Hi All,

For those of you who may have always wondered but not 100% sure, CASA use ICUS as a time field in the Australian log book, whereas the FAA do not. It sometimes get confusing as to when it can be counted, and even a grade 1 instructor and Qantas Check Captain and two Flight School CFI's were confused, so I figured it couldn't just be me.

So I asked CASA, who were also confused, but thanks to their Senior Guy, I am know in the know. Email below and don't forget to look at the regs attached, the first file makes perfect sense.

The short of it you can only count ICUS if you are already a CPL or ATPL (or using temporary privelges eg SPL) to be one. So a PPL cannot count any ICUS time, so all those dual check rides are either 100% command time or Co-pilot if you let them do the flying (silly idea).

See below and attached.

UNCLASSIFIED

Hello Brook

In regard to your email below, ICUS can only be logged by pilots who hold a CPL, ATPL or a CV – it cannot apply to anything else (CAR 5.40), see below: (see attached file as CASA had to scan the regs as its not in soft copy


Note that all 6 sub-paras have to be complied with by both operator/airline and crew. It is intended normally for low and high capacity operators with multi-crew acft and CAR 217 operators. Maybe extended to charter companies (non 217) as approved by CASA Field Offices.

ICUS v Co-pilot: as you can see from the above data info, an ICUS pilot must have a command endorsement on the acft type, and if a CIR is required for the operation, must hold a current CIR (not a co-pilot IR). It is the intent of ICUS for a pilot to accrue command time in an acft with an approved training captain in order to accumulate vital operational experience & flight times, as well as meet minimum licence level requirements to either progress to a Captain status with an operator or upgrade to an ATPL (or both).

All ICUS flight time can be logged in full whereas Co-pilot time logged as half (as you are quite aware).

Rgds

Flying Operations Team
Permission Application Centre (Canberra) | CASA
GPO Box 2005, Canberra ACT 2606, Australia
T 1300 737 032 (+61 2 6217 1449) | F 1300 737 187 (+61 2 6217 1899)
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Please quote your ARN on all correspondence


From: Brook A. Papworth [mailto: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.]
Sent: Monday, 23 September 2013 6:44 PM
To: CLARC
Subject: ICUS vs Command Time as it relates to PPL, Instruction and ATO Testing

Dear CASA,

Could you please elaborate on the appropriate use of ICUS time (In Command Under Instruction)– should a PPL student, CPL student or ATPL be logging any, some or all of the their time as command, or ICUS, and in which case would either apply. Also what about flight tests?

Also could you please contrast ICUS vs Co-pilot time, for example in a flight crew situation? I understand about the 50% time count on the latter.

Thanks

Brook Papworth
ARN: xxx xxx