Commercial pilot requirement question about the long cross country

Now that this thread has been revived by I did get my commercial in Sept. '18. I did make a thread about having passed. Then I did an IPC with @SbestCFII in March '19.
 
I'll have to dig up the regulations that were in effect in 1979 and how they dictated my painful long cross country.

I flew from Central California to darker-than-100-feet-down-a-well Central Nevada to Northern California and back to the Bay Area to ensure all the landings were 250 miles from each other.

All of it was IFR and most of it was IMC. It took from sundown to sunrise to complete, so I guess I got a buttload of "aeronautical experience" that night!

I had flown several cross country flights halfway across the country with greater than 250 mile legs prior to then, so perhaps it was all a waste of time and money?

Pretty dumb requirement, if you ask me.
 
SbestCFII said:
Because whom-ever at the FAA that wrote this requirement is retarded. It is a worthless requirement, except perhaps as a bladder holding and excessive fuel-burning exercise.
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You revived this almost-4-year old thread to post this? :D How exactly would you reword the requirement?
 
bobmrg said:
You are looking at the wrong section of your post. It is not the guy who flies to Podunk and drives back that concerns me...it is the commercial pilot who picks up the plane and continues (begins?) his/her trip. If I were still a DE and an applicant came to me with a long-XC that begins at a strange place we are going to have a discussion about it. I'm a reasonable guy, and if the applicant has a cogent reason for this action I will listen to it. But the possibility of a pinkie is still there unless there is another logbook entry for a trip with no surprises.

Bob
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Really? So if I flew my wife from Nevada to Texas, dropped her off and flew home, my solo XC could be listed as starting as a "strange" airport in Texas.

I did this but had a friend with me so three of us flew out to Texas and two of us flew back. Obviously none of that flying was solo. However, about ten days later, I flew solo from Nevada back to Texas to pick her up and we continued as far as Maine before returning to Nevada.

I absolutely counted my solo trip from Reno to Ft. Worth with stops in Farmington, NM and Plainview, TX. If I had been solo on the original return trip I would have counted that too (and it would have originated in Texas).

I would just as confidently count my 400nm trip to deliver my plane for its annual inspection as long as I made two stops along the way.
 
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SbestCFII said:
Because whom-ever at the FAA that wrote this requirement is retarded. It is a worthless requirement, except perhaps as a bladder holding and excessive fuel-burning exercise.
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It is also the only Solo XC requirement past a PPL rating. I person can be a commercial pilot and this is the only time they have flown a XC by themselves after their PPL rating.
I don't have a problem with it, some people need to be torn away from the local flights and safety of a CFI in the right seat.
 
ja_user said:
It is also the only Solo XC requirement past a PPL rating. I person can be a commercial pilot and this is the only time they have flown a XC by themselves after their PPL rating.
I don't have a problem with it, some people need to be torn away from the local flights and safety of a CFI in the right seat.
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Well now it can be done with a CFI just for observation. You are supposed to perform all the duties of PIC. In other words, no help.
 
BrianNC said:
Well now it can be done with a CFI just for observation. You are supposed to perform all the duties of PIC. In other words, no help.
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Yes, now that is the case. So now you can either be scared and pay a CFI to sit there and shutup, or go by yourself. But I am sure most would feel better that they won't screw up, just by having him there. This used to be MEL only for insurance reasons, but it has changed....

So no more solo XC beyond that required at the PPL level. if you can find a CFI and are willing to pay.
 
ja_user said:
So no more solo XC beyond that required at the PPL level. if you can find a CFI and are willing to pay.
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My understanding is that this is a sop to the flight schools whose insurance won’t let them have a low time pilot solo a plane that far away.

Agreed that the amount of solo cross country time for pilots trained at the big schools and going as directly as possible to the airlines is inadequate.
 
I've been considering doing my commercial. Thought I would in 1999 or 2000, just never got around to it. Since I don't need it, not sure if there is any point now. But I might just do it anyway.
ps. Awesome old thread revival.
 
RussR said:
You revived this almost-4-year old thread to post this? :D How exactly would you reword the requirement?
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He wouldn't. His M.O. on this board is to show up every once in a while, and makes posts to dead threads that are already answered and concluded just to let us know he knows stuff. (Except when he doesn't and has posted wrong info)
 
Matthew said:
Other than feeling like it's another box that has to be checked (and pay for), isn't a nice long solo flight something to look forward to?
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Yes! The longer the better. I prefer to fly alone.
 
SbestCFII said:
Because whom-ever at the FAA that wrote this requirement is retarded. It is a worthless requirement, except perhaps as a bladder holding and excessive fuel-burning exercise.
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Drink less.

Burning avgas is fun, the more I burn, the better.

You are welcome for me giving the correct answers.
 
PeterNSteinmetz said:
My understanding is that this is a sop to the flight schools whose insurance won’t let them have a low time pilot solo a plane that far away.

Agreed that the amount of solo cross country time for pilots trained at the big schools and going as directly as possible to the airlines is inadequate.
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Right. There are some planes where the insurance company isn't going to allow this, or the school is using it as an excuse and may be getting cheaper insurance out of the deal? They are also getting pay for that CFI that is sitting there not doing anything. You know, the CFI that has done it once with another CFI :) Same route too I bet.
 
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