Just after I sent my note I realized you might have
meant "PPC" instead of "PP".
--Yes, PPC is a much better abbreviation. PP is too often used for Private
Pilot so my bad for creating the confusion.
>Those hours count toward a Commercial Certificate as well. Just
> like balloon, glider, trike, airships, helicopters, etc.
For a Commercial
> airplane, you need 250 hours, 100 of
which must be in powered aircraft of
> which 50 must be in airplanes.
This means the applicant could have 150
> hours of balloon time, 50 hours of trike time,
and 50 hours of airplane time
> and meet the min qualifications.
And of that 50 hours, most of it could be
> in LSA. Not all, because the checkride
is done in a complex aircraft so you'd have to
>have enough complex time to be proficient.
> --Jim
Well... that's pretty amazing, and generous of FAA,
as I understand, to count up to 200 of my
trike hours towards Commercial ASEL.
-- It's the way the reg has always (well, at least for the last 40 years.
haha) been written, but the failure to change the 8710-1 on Sep 1, 2004 made
the issue very confusing to everyone including people at the FAA. I know
there are many people on the list who think that every employee of the FAA
should get the word on something new immediately, and absorb it and be able
to pass it on accurately, but it is a large organization made up of people
and change can be confusing. It takes time, but little by little the new
system works, or is modified. Anyway, I agree that it is excellent news.
One guy I talked to was a little amazed and said something like, "But how
could powered parachute time count towards an airplane commercial?" I said,
"Well, like balloon time counts now." He said, "Good point!" The system is
designed to allow aeronautical experience to count, because it is all
experience. The higher in the rating system you go, the more common it is
to have large varieties of flying experience and for people to get jobs in
an area where they are fairly new. An Army helicopter pilot with a limited
amount of fixed wing time is a pretty common example. What he really has to
do is get some airplane experience and demonstrate proficiency in a complex
airplane. My boys are perfect examples as well. They both have almost 250
hours but it's in a combination of airplanes, trikes, and helicopters. They
don't have enough in any one alone to get a Commercial. And I do hope that
COMM WSC is available someday.
Another potential sticky wicket I see is that "Holder does not meet ICAO
requirements" line. I am hoping that someone does not raise the question of
time accrued by a pilot who is not ICAO qualified counting toward a license
that *is* ICAO. That opens dilemnas like; time logged in a Champ by a
person who holds a Private license counts toward a COMM ASEL. However, if
he lets his medical lapse, he can no longer exercise PP ASEL privileges so
is limited to SP which is not ICAO recognized. Potentially, I could see
someone saying that LSA time accrued while a person is a PP holder in
cat/class only counts towards higher ratings. I hope not. What a logbook
nightmare. I'm just thinking out loud here. As it stands, someone going
for a Private or Commercial will fill out 2 8710's in order to get their
flight time logged into the system and until they get the form fixed, I hope
this actually works. I have a feeling there are going to be a couple of
examiners who will be stumped and need to make a phone call or two to
believe their eyes. (And the applicant holding the paperwork.) I went
through this a couple years ago with the helicopter rating and the examiner
and I couldn't figure it out so we gave it up and didn't put my WSC time
into the system. Since then I added a 747 type rating and blew it off as
well. It was just too hard. But if you need the time to count, it's worth
the effort and Mike Huckle is a perfect example. 50 hours of airplane time
and a checkride and you're a Commercial Pilot. (You can add yourself to the
list of unemployed Comm Pilots. haha)
Jim
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