONLY COVER THE CURRENCY FOR DAY.
 
If the student lands the plane, I don't log the landing. If I almost die and have to take over the controls, then I log the landing. Very Simple.
 
That's what I do too. But if it comes down to me needing currency (i.e. none of my students have tried to kill me more than 3 times in 90 days) and I want to do a landing with a student, I've been trying to make sure it's to demo something they've never seen, like an engine-out spot, full-slip/no-flap or no airspeed indicator landing. Something that they can learn from at the same time I get to log a landing. Otherwise, I just buck up and rent a plane for a 1/2 hour and go do some requisite landings.

Besides, once I demonstrate, I get to make them practice what I just showed them. You wouldn't believe how many of my students think the plane will just quit flying if they can't see the airspeed indicator!

Carolyn
 
As a CFI I don't think you even need to have your 3 landings day or night in order to give a lesson. The reason being that your not carrying passengers (in the eyes of the FAA) but rather conducting a flight lesson.
Anyone hear any different?
 
You are right, if you are giving a lesson beyond primary students, read FAR 61.57. You don't have to have your 3 landings if you are not PIC. If your student is working on their private single or multi you do have to have your 3 landings in 90 days because you are the PIC.
 
That's true if they're already rated pilots. I'm only working with two students who are though, so I've got to make sure I keep my currency up because I'm PIC on the vast majority of my flights.

Anyone got any extra instrument students they want to direct my way?
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Carolyn
 
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