One of the requirements for a Commercial ASEL is the long cross country requirement:
61.129(a)(4)(i) One cross-country flight of not less than 300 nautical miles total distance, with landings at a minimum of three points, one of which is a straight-line distance of at least 250 nautical miles from the original departure point.
However, I can’t find where / if the FAA draws a distinction between what constitutes one flight vs. multiple flights.
Hypothetically, if a candidate had the following entries in their logbook, would the FAA consider them having the appropriate experience?
12/23: N1234, XXX → YYY → ZZZ, with landings at YYY and ZZZ.
12/26: N1234, ZZZ → YYY → XXX, with landings at YYY and XXX.
The three airports lay roughly in a straight line, with XXX and ZZZ about 430 NM apart and YYY roughly in the middle. Additionally, the two flights are contiguous in the logbook with no intervening flights and occur in the same aircraft, and the aircraft was not otherwise flown between arriving at ZZZ on 12/23 and departing on 12/26.
Clearly, if the same flight had been performed on a single day and logged on one line, it would satisfy 61.129(a)(4)(i). Would you as an endorsing CFI or testing DPE count the two flights as one to meet (a)(4)(i) or not, and why?
12/23: N1234, XXX → YYY → ZZZ, with landings at YYY and ZZZ.
12/26: N1234, ZZZ → YYY → XXX, with landings at YYY and XXX.
The three airports lay roughly in a straight line, with XXX and ZZZ about 430 NM apart and YYY roughly in the middle.
If YYY is approximately NOT in the middle and the distance from YYY to XXX or ZZZ is 250 miles and not 215 miles (middle) then it would satisfy 61.129(a)(4)(i). The issue is the distance and not the time.
How so? The reg requires “one of which is a straight-line distance of at least 250 nautical miles from the original departure point”
ZZZ is well over 250 NM straight line from XXX, the original departure point. The reg doesn’t say any one leg has to be > 250 NM.
The time matters, if it matters, because you need three landings, and each day only has two. However, the whole round trip has landings at three distinct airports.
Sorry, My bad.
The flight therefore should qualify. Would the flight be disqualified, if for example, the ZZZ FBO were closed for Christmas and the PIC had no way to refuel before leaving?
Assume the pilot always intended to depart on 12/23, stay in the ZZZ area for 2 days, and return on 12/26, and therefore your answer is No, the two flights cannot be considered one larger round-trip X/C for the purposes of meeting the experience requirement of the commercial certificate, and each individual flight is one landing short.
If the flight was originally dispatched to depart AND return on 12/23, but for some reason outside the pilot’s control the return legs got delayed: the FBO closed early on Christmas Eve Eve and the plane couldn’t legally fly to any other airport with the required fuel reserves; the plane had some equipment malfunction on the last leg that the PIC wanted (or was required) fixed before departing again; or unforecast weather showed up along the route back, would you as the DPE disqualify the flight and require the candidate to redo a potentially expensive X/C to meet the letter of the regulation?
It seems to me the scenario as planned and flown meets the spirit of the requirement, but the letter of the requirement hinges on a DPE’s definition of a single flight. Thus, I’m curious for how others would interpret this case.
As a CFI, this would NOT count for the long x/c requirements. The 250 nm is required for one of the legs, usually the first one. We have had many people who have been turned down for their commercial checkride because they do not have the 250nm distance between their two points, on one flight. This is not only per our DPE, but also from our Part 141 POI.
