Sims can help meet requirements of time but it will not give you total flight time. For example, 200 hours of airplane flight time and 50 hours of simulator. You can meet the requirements for the exam but in no way do you have 250 total flight time. Everyone that counts in the industry... Ie FAA, NTSB, Insurance Companies, and people hiring you don't care about how much simulator time you logged if your name comes across their desk. They want to know your total actual flight time. Log FTD/Sim as it is and not total flight time.
If your logbook is the same as a lot of them, it might even say "total flight time" but unfortunately I can't point it out in a black and white regulation. But you can log them for currency IFR, landings if the simulator is a high enough level but don't forget, most simulators, FTD's to log time in them for currency require an instructor giving dual. Some of the new redbird desktop ones do not require Dual Received. A simulator/FTD has FAA approved paperwork and this paperwork will answer what you can and can't do with/without and instructor and if you can help "meet the requirements" of an exam/log currency.
On the Part 135 requirements for 1200 hours... The requirement does state "1200 hours of flight time as a pilot" so I would not count simulator time ever towards that.
Last edited by dimondan; 01-02-2013 at 09:14 AM.
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