Logging Your Time

 

I've talked with multiple IPs, CFIs, and other student pilots about keeping a logbook.  Most student pilots do not understand the importance of keeping a logbook, but if you've ever flown in the civilian world, you will know that it is important.  The Army will keep track of all of your flight time on a digital form 759.  However, you will find out at some point that the Army does not log flight time the same as the civilian world.  Logging your time in your own personal logbook will help you keep a record of your time when you transition to the civilian market after you get out of the Army, and it also provides a backup in case there is a discrepancy on your 759.

Differences in Logging Army Flight Time and FAA Flight Time
As I said a second ago, the Army does not log time the same as the FAA designates.  There are a few key differences that I'd like to point out.  First the Army logs "FLIGHT TIME" from the time the helicopter lifts off the ground, to the time the engines are stopped, or crew changes.  The FAA designates it as "time that commences when an aircraft moves under its own power for the purpose of flight and ends when the aircraft comes to rest after landing."  That may not seem too different, but if you always taxi before takeoff, the Army does not log that, and the FAA would say that you can.  To me, it doesn't equate to much of a difference, so I just log Army "FLIGHT TIME" in my FAA logbook.

Night Time - The Army logs night time between the hours of official sunset to official sunrise.  The only caveat being that in the Army you cannot log 2 "conditions" of flight at the same time.  So if you fly at night using NVGs, you would only log "NG" time for the Army.  In your logbook, you would log it as "NIGHT" and "NG" time.  Same goes for "Weather" and "Hood" time.  If you do those at night, you'd only log one in the Army, both in your logbook.  Now, the FAA has 3 different definitions of "night".  Generally it's the "time between the end of evening civil twilight and the beginning of morning civil twilight".  If you really wanted to get technical, you could figure out and log the difference if you fly at night, however to keep things simple, I just log "night" in my personal logbook the same as the Army.

Where To Log Your Flight Time
There are a couple of ways to log your flight time.  You can use a digital logbook, a paper logbook, or both.  I personally use both.  There are multiple options for digital logbooks so do your research before using one.  I use MyFlightBook because it's free, stores everything online, I was able to import all of my prior time that was already in an excel file, it has an Android app, and there are columns for just about anything you can imagine.  The biggest benefit to digital (in my opinion) is that it will sort your flight time for you.  When you go to apply for a job after leaving the Army, potential employers will want to know how many hours you have in specific areas.  The digital logbook easily adds it up for you and you can modify how you want it sorted.

I tried to use ZuluLog prior to MyFlightBook, as there is a free and a paid version, but I could not import my prior time with the free version so I opted not to use it.  Other than that, it seemed like an awesome option to me and I would be using it today if I could import my current data.  There are also a lot of good paid options.  One that I hear a lot about is Logbook Pro.  I've never used any of the paid versions, so you'll have to research those on your own.


DISCLAIMER: I am not an expert on logging flight time or Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs).  The information I provide is just based on my own knowledge, and that of others in the industry that I have spoken with.  You MUST do your own research and read the Federal Aviation Regulations before deciding how to log your flight time.

How to Log Your Time in Flight School
Primary

If you don't have any helicopter ratings when you get to flight school, it's pretty simple.  There are a lot of tutorials online on how to fill out your logbook, so I'm not going to go over that, just the things that apply specifically to Army flight school students.  However, I would recommend getting into the FARs on your own to at least understand what the FAA thinks is acceptable for logging time.  This can be found in 14CFR §61.51.  In Primary, you should log all time as DUAL RECEIVED, TOTAL TIME, ROTORCRAFT TIME, and DAY.  In addition you can log your landings and any remarks for the flight.  Be sure to log the 'N' number of the aircraft and I would also note the IP's name.  Under aircraft Make and Model, you can either put TH67 or B06B3.

The only time you will log anything different is during your solo.  It is not technically a solo or PIC time per the FARs, so I didn't log it as solo time.  Even though you will log PC time per the Army, the FARs do not warrant logging it as PIC time.  (I did add an extra column on my logbook to log Army PC time though, and I put it there.)  Log it the same as normal only don't log dual received for the "solo" portion of your flight.  Now, the FARs state that you need a CFI's endorsement for logging training flights, but there are 2 reasons that I don't think that you do.

1) I've posed this question to some IPs and on the Vertical Reference Forums, and the most legitimate response is that it is not required.  One guy on the forums (whom I've met at Rucker) and is a CFII with ATP certificate posted this.

2) In that part of the regs, it is referring to logging time to count toward a certificate.  Well, technically your time is not counting toward a certificate, you can get a commercial helicopter certificate after you graduate flight school just by taking a military competency exam.

But, you can interpret however you want and log it as you see fit.  Remember it is your logbook, but if your hours ever come into question you have to be able to back it up.

If you already have a private or commercial helicopter rating prior to Army Flight School:
You should be able to log all time as PIC, just like you did after you got your private license.

Instruments
In instruments, you will go have both simulator and flying time.  If you would like, you can log your simulator time.  I did.  In this case, write the serial number of the simulator you're using (from the logbook) and for aircraft type, I put "TH67IFT" since that's what it says in the logbook.  Make sure to specify that the route of flight is simulated.  I just wrote "simulated" in the block above where I wrote my route of flight.  You can also log the number of APPROACHES, SIMULATED INSTRUMENT TIME, GROUND TRAINER, and DUAL RECEIVED.  Do NOT log it as Total Time or anything else (day, rotorcraft, etc).  Keep track of the approaches that you do and whether or not you do missed approaches or holding.  I wrote all of this in the remarks section of my logbook.  If you are using a digital logbook, there may be a separate section to specify the types and names of approaches that you are doing.


When you get to the flightline, you can log it as you did in primary (DUAL, TOTAL, ROTORCRAFT, DAY) and you can continue to log it as SIMULATED INSTRUMENT.  If you go further than 25NM straight line distance, you can also log CROSS-COUNTRY TIME.  And, if you were previously rated, you can continue to log it as PIC.

BWS

Log all time as you did in Primary.  The only difference that I had was that instead of putting in an 'N' number for Aircraft ID, I put it as 'R' and then the last 5 of the serial number (i.e. R16921). Army aircraft do not actually have civilian registrations, so there is no 'N' number.  Also, make note every day of whether you flew an A+ or a C model.  I don't know if it's necessary, but I made sure to put the exact model (i.e. OH58A+) in my logbook.  Don't forget that you can log any flight greater than 25NM straight line distance as CROSS COUNTRY.  I'm pretty sure that every flight in BWS is longer than that.

If you were previously rated:
It is up to you how you log it.  Since you are logging PIC as time where you are "sole manipulator of the controls", you probably can't log PIC for the entire flight during BWS.  You can choose to not log it as PIC, or try to figure out how long you were on the controls every day.  I have no advice on this, just log it as you see fit.


Advanced Aircraft
Once you get to your advanced aircraft, everybody should be logging time the same.  If you had previous ratings, you can no longer log PIC for a couple of reasons.  You are only rated for aircraft below 12,500 lbs Gross Weight, and I think that all Army aircraft weigh more than that.  Also, all advanced aircraft require 2 pilots and (at least for the UH60) it requires a type rating in the civilian world.  So, you can't log any PIC until you are rated in the advanced airframe.  Other than that, continue to log it as you have been logging during flight school.  Again, remember to make note of the designation of aircraft you are flying (i.e. UH60A, UH60L, EH60A).


After Flight School
After flight school, everybody should be on the same page.  If you've logged all of your flight time during flight school, you are golden.  If not, now's a good time to start.  The UH60 has a civilian variant, the S70 and you can get (and should get) a type rating for it.  I'm not sure about the CH47 or AH64, so I can't comment on those.

In the UH60 I log both PIC and SIC time depending on the flight.  As a PI (not yet "rated" as a PC in the Army), I log time PIC when I am the sole manipulator of the controls, and SIC when I am not.  I don't start a clock every time I'm on the controls, but generally I know how much of the flight I was on the controls, so I calculate based on that.  The reason I see it fit to log SIC is 14 CFR 61.51(f)(2).  Note the "or" in that paragraph and the "or" at the end of 61.51(f)(1).  Once you make PC, you can log PIC time as any time you are designated as PC of the aircraft AND any time you are sole manipulator of the controls when not designated as the PC.

One additional thing that I do is log CROSS COUNTRY for any flight with a landing over 25NM away from departure..  This is to meet the aeronautical experience required for a rotorcraft category rating.  The only rating still being sought is the ATP rating, so continue to log this way until you get your ATP.  I also have a separate column where I log CROSS COUNTRY < 25NM.  Why?  Because Part 135 (Air Carrier Operations) dictates CROSS COUNTRY as per Part 61.1, which is any time that includes landing at a point other than the point of departure and involves the use of dead reckoning, pilotage, electronic navigation aids, radio aids, or other navigation systems to navigate to the landing point.  I don't know if this will come up in the future, but I log both ways just in case a future employer may want to see it based on a certain definition.

I added an additional column in my logbook for DUAL ENGINE TURBINE time, NVG time, and FORMATION FLYING TIME.  The formation flying time is just for me, it will probably never come up for anything in the future. Once you start doing additional mission tasks you can add columns (at least in your digital logbook) for things like EXTERNAL LOADS, FRIES, SPIES, PARADROPS, etc., so that you can keep track for yourself that you are meeting your annual and semi-annual requirements. 

BWS - Basic Warfighting Skills

So, you've just spent the last 8 weeks flying 6,000' feet above the earth while staring inside at instruments.  Now, you get to do the exact opposite in BWS (Basic Warfighting Skills)!  BWS is all about route planning, recon, tactical flight, and flying anywhere from 20' to 200' AHO (Above the Highest Obstacle).  For me, it was the most fun flying I'd ever done and definitely the best part of flight school.  But, before you get to have all of that fun you have to do one more thing....MAPS!

Maps
The dreaded maps of BWS.  In reality, this paper map book that you have to make is not really needed.  You could literally print off maps that already have everything on them.  But, this is flight school and since that's how they did it before you, that's how you'll do it too.  You'll get around 30 maps that don't have any of the important info for BWS on them, and you'll have to add it.  And then you'll have to fold and glue the maps into a convenient little map book that you can reference while you fly.

Don't underestimate the time required to finish your map book.  I think I worked about 35-40 hours total on mine.  But then again, I'm somewhat of a perfectionist.  It takes around 1 hour per map to trace all of the required items on them, and then about about 4 hours to glue them and make a map book cover.

The first thing you need to do is cut and press all of your maps.  You have to cut off all of the borders of the maps, and press them so that they will fold correctly.  There are places that will do this for you in the surrounding area.  Two I know of are The Hangar and Velocity Squared.  I took mine to The Hangar and they did a really good job and turned it around in a day.

After that, you have to trace all of the required info onto them.  You'll use the AO Vanguard QITA (which is the quarterly update of hazards for the training area) to get the info that you need.  There are really 2 ways to accomplish tracing.  You can go to the Aviation Learning Center on post and do it there.  They have lighted map tables and 2 sets of all 30 maps with the hazards already drawn on.  They also have markers and other supplies if you need them.  The other option is to rent, buy or make a light table and buy traceable maps from Velocity Squared.  I tried both ways and I found the Aviation Learning Center to be much quicker, easier and cheaper.

Lastly, you have to fold them and glue them together and create a cover for your map book.  This part took longer than I thought it would.  But I had a friend come over and we did it together while drinking beer and listening to Taylor Swift manly music.

Make sure that you take the time to do them pretty well.  Your IP will know if you've missed information and it's the first impression that you'll make on your IP.  However, you will not use them again after BWS, so it's up to you.  If you fly UH60s, you'll need them, but I think I only used them 1 more time after BWS.


The Fun Part
Once you get all of your maps done and show up to the flight line, you'll meet your new IP.  Most of the BWS IPs are much more laid back than in primary or instruments.  On the first day, you'll go out to the stage field to get back into looking outside and learning the differences between the TH67 and OH58.  Everyday after that you'll fly a route to some RTs (Remote Training sites) and then to a local airport to refuel and swap seats with your stick buddy.  RTs are just fields that the Army leases from local farmers and residents.

Initially you will fly Low Level which is between 80' and 200' AHO.  During this part of training, you will plan routes to a couple of RTs and plot them on your map.  Your IP will fly and you will be the navigator.  You're job is to navigate based on ACPs (Air Control Point) and Checkpoints that you determined would be easy to find while you are flying.  In addition, you need to determine what airspeed your IP should fly so that you arrive within 1 minute of the time you calculated it would take during your planning.  Once you arrive at the RT, you will learn some different terrain flight maneuvers such as terrain flight decels, masking and unmasking, slope operations, and different types of takeoffs and landings. 

After a week or so, you will start flying at contour altitudes (25' to 80' AHO).  At this point, you will plan your routes based on the terrain in the area (which doesn't vary that much) so that you can remain more concealed.  Learning to read the terrain in lower Alabama takes a little while to get used to, but with a little practice it's not too hard.  This was my favorite part.  It's the reason I wanted to fly helicopters over airplanes.  You can't beat following rivers and low terrain, only 25' off the treetops, and then landing in somebody's field!

At the end of BWS you get to fly another solo flight after your check ride.  There's a solo exam and a 5 and 9 exam that you have to pass prior to the solo flight, but they're pretty easy.  The solo in BWS was probably one of my favorite flights in flight school.  It's just you and your stick buddy flying around Alabama, landing in farmer's fields and having a good time.

You'll still have daily questions that your IP will review, but depending on which flight you are in it will vary as to whether or not they are part of the daily brief.  In my flight, we just went over daily questions with our IP and our flight commander gave us different topics everyday that he would be going over on for the next day's daily brief.

To study for the oral portion of the checkride, all you really need to know is all of the acronyms from an acronym sheet that they will give you and how to apply them.  It's a couple of pages long, but on my checkride we went over almost every single one of them.  Of course, you still need to know regulations and publications as you will on every checkride (AR 95-1, FM 3-04.203, etc).  Another big thing that they will go over is your map preparation.  Make sure it is to the standard set out in the Terrain Flight Mission Planning Guide that they will give you, and that you have everything marked correctly.


Academics
One of the nice things about BWS is that you won't have academics every day.  You will have a few classes on how to operate the AMPS (Aviation Mission Planning System), and how to use the EDM (Electronic Data Manager) which is a big clunky moving map that you strap to your knee.  You will also have a Crew Coordination Class, Aviation Survivability Equipment, and a "Fires" class.  They are all very easy and don't count for much of your OML.


BWS involves a lot of planning.  I spent more time planning flights in BWS than I ever did before.  In the beginning I would spend 3-5 hours a night on route planning, plus doing daily questions and studying.  Every single day you need to figure out the route you are going to take, plan it on AMPS, and then transfer it to your map.  And putting the map together is a lot of work.  You have to draw your routes with ACPs every 5-20k, time tick marks on one side, and distance on the other.  You have to label all of you ACPs and then put "doghouses" on each leg which show the name of the next ACP, distance, direction, time, airspeed and altitude.  And you have to take time to do a photo recon of your RTs to make sure you know what you're looking for.  

Overall though, BWS is a lot of fun!  It'll probably be the most fun flying you've ever done and the solo is a blast.  The biggest thing that I wish I would have focused more on is PT!  After BWS you have a selection PT test and it is worth 100 points of your OML (about 1/6th).  [EDIT: Flight school is always changing, and as of July 2015, the PT test is worth much less on your OML].  I'll talk about that in the next post.  Until then, here's the best way I found to use the EDM: