Originally Posted by NE_Pilot

Are you saying that iall students are ready to pass their checkride once they hit the minimum time required?? Or that if you aren't ready you should not pursue flying?? The average time nation-wide is atleast 10-20 hours over the minimum.

I completely disagree that there is no need to log anything past the FAA minimums. There is a learning curve, and there are plataus in flight training, not everyone is alike and therefore not everyone will get everything the first time through. Very few people get through without getting stuck somewhere along the line. There will be things that will take you longer to learn, and some things you will get right away.

To get everything in on minimum time is not always a good thing, you learn alot more when you make mistakes, then when you get it right the first time.



I am not saying it is not legitimate. It is perfectly legal to log it. However, I do not believe it is of the same value as actually flying the aircraft. Its not bad to safety pilot every once and awhile, helps you to see things differently, observe, and learn. It is not the same as actually flying the cross-country, and I feel that you get more from doing the cross-country, then looking out the window for other aircraft. Just because it is legal doesn't make it a good choice, a newly rated instrument pilot, who has no actual time, can legally take off 0-0, fly in hard IMC for 3 hours and do a full approach down to minimums by himself, and with passengers if he wants, its all legal, but its not a good idea. I know that is a little different situation, but you seem to be caught up on if its legal then its ok.

I, personally, prefer to have well over half of my PIC XC time to be actual flying and not Safety Pilot time. Thats what my time is like, and that is what I have seen to work. I have yet to meet anyone who has half of their time being Safety Pilot time, but if I did it would definately raise some flags for me, but that is just me.