cross country for instrument question

etsisk

etsisk

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iYiYi
Had a disagreement with a young CFII today, so I thought I would ask y'all - please feel free to provide FAR cites!
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This concerns the 50 xc pic hours required to test for instrument.

We went to an airport about thirty miles away (NOT xc, I know). I talked about just going someplace that was, oh, 21 miles further away from RDU (where we left and were going to return) so that I could log it as xc time.

He said that for it to be considered xc for instrument, there had to be at least a 50 mile leg, AND that leg had to be flown first for the time to start (meaning the time wouldn't start until the beginning of that leg). I was thinking that even if we landed at, say, three airports - each only 30 miles away from the one before it - but that ONE of those landings happened at an airport that was at least 50 straight-line miles away from RDU, then the whole time from initial take-off to final landing would count as it was all one cross country. He said that the time wouldn't start until that 50 mile leg started. I just don't think that's right.

Couldn't find what I wanted in the FARs, but might have just missed it (found the answer for primary students, though!).

Thanks!
 
Got it from someone who can read the FARs better than I seem to be able to tonight!

I was right!! :D
 
Yes, you were, and for everyone else interested, the relevent regulation is 14 CFR 61.1(a)(3)(ii). The only requirement is that there be at least one landing more than 50nm from the original point of departure, and if there is, then the entire flight counts towards the 50 hours of XC PIC for the IR in airplanes.

And it's a shame that there are instructors out there who don't know this rule, although I must say that not long ago, a FSDO was corrected by FAA HQ on this very issue.
 
All of you are right and the CFI was wrong.

AS ron already gave you the FAR I feel no need to also regurgitate it again. My flight last weekend to 6Y9 (214NM) started with a small 22 NM leg to get fuel and then onwards. I can and did log it all as XC time.

The funny thing you could take off and land at an airport you can see as you climb and keep doing this all the way until you get to >50NM from your starting point come back and log it all as XC time.
 
smigaldi said:
The funny thing you could take off and land at an airport you can see as you climb and keep doing this all the way until you get to >50NM from your starting point come back and log it all as XC time.
Click to expand...
I love it - a three hour 50 nm xc!
 
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