WingsNthings

While hanging around at the airport I met a pilot with an Seneca (multi engine), and he offered to take me up flying with him if I would be his safety pilot to get him IFR current, and possibly ride along on a few cross countries.

Of course I jumped at the prospect of free multi time. But now I have some second thoughts about logging this time. First, I haven't flown a multi in about 9 months, so I am not current in them. Can I still be a safety pilot and log time?

I highly doubt that I would be able to fly it solo to get those required landings for currency. So my second question is, the owner has a pilot that flies the Seneca for his business occasionally that is a CFI, but not an MEI. Even though he is not an MEI, could I go up with that instructor and log my landings with him in the plane? Both the instructor and myself have multi ratings.

NoyGonnaDoIt

Yes. All a safety pilot under 91.109(b) requires is "at least a private pilot certificate with category and class ratings appropriate to the aircraft being flown."

There are other requirements, but they are based on the safety pilot's status on the flight.

You require a current medical: since the safety pilot is considered a required pilot crewmember, must have a current medical 61.3(c).

If you are acting as PIC on the flight (from your post you are obviously not), then you must meet all requirements for acting as PIC.

Since you are (in the eyes of the FAA) acting as SIC on that flight, you need to meet any applicable SIC requirements (the only one I'm aware of is to have an instrument rating if the flight is going to be under IFR - see 61.55 (a)(1) and (f)(4)).

Logging the flight time is a function of the PIC/SIC status. If you are acting as PIC, then you may log the time your friend is under the hood as PIC. 61.51(e)(1)(iii) If you are not acting as PIC, then you may log the time as SIC. 61.51(f)(2) (rightly or wrongly, the FAA considers hooded flight with a safety pilot to be an operation that requires more than one pilot).

(Yeah, I know. Airlines don't like it. Yada yada yada. We're talking one set of FAA rules, not multiple sets of employer rules)

Catch on all this - you can't log the cross country time as a safety pilot under a series of FAA Legal interpretations - if you want to browse them go to Regulations and put safety pilot in the search box. You'll find all the rules I mention in this post discussed.

It doesn't matter if he is a CFI or MEI or not. So long as the other pilot is willing to (1) act as PIC and (2) allow you to do the takeoffs and landings (remember that currency requires both) you can do them and log them.