Commercial Pilot Aeronautical Experience

rmlewisjr

rmlewisjr

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Rich
The requirement in FAR 61.129 (a) (3) (iv) for a two hour nighttime cross country flight. Is there any requiremnt for this flight to be dual? Solo?
 
Well the (3) part of the FAR you are referencing says

3) 20 hours of training on the areas of operation listed in Sec. 61.127(b)(1) of this part that includes at least--

And the (iv) is under that section...


SEction (4) is where the Solo or "performing the duties of pilot in command" requirements are...
 
61.129 (a)(3) and sub paragraph is all dual. Dual VFR day and Night.
That means VFR, no hood work, no picking up an IFR to get down through a layer, no Inst Appch to get to the destination.

61.129(a)(4) is solo, in particular your 300nm XC. Does not specify day, night. Or VFR/IFR.
 
Thanks, just means I have to hire an instructor to take an airplane ride. :sigh:
 
BillTIZ said:
61.129 (a)(3) and sub paragraph is all dual. Dual VFR day and Night.
That means VFR, no hood work, no picking up an IFR to get down through a layer, no Inst Appch to get to the destination.

61.129(a)(4) is solo, in particular your 300nm XC. Does not specify day, night. Or VFR/IFR.
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Bill, I agree that it is dual, but where do you get that it must be VFR? When they want it to be VFR, they specify it, as in (a)(4)(ii), where they say "5 hours in night VFR conditions..."
 
BillTIZ said:
61.129 (a)(3) and sub paragraph is all dual. Dual VFR day and Night.
That means VFR, no hood work, no picking up an IFR to get down through a layer, no Inst Appch to get to the destination.
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Actually, it means you need to look at a current set of regs. :yes:

The "VFR" was removed 2-3 years ago.
 
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rmlewisjr said:
Thanks, just means I have to hire an instructor to take an airplane ride. :sigh:
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If I thought of it as an "airplane ride" and that I had nothing to learn from a training flight, I'd sigh too.

Of course, if I found that I couldn't even understand the requirement as written in the reg for the certificate I was working on, I'd hesitate thinking I had nothing to learn to become a commercial pilot.
 
What an attitude.
Why don't you get a GOOD teacher and actually learn something?
 
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ja_user said:
Actually the point if for you to actually learn something on these flights ;)
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Point well taken. I'm at the point of just starting out with the training and looking over the old log book to see what I've already done vs what I need to schedule. The good part this is something that I want to acomplish, not have to do.
 
rmlewisjr said:
Point well taken. I'm at the point of just starting out with the training and looking over the old log book to see what I've already done vs what I need to schedule. The good part this is something that I want to acomplish, not have to do.
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I happen to have some XC's solo planned, and was thinking ahead to get that required 3rd landing in, or else I would have had to go back and buzz around for no reason...
 
rmlewisjr said:
Thanks, just means I have to hire an instructor to take an airplane ride. :sigh:
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Having taken a few folks through their initial Commercial, I know that those folks still have things to learn about cross country planning, procedures, and execution, and every one of my Commercial trainees has said at the end of the ride that they found it a worthwhile learning experience. I hope you do, too.

The flights where you have to take an instructor on an airplane ride are in subparagraph (4) when the party providing the aircraft won't let you take it solo, usually for reasons involving lack of retractable time or, if you're doing your initial Commercial in a twin, lack of multiengine time.
 
rmlewisjr said:
Thanks, just means I have to hire an instructor to take an airplane ride. :sigh:
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Oh, My God (OMG) Another person who knows all there is to know about X/C flying and just HAS to ride with a boring instructor to fill the blanks---

Sorry, but I just had to unload on you.

You're lookin to be a commercial pilot, right?
Wanna step in it some more?

---agitated commercial pilot. :)
 
nosehair said:
Oh, My God (OMG) Another person who knows all there is to know about X/C flying and just HAS to ride with a boring instructor to fill the blanks---

Sorry, but I just had to unload on you.

You're lookin to be a commercial pilot, right?
Wanna step in it some more?

---agitated commercial pilot. :)
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Deagitate yourself and read further down the thread, to where he appears to get it.
 
rmlewisjr said:
You were, at least that's how I took it. I just need to make sure I find an instructor who also get's it.
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Well, if you're anywhere around the Mid-Atlantic region, and want to do it on an intensive basis, I'm available. :wink2:
 
If you're like me, and don't have any retract hours, you can combine the night x/c with the 10hrs complex. Save you some $
 
dell30rb said:
If you're like me, and don't have any retract hours, you can combine the night x/c with the 10hrs complex. Save you some $
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Most folks need at least 10 hours to cover all the things they need for the ride anyway, regardless of previous complex time. Do all the training and the practical test in the complex plane, and it usually works out to be the easiest and even cheapest path to the certificate (especially if you aren't taking the ride at your home 'drome).
 
FWIW I usually do the cross country with the student in the most-cheaper-to-fly C150 or anything else. At $190/hr for the Debonair versus $90 for a C150 it's a pretty easy decision to make.
 
while we are on the subject, does anyone know if I could do a portion of the commercial checkride in a j-3 cub?

the local DPE is the type who will let you do the ride in two aircraft if you work it out in advance
 
dell30rb said:
while we are on the subject, does anyone know if I could do a portion of the commercial checkride in a j-3 cub?
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Absolutely, as far as the rules and regs are concerned.

the local DPE is the type who will let you do the ride in two aircraft if you work it out in advance
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That "in advance" part is important. Don't surprise the examiner on the day of the test.
 
Fwiw eights on pylons can be quite difficult to do in a j3 cub as your pivotal altitude will be quite low even more so if there are winds aloft. You could easily have a 50 mph ground speed which is what 170 ft pivotal? Pretty hard to stay 500 ft from structures or people and may be alarmingly low for the DPE 's taste.
 
jesse said:
Fwiw eights on pylons can be quite difficult to do in a j3 cub as your pivotal altitude will be quite low even more so if there are winds aloft. You could easily have a 50 mph ground speed which is what 170 ft pivotal? Pretty hard to stay 500 ft from structures or people and may be alarmingly low for the DPE 's taste.
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Nevertheless, many, many pilots got their CP-ASEL in Cubs back in the 40's and 50's when those were the training plane.
 
Ron Levy said:
Nevertheless, many, many pilots got their CP-ASEL in Cubs back in the 40's and 50's when those were the training plane.
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They also didn't have 300 ft cell phone towers sprinkled every quarter mile like we have here in the midwest. I already don't like doing eights on pylons in FAST aircraft because you get so damn low when it's windy and antennas are everywhere..I have no interest in doing it in a Cub. 30 knot winds at pattern is common here.
 
dell30rb said:
If you're like me, and don't have any retract hours, you can combine the night x/c with the 10hrs complex. Save you some $
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I'm lucky, I have a 1978 R182. My wife says that I spend more time with it than at home.
 
I'd just do it in our club's Arrow if I were working on a commercial. Heck, it's less per hour than our 182. :D
 
jesse said:
They also didn't have 300 ft cell phone towers sprinkled every quarter mile like we have here in the midwest. I already don't like doing eights on pylons in FAST aircraft because you get so damn low when it's windy and antennas are everywhere..I have no interest in doing it in a Cub. 30 knot winds at pattern is common here.
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I sent our DPE an e-mail about this. Will let you know the response. Winds at altitude are usually not an issue here. If it helps, the cub is a clipped wing c85 and cruises around 85mph. Stock J3 is around 65-70mph

Jesse has your opinion changed since getting a flybaby :)
 
dell30rb said:
I sent our DPE an e-mail about this. Will let you know the response. Winds at altitude are usually not an issue here. If it helps, the cub is a clipped wing c85 and cruises around 85mph. Stock J3 is around 65-70mph

Jesse has your opinion changed since getting a flybaby :)
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Nope. I had the Flybaby when I wrote that. It wouldn't be that bad at 85 mph.

If you get down to 40 mph or so groundspeed you'll be at like 140 ft AGL.
 
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I'm going to take the original stance of the original poster.

I did hire a CFI just to ride along on my night XC for commercial. I already had a bunch of night XC, and since the VFR requirement was still in place when I did it, it was pretty easy to follow 131 up to TVC and back. There was nothing that CFI was going to teach me. He had less hours than I did, and was just building time.
 
EdFred said:
There was nothing that CFI was going to teach me. He had less hours than I did, and was just building time.
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There he is...the guy who knows it all...

...wish I could say that...(heavy sigh)
 
nosehair said:
There he is...the guy who knows it all...

...wish I could say that...(heavy sigh)
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Nope. Last flight review I gave was to a guy that has 25 times the number of - pretty much everything - I do. It is actually possible that the instructor does not know more thanbthe student. He was also a CFI. Maybe you should actually know who you are talking to before making assumptions about the person being that guy.

My commercial CFI also said you were not allowed to use slips to land on the checkride. So, now you know what I was dealing wih. So GFY.
 
GFY. Does that stand for Go Find Ypsilanti?

Being from MI I am sure that's what you meant.
 
just go fly and get good experience, by doing the bare minimum flight time or xc for a rating you aint gonna learn anything significant. You will be as good as you were without the commercial license.
 
I'm sorry Ed, it is the Smart A$$ in me. Heck blame it on the red and grey on my Arrow.

Any idea where we are eating or shopping next?
 
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