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What do you log as cross-country time

What do you log as cross-country time?

  • Landing at any airport other than home base

    Votes: 22 17.2%
  • Landing at an airport at least 50 miles from home base

    Votes: 96 75.0%
  • Landing at an airport at least 100 miles from home base

    Votes: 6 4.7%
  • Flying only (no landing required) at least 100 miles from home

    Votes: 6 4.7%

  • Total voters
    128

Greg Arehart

Well Known Member
The thread about leaving the airport area, as well as another recent one on "percent of cross-country time" got me thinking again about what constitutes a cross-country flight. Perhaps there is an official definition, but I'm wondering what everyone logs as a cross-country flight. For example, yesterday I flew to three different airports (and landed for various reasons), but never really got more than about 60 miles from home. Last weekend, I flew a couple hundred miles from home, but never stopped anywhere enroute. I've picked the poll numbers kind of arbitrarily, just interested in what folks call cross-country vs. local.

Greg
 
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A Cross-country is any flight to another airport. However, except for an ATP the flight can not be counted toward the flight time requirements required for a certificate or rating unless that airport is more than 50nm from the departure airport.

I count every flight in my "cross country" column if I land at another airport. But I am not advancing toward any more certificates or ratings so it wont muddy my flight times at all.
 
I have used and continue to use 50 miles as cross country time per my flight building time for Private ticket started back in 1972. I don't think flying to multiple airports perhaps 10 miles apart is considered cross country.
 
If you launched from the Kennedy Space Center, orbited the earth 200 times, then landed back at the Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility runway, you could log the flight time - but not as a cross-country, because the pads and runway were only a few miles apart.....

Just sayin'.... ;)
 
Tuppergal and I use our plane mostly to fly cross country. With the speeds we cruise at (160 knots) and the short time that it takes to climb to altitude (minutes to get to 7.5-9.5K MSL), I can see 50 miles off the nose (about the distance from Rosamond to Santa Monica) minutes after takeoff.

For us, back/forth to nearby eatery places we fly to all the time are more than 50 miles (~20min) away but I don't count them as cross country; Bakersfield, Big Bear, Hesperia, Santa Paula, Kern Valley, Cable, Chino, Camarillo, Flabob...All are right in our own backyard...we can fly there with our eyes closed...so I feel that I'm just inflating my logbook cross country hours if I counted those.

Sure...low and slow...new pilot...trying to build cross country time...I'd use 50, but in the RV, you can 'sneeze' 50 miles.

Because of that, I only log anything over 30 minutes flight time as cross country.

I checked my logbook and it currently shows 2151.5, no kidding, 'you went really flew far from home' cross country hours :D Rosie
 
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Our local geography dictates that most casual local flights fall into a region about 20 miles by about 75 miles. So I frequently make flights that are 50 miles in length, but would never log them as cross-country. My usual threshold is whether or not I file a flight plan or leave an itinerary with a responsible person... If I do, it's definitely cross-country.
 
Here is something official from another forum:

Originally Posted by Office of the Chief Counsel, FAA

As noted above (14 CFR 61.1(b)(3)), cross country flight time is defined as time acquired during a flight that includes a point of landing that is at least a straight-line distance of more than 50 nm from the original point of departure, not the original point of any flight leg. There is no requirement that any specific leg must be 50 nm. Moreover, a cross-sountry flight may include several legs that are less than a straight-line distance of more than 50 nm from the original point of departure. Nevertheless, at least one leg of the cross-country flight, however long by itself, must include a point of landing that is at least a straight-line distance of more than 50 nm from the original point of departure (i.e. of the flight, not of that particular leg). (all emphasis is mine - ets)

Given the above analysis, the answer is each cross-country flight used to meet the aeronautical experience requirements under 14 CFR 61.1(b)(3) must include one leg that includes a landing that is at least a straight-line distance of more than 50 nm from the original point of departure.

This response was prepared by Adrianne Wojcik, an Attorney in the Regulations Division of the Office of the Chief Counsel, and has been coordinated with the General Aviation Division of Flight Standards Service.
 
Or something official from FAR Part 61 Definitions:

Cross-country time means—

(i) Except as provided in paragraphs (ii) through (vi) of this definition, time acquired during flight—

(A) Conducted by a person who holds a pilot certificate;

(B) Conducted in an aircraft;

(C) That includes a landing at a point other than the point of departure; and

(D) That involves the use of dead reckoning, pilotage, electronic navigation aids, radio aids, or other navigation systems to navigate to the landing point.


The paragraphs (ii) though (vi) above refer to time logged for certificates.

And, for that long-ranging astronaut, he or she can log those shuttle flights as cross-country time as long as they are military pilots, as per paragraph (vii) of the same section:

(vii) For a military pilot who qualifies for a commercial pilot certificate (except with a rotorcraft category rating) under § 61.73 of this part, time acquired during a flight—

(A) Conducted in an appropriate aircraft;

(B) That is at least a straight-line distance of more than 50 nautical miles from the original point of departure; and

(C) That involves the use of dead reckoning, pilotage, electronic navigation aids, radio aids, or other navigation systems.


I log all time as cross country that involves a landing at a different airport than departure point.
 
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Cross Country

Or something official from FAR Part 61 Definitions:

Cross-country time

(A) Conducted in an appropriate aircraft;

(B) That is at least a straight-line distance of more than 50 nautical miles from the original point of departure; and

(C) That involves the use of dead reckoning, pilotage, electronic navigation aids, radio aids, or other navigation systems.


I log all time as cross country that involves a landing at a different airport than departure point.

Scott, thanks for quoting the FAR. I was always instructed to use the 50 nm straight line rule, even when piloting a glider. Anything under 50 in a glider is just considered a land out.
 
Or something official from FAR Part 61 Definitions:

Cross-country time means?

(i) Except as provided in paragraphs (ii) through (vi) of this definition, time acquired during flight?

(A) Conducted by a person who holds a pilot certificate;

(B) Conducted in an aircraft;

(C) That includes a landing at a point other than the point of departure; and

(D) That involves the use of dead reckoning, pilotage, electronic navigation aids, radio aids, or other navigation systems to navigate to the landing point.


The paragraphs (ii) though (vi) above refer to time logged for certificates.

As stated above, I log as cross country flight if anytime during that flight i land
at an airport other than the departure airport. IF i were logging time for a cerificate it would be at airports over 50nm from the departure airport.
 
I understand the question was not in relation to the rules. I always log Cross-Country according to the rules. I don't see the point if logging it as cross country st all if not in relation to the rules. Does cross country time count for anything other than up through commercial ratings?
 
Agreed, not much use in logging the time as a PP. I started logging the time early on as a pilot so I could meet the requirements for the advanced ratings. Despite the fact that I have far in excess of the required cross country time in my book now (and yet no further ratings) I just kind of stuck with it out of habit.
 
X/C time

In the spirt of Paul Dye's post the 1986 flight of Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager in the Voyager going non-stop around the world in just over 9 days was not a cross country flight either as they departed and landed at the same airport.
 
In a strong crosswind I've had one wheel touch the runway way more than 7 feet down the runway from where the first one touched

Heck, I can routinely do that without a crosswind. :rolleyes:

John Clark ATP, CFI
FAAST Team Representative
EAA Flight Advisor
RV8 N18U "Sunshine"
KSBA
 
Yeah, but.....

Yeah, but, the two wheels are still only 7 ft apart - just sayin.

If you fly a long distance and return to the home airport without landing somewhere else, did it take any different navigational skills? did it take any different judgement in assessment of acceptable/safe weather, aircraft performance, terrain, etc?
All the things that make cross country different than shooting patterns - I think you should take credit for the cross country experience even if you don't touch down on another airport. ( I suppose there is an aspect of assessing and flying a safe pattern and landing at a strange airport- but now the criteria would be lack of familiarity, not distance)

Many people have flown 1000 Km flights in gliders - and after all, the goal is NOT to land on another airport. How could you say that's not cross country?
 
Landing location moves

I have had numerous situations where I landed within 50 miles straight line distance...but when I took off we were MORE than 50 miles (ships move). What do you call that? Half a cross country?:p
 
i landed with my wheels about 10 miles apart. one fell off on take off. luckily it wasnt my rv! :( +50 = xc 5,640 xc hours in the book.
 
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