AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - March 2019 - 104

NEWS & NOTES

MEMBER PRODUCTS AND SERVICES

AOPA AVIATION FINANCE |

Futile search
Are you ready to buy,
but can't find your airplane?
YOU ARE PREAPPROVED FOR A LOAN,

have a hangar secured, and now all you
need is the turboprop of your dreams.
You know exactly what you want. The
only problem is, there aren't any on the
market, or at least at what you think is a
reasonable price.
This is where a broker or dealer that
specializes in the make and model you're
looking to purchase is of value. Although
it may not currently have the model you
want available for sale, chances are they've
sold one and may know someone looking
to purchase if they could only sell their
TIPS FROM PIC |

Are you PIC
or not?

Logging versus acting
B Y PAT R I C K T I M M E R M A N
EVERY YEAR WE FIELD THOUSANDS OF

questions from our fellow aviators through
phone calls, emails, and chats. Many are
unique; however, there are a few that we
hear on a regular basis. Some of these
revolve around FAR 61.51, Pilot logbooks;
paragraph e, Logging pilot-in-command
flight time. When approaching this part of
the regulation it is important to remember

used one. In the real estate world, agents
frequently have so-called "pocket" listings
where they have talked with owners who
are interested in selling someday, and the
aircraft world is no different. If you choose
an aircraft that is in high demand, it is not
unusual for a broker to know about an
aircraft that is not for sale-yet.
Should that approach fail, look at your
search. What is it about your dream airplane that is limiting your results? Do you
need to shop for similar aircraft that nearly
match, but not exactly match, your ideal
model?
In general, there is enough of an aircraft inventory that, unless you are looking
for something unique, you should be able
to find what you want. If not, there is still a
final plan: Find someone who has what you
want but has no intention to sell, and make
a generous offer; you may be surprised.

Making an offer may necessitate an
appraisal to justify the value of the aircraft. However, even if the appraisal
comes in less than what you're paying,
most lenders are still more than willing
to provide a loan. Virtually all lenders
lend on the lesser of a loan-to-value or
loan-to-purchase amount. You may just
need to put down a little more money
than you were originally planning.
When the buying fever strikes, AOPA
Aviation Finance is here to help you find
the lender that is right for your specific
purchase.
Considering aircraft ownership?
AOPA Aviation Finance will make
your purchase experience as smooth as
possible. For information about aircraft
financing, please visit the website (www.
aopafinance.com) or call 1-800 -62PLANE (75263).

that the FAA makes a distinction between
logging PIC flight time and acting as PIC.
In a legal interpretation from May 2009
the FAA said, "There is a distinction between
logging PIC time and acting as a PIC. For a
pilot to log PIC time (i.e., the sole manipulator of the controls), a pilot must be properly
rated in the aircraft by having the appropriate
category, class, and type ratings. For a pilot
to act as a PIC (i.e., the pilot who has final
authority and responsibility for the operation
and safety of the flight), a pilot must be properly rated in the aircraft and be properly rated
and authorized to conduct the flight."
The question that was addressed in
this interpretation was whether a private pilot with an airplane single-engine
land rating could log PIC flight time in a

complex, high-performance aircraft during the time he was the sole manipulator
of the controls, even though he lacked
complex and high-performance endorsements. The answer was yes because he was
the sole manipulator of the controls of an
aircraft for which he was rated-airplane
single engine land. But, could he act as
pilot in command? No, because he lacked
the endorsements required for a pilot to
act as PIC of a high performance and/or
complex airplane.
Questions? Give AOPA a call Monday
through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 6 pm Eastern
time. 800-USA-AOPA (872-2672).
PATRICK TIMMERMAN is an aviation specialist

in the AOPA Pilot Information Center.

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104 | AOPA PILOT March 2019

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AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - March 2019

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