Great, thanks to everyone for replying, now it definitely makes more sense!
It's good to know I can't log sim time as total flight time, since, I would imagine, there are plenty of schools out there that claim it's legitimate..
Myself I'm not so worried about logging as much total time as possible at the point where I am now. I'm really looking forward to getting my CFI and instructing eventually, so hopefully I'll have an opportunity of building time (and knowledge
). Just want to be precise with logging the correct time in the logbook to avoid any problems with FAA or future employers..
As far as logging vs acting PIC, I'm more concerned about it from the responsibility standpoint: if my CFI makes a mistake/does something that violates FAR and I don't see it because of my relatively low experience, who is responsible and what my course of action should be.
So, if I understood correctly, CFI is the one who ACTS PIC and he has the final responsibility for the safety of the flight. Which makes sense. Is it still a good idea for me to file a NASA form in case there's some problem?