Safety pilot requirements

[danb35]

Not too long ago, there was a thread discussing safety pilots.  I mentioned there that a safety pilot had to be instrument-rated if the flight was being conducted under IFR (that is, on an IFR clearance, irrespective of the weather conditions).  I still believe that's what the regulations (specifically, FAR 61.55) require, but apparently the Chief Counsel sees it differently.  See http://tinyurl.com/ao4zzje for the ruling.

[201er]

Wow, that's strange and different from anything I've been previously told! So basically it comes down that they don't think a safety pilot is a required crew member or SIC! I wonder what sort of havoc this interpretation will wreak on dual logging and logging SIC time?

[201er]

Aha! I just found something. Part 61.51f2

 

(f) Logging second-in-command flight time. A person may log second-in-command time only for that flight time during which that person:

 

(2) Holds the appropriate category, class, and instrument rating (if an instrument rating is required for the flight) for the aircraft being flown, and more than one pilot is required under the type certification of the aircraft or the regulations under which the flight is being conducted.

 

Therefore you can be a safety pilot AND log as SIC without acting as SIC! Hahaha, leave it to the FAA for these double loopholes.

[midlifeflyer]

It's a strange Chief Counsel opinion. One piece of speculation I heard is that the amendment of 61.55 to require the instrument rating for a safety pilot was a mistake and it was more easy to correct it with a Chief Counsel opinion than with another amendment.

 

I don't know if that's true or not but I wouldn't read anything more into the opinion than the bare bones of what it says: the SIC qualification rules of 61.55 don't apply to safety pilots. Doesn't mean anything in terms of safety pilot logging or the other qualifications to be one.

[1964-M20E]

Don’t think about it too much.

 

I do not see it as strange.   A safety pilot is there for collision avoidance, corrections to prevent an unusual attitude and other safety considerations in VMC conditions regardless of what type of flight plan is filed.

 

If IMC prevails then the PIC is the IR pilot in the left seat and the other pilot is a passenger.  However, the second pilot can perform many duties to lighten the load on the PIC.