Logging co-pilot and cruise relief time under CASA Part 61
Checked against the sources below on 29 October 2026. How these guides are written
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Under CASR 61.085 you log co-pilot time for any period in which you perform co-pilot duties, other than as ICUS, in an aircraft that the Regulations require to be flown by at least 2 pilots. Co-pilot time is flight time as a pilot (61.080) and counts in full toward totals such as the aeroplane ATPL's 1,400 hours, but not toward its PIC or ICUS limbs. In a single-pilot certificated aircraft, co-pilot time is loggable only under the CASA EX32/24 permissible co-pilot exemption, which runs to 31 May 2027.
- Co-pilot time
- Co-pilot duties, other than ICUS, in an aircraft required to be flown by at least 2 pilots
- The period you perform those duties
- 61.085
- Credit toward licences
- Counts as flight time as a pilot, in full
- Totals worded as flight time as a pilot
- 61.080(d)
- Permissible co-pilot time
- Co-pilot duties in a multi-pilot capable, single-pilot certificated aircraft, under an AOC holder's multi-crew procedures
- Instrument repealed at the end of 31 May 2027
- CASA EX32/24, Part 2
- Multi-crew cooperation
- Approved MCC course before using a PPL or CPL in a multi-crew operation
- On and after 1 September 2015
- 61.510, 61.575
- Cruise relief co-pilot rating
- Operator with an approved training and checking system; at or above FL200
- Each flight
- 61.835(1)
- Cruise relief recency
- 2 h simulated flight as co-pilot, the rating flight test, or use of the rating in an aircraft, plus training and checking participation
- Previous 90 days
- 61.840(1)
What CASA counts as co-pilot time
61.085 reads: "A person's flight time as a co-pilot is any period, during flight in an aircraft that, under these Regulations, must be flown with a flight crew of at least 2 pilots, in which the person is performing co-pilot duties other than as pilot in command under supervision." The Dictionary defines a co-pilot as a pilot on board "in a piloting capacity other than: (a) the pilot in command; or (b) a pilot who is on board the aircraft for the sole purpose of receiving flight training".
Two tests follow. The aircraft or operation must require two pilots, and you must be doing co-pilot duties at the time. A pilot under training on a line or type rating flight who is there only to receive training logs dual, and a pilot doing all the PIC duties under an authorised supervisor logs ICUS. CASA's logbook page says the same: co-pilot time "refers to time flown in aircraft that must be operated by at least 2 pilots".
Two pilots in a single-pilot certificated aircraft
In a single-pilot certificated aircraft, CASA's page says a second pilot "does not automatically have a loggable capacity" unless they are PIC, PICUS or receiving flight training. The exception for commercial operators is CASA EX32/24, in force as Compilation No. 6 from 6 August 2026 and repealed at the end of 31 May 2027.
Part 2 of EX32/24 covers a "multi-pilot capable aircraft": certificated for single-pilot operations, not required to be flown by 2 pilots, and fitted with 2 flight control seats and flight instruments usable from either seat. Its note lists Metro series aeroplanes, the BE1900, DO228, AW139 and S-76 as examples. A "permitted co-pilot" in a multi-crew operation run by an AOC holder may record "permissible co-pilot time", meaning time spent performing co-pilot duties under the multi-crew procedures in the operator's operations manual or exposition.
Section 10 requires you to record that time "as soon as practicable after completing each flight" as if it were flight time under 61.345. Section 7 lets you count it toward an ATPL in the same aircraft category as co-pilot time. Check the instrument is still in force on the day you log the flight and on the day you apply.
How co-pilot time credits toward the ATPL
61.080(d) puts co-pilot time inside flight time as a pilot, at full value. Part 61 has no halving rule, whatever older logbooks or forum posts say. For the aeroplane ATPL, co-pilot time counts toward the 1,500 hours of aeronautical experience, the 1,400 hours as a pilot, the 750 hours as pilot of an aeroplane, the 200 hours of cross-country "in an aeroplane" and the 100 hours at night "as pilot of an aeroplane, other than dual flight" (61.705(1)).
It does not count toward the command limbs. 61.705(1)(c) needs 500 hours ICUS, or 250 hours PIC or ICUS with at least 70 hours PIC, and 61.705(1)(e) needs 100 hours of cross-country as PIC or ICUS. A first officer's line hours fill the totals, and the ICUS hours under an operator's training and checking system fill the command limb.
Multi-crew work also needs the multi-crew cooperation course. On and after 1 September 2015, a PPL or CPL holder may exercise the licence in a multi-crew operation only after completing an approved MCC course (61.510, 61.575), and 61.700(3)(e) makes it a requirement for the ATPL.
Cruise relief and augmented crews
A cruise relief co-pilot type rating lets you act as co-pilot of the specified type without the full pilot type rating (61.375(6)), only for an operator whose training and checking system holds a 61.040 approval and "only while the aircraft is at flight level 200 or above" (61.835(1)). To use it, 61.840(1) requires successful participation in that system and, within the previous 90 days, at least 2 hours of simulated flight time as co-pilot, the rating flight test, or use of the rating in an aircraft.
For logging, the wording of the two definitions differs. 61.085 counts "any period" in which you perform co-pilot duties, so time in the crew rest bunk is outside it on the text. 61.090 makes PIC time the duration of the flight for which you are PIC, with no carve-out for rest. If your operator's procedures set a narrower rule, follow them, and ask CASA where the two disagree.
Mistakes pilots make
- Logging co-pilot time as the second pilot in a single-pilot certificated aircraft outside an EX32/24 multi-crew operation. CASA says that pilot has no loggable capacity unless PIC, PICUS or under training.
- Logging the whole block as cruise relief co-pilot, bunk rest included. 61.085 counts the period in which you perform co-pilot duties.
- Halving co-pilot time because an older logbook or forum post says so. Part 61 credits it in full as flight time as a pilot.
- Counting first officer hours toward the ATPL's PIC or ICUS limbs. Only PIC and ICUS fill 61.705(1)(c) and (e).
- Logging co-pilot on a flight where you were on board only to receive training. The Dictionary excludes that pilot from the co-pilot definition, so the time is dual.
What Off Chocks tracks
- The CASA form has two co-pilot seats: First Officer, and Second Officer for relief flying. Both print under the Co-Pilot columns of the CASA logbook, split single-engine and multi-engine, day and night.
- In the First Officer or Second Officer seat, the Break (out of your seat) row takes your rest time off the credited total. The Command seat has no Break row.
- Licence progress counts co-pilot time toward the ATPL totals and keeps it out of the PIC and PICUS lines. Off Chocks does not check whether a flight met the EX32/24 conditions; that call is yours and your operator's.
Common questions
- Does co-pilot time count in full toward the Australian ATPL?
- Yes toward the totals: 61.080(d) makes it flight time as a pilot with no reduction, so it counts toward the 1,500, 1,400 and 750 hours, the 200 hours of cross-country and the 100 hours of night. It does not count toward the PIC or ICUS requirements in 61.705(1)(c) and (e).
- Can I log co-pilot time in a single-pilot certificated aircraft?
- Only as permissible co-pilot time under CASA EX32/24: a multi-pilot capable aircraft, a multi-crew operation by an AOC holder, and co-pilot duties under the operator's multi-crew procedures. The instrument is repealed at the end of 31 May 2027.
- Do I need a full type rating to fly cruise relief?
- No. A cruise relief co-pilot type rating is enough to act as co-pilot of that type (61.375(6)), with an approved operator and at or above FL200 (61.835).
- How do I stay current as a cruise relief co-pilot?
- Take part in the operator's approved training and checking system and, within the previous 90 days, do at least 2 hours of simulated flight as co-pilot, pass the rating flight test, or use the rating in an aircraft (61.840(1)).
- Do landings I monitor as co-pilot count for passenger recency?
- No. 61.395 counts take-offs and landings you conduct while controlling the aircraft or simulator. The Off Chocks guide "CASA recency rules: CASR 61.395, 61.870 and the flight reviews" covers the detail.
Sources
- Civil Aviation Safety Regulations 1998, Compilation No. 103 (in force from 29 September 2026), Part 61 and Dictionary
- CASA: Flight crew logbooks (last updated 20 October 2026)
- CASA EX32/24, Flight Crew Licensing and Other Matters (Miscellaneous Exemptions) Instrument 2024, Compilation No. 6 (in force 6 August 2026)
This is a plain-words summary to help you keep your own records, not legal advice. The regulation and your operator's procedures always take precedence.