Bellanca

I've just had bad luck, there is nothing else to it. All three times they wanted to see my certificate and medical, the plane's registration, airworthiness cert, POH, stuff like that. They never asked about my logbook. My first ramp check was the only one where they looked at more than that.

Ramp check #1 was the worst. The inspector was checking people coming into the FBO I flew out of. I had about 100TT and I was extremely nervous, and the inspector totally fed off of my nerves. (I have later been told that they assume if someone is nervous they have something to hide.) The plane I was flying had a sketchy past - it was bought at a DEA auction without an airworthiness cert, so it was a 35 year old plane with a new airworthiness cert. So the inspector wanted to see the aircraft logs, which had been 'restarted' at the time of purchase. Everything was legal, just a sketchy past.

When I said petty in my post I was referring to items that have nothing to do with flying. The day before ramp check #1, I had a bad hair dye job and my hair ended up purple. So upon concluding that he couldn't 'bust' me for anything, he berated me for a good 15 minutes about my hair's color and style, and what I was wearing. He said I looked 'unprofessional' - apparently wearing shorts and a tank top on a 100 degree day is inappropriate attire. Next, I made the fatal mistake of cracking a joke, asking him if he was from the Fashion District Standards Office or something. Then, in hope to deflect attention from my failed attempt to inject humor, I asked him if he wanted to see my logbook (I now know to NEVER offer up a logbook), but he said he didn't want to see it and finally let me go.

#2 was at the same place with the same person. I had flown home into a presidential TFR (with permission on a IFR flight plan), there was a provision in the TFR stating that pilots and passengers may be requested to show photo ID upon landing, so this d-bag inspector took it upon himself to go IDing/ramp-checking that day. My hair was back to a normal color and my attire was deemed professional enough to his standards and the ramp check was routine.

Ramp check #3 was another random that I encountered at another airport on a cross country.

Moral of the story is that I don't know why they would care about safety pilot time - as long as everything is done according to the regs. Don't offer more information than they ask for, and for an extra measure don't carry your logbook.

SkyHigh

A logbook is a legal document for the FAA but it is also a personal memoir of your flying. The regs say that you can not use certain types of piloting experience towards currency or a rating but it dose not prevent one from logging whatever they want.

Employers often have completely different standards from the FAA when evaluating someone as a potential employee. Some might accept Kingair part 135 SIC while others might not. How and what a person logs is a very personal matter. I have seen people completely falsify their records and others who neglected to log certain experiences that were legal by the FAA, because they though it was not good enough.

In the past falsification of flight times and creative logbook keeping was much more prevalent than it is today. Pilots today can get on to a regional with next to nothing anyway. There is little incentive to falsify. New hire times are so low that the bigger risk is from washing out of the simulator if you do not have basic skills.

In the end it is up to the individual. Logging of questionable flight time might just lead to the career of your dreams or disappointment in the interview. Neglecting to act on every opportunity however could lead to a very respectable career that goes no where. What the future holds and how your logbook will be received by future employers is anyones guess.

Life is risk.

Skyhigh

forgot to bid

Two things.

First, any ALL ATPers out there? My understanding is that the 50 hours of cross country you get is primarily ferrying Seminoles between bases and you do it with another pilot and you both log PIC with one acting as the safety pilot and the other under the hood. Never flew there, just curious if that is right.

Second, Executive Jet Management used to tell us they had the letter from the FSDO, and I know corporate pilots who did this, allowing both type rated pilots in the jet to log PIC simultaneously. We didn't do that at my operation and wasn't sure how it'd work but I don't doubt their FSDO may have signed off on it or the FAA at large. Didn't care because it wasn't an issue.

But even if we had when reporting your time to someone like Delta they're view of who was PIC was solely who was most in charge regardless of which seat the pilot sat in. Another words, if you jump in the right seat as the Chief Pilot and the SIC takes the left seat and commands the flight, in their view the Chief Pilot is most responsible and still PIC. That's a corporate HR decision and they can splice it however they wish. I think JB still doesn't count B1900D PIC as turbine PIC for their purposes.

ImperialxRat

I was in your same shoes... I had 75 hours of Multi time and I sacked up and bought the 25 hours needed to get me at 100 hours.

I got hired at ExpressJet with 100.3 hours of multi time. They didn't ask anything about it... I met their mins.

iiifly

I'm not an ME pilot yet, and am not in any particular rush to get my ME cert, but if an MEI wants to build time and split the costs in the LI/NY area I'm game. I won't be pushy in asking for a signoff.

djackd

I'm in the NY area. Would like to learn more. I'm working on my CFI Initial now. Should have my CFII and MEI by May or June. I'm a newbie in the forums, so you'll have to PM me.

engine46

One more for the LI/NY area. Not a CFI yet but always up for splitting time.

Slimwill

I am also looking to build Multi time in the LI/NY area.........

UNCPHILLIPS

Any MEI's in the San Diego/SoCal area?

SteveM11

Anyone looking to build ME time in the LI/NY Area PM me. I know a guy who has a PA-44 well equiped who is doing an open hobbs deal from 4/15-5/15.