Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10 5/26/83; site ihuxm.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!seismo!harpo!floyd!vax135!ariel!hou5f!orion!houca!hogpc!houxm!ihnp4!ihuxm!gjphw From: gjphw@ihuxm.UUCP Newsgroups: net.aviation Subject: Re: Regulations Query Message-ID: <261@ihuxm.UUCP> Date: Wed, 15-Jun-83 18:28:02 EDT Article-I.D.: ihuxm.261 Posted: Wed Jun 15 18:28:02 1983 Date-Received: Thu, 16-Jun-83 22:40:54 EDT Organization: BTL Naperville, Il. Lines: 51 Unfortunately, this commentary is being written without my copy of the FARs conveniently in hand. But then, I'm a pilot (commercial SEL) and not a lawyer, so you may judge what this commentary is worth. The item about allowing a private pilot to share the expenses in any arbitrary way merely implies that a private cannot make a living (profit) by flying. Business people may choose to fly but their piloting must be a means to an end (making an income) rather than an end in itself. A short while ago, a net item from Canada remarked that private pilots cannot share the expenses of a rental airplane. The question of safety and copilots has been hazy with the FAA for quite some time. At one time, a copilot did not even have to be qualified in a airplane to act as a copilot. So, I with my time in Cherokees could act as a copilot of a Lear. This would be okay with me as long as the PIC did not expect anything more from me than a pair of eyes and lively conversation. Now, copilots must at least be FAA rated for the aircraft in question. It is often the insurance companies, though, that in fact establish the experience requirements for PIC. Copilot time can only be logged in an aircraft or type of operation (Part 135 or better) that requires a copilot. When flying with an instructor, the instructor is always the PIC. When the instructor is acting as an FAA examiner, or you fly with a real FAA examiner, then the examiner is an observer and you are the PIC. This may have come about due to liability problems. Anyway, a student pilot must either fly alone as the sole occupant of the aircraft, and is for that time a PIC, or fly with an instructor, who is then the PIC. Now comes the difficult part. The status of a safety pilot seems only one rung below that of a copilot (other than being responsible for the ice and magazines). It is not time that can be logged but the safety pilot should be able to handle the controls. Whether or not the safety pilot should have the qualifications to handle the controls as PIC seems to be the question. It is my opinion that if the safety pilot is expected to handle the controls, they should be qualified to act as PIC in that aircraft. Only an instructor can act as PIC without touching the controls (a miracle from the FAA). In single engine aircraft, the person manipulating the controls is the PIC. If the safety pilot is allowed to touch the controls (e.g., to recover from an unusual attitude), then they must be able to assume PIC responsibilities. So, a student pilot cannot act as a safety pilot. While the FAA may be ambiguous on this point, I would bet that few insurance companies have this difficulty. I would bet that they would want to see the safety pilot capable of assuming PIC responsibilities. Patrick Wyant *!ihuxm!gjphw Bell Labs (Naperville, IL)