Right Seat Flying

[MedicRyan]

I am a holder of a commercial pilot certificate and I have a friend that is in the middle of his PPL that wants to go flying with me. Can I fly right seat when we go? I could not find anything on the legality of this. I have flown right seat before and I am comfortable with it. Is there anything out there that says I can't?

Thanks,

Ryan

[flyguy]

Since you are not a CFI and he is not a PPL, he cannot log any of the time, and you cannot let him takeoff, land, or taxi. You can fly in the right seat if you want, if you are comfortable doing so.

[tgrayson]

Originally Posted by flyguy

Since you are not a CFI...you cannot let him takeoff, land, or taxi.

Who says?

[tgrayson]

Originally Posted by MedicRyan

Is there anything out there that says I can't?

The FAA doesn't care, but many rental policies say left-seat flying only.

[Ian J]

Originally Posted by tgrayson

The FAA doesn't care, but many rental policies say left-seat flying only.

Nothing in the FARs about it, but many schools won't let you do it. When I was a CFI applicant I had to ask the chief if I could fly a buddy from the right seat. He was cool with it, and thought it was good experience for me.

[MedicRyan]

Well obviously he cannot log the time. At lease give me that. I just want to give him some flying time from a spot that he is comfortable with.

[meritflyer]

Originally Posted by flyguy

and you cannot let him takeoff, land, or taxi.

[subpilot]

Originally Posted by flyguy

Since you are not a CFI you cannot let him takeoff, land, or taxi.

I need to start keeping a record of all the crazy things I hear people say that are out in left field yet are said with such authority. Not meant to attack you Flyguy, it is just that during the past few weeks in new hire class at Eagle I have heard some of the most wack statements come from peoples mouths and yet they argue until their faces turn blue.

Examples:

today, we were talking about escape manuevers for wind shear/microburst and one guy argued with the instructor that it is stupid to do an escape manuever because only a jet fighter could possibly ever get out of a microburst. He would rather just fly into the ground because escape is impossible so why try.

[dvtpilot]

Originally Posted by subpilot

Examples:

today, we were talking about escape manuevers for wind shear/microburst and one guy argued with the instructor that it is stupid to do an escape manuever because only a jet fighter could possibly ever get out of a microburst. He would rather just fly into the ground because escape is impossible so why try.

Ah, the classic resignation attitude strikes another victim.

[dc3flyer]

If I were you, I would go up with a CFI and practice some landings from the right seat first. It doesn't seem like it would make that much of a difference, BUT IT DOES. I thought I was going to crash my first (10) landings from the right.

It is perfectly legal to fly from the right and you can let him fly as much as you want (including takeoffs, landings, taxiing, cruise, whatever) just remember, YOU ARE THE PIC and all the responisibility is on your hands. Don't do anything stupid.

[flyguy]

So you guys are saying a pre-private who is not rated in the aircraft can carry passengers????? Why bother getting a private certificate????

[towhook]

Originally Posted by flyguy

So you guys are saying a pre-private who is not rated in the aircraft can carry passengers????? Why bother getting a private certificate????

No, but a comm pilot who is rated in the ac can carry passengers. He can let them fly too.

[USMCmech]

Originally Posted by flyguy

So you guys are saying a pre-private who is not rated in the aircraft can carry passengers????? Why bother getting a private certificate????

He can't. The student is NOT PIC, the comercial pilot is.

The FAA dosen't care which seat you fly from.

[dc3flyer]

Originally Posted by flyguy

So you guys are saying a pre-private who is not rated in the aircraft can carry passengers????? Why bother getting a private certificate????

So you've never taken someone flying and let hem fly the airplane for a little bit? I've let an 8 year old kid fly, when I was just a PPL. Was he the PIC? No. Was he carrying passengers? No. I was.

[MedicRyan]

Originally Posted by dc3flyer

If I were you, I would go up with a CFI and practice some landings from the right seat first. It doesn't seem like it would make that much of a difference, BUT IT DOES. I thought I was going to crash my first (10) landings from the right.

It is perfectly legal to fly from the right and you can let him fly as much as you want (including takeoffs, landings, taxiing, cruise, whatever) just remember, YOU ARE THE PIC and all the responisibility is on your hands. Don't do anything stupid.

I have got about 5 hours of right seat time from doing $100 burger runs with instructors. I am very comfortable in the right seat and believe you me, if this was the first time in the right seat I would definitaly not do it.

[PanJet]

Okay, chew on this one for a bit.

When I was training for my commercial, a good friend of mine (also my instructor) advised me that if I wanted to speed the process towards getting my CFI, I should do my commercial training from the right seat and do the maneuvers in CFI fasion (sprial decent to opposite side of aircraft, etc), so I did. My instructor had done it that way, and the local examiner actually looked up on people who did because he saw it as people taking on a higher challenge.

When I went to take my commercial checkride, the local examiner was not available, so I had to use a different one. When I told him I had done my training in the right seat, he was baffled and said he'd never heard of such a thing. He actually told me that he would not allow the flight if I didn't do it in the left seat due to the "nature of the checkride." He told me that I was training to be a commercial pilot, not a CFI at the moment, and that I had the choice of a discontinuance or fly left seat. Well, I flew left seat and did fine, but I just thought it was interesting. He completely agreed with me that there was nothing in the regs that said I couldn't do the checkride in the right seat, but he still said left seat or no flight.

In the end it was no big deal. As far as the original thread, I will add this: be sure you can safely control the airplane from the right seat if your passenger is going to be in the left. (e.g. Don't fly a Piper from the right seat if you can't safely control the fuel control on the other side of the plane).