fixed wing commercial add on to rotorcraft commercial

[Tenacious T]

I tried searching the topic with no luck, after reading the FARs I am still a little fuzzy on what the aeronautical experience requirements would be to add an airplane commercial to a rotorcraft/helicopter commercial certificate. An explanation with FAR references would be much appreciated.

[PhotoFlyer]

61.129(a)

 

250 hours of flight time (total time, any A/C)

 

100 hours in powered A/C, 50 of that in airplane

 

100 hours PIC time to include:

50 hours in airplane

50 hours PIC X/C, 10 of that in airplane

 

20 hours of dual including:

10 hours of instrument time, 5 must be in airplane

10 hours of complex time (retractable flaps, controllable pitch prop, and flaps)

2 hour day X/C, 100nm in distance

2 hour night X/C, 100nm in distance

 

10 hours of solo flight including:

300nm X/C, 250 mile straight line distance, land at 3 points

5 hours night, with 10 T/O and 10 landing to a full stop in the traffic pattern at a towered airport

 

To sum it all up: You need 50 hours PIC airplane, 5 hours instrument, 10 hours complex, and the night/cross country flights listed.

Edited February 7, 2008 by PhotoFlyer

[67november]

ok this is what I can figure out.

 

you need a total of 250 flight hours as per 61.129 (a)

 

of which you need

50 hours in airplane 61.129 (a) (1)

50 hours PIC in airplane 61.129 (a) (2) (i)

50 hours of cross country 10 hours of which in airplane 61.129 (a) (2) (ii)

20 hours of training covering 61.127 ( b ) (1), 61.129 (a) (3)

10 hours instrument training 5 hours of which in airplane 61.129 (a) (3) (i)

10 hour of training in an airplane as specified in 61.129 (a) (3) (ii)

1 flight of 2 hours cross country VFR in airplane greater than 100 miles 61.129 (a) (3) (iii)

1 flight of 2 hours cross country night VFR in airplane greater than 100miles 61.129 (a) (3) (iv)

3 hours in prep for practical 61.129 (3) (v)

10 hours solo on AOO in 61.127( b ) (i), 61.129 (4)

1 cross country greater than 300 miles w/ 3 or more landings w/ 1 leg of 250 miles from origin 61.129 (4) (i)

5 hours night VFR w/10 to's and ld's in pattern w/ atc. 61.129 (4) (ii)

Edited February 7, 2008 by 67november

[Tenacious T]

Thanks! As I read more into it this was kind of the conclusion I came to. Basically it boils down to all requirements specifying "in an airplane" plus the x-c, solo, etc.

 

Sub-question: If you are rated only in helicopters and want to skip airplane ppl and go straight to comm. add on would you be able to log the dual received in airplanes as PIC? If not how can it be possible to do a comm. add on? In other words, is the minimum total airplane time you could do it in 50 hours total?

[ChopperJ]

That's the catch, you need 50 hours of PIC time which you can only log it if you are solo before you are a rated airplane pilot. So you either fly around 50 hours by your self or you get your PPL airplane first then you can log PIC when getting dual instruction to work on your commercial or instrument. That is what I am doing.

[joker]

TT et al., Add-on ratings were discussed in detail just a few weeks back.Have a look there for more info.Maybe someone can post a link to that thread'Joker