Instructor, student and single-seat time: how PIC gets counted
Four rules that move military PIC more than you would expect: instructor seats, student duty, single-pilot aircraft and Army instructor time.
PIC is where military and civilian logbooks disagree the most. The FAA and the airlines don't even agree with each other, and military records use duty codes and time categories that neither of them uses. These are four rules we tightened after hearing from pilots in the middle of airline applications.
First, the two ways ProvenFlight counts PIC:
- FAA: under 14 CFR 61.51, a rated pilot who is the sole manipulator of the controls logs PIC, so primary, instructor and evaluator time generally count.
- Airline-strict: PIC means aircraft command. Flights logged PIC = Yes count, and so do the cases below.
1. Instructor and evaluator seats are PIC
Air Force and Navy instructor and evaluator time counts as PIC in both, even on a flight whose record says PIC = No. Airlines count instructor time as PIC, and the airline worksheets report your instructor hours as part of it.
2. Student time is instruction received
Air Force student (SP) and unqualified (UP) pilot duty is flying under instruction. That time converts to dual received, the airline Student column and the 8710's Instruction column, not PIC or SIC. The exception is a flight logged PIC = Yes, like a student solo.
3. Single-pilot aircraft
In a single-seat fighter, or a jet with one pilot and a WSO, the flying was yours. Airlines count those sorties as PIC, and so does ProvenFlight in both conventions, unless a flight is logged PIC = No. The F-16C, F-15E, F-22A, F-35, A-10C and F/A-18 are single-pilot by default. Two-seat trainers like the F-16D aren't. You can change any type in your aircraft library.
4. Army IP, SP and IE
Army regulations require an instructor pilot to be PC-qualified, so IP, SP and IE duty count as airline PIC. UT, MP, ME and XP use your PIC percentage after your aircraft-commander date, and PI and CP stay SIC. The CAFRS guide covers how those duties split across a single flight.
When the records don't say
Some records don't show who was in command. For those flights, airline-strict counts a percentage you choose as PIC after your aircraft-commander date (85% unless you change it) and counts them as SIC before it. Set that date in your profile, or per type in the aircraft library.
Each of these rules is its own line when you click a PIC total, so you can see which rule counted which flight. They're conversion rules, not a ruling on your qualifications. Check them against your records and each application's instructions.