heck, I've met a guy who logged all his observation/jump seat flights as P2 hours in order to get a job.
If he was assigned by the company as a pilot on the flight, and he was licensed (ie endorsed) on the aircraft, then he has a good argument. If he was assigned
duties on the flight, for instance as a safety FO on the jumpseat, observing a trainee, then he is one of the co-pilots on the flight, and required to log it as such!
Wazzoo, excellent post.
I never was placed in your position as I (as most in Australia) had over 3000 hours on piston single and twins when I joined my first airline, and so never had to worry about it. On my command course here in the UK the training flights before my check (when I was still an FO) were briefed as ICUS, flown as ICUS, and each individual flight counter-signed by the training Captain each day.
Here's the thing. FOs, even very experienced FOs, are always surprised when they are made up to Captain in that the job isn't what you expect it to be. I had 5000 hours as an FO (on top of the 3000 piston) before I became a Captain (it's an Australian thing), and
I was surprised. It's not about flying the aircraft, not about deciding the fuel, not even about knowing the SOPs.
It's about looking to the left when there is a problem, and seeing nothing but your reflection looking back at you.
Seeing someone logging PF sectors as ICUS isn't annoying because "you didn't do it the hard way as I did". It's annoying because you know that they don't know what ICUS really entails. You know that they
think it's about touching the controls and suggesting a fuel load.
Were I in your position, I would simply state to the Captain of the day "
I still need XXX hours ICUS for my ATPL. May I fly my sectors as ICUS?" and then get the signature in the log book at the end of the day. Once I had the required hours, everything would simply go into the Co-pilot column. I understand that no-one else does this, I understand the CAA turn a blind eye.
Originally, in the days when the DC3 was the amazing big aeroplane to aspire to, Co-pilots began their handling in the cruise (no autopilots), and gradually progressed to climb/descent/approach and finally landing depending on the Captain they were lucky or not to fly with. The regs were written for that situation, and haven't progressed. If the CAA were a pro-active organisation we would have legislation by now along the lines of "an ATPL requires X hrs in Command, or X ICUS, or X hrs Co-pilot (in a two-crew aircraft under an approved Check & Training system). It would solve the discrepancy.