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FAA — United States
Federal Aviation Administration. Verified Last confirmed against primary sources on 2026-07-17.
Governing rule. 14 CFR § 61.51 “Pilot logbooks”; definitions at § 61.1 (cross-country) and § 1.1 (night)
Night
End of evening civil twilight to the beginning of morning civil twilight. (14 CFR § 1.1)
Command time
Sole manipulator. You log command when you are sole manipulator of an aircraft you are rated for. Two people can log command for the same flight. There is no PICUS concept. (14 CFR § 61.51(e))
Cross-country
Landing at a point other than departure, using navigation. Credit thresholds vary: over 50 NM for most, 25 NM sport/rec/rotorcraft, 15 NM powered parachute, 50 NM without landing for the ATP. (14 CFR § 61.1(b)(3))
Instrument time
Logged only when flying solely by reference to instruments — actual or simulated. Time on an IFR flight plan in visual conditions is not instrument time. (14 CFR § 61.51(g))
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Questions
FAA — asked and answered
How does the FAA define night, and is it the same as night-landing currency?
No — and this is the most common error in the regulation. Night for logging runs from the end of evening civil twilight to the beginning of morning civil twilight (§ 1.1). Night-landing currency uses a different window entirely: one hour after sunset to one hour before sunrise (§ 61.57(b)). Two definitions, same regulation, different purposes.
Can two pilots both log pilot-in-command time on the same FAA flight?
Yes. Under § 61.51(e) the sole manipulator of an aircraft they are rated for may log command time, and so may the pilot acting as pilot-in-command. Logging command is not the same as acting as command.
Does time under an IFR flight plan count as FAA instrument time?
Not on its own. § 61.51(g) counts only time flown solely by reference to instruments, whether actual or simulated. Flying IFR in visual conditions is not instrument time — which is where the FAA and EASA diverge, because EASA does carry an IFR operational-condition column.