Logging Simulator Sessions: Do Total Time, PIC and Night Count?
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Short answer: no. A simulator session is not flight time, so it does not go in your Total Time, PIC, Co-pilot or Night columns. Record it separately as a simulator session. It can still count towards some licence and rating requirements, but only within set limits.
Simulator hours are easy to log in the wrong place, and the mistake tends to surface at the worst moment: when an authority or airline checks your logbook. Here is how it works under EASA, UK and FAA rules.
Why simulator time is not flight time
Flight time is tied to a real aircraft. For aeroplanes under Part-FCL, it runs from the moment the aircraft first moves to take off until it finally comes to rest after the flight. A simulator never does either, however realistic the session.
The same logic applies to the columns that describe a flight. Night, PIC and Co-pilot time all break down flight time, so without flight time there is nothing to enter in them.
EASA and UK: what to record for a simulator session
The UK's Part-FCL rules share the same structure as EASA's, so the same approach applies to both. EASA calls simulators and other training devices FSTDs (flight simulation training devices). The logbook guidance in AMC1 FCL.050 lists separate details for each FSTD session:
- the type and qualification number of the training device
- the FSTD instruction
- the date
- the total time of the session
- the accumulated total time
In practice, the session time goes in the logbook's own FSTD Session column and keeps its own running total, apart from your flight time.
| Column | Flight | Simulator session |
|---|---|---|
| Total time of flight | Yes | No |
| PIC, Co-pilot, Dual | Yes, as applicable | No |
| Night and IFR | Yes, as applicable | No |
| FSTD session: type and total time | No | Yes |
Can simulator time count towards an ATPL?
Yes, but it is credited separately rather than added to your flight time. Under FCL.510.A, and the UK CAA's ATPL requirements, up to 100 of the 1,500 hours required for an ATPL(A) may be completed in an FFS or FNPT, and no more than 25 of those may be in an FNPT.
The 75 hours of instrument time in the same requirement can include up to 30 hours of instrument ground time. Keeping accurate FSTD records lets you claim both credits without having to reconstruct them later.
What about instructors and examiners?
Switzerland's FOCA, which follows EASA rules, says an instructor or examiner at the instructor station cannot count that time as PIC or total flight hours. One occupying a pilot seat may log time, within the limits of the FSTD's certificate. Other authorities may word this differently, so check with yours if this affects you.
FAA: what 14 CFR 61.51 says
The FAA also treats device time differently from flight time, although the logging rules are more flexible:
- Entries: for a lesson, record the device type and identification and the location where the lesson took place.
- Training time: time with an authorized instructor in a full flight simulator, flight training device or aviation training device can be logged as training time. The instructor must endorse it with a description of the training, its length and their signature.
- Instrument experience: device time can be used towards instrument experience for a certificate or rating if an authorized instructor is present to observe it and signs your logbook or training record.
- Instrument recency: device time can also satisfy instrument recency requirements if your record shows the device, the time and the content.
- PIC time: the PIC logging rules in 61.51(e) refer to aircraft, so don't enter simulator time as PIC flight time.
Each certificate and rating sets its own limit on how much device time can be credited, so check the requirement for the one you are working towards.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Adding simulator hours to total time. This overstates your flight time. Totals that don't reconcile can hold up a licence application or raise questions at an airline interview.
- Entering a session as PIC or Night. Even if you acted as commander during the exercise, it isn't PIC flight time.
- Leaving out the device details. "SIM 4:00" isn't enough for EASA, which expects the device type and qualification number.
- Claiming more credit than the rule allows. Keep FFS and FNPT sessions identifiable so you can show you are within the limits.
Logging simulator sessions in Logbook.aero
Add the device once under Data > Aircraft > Simulators. Log each session against that simulator rather than an aircraft, and it is marked as a simulator session. On EASA PDF exports, its time appears in the FSTD Session columns.
If you have imported older records, run the Logbook Audit with Simulator entries ticked. It finds simulator sessions with flight, night, function or multi-pilot time entered, so you can correct them before submitting your logbook.
Sources
- EASA Easy Access Rules for Aircrew: FCL.510.A
- UK CAA: Airline transport pilot licence for aeroplanes
- IAA PLAM.024 (reproduces the AMC1 FCL.050 list of FSTD details)
- FOCA GM/INFO: Logging of Flight Time
- 14 CFR 61.51: Pilot logbooks
This article is general guidance, not legal advice. Rules change and vary by authority, so check the current requirements with your own licensing authority.