[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":459},["ShallowReactive",2],{"learn-\u002Flearn\u002Flogging-multi-crew-and-cruise-time":3,"learn-nav-\u002Flearn\u002Flogging-multi-crew-and-cruise-time":429},{"id":4,"title":5,"body":6,"date":364,"dateModified":365,"description":366,"draft":367,"extension":368,"faqs":369,"howTo":365,"keyTakeaways":379,"meta":384,"metaDescription":385,"navigation":386,"path":387,"quiz":388,"seo":415,"series":365,"seriesOrder":365,"sources":416,"stem":426,"topic":427,"__hash__":428},"learn\u002Flearn\u002Flogging-multi-crew-and-cruise-time.md","Logging multi-crew and cruise-relief time",{"type":7,"value":8,"toc":352},"minimark",[9,19,25,30,46,96,100,111,126,145,149,172,182,186,193,197,227,240,244,253,275,288,307,311,345,349],[10,11,12,13,18],"p",{},"Once you move from a single-pilot light aircraft to a flight deck with two or more pilots, the logbook gets more interesting. Two people fly the same aircraft for the same block time, yet they log it in different role columns, and EASA adds categories, pilot-in-command under supervision and cruise relief, that have no exact FAA twin. This guide focuses on that multi-pilot environment; the general roles are covered in our guide to ",[14,15,17],"a",{"href":16},"\u002Flearn\u002Fpilot-function-and-logging-roles","pilot function and logging roles",".",[20,21,22],"blockquote",{},[10,23,24],{},"This is general educational information, not operational, legal, or regulatory advice. Rules differ by authority and change over time. Always verify against current official sources and follow your operator's approved procedures.",[26,27,29],"h2",{"id":28},"two-pilots-two-role-columns","Two pilots, two role columns",[10,31,32,33,37,38,41,42,45],{},"In a ",[34,35,36],"strong",{},"multi-pilot aircraft",", one requiring more than one pilot to operate, both pilots are crew for the whole flight, and both log the ",[34,39,40],{},"same block time",". What differs is the ",[34,43,44],{},"function"," each logs.",[10,47,48,49,52,53,56,57,60,61,64,65,73,74,77,78,84,85,90,91,18],{},"Under ",[34,50,51],{},"EASA",", the commander logs ",[34,54,55],{},"P1 (pilot-in-command)"," and the other pilot logs ",[34,58,59],{},"P2 (co-pilot)",". Under the ",[34,62,63],{},"FAA",", the pilot in command logs ",[34,66,67],{},[14,68,72],{"href":69,"className":70},"\u002Flearn\u002Fglossary#gt-pic",[71],"glossary-link","PIC"," and the qualified other pilot logs ",[34,75,76],{},"second-in-command (SIC)"," under ",[14,79,83],{"href":80,"rel":81},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.ecfr.gov\u002Fcurrent\u002Ftitle-14\u002Fchapter-I\u002Fsubchapter-D\u002Fpart-61\u002Fsubpart-A\u002Fsection-61.51",[82],"nofollow","14 CFR 61.51",", with the roles themselves defined in ",[14,86,89],{"href":87,"rel":88},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.ecfr.gov\u002Fcurrent\u002Ftitle-14\u002Fchapter-I\u002Fsubchapter-A\u002Fpart-1\u002Fsection-1.1",[82],"14 CFR 1.1",". It is entirely normal for two logbooks to show the same flight, the same hours, in different columns; that is what multi-pilot logging looks like. The international basis for the commander and co-pilot roles sits in ",[14,92,95],{"href":93,"rel":94},"https:\u002F\u002Fstore.icao.int\u002Fen\u002Fannex-1-personnel-licensing",[82],"ICAO Annex 1",[26,97,99],{"id":98},"picus-building-command-time-under-supervision","PICUS: building command time under supervision",[10,101,102,103,106,107,110],{},"The most important EASA-specific category is ",[34,104,105],{},"PICUS",", pilot-in-command under supervision. FCL.010 defines it as a ",[34,108,109],{},"co-pilot performing, under the supervision of the pilot-in-command, the duties and functions of a pilot-in-command",". The commander remains legally in command, but the co-pilot is actually doing the commander's job, and being supervised in it.",[10,112,113,114,117,118,121,122,125],{},"Why it exists is the interesting part. A first officer building toward a command needs ",[34,115,116],{},"command experience",", but they are not yet the legal commander. PICUS bridges the gap: within the rules, ",[34,119,120],{},"PICUS time can be credited toward pilot-in-command requirements",", so the co-pilot accumulates command-creditable hours while a captain supervises. That credit is conditional, though: under AMC1 FCL.050 it counts only when the ",[34,123,124],{},"commander countersigns the entry",", certifying that the co-pilot carried out the commander's duties and the commander did not have to intervene. It is logged as PICUS, distinct from ordinary P2 co-pilot time, because it represents something more than sitting in the right seat.",[10,127,128,129,131,132,136,137,140,141,144],{},"The ",[34,130,63],{}," has no PICUS column, but it reaches a comparable end by a different route. As our ",[14,133,135],{"href":134},"\u002Flearn\u002Fkeeping-a-digital-logbook","logbook guide"," notes, 61.51(e) lets an ",[34,138,139],{},"appropriately rated pilot log pilot-in-command time whenever they are the sole manipulator of the controls",", even when not the legal pilot in command. So an FAA first officer flying the sector can log PIC as sole manipulator, where an EASA first officer doing the commander's duties under supervision logs PICUS. Different mechanisms, similar purpose, and ",[34,142,143],{},"not"," interchangeable: do not carry the FAA sole-manipulator convention into an EASA logbook, or PICUS into an FAA one.",[26,146,148],{"id":147},"cruise-relief-on-long-flights","Cruise relief on long flights",[10,150,151,152,155,156,159,160,163,164,167,168,171],{},"Long-haul flying brings a different need: pilots have to ",[34,153,154],{},"rest in turn"," across a flight that outlasts a single duty at the controls, so the crew is ",[34,157,158],{},"augmented",". EASA names the extra pilot precisely. FCL.010 defines a ",[34,161,162],{},"cruise relief co-pilot"," as a pilot who ",[34,165,166],{},"relieves the co-pilot of the duties at the controls during the cruise phase"," of a flight in ",[34,169,170],{},"multi-pilot operations above FL 200",". The relief pilot takes the seat while the rostered co-pilot rests, and the rostered pilots cycle through their rest periods.",[10,173,174,175,177,178,181],{},"The cruise-relief pilot logs the time appropriately as co-pilot or cruise-relief time, within the operator's approved scheme, reflecting that they were a functioning crew member at the controls during the cruise. The ",[34,176,63],{}," manages augmented long-haul crews under its own operating and flight-time rules and logs the relief pilots' time in the ",[34,179,180],{},"PIC or SIC"," categories rather than a dedicated cruise-relief column. Again the operational reality is the same, two or three pilots sharing a long flight, but the logging vocabulary differs.",[26,183,185],{"id":184},"why-the-distinctions-are-worth-the-care","Why the distinctions are worth the care",[10,187,188,189,192],{},"It would be easy to dismiss all this as bookkeeping, but the role columns feed directly into ",[34,190,191],{},"what you can do next",". Command-creditable time, whether PICUS under EASA or sole-manipulator PIC under the FAA, is exactly the experience an airline or an authority looks at when assessing a pilot for a command upgrade or a higher licence. Log a sector you flew under supervision as plain co-pilot time and you understate your command experience; log it as PICUS without the supervision actually meeting the definition and the entry will not stand up. Accuracy here is not pedantry; it is the difference between a logbook that supports your next step and one that does not.",[26,194,196],{"id":195},"when-does-a-second-pilot-actually-count","When does a second pilot actually count?",[10,198,199,200,203,204,206,207,210,211,214,215,218,219,222,223,226],{},"Before any of these columns apply, there is a gate to pass: the second pilot has to be a ",[34,201,202],{},"required"," crew member, not just a passenger in the other seat. EASA's FCL.010 distinguishes a ",[34,205,36],{},", one certificated to be operated with a minimum crew of at least two pilots, from a ",[34,208,209],{},"multi-pilot operation",", a flight that requires two pilots. The FAA draws the same line for logging: under ",[14,212,83],{"href":80,"rel":213},[82]," you may log ",[34,216,217],{},"second-in-command"," time only when the aircraft is ",[34,220,221],{},"type certificated for more than one pilot",", or the operation being conducted ",[34,224,225],{},"requires"," a second-in-command.",[10,228,229,230,233,234,236,237,239],{},"The practical consequence is sharp. Sitting in the right seat of a ",[34,231,232],{},"single-pilot aircraft"," that needs only one pilot does ",[34,235,143],{}," generally let you log co-pilot or SIC time, however useful the experience: the second pilot is not required, so there is nothing to log as a crew function. The columns in this guide, P2, PICUS, SIC, cruise relief, come alive only when the aircraft or the operation genuinely needs more than one pilot. That is also why these categories belong to the airline and corporate world of multi-pilot types, and why a private pilot flying a light single will rarely meet them. Check first whether the second seat was a ",[34,238,202],{}," crew position; if it was not, the multi-pilot logging does not apply.",[26,241,243],{"id":242},"a-worked-example","A worked example",[10,245,246,247,249,250,18],{},"A two-pilot jet flies a four-sector day. It is a ",[34,248,36],{},", so on every sector both pilots log the ",[34,251,252],{},"block time",[10,254,255,256,259,260,263,264,267,268,271,272,274],{},"On the first two sectors the ",[34,257,258],{},"captain"," is pilot-in-command and flies, so the captain logs ",[34,261,262],{},"P1"," and the first officer logs ",[34,265,266],{},"P2"," co-pilot time. On the third sector the captain, satisfied the first officer is ready, has the first officer ",[34,269,270],{},"perform the commander's duties under supervision",": the first officer plans, commands and flies the sector while the captain supervises but remains legally in command. The first officer logs that sector as ",[34,273,105],{},", which counts toward command experience; the captain still logs P1.",[10,276,277,278,280,281,284,285,287],{},"Run the same third sector under the ",[34,279,63],{},". The first officer, appropriately rated, is the ",[34,282,283],{},"sole manipulator of the controls",", so under 61.51(e) the first officer may log it as ",[34,286,72],{},", while the captain logs PIC as the acting pilot in command. The route to command-creditable time differs, PICUS under EASA, sole-manipulator PIC under the FAA, but in both the first officer banks experience that ordinary co-pilot time would not show.",[10,289,290,291,294,295,298,299,302,303,306],{},"Finally, picture a long night sector with an ",[34,292,293],{},"augmented crew",". During the cruise above FL 200, a ",[34,296,297],{},"cruise-relief co-pilot"," takes the seat so the rostered co-pilot can rest. Under EASA that pilot logs ",[34,300,301],{},"cruise-relief or co-pilot time"," within the operator's scheme; under the FAA the relief pilot's time is logged in the ",[34,304,305],{},"SIC or PIC"," categories. The flight is one long block; the logbooks divide it by who was doing what, and when.",[26,308,310],{"id":309},"common-pitfalls","Common pitfalls",[312,313,314,321,327,333,339],"ul",{},[315,316,317,320],"li",{},[34,318,319],{},"Expecting only one pilot to log the time."," In a multi-pilot aircraft both pilots log the same block time, in different role columns.",[315,322,323,326],{},[34,324,325],{},"Confusing PICUS with co-pilot time."," PICUS requires the co-pilot to perform the commander's duties under supervision; ordinary right-seat time is P2.",[315,328,329,332],{},[34,330,331],{},"Carrying conventions across authorities."," PICUS is EASA-only; the FAA uses sole-manipulator PIC and SIC. Do not mix them.",[315,334,335,338],{},[34,336,337],{},"Logging cruise relief as command time."," Cruise relief is co-pilot or relief time during the cruise, not pilot-in-command time.",[315,340,341,344],{},[34,342,343],{},"Overstating supervised command."," If the supervision and duties do not actually meet the PICUS or sole-manipulator definition, the entry will not stand at review.",[26,346,348],{"id":347},"in-pilot-efb","In Pilot EFB",[10,350,351],{},"Pilot EFB keeps the pilot-function columns in its electronic logbook, so P1, P2, PICUS and the rest stay separated as you record them, and completing a flight can generate an entry for you to review and confirm. It is a convenient personal record, not a compliance system: you confirm the function against the rule for your licence and operation, and reconcile it with the crew records and any logbook your operator treats as the official source. Saved entries stay available offline. Pilot EFB is offline-first and is not a certified or authority-approved electronic logbook.",{"title":353,"searchDepth":354,"depth":354,"links":355},"",2,[356,357,358,359,360,361,362,363],{"id":28,"depth":354,"text":29},{"id":98,"depth":354,"text":99},{"id":147,"depth":354,"text":148},{"id":184,"depth":354,"text":185},{"id":195,"depth":354,"text":196},{"id":242,"depth":354,"text":243},{"id":309,"depth":354,"text":310},{"id":347,"depth":354,"text":348},"2026-05-25",null,"How pilots log time in a multi-pilot aircraft: P1 and P2, pilot-in-command under supervision, cruise relief, and how EASA roles map onto FAA PIC and SIC.",false,"md",[370,373,376],{"q":371,"a":372},"How do two pilots in the same aircraft each log the flight?","In a multi-pilot aircraft they log different functions. Under EASA the commander logs P1 (pilot-in-command) and the other pilot logs P2 (co-pilot), unless the co-pilot is performing the commander's duties under supervision, in which case they log PICUS. Under the FAA the pilot in command logs PIC and the other qualified pilot logs second-in-command (SIC). Both pilots log the same block time, but in different role columns, which is normal in multi-pilot flying.",{"q":374,"a":375},"What is PICUS time?","PICUS is pilot-in-command under supervision: a co-pilot performing, under the supervision of the pilot-in-command, the duties and functions of a pilot-in-command. It is an EASA concept that lets a co-pilot build command-creditable experience while a commander supervises, and within the rules it can count toward pilot-in-command requirements. The FAA reaches a similar end differently, by letting an appropriately rated pilot log pilot-in-command time when they are the sole manipulator of the controls.",{"q":377,"a":378},"What is a cruise-relief co-pilot?","EASA's FCL.010 defines a cruise relief co-pilot as a pilot who relieves the co-pilot of the duties at the controls during the cruise phase of a flight in multi-pilot operations above FL 200. On long flights an augmented crew lets pilots rest in turn, and the relief pilot occupies the seat during the cruise. The time is logged as co-pilot or cruise-relief time as appropriate, within the operator's scheme.",[380,381,382,383],"In a multi-pilot aircraft both pilots log the same block time in different role columns: P1 and P2 under EASA, PIC and SIC under the FAA.","PICUS, a co-pilot performing the commander's duties under supervision, can credit toward pilot-in-command experience and is EASA-specific.","EASA defines a cruise relief co-pilot as one relieving the co-pilot at the controls in multi-pilot operations above FL 200.","Multi-pilot logging applies only when the second pilot is required by the aircraft or the operation.",{},"Logging in a multi-pilot aircraft: P1, P2, pilot-in-command under supervision and cruise relief, and how EASA roles map onto FAA PIC and SIC.",true,"\u002Flearn\u002Flogging-multi-crew-and-cruise-time",[389,398,407],{"q":390,"options":391,"answer":396,"explanation":397},"In a multi-pilot aircraft under EASA, what does the co-pilot normally log?",[392,393,394,395],"P1, pilot-in-command","P2, co-pilot","Dual received","Solo",1,"The commander logs P1 and the co-pilot logs P2, unless the co-pilot is performing the commander's duties under supervision, when they log PICUS instead.",{"q":399,"options":400,"answer":405,"explanation":406},"What does PICUS stand for and allow?",[401,402,403,404],"Pilot-in-command under supervision, building command-creditable experience while supervised","Pilot in cruise under separation","Pilot instructing a co-pilot under syllabus","Passenger in command under safety",0,"PICUS is pilot-in-command under supervision: a co-pilot performing the duties of a commander under the commander's supervision, which can count toward pilot-in-command experience within the rules.",{"q":408,"options":409,"answer":396,"explanation":414},"EASA defines a cruise-relief co-pilot as relieving the co-pilot during the cruise above what level?",[410,411,412,413],"FL 100","FL 200","FL 300","FL 400","FCL.010 defines a cruise relief co-pilot as one who relieves the co-pilot at the controls during the cruise phase of a flight in multi-pilot operations above FL 200.",{"title":5,"description":366},[417,420,422,424],{"label":418,"url":419},"EASA Easy Access Rules for Aircrew (Part-FCL, FCL.010: PICUS, cruise relief, multi-pilot)","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.easa.europa.eu\u002Fen\u002Fdocument-library\u002Feasy-access-rules\u002Feasy-access-rules-aircrew-regulation-eu-no-11782011",{"label":421,"url":80},"FAA 14 CFR 61.51 (Pilot logbooks: logging PIC and SIC time)",{"label":423,"url":87},"FAA 14 CFR 1.1 (Definitions: pilot in command and second in command)",{"label":425,"url":93},"ICAO Annex 1: Personnel Licensing (pilot-in-command and co-pilot)","learn\u002Flogging-multi-crew-and-cruise-time","Logbook","3YPD9xQHG1JWkJ59HqzdDTZFvsDP2musqRe6dBc4I9M",{"related":430,"newer":447,"older":455,"series":365},[431,437,443],{"path":432,"title":433,"description":434,"date":435,"topic":427,"draft":367,"minutes":436,"series":365,"seriesOrder":365},"\u002Flearn\u002Frecency-and-currency","Recency and currency","The difference between being legally current and proficient, with the EASA and FAA recent-experience rules for passengers, night and instrument flight.","2026-05-13",4,{"path":438,"title":439,"description":440,"date":441,"topic":427,"draft":367,"minutes":442,"series":365,"seriesOrder":365},"\u002Flearn\u002Flogging-solo-and-student-time","Logging solo and student time","How a student pilot logs dual and solo flying, what supervised solo and student pilot-in-command mean, and what an instructor signs under EASA and the FAA.","2026-05-09",7,{"path":16,"title":444,"description":445,"date":446,"topic":427,"draft":367,"minutes":442,"series":365,"seriesOrder":365},"Pilot function and logging roles","What P1, PICUS, P2 and dual mean under EASA, how the FAA categories differ, and the difference between logging PIC time and being the pilot in command.","2026-05-06",{"path":448,"title":449,"description":450,"date":451,"topic":452,"draft":367,"minutes":453,"series":454,"seriesOrder":442},"\u002Flearn\u002Fturbulence-reporting-and-intensity","Turbulence reporting and intensity scales","What light, moderate, severe and extreme turbulence mean, why intensity is judged by the aircraft's reaction rather than a guess, and how pilots report it.","2026-05-26","Weather",3,"decode-the-weather",{"path":456,"title":457,"description":458,"date":364,"topic":452,"draft":367,"minutes":436,"series":365,"seriesOrder":365},"\u002Flearn\u002Fthe-tropopause","The tropopause and where weather lives","What the tropopause is, why it sits higher over the equator than the poles, and why nearly all of a pilot's weather happens in the troposphere below it.",1782839404057]