flying partner for hour building
 

I hold an EASA PPL(A) and am looking to build ~50 hours PIC this year. Due to current limitations, I need another qualified pilot in the sear next to me for the time being.

I can take up to 60 days off work this year, so I’m considering structured hour-building abroad (Southern or Eastern Europe) during the summer.

Some operators advertise “free safety pilot” arrangements, which I find hard to square with the fact that only one pilot logs PIC. Others can only offer an instructor at full FI rates.

I’m trying to understand what makes sense here:

• Are “free safety pilot” schemes legitimate, and if so, how do they usually work?
  
• Any experience with long-block cross-country hour building under similar constraints?
  

In parallel, I’m also looking for a flying buddy interested in doing 2–4 weeks of XC hour building together next year.

Interested in hearing how others have approached this.

Though I don't have any direct answers for you, I will offer a few thoughts...

First, think of it as "experience building" rather than hour building. Hours are just numbers, it's the experience you want.

When you find someone to fly with, work out the cockpit roles in advance; who's PIC (which may be based upon who is insured to fly the plane), who's actually flying (is the other person entitled to allow the other to fly?). Typically, if something goes wrong, it's the responsibility of the PIC, and... the PIC themself does not have the benefit of being insured in the case that they are injured (they are not a "passenger" and as such, not covered under passenger liability).

So, certainly find someone with whom to build experience! And, know that as a newer pilot, you can gain a lot of valuable experience while not actually flying the plane, but being closely involved with the flight. Flight planning, weather planning, nav tracking and radio work are all very valuable learning points which do not involve actually flying. On many of my ferry flights with a second pilot, I was actually happy to have them fly while I concentrated on some of these other important aspects of flying. Even if you are active right seat pilot not flying in an advanced type to which you would not normally have access (you went for the ride), there's lots to learn!

Good luck with your experience building!

FAA rules allow hooded pilot (simulated IMC) and safety pilot to both log PIC. Some acting as SP log the time and some do not. I usually log as instruction given or PIC depending on how the flight was conducted.

I have zero interest in "hour building" but I do like to keep an accurate log of my flight experience.

Perhaps consider some flight experience in USA.

Can you explain why you need another pilot? That's quite unusual.

For the time being, I have an OSL limitation on my medical, meaning I can only fly with another qualified pilot.

There you go, a learning day. I'd heard of an OML but not an OSL so I just looked it up. Good luck to you, I hope your OSL can be removed or at least become an OML at some point.

Thank you all for your suggestions.

Yeah... It's a thing. It was imposed upon me for a few months 18 mounts after I had recovered from an accident (The medical people were pretty slow in notifying me). They were entirely off base, and when I finally proved they had no grounds, my CAT 1 was restored. The problem was that in the mean time, my airplane does not have dual controls. So, instead of flying my airplane solo from my home runway, I would drive two hours through Toronto traffic to fly with a friend in his plane. I guess the imagined risk to the public of my non existent medical condition if flying, did not extend to the risk to other road users while I drove. I remain unconvinced of the whole wisdom of the regulator's medical team.

Following my accident, I did not fly for seven months while I recovered. When I was ready, as required by the wording of the regulation, I went for a flight with an instructor. I had never met him before, and he had no preconceived idea of how I flew. It was apparently well, as that 172 fit like a glove. I felt like I'd flown it three hours the day before. Getting signed off was not a problem - with the instructor anyway, the regulator, 18 months, and 150 hours of flying later was not so easy!

So CS, go and build experience, keep yourself fresh while your full medical is restored.