Helicopter Flight Information
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Helicopter Flight Information |
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Logging Flight Time HonestlySeveral times over the last couple of years I have heard the statement, 'Don't log what you have, log what you need'. In short, no person deserves to have their ratings revoked more than someone who falsifies their logbook. Time comes slowly at times it seems; this is called paying your dues. Log your time honestly, it is your reputation on the line, and that is the one thing that only you can throw away. I recently hired a flight instructor who had been trained at a large West Coast school (which I think is a pretty good school). While eaves dropping on his conversation with his first student, I overheard him say, "My instructor, a 40,000 plus hour pilot...", and he went into a line with my student. The problem with that is anyone with half a brain knows he began his sentence with bullshit, therefore nothing can be believed from that point forward. I am sorry, but I don't know any 40,000 plus hour pilots, and I seriously doubt any have ever lived. Think about it, it is really hard for ANY pilot to average more than 500 hours a year for any extended period of time, and few will average that. That makes it simple math, the thousand hours times two equals the years it would have taken to accumulate any number of hours. In this case, eighty (80) years, yeah right! Here's the real kicker, I have had a few people pissed off when I pointed this out; here was their argument: Well, in logging and other part 91 ops, there isn't any limit on the number of hours you can fly. Well that is true, BUT, I have worked in the logging industry, and agriculture, and many other operations, I have still never averaged over 500 hours per year in my career, and I have been an aggressive aviator often working a full-time job while part-timing another, and who has never taken a hiatus from aviation. I have also never seen anyone who claimed such hours possessing any means of backing up the BS. So you see, it is easy; if the person telling you such BS is say 40 years old, that means that they would have had to log 1,000 hours per year since birth. Yeah right!!! A pilot I have known for some time, and whom began his flight career 45 years ago in Viet Nam, and who has been active in aviation since without a hiatus flying offshore in the GOM, then in EMS, just retired with slightly more than 11,000 hours. That is an example of realistic flight time records. You see, he averaged 244 hours per year for his entire 45-year career. Now I do realize that some people who fly a long career may average more, but I can assure you that it won't average more than 500 hours a year, and if they do, I'm betting that they can't show documentation for it. Often, falsified logbooks can be seen through for several reasons. First, most pilots who think they fly 'that good', usually don't. Remember that those checking you have checked many-a-pilot who indeed had the real hours. Secondly, the FAA has your history on file. This includes your past 8710's, your medical applications as well as any test results, back ground check results, accidents or incidents, and anything else they can collect on you. Any person who has logged an average of greater than 500-hours per year will likely be scrutinized by a potential employer. There are occasions when pilots will log significantly more than 500-hours per year but usually for a very short term. These higher than normal times are not the norm, I don't care where they have flown or what they have been doing. I had a guy tell me once that he had been a logger and that he averaged way more than 8-hours a day. Well, I have been a logger to. I had another guy tell me that he averaged 8-hours a day off shore, I have never flown off shore, but I know many pilots who do; incidentally, off-shore is part 135. Between flight instruction, hiring processes etc., I have checked many log books. I have seen incidents where instructors signed off more than 8-hours of instructional flight time in a single day, and signed their names to it in student log books. This is a violation of the regulations, and the instructor is signing his guilty plea. There are a couple of flags which always raise my eyebrow when I am reviewing a log book, or interviewing a pilot. One is the 500-hour-a-year rule mentioned above, and the other is a pilot who claims 10,000 hours or more and rounds up to the next thousand hours. That's an easy one, drop everything behind the comma, multiply it by 2 and that is how many years this pilot must have been flying professionally to have that many hours. I always get a laugh whenever someone tries to give me excuses or reasons why someone might have loads more flight time than those averages mention above, however as yet none of these arguments ever holds water. Over time as you become familiar with the process you will learn why. Remember that the world of aviation is very small, and helicopter aviation is smaller still. Throughout your career you will run into the same professional pilots time-after-time. The names of some become widely recognized for their accomplishments, others become recognized because of their records. Always remember: Your integrity is your single most valuable possession; no one but you can screw it up!
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