IFR Question of the Week

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Question:  Two pilots decide to take a trip together in a Cessna 172.  Both are rated in the plane, both have a valid pilot's license, both are current, both have medical certificates, both have a drivers license and the flight will be conducted VFR in visual meteorological conditions.  Both pilots decide that the pilot in the left seat (the pilot's seat) will be the pilot in command during this flight.  While en-route, the PIC (the left seat occupant) decides she would like to do a couple of instrument approaches to keep her IFR certification current.  So, she puts on a view limiting device and asks the other pilot (the one in the right seat) to act as safety pilot.  Because the pilot in the right seat is required for the approaches to take place and the flight cannot continue without them being there (91.109.b.1), can they legally log PIC (pilot in command ) time for any part of the flight?
Answer:  No.  The safety pilot is required to be on the flight, thus they can log second in command (SIC) time (61.51.f.2) but NOT pilot in command (PIC) time.  The PIC, as was decided upon before the flight began, is the legal AND the sole manipulator of the controls, so they alone can log PIC time.

However.....

If the two pilots decide that the legal PIC is the pilot in the right seat, then the right seat pilot can log time as pilot in command.  The ONLY time that the pilot in the left seat can log pilot in command time is during the time in which they are 'under the hood' and the sole manipulator of the flight controls (61.51.e.1.i).  During the 'under the hood' time, the right seat pilot is the legal PIC so they can also log this time as PIC time.  This is the ONLY time that two pilots (one of which who is not a flight instructor) can both log PIC time.

Remember, being the safety pilot on a flight does not 'automatically' make you the PIC.  Instead, you have to accept the responsibility of being the PIC before the flight begins to be able to log the time as such.

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