Do pilots log sofa time?
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Do pilots log sofa time?
A fellow of mine (in the airline exec business) asked me why young American ATPL pilots applying for jobs, frequently had more than 15.000 (some even over 20.000) hours. Guys in their early thirties even. He told me that they didn´t have to present their logbooks in their homeland (to the FAA) when getting new typeratings. Some had obviously only few hundreds of hours, applying for captains position, their logbooks showing incredible numbers from Africa and South-America. Some have been sent home after first simulator session not being able to start an aircraft they had 10.000 hours logged on.
I just ask...can this be done??? Are the American regulations for logging any different?
MB
I just ask...can this be done??? Are the American regulations for logging any different?
MB
all right, I'll go back to lurking stations...
Aviator Extraordinaire
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 2,396
Likes: 3
From: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma USA
In my 35 some odd years of flying I have ran into a few, a very, very few pilots that do what you have related. I find it very hard to believe that all, or that matter many, “American” ATPL pilots your friend relates to have falsified their logbooks.
The second worse case of a pilot lying about his flying time that I was involved with was an Englishman, turned out he only had a Private Pilot License with an expired physical. He was applying for a job as a captain on a Westwind.
I don’t think this will stay in R&N for long.
The second worse case of a pilot lying about his flying time that I was involved with was an Englishman, turned out he only had a Private Pilot License with an expired physical. He was applying for a job as a captain on a Westwind.
I don’t think this will stay in R&N for long.
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
From: USA
I have a couple of friends that were hired at an airline (commuter/regional) at the age of 19 in the early 80's in America. So they could easily have 10000 hours by age 30. That is not so likely today as most airlines require the ATP license now before hiring. Our rules say you must be at least 23 to apply for an ATP, and 1000 hours is the maximum you may fly in commercial airline service in any calendar year. Employment history combined with the logbook totals would be a fairly reliable indicator of a candidates experience. You could pretty easily falsify several hundred hours, but thousands would be easy to spot.
