A co-worker of mine views this as a possible smoke screen on the 'client' which is the one **thinking** there are two fully qualified pilots up front as they have requested when very possibly the person sitting in that seat can't do a single thing that a truly qualified crew member could do 'legally' of course.

It was a common modus operandi for a now defunct 135 at my home Airport.
Get the willing and bright eyed to sit right seat whenever the pax requested two pilots.
I’ve always turned it down despite being a desperate flight instructor in those days.
You wear the uniform or occupy the seat or otherwise pretend you’d better know what you’re doing.
So ace of the base over to your left rolls the airplane into a ball and people got hurt. How do you explain yourself?

Maybe the following should be some of the ethical litmus test questions?:

If the PIC became completely incapacitated and, a non-type rated, "qualified" crew member had to fly the airplane from the right seat, would the result be guaranteed a safe and uneventful landing?

Do the passengers PAYING for a safe 135 flight and assuming they have two FULLY qualified pilots deserve to be misled?

--

Questions on both sides and lots of justifications from those desperate to time build will always make this a hot-button subject.

Things that make you say: HMMMM.

I’m pretty sure that a SIC doesn’t need the type outside of 121 ops.

True.............but he still has to be trained IAW the P135 regulations.

TiredSoul and yeagermeister hit the nail on the head with one of the biggest problems on this reg and P135 operators.

It can be a win/win situation for everyone - except the 'clients' who are being misled.

:rolleyes:

The defense rests, your honor.

Possible? It's absolutely a smokescreen. I want to see the reaction of the client if they're told that the so-called crewmember they requested is sitting in the seat under the auspices of being a passenger, and is not allowed to touch anything.

This is one of the standard practices of the classic shady type of 135 operator that needs to be speed of the face of the world.

The most concise and easy to digest answer I've ever heard:

If the FO called out sick an hour before departure, could the flight still depart as planned with just the PIC and be legal under that part? If yes, the FO isn't a legally required crewmember. If no, they are.

Insurance requirements, owner requirements, company procedures are irrelevant to this. For logging time, the FAA only cares whether you're a legally required crew member under the Part which the flight is operating.

Thanks for the discussion.

Basically just trying to figure out whether we can afford another pilot or not. SIC type is easy enough to get someone for Part 91 flights, (a few landings and a check ride,) but for Part 135, the issue we're running into is that SIC training in the training manual is exactly the same as PIC training, or very expensive. So trying to figure out what the minimum FAA requirements would be for a part-time contract pilot training-wise to act as SIC on 135 flights to meet insurance, client, and safety rating 2-pilot requirements.

Which is exactly why he was doing something about it. ;)