pilot-in-command question...

The FARs only have a concept of PIC, and do not have a concept of Top Dog
vs. HOT.


They certainly DO have the =concept= of Top Dog vs. HOT. They just don't call
it that. 1.1 of the FARs (I still call it that) defines the CONCEPT of Top
Dog, and gives it the moniker "Pilot in Command".

61.51 defines the CONCEPT of HOT (by using it in 61.51 e 1 i) but doesn't call
it anything. It also uses the CONCEPT of Top Dog (by using it in 61.51 e 1 iii
and calling it Pilot In Command). Although they have the same name, they are
different CONCEPTS. 61.51 e 1 states that you can log "Pilot in command time"
if you are HOT and rated, or in some cases when you are Top Dog.

The FARs are not well written. Whether this is deliberate or not is open to
discussion (but nothing complicated written by lawyers is an accident, and
nothing simple written by lawyers exists).

Jose


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