Logging Experience as Night & NVD

[FLY60S]

 

If we're talking about FAA definitions, NVG time during the day isn't loggable as NVG time. Technically if you want to convert your military logbook into FAR standards, you're probably going to need to cut a good bit of NVG time out. I left mine as is, because I have no clue what portion I've logged between "goggle dark" and SS+1 hr. If you fly instruments with the goggles down that doesn't count either.

 

61.51:

"(k) Logging night vision goggle time. (1) A person may log night vision goggle time only for the time the person uses night vision goggles as the primary visual reference of the surface and operates:

(i) An aircraft during a night vision goggle operation; or

(ii) A flight simulator or flight training device with the lighting system adjusted to represent the period beginning 1 hour after sunset and ending 1 hour before sunrise.

(2) An authorized instructor may log night vision goggle time when that person conducts training using night vision goggles as the primary visual reference of the surface and operates:

(i) An aircraft during a night goggle operation; or

(ii) A flight simulator or flight training device with the lighting system adjusted to represent the period beginning 1 hour after sunset and ending 1 hour before sunrise."

 

Definition of "night vision goggle operation" under 61.1:

"Night vision goggle operation means the portion of a flight that occurs during the time period from 1 hour after sunset to 1 hour before sunrise where the pilot maintains visual surface reference using night vision goggles in an aircraft that is approved for such an operation."

 

I personally make sure everything matches and don't worry about the 15 mins difference when flying with the military. If I ever have to present records for something, I don't want to have to explain why my numbers are different than the military records. Now my civilian NVG time is a different story.

 

For example, flying with the Army we can start logging NVG time immediately after sunset, so I have a flight that takes off 30 mins after sunset and I goggle up on take off and fly 1 hour. I am going to log that whole flight in the military system as NVG, so I make my personal logbook say 1 hour NVG and 1 hour night. That way I can show someone my military logbook and it matches what I logged.