NFO flight training to civilian flight time conversion

[dbatt005]

Refreshing this thread as I received an answer from local FSDO and will be following up this week with them (email response below). Appreciate all the inputs and agree with HAL Pilot and all the others and was ready to put this to bed as not counting my flight school flight time then get responses such as the one below and from civilian flight school folks I have interacted with over the years. I'm not looking to go to the airlines or anything but if I can get closer to a commercial certificate without draining more GI Bill or the wallet, then willing to dig a little deeper. I will close follow up with after the phone call to the FSDO.
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"Sir,

In short, you can log flight instruction you received on how to operate an aircraft when it is received from an authorized instructor, in an aircraft, or a Flight Simulator Training Device and the instructor signed your pilot logbook indicating the provided that flight instruction. This is true for instruction received in an full-motion flight simulator, or an Advanced Aviation Training Device.

The Airman Certification Standard will specify any restrictions placed on training received in a Flight Simulator Training Device beyond the limits specified in the rule.

If you have follow-up questions, please let me know.

Best regards,

Rob

Robert D. Shafer

Principal Operations Inspector
Seattle Flight Standards District Office

We are now in our new office. Please use the following information to contact me:

2200 S. 216th St., 2nd Floor, North Wing
Des Moines, WA 98198
My New Desk Phone: (206) 231-3802
New Main Office Phone: (206) 231-3825"

 

[HAL Pilot]

Just FYI. FSDOs can give an opinion but they can not legally interpret the FARs. Only the FAA Legal Counsel Office can do that. What one FSDO says is not necessarily honored by another FSDO.

 

[Brett327]

As a practical matter, I wouldn’t think that a few flights at the controls of a T-34 or T-6 during primary many years ago would be of much value in terms of hours logged or experience. I guess every bit counts, but if I were in your shoes, I would rather make an investment in recent training in the type of aircraft you’re likely to fly with an FAA rating.

Pondering some of the same issues myself, as I consider post Navy flight opportunities.

 

[Gatordev]

As a practical matter, I wouldn’t think that a few flights at the controls of a T-34 or T-6 during primary many years ago would be of much value in terms of hours logged or experience. I guess every bit counts, but if I were in your shoes, I would rather make an investment in recent training in the type of aircraft you’re likely to fly with an FAA rating.

Pondering some of the same issues myself, as I consider post Navy flight opportunities.

Speaking generally, it could mean the difference of having met all of the requirements and your instructor feeling you're ready for a check, but still being 5 hours short of the minimum time. Depending on what you're renting, that 5 hours could equal $500 or more.

NFO Primary time wouldn't mean someone just walks into a checkride, there's still a bunch of other requirements to meet that may not take as long for someone to master who has done much of the admin previously as a NFO.

 

[wink]

Not just considering NFOs logging stick time, my experience was that ANY Special Crew as a NFO was at least a tie breaker when competing for a job. Mission Commander time usefully translates to aeronautical leadership. Especially TACAIR NFOs have learned aircraft systems and emergency procedures for complex fast moving turbine aircraft and are proven reliable (PRP, clearances).

 

[Brett327]

Speaking generally, it could mean the difference of having met all of the requirements and your instructor feeling you're ready for a check, but still being 5 hours short of the minimum time. Depending on what you're renting, that 5 hours could equal $500 or more.

NFO Primary time wouldn't mean someone just walks into a checkride, there's still a bunch of other requirements to meet that may not take as long for someone to master who has done much of the admin previously as a NFO.

I'm also considering that meeting all the wickets spelled out by the FSDO would be challenging. AFAIK, TRACOM IPs don't generally sign student logbooks, so good luck meeting that requirement, unless there's a work-around.

 

[Gatordev]

I'm also considering that meeting all the wickets spelled out by the FSDO would be challenging. AFAIK, TRACOM IPs don't generally sign student logbooks, so good luck meeting that requirement, unless there's a work-around.

Again, I said speaking generally. Ignoring what the FAA says, I'd argue you probably don't need 10 hours to figure out how to navigate 100nm via pilotage. Yes, I understand that doesn't change the actual requirement, but it doesn't make it any less true.