Step 1: Log every flight the same day
Record each lesson while it is fresh. Under 14 CFR 61.51 you must log the training and experience you rely on to meet certificate requirements, so a missing or vague entry can cost you hours later.
- Date, aircraft make and model, and registration
- Departure and arrival airports
- Total flight time (use the Hobbs or your instructor's method consistently)
- Landings and the type of flight
Step 2: Split your time into the right categories
One flight can count in several categories at once. A night cross-country lesson with your instructor is total, dual, cross-country and night time.
- Dual received: time with an authorized instructor teaching you
- Solo: time you are the sole occupant of the aircraft
- Pilot in command: time you act as PIC, which includes solo for a student pilot
- Cross-country: flights that meet the definition for the requirement you are logging
- Night: time logged under the regulatory definition of night
- Instrument: simulated or actual instrument time with a safety pilot or instructor as required
Step 3: Total your time and compare to the minimums
Add each category and compare it to the minimums below. Remember that the totals must also meet the specific content, such as the long solo cross-country and night landings.
| Requirement (airplane, Part 61) | Minimum |
|---|---|
| Total flight time | 40 hours |
| Flight training with an instructor (dual) | 20 hours |
| Solo flight time | 10 hours |
| Dual cross-country | 3 hours |
| Dual night training | 3 hours, including one cross-country of more than 100 NM total distance and 10 takeoffs and landings to a full stop |
| Dual instrument training | 3 hours |
| Solo cross-country | 5 hours |
| Long solo cross-country | One flight of at least 150 NM total distance, with full-stop landings at three points and one segment of at least 50 NM |
| Solo at a towered airport | 3 takeoffs and landings to a full stop at an airport with an operating control tower |
| Checkride preparation | 3 hours of dual in the 2 calendar months before the practical test |
Step 4: Keep endorsements with your hours
Solo and cross-country flights require instructor endorsements, so store them with the flights they authorized. A digital logbook keeps both together and makes it easy to hand everything to your examiner.
Common mistakes when tracking flight hours
- Logging all instruction time as total but forgetting to mark dual received
- Counting a cross-country that does not meet the requirement's distance rules
- Rounding inconsistently across lessons
- Waiting weeks to log and guessing at the times
- Not noting night takeoffs and landings, which are required for night training