The recent revisions to Federal Aviation Regulations Part 61 caught many pilots by surprise, despite all the prerelease publicity.
My fellow aviation specialists and I are answering more than 300 calls a week about the new rule on the toll-free Pilot Information Center (total calls for technical help on the 800/USA-AOPA line average about 1,200 a week; nontechnical member calls average 3,900 a week).
Based on member calls, the areas of greatest confusion include:
Q: Can I count my student pilot solo cross-country time prior to August 4, 1997, towards the 50 hours of cross-country pilot-in-command time for an instrument rating?
A: Yes. Part 61 now defines student solo in an aircraft as PIC time. An FAA opinion we obtained makes this change retroactive, so cross-country hours you logged as "solo" when you were a student pilot can now be counted as pilot-in-command time.
Q: As a CFI, can I instruct with a third class medical?
A: Yes. That's been FAA policy for several years, but the revised Part 61 spells this out in 61.23(a)(3)(iv). Be aware that the flight school you work for or its insurance company may require you to hold a second class medical although the FARs do not.
Q: What are the new instrument currency requirements?
A: FAR 61.57(c) no longer requires six instrument hours within the past six months to maintain currency. Required now are six instrument approaches (all the same or different), holding procedures, and interception and tracking of navaid courses. The currency can be performed and logged in the air, or with a CFII or advanced or instrument ground instructor in an approved flight simulator or flight training device that "has the characteristics of the aircraft category."
Q: If I am flying as a safety pilot, can I log that time as pilot in command?
A: Yes. There had been talk during the rewrite process of changing this to specify only second-in-command time, but the final rule left loggable safety pilot PIC time intact. Requirements remain being rated in category and class. You are allowed to log safety pilot PIC time because your eyes are required for aircraft safety and therefore you become a required crew member. The pilot under the hood can also log PIC time as "sole manipulator of the controls."
Q: What changes affect private pilot applicants?
A: The minimum 40-hour requirement for a private ticket now allows 10 of those hours to be either dual or solo. Other changes include mandatory night training and a 100-mile night cross-country, three hours of specific instrument training, and a reduction of the long cross-country from 300 miles to 150 miles.
Q: What changes affect commercial pilot applicants?
A: Changes include new day and night cross-country requirements (two hours of flight time, with a 100-nautical-mile straight-line distance for each) and an increase in the long cross-country from 250 to 300 miles. The FAA also eliminated the possibility of sharing expenses with a passenger on the long flight, specifying that it must be "solo."
Q: If I fly a short route from point A to point B, can I log it as a cross-country flight?
A: Yes. But to count that cross-country toward an additional rating or certificate, it must include a landing at least 50 nautical miles from your original point of departure. Exception: If you're working toward your ATP, shorter cross-countries logged before August 4 can still be counted.
Q: Where can I get a copy of the new Part 61?
A: The AOPA Air Safety Foundation has produced an annotated version of the new Part 61. It's available through Sporty's Pilot Shop, 800/SPORTYS (800/776-7897) by requesting product code M855A, as well as on AOPA Online.
AOPA Aviation Information Resources
AOPA Pilot Information Center for expert help and advice for pilots, from pilots, 800/USA-AOPA (800/872-2672).
AOPA Online on the World Wide Web (www.aopa.org) offers many of the information publications from AOPA and the Air Safety Foundation.
AOPA and Air Safety Foundation booklets are available, some free, some for a nominal shipping and handling charge, by calling 800/USA-AOPA (800/872-2672).
Jim Knight, 28, joined AOPA as an aviation specialist in March. Raised in Mulberry, Florida, he spent 10 years with Walt Disney World Company in Orlando, rising to on-stage program coordinator for Disney University External Professional Programs. He is a private pilot with 125 hours and is working on his instrument rating.
One of AOPA's premier member benefits is the team of dedicated pilots and instructors who interact one-on-one with members. Together, they own 11 aircraft and have more than 53,000 hours accumulated over 321 years in aviation. Any member can reach the specialists by calling 800/USA-AOPA (872-2672), or through AOPA's World Wide Web site (www.aopa.org).
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