Question re: Validity of Logged Hours
 

Hi everyone,

I have a question about some of the flights i've logged. I work as a CFI and am working toward getting the magic number of 1500 hours. I have a friend who owns a plane and I have been doing some XC flights and logged time in my logbook.

My question is how do prove that they the hours i've logged are legitimate since my friend is a captain at a major and doesn't log the hours on his flight and there is no record of flying? I think my CFI hours can be verify if the FAA contact my school. Would it be possible to contact the tower for history of the tail number taking off etc?

any help would be appreciated.

Never been asked this...ever. If it's in your logbook, generally it's assumed to be the truth. If you give them a reason to scrutinize you, then be prepared. Why don't you just keep your buddy's contact info current so you can use him as a reference in case the question is asked?


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The validity of the logged hours is your signature in your logbook (the falsification of which carries civil and criminal penalties).

I fly a number of aircraft that have no such records. I log what's appropriate for currency. There are also circumstances under which I log nothing.

If you're uncomfortable logging the hours you've flown, then don't log them.

Thank you for the feedback. I do want to log the hours and I just want to be prepare to justify all hours.
Maybe I could call the tower and ask them for the record of the tail number being taken off and I can take some pics (with time stamp) with the plane and Hobbs time?

That is way over kill, unnecessary, and probably not possible. Just log the time and be done with it. No one will ever question it.

You are seriously over-thinking this. Chill out.

If an employer had particular reason to suspect the veracity of your logged time they might dig into it. But other than that they don't do "background checks" on your flight time.

Even if for some reason they asked you about that time, all you'd have to do is give them the phone number of that major airline CA who could verify it. But it won't even come to that. Stop worrying.

Are you the one doing the flying? What are you logging the time as? Are you instructing? If whatever particulars you're putting in the logbook match up to what's really happening in the aircraft you shouldn't have any issues.

No the owner of the plane is a captain at American airlines. Definitely not instructing. Just flying around. Since he doesn't need to log any hours, we decided that I act as PIC and log the hours. He only keeps track of when the next maintenance is due. Not per flight but (for example, the next mix is at 700hrs, then keep flying till 700hrs)
The issue here is that since he doesn't log anything in his logbook either, there's no proof that I've actually flown the plane.

Most of my flights, there's no proof that I've flown the airplane. There's no log in the aircraft with my name on it. The flight was VFR, perhaps, with no tower involved, and many times, I don't talk on the radio at all. Some aircraft don't even have an electrical system. No hobbs. No daily tracking in the airplane, no book, no can. No paperwork to fill out. If I choose to log it, great. If I chose not to log it, big deal. The FAA couldn't care less unless I violate a regulation.

The only time that the FAA has taken an interest in reviewing my logbooks was my application to take the ATP written, when an FAA endorsement was required to do so. Back then, getting the endorsement was a sort of FAA stamp of approval noting that the logbook had been vetted and reviewed, and it wasn't uncommon for an inspector to do spot checks with former employers or operators of the aircraft in the logbook, to verify that the times were true and correct. Back then, having the signoff to take the ATP written (it actually was a written test) was considered verification that the time was real. Approval to take the ATP test meant something. Today it doesn't mean a thing.

Unless you're suspected of falsifying your logbook, there's no earthly reason to pick apart your log. You're not required to back up each flight with an official source; that's a European thing. Unless you're caught in the EASA nightmare, where one is expected to get a signature in the log everywere he goes to prove he was really there (in Europe, they have stamps for each stop in general aviation), it's pointless. In the USA we don't do that. Consequently, you don't need to independently verify that you really flew those hours.

If there was a requirement to independently verify your hours, apart from your logbook, it would be codified in the regulation. Can you find any part of Part 61 which demands or even suggests that you should have alternate documentation to establish veracity for your logbook?

That makes a lot of sense. Thank you very much for the input.
However, I still do want to protect myself because i do get a lot of hours everyday (between 5-12hrs/day 5-6 days/week from instructing and flying with a friend) and if the FAA EVER think that i got too many hours and suspects fraud, i need to find a way to prove its validity.

PLUS i am going to be interviewing with a regional in 2-3 months, and i heard they do review the last 90 days of the logbook which is right now.