When exactly can you log PIC time?

[chephy]

This is a question the answer to which seems to be scattered all over regulations, and I'm not so far finding a satisfactory, complete answer. Here are just some of the things I'm wondering:

As a student pilot going solo, are you logging PIC?

As a private pilot who is doing a VFR cross-country, and decides to bring the instructor along (and pay him), can you log PIC? How about your instructor? What if your instructor is your friend, and you're not paying him; he's just coming along as a passenger, but agrees to help you out if necessary?

If you're in a right seat of a turboprop, do you ever get to log PIC time? If not, how on Earth do people move from the right seat to the left seat, given that there are always requirements for considerable multiengine PIC time in order to be Captain?

What's the situation with practicing IFR and safety pilots?... Who can log and when?

Any information (including where to log in the huge mountain of air regulations) would be much appreciated. Thanks.

[North Shore]

As a student pilot going solo, are you logging PIC?

Absolutely! There's no-one else in the plane, so you are the PIC.

As a private pilot who is doing a VFR cross-country, and decides to bring the instructor along (and pay him), can you log PIC? How about your instructor? What if your instructor is your friend, and you're not paying him; he's just coming along as a passenger, but agrees to help you out if necessary?

This is a little more vague. I'd say if you are paying the instructor to be there, then it's dual; if s/he's just sitting there of their own volition, then you're the wo/man

Depending upon what you do with that t-prop, then the transition to the left could be very easy or very hard. many medevac ops require 500 pic - but you could get that 'under supervision' - you do the checkride for the left seat, and sit there, but another captain has to sit in the right sseat - sorta like dual...

[I Я Instructor]

I'm sure you know by now that if anything happens while flying it's always the pilot in commands fault. Therefore, anyone willing to take that responsibility gets to log the time.

You can NEVER log PIC time with an instructor while getting your PPL. The reason for this is that you're not legaly allowed to take passengers along. Once you're licensed for the conditions it's up to you and the instructor who logs the hours. Only one person can be the captain though... you can't "double dip". On that note, flying with an instructor allows you to log DUAL which, as far as I understand it, will count 1:1 towards your ATPL.

Getting that King Air job straight out of school is not always the best thing for your career. There are people who will go through life as FO's... that's what they want. Usually, the guys who have lots of turbo prop time but not enough PIC time will either "demote"? to a Navajo captain or a combination of PIC under supervision and the company bending the rules for that person.

If you go up with an instructor, chances are your "safety pilot" will end up logging the PIC time... AND instrument time ...

[I Я Instructor]

Pfft... took way to long to write that one up

[chephy]

Thanks! Does anyone know where exactly all of this is spelled out in CARs or TC AIM, or are there too many disjointed mentions of it here and there that are impossible to hunt down? I know there is some on "Crediting of Time" in the LRA portion of TC AIM, but that doesn't come anywhere near covering all scenarios.