Originally Posted by
JohnBurke
Go on. Bet your career on a kinder, gentler FAA. The “philosophy” is not closely followed in practice. This is, of course, irrelevant. Kinder, gentler, compliance has no bearing here, unless you’re asserting that so long as you don’t act intentionally, then it’s laissez faire.
By the same mangled token, observe the big sky concept: turn off your transponder and go. Probably nothing will happen. Right?
What the hell you talking’ ‘bout, Willis?
You mean for you consolidation hours, or OE (or both), as opposed to logging in general?
Do you understand the difference between acting as PIC or SIC, and logging flight time as PIC or SIC?
When you are assigned to a heavy crew on an extended flight, do you think the company records in their records of your time, only eight hours, or do they show block time for that trip as your accumulated commercial flying? Given that many pilots don’t bother to log the time, but us3 company records, what do you think those records show?
What they do not do is break down your time on that trip by where you sat or what you did. If you were a crew member assigned to that flight, the record of that flight (for which you will be held accountable with regard to flight time limitations) is based on your block time as a member of that crew.
Consolidation is another matter, and the FAA Chief Legal Counsel regulatory interpretations have held that your consolidation and OE experience is required to be performed at the controls. You are limited, depending on the regulation under which you are operating, to certain limitations in that seat, and limited in the time you may apply to your OE, or consolidation. That is a separate matter from logging your trip, or your operation as a fully qualified crew member under the regulation.
When you are doing augmented operations, you don’t have the option of simply doing eight hours and going off duty, ot stopping being a part of that crew. Whether you are manipulating controls or not, your existence on that crew assignment is legally required to enable the flight and duty intervals allowed with an augmented crew. In for a dime, in for a dollar.
to add to that - which is 100% correct - for those wondering about logging time in a bunk or rest seat; refer to FAR 61.51. It specifically says at a crew station. Not at the flight controls. Jumpseats, observer seats, rest seats, and rest bunks are all assigned crew stations. The CA will assign or approve the assignment schedule for who is assigned where during the flight. If you are on assigned rest, that is your assigned crew duty station.
The flight is augmented and every pilot is a functioning crew member. The flight can’t continue if you hit 8 hours and declare yourself a pumpkin. You’re required, and can “log” the time. Logging and acting are two very different things.
further, our FO’s and CA’s working as IRO’s actually have assigned duties per the LROM.
read the links Burke listed; he’s 100% correct.