One of the silent killers of true pilot proficiency in modern flight training has been the FAA’s acquiescence to “supervised solo time:” 14 CFR 61.129(a)(4). This weird permission – and a separate category in modern logbooks – started when insurance companies increasingly refused to allow “real solo” during multi-engine commercial training. “Performing the Duties of Pilot in Command” (PDPIC) is flown with a CFI but “not dual.” The FAA allows this time as “solo” for certification beyond the private level. This shortcut quickly did away with *all* real solo flight opportunities in flight academies. Now most flight instructors are certificated with only 10 hours of “real solo” (from their original private pilot experience). Ironically, most airlines hiring pilots regard PDPIC as “dual flight” anyway.
This “FAA loophole” quickly expanded to include all commercial “solo” time, even in simple primary trainers. Previously, the required 300nm solo X-C and solo night, was a daunting (and character-building) experience. A similar diminishment of the challenge at the commercial level occurred when the “2-hour day/2-hour night” cross-country requirement (previously “VFR only”) could be flown as IFR training. This was originally an opportunity to build commercial-level X-C skills (a step up from the private pilot level). Now these flights are “double logged” to acquire the required 10 hours of IFR; faster/cheaper training.
Of course, removing retractable “complex time” and the definition of TAA aircraft as “complex” was also a nail in the coffin of true commercial pilot proficiency. Retractable piston planes were just too old and scary after the landmark ERU Arrow crash.
Fortunately, most new pilots at the commercial/CFI level are only flying in a crewed environment – the C-172 to Airbus conversion – so real solo “command authority” is not required. It is somewhat ironic that one of these “PDPIC-trained co-pilots” might actually be required to fly solo at some point in their careers. PDPIC might be a reason IOE is out of control in airline training and it is so hard for current airlines to upgrade their right-seaters to captains.
To log PDPIC time in an aircraft for which you do not hold a certificate for category, class, and type (if a type rating is required), you first receive the required training from an authorized instructor who then determines that you are ready to perform the duties of pilot in command.
When you perform the duties of pilot-in-command, your instructor is on board the aircraft, you are not the sole occupant, so do not log solo time. You log the time as pilot-in-command, not dual instruction. Your instructor also logs the time as PIC.
I was surprised at a recent FSDO gathering that many FAA inspectors had never heard of “PDPIC.” They were unaware of this diminishment of commercial-level pilot proficiency and were astonished that new CFIs only have 10 hours of solo time. (We were discussing all the recent CFI-supervised fender benders in the district; brave new world!)
If you are a newly certificated commercial pilot with limited real PIC, building real solo is an amazing opportunity for improvement (and fun). Real solo time builds confidence and control skills. This is a worthwhile investment in your safety. Mastering tail wheel or glider flight are both excellent pathways for improvement. (FAA minimums are increasingly minimal) Fly safely out there (and often)!
Our SAFE CFI-PRO™ webinar series continues with the presentation of “Reflective Analysis” on May 26th at 8pm EDT. This is an amazing tool for building proficiency (and safety) at every level. Register here!
SAFE CFI-PRO™ provides the “Missing Manual” of master CFI techniques (what the FAA did not teach you). This program allows flight instructors to accelerate their teaching performance from “good to great.” FAA Master WINGS credit is available for participation and the two YouTubes from previous webinars are available on the SAFE YouTube channel.
Every CFI has an awesome power for good (or harm) in the endorsements they sign. Most pilots think a DPE is “the gatekeeper” of aviation safety with initial certification. But the CFI is really the primary influencer of aviation safety with their extensive dual given. The CFI also wields equal – or greater – legal power in their endorsements. This authority is under-appreciated by most CFIs and as a consequence, all pilots suffer (hopefully only emotionally) from under-performing pilots in our airspace. Every pilot has occasionally expressed disbelief in witnessing unsafe pilot skills or behavior. “Where did they get *their* certificate?” But under-appreciated CFI endorsements are often the loophole enabling this chaos.
Imagine working with a lapsed pilot who has not flown in 20 years. Their FAA certificate does not expire, though their skills might totally disappear over time. After acquiring a new medical, the only requirement to legally pilot again is the endorsement (and minimal required training in 61.56) from a CFI. The CFI here has much more legal power than a DPE testing a well-trained applicant. All future safety depends on the integrity and high standards of the CFI. The flight review in this example is much more influential (and hopefully time-consuming) than a flight test.
Learners applying for an initial rating or certificate study extensively and pass a recent knowledge test before meeting a DPE. They are also thoroughly trained and pre-approved before their evaluation. By contrast, a lapsed pilot may have forgotten everything and often shows up expecting rapid success (more magical thinking). This psychological expectation can be and important obstacle to success.
It is almost inevitable that when the total eclipse finally comes across Upstate NY where I live, I will be in Florida for training and flying another PPL flight test – 3600 and counting. For those addicted to aviation, the clock is always running and I am continually grateful for these 
A certain amount of stimulation improves human performance, elevating the senses and increasing our performance. Past this optimal performance peak, our ability to perceive, process, and perform deteriorates as the “fight or flight response” takes over. The activation of our sympathetic nervous system triages cognitive capacity to activate our “fight or flight mode.” In this state, the body progressively shuts down systems to optimize survival. This transformation is largely powered by the release of adrenaline and cortisol into the bloodstream. These hormones persist well past the 
point of initial stimulation and our ability to function at a higher cognitive level is essentially blacked out. The military studies these reactions carefully to optimize soldiers’ performance in combat and rates human reactions with a color code. Code yellow is “vigilant” and equates with “optimal performance.” We should seek to stay in this zone for safe flight. Past Code Red, sensory and cognitive performance are rapidly decreasing.
Safety in any field requires understanding accident trends but also digging deeper to reveal root causes. For example, the 
In aviation, we have a similar enigma. Though we have more real-time weather information on our phones and tablets (and commonly en route wx), most pilots seem to be ignorant of the larger forces behind the displays. Many pilots utilize surface weather information like a video game – “avoid and divert” – without understanding the larger atmospheric forces behind the displays. We resemble doctors treating the symptoms while ignoring the root causes; bad medicine. Modern pilots are not savvy analysts, they fly like mice in a maze – and many seem to be continually surprised as well. This is not strategic weather planning, it is reacting to surprises as they occur. This reveals a serious lack of weather knowledge and experience in our aviation community which is the root cause of most accidents.
There are several simple solutions, both for the pilot and for the educator. All these involve education and practice. If you want to be a savvy aviator, a good strategy is to analyze the aviation weather challenges every day; focus on the larger forces driving the weather. At a minimum, read the NWS 
“Hand flying” (no autopilot😳) is becoming increasingly rare during IFR (and even VFR) flying. We increasingly fly in a totally automated environment, and this deficit of hand-flying skill has huge safety implications when the “magic” fails. For all the hours professional pilots accumulate, less than 3% is probably “hand flown!”
