How to log PIC and ICUS (PICUS) 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 Part 61 you log PIC for the whole flight when you are the designated pilot in command (61.090), and only one pilot logs PIC. You log ICUS (PICUS) when you hold a pilot licence, do all the PIC duties, and either an operator with training and checking responsibilities has authorised the PIC to supervise you, or an instructor or examiner supervises you while you receive no training (61.095). For the aeroplane ATPL you need 500 hours ICUS, or 250 hours PIC or ICUS including 70 hours PIC (61.705).
- PIC
- You are the pilot designated by the operator as in command
- Duration of the flight
- 61.090, Dictionary
- ICUS, operator route
- Pilot licence, all PIC duties, PIC authorised by an operator with training and checking responsibilities to supervise you
- Duration of the flight
- 61.095(1), (2)
- ICUS, instructor route
- Pilot licence, all PIC duties, supervised by a flight instructor or examiner, no training received
- Duration of the flight
- 61.095(1), (3)
- Dual
- You receive flight training from a flight instructor
- Time spent receiving training
- 61.345(3)(f)(iv)
- ATPL aeroplane, command time
- 500 h ICUS, or 250 h PIC or ICUS including at least 70 h PIC
- Total aeronautical experience
- 61.705(1)(c)
- ATPL aeroplane, cross-country
- 100 h cross-country as PIC or ICUS, within 200 h cross-country
- Total aeronautical experience
- 61.705(1)(d), (e)
Who logs PIC
The CASR Dictionary defines the pilot in command as "the pilot designated by the operator of the aircraft as being in command and charged with the safe conduct of the flight". 61.090 makes PIC time "the duration of a flight for which the person is the pilot in command of the aircraft". CASA's logbook page says: "Only one pilot can log PIC for any given flight."
CASA's page covers two pilots in a single-pilot certificated aircraft: each pilot logs only the role they carried out. "A second pilot who is not PIC and is not receiving instruction cannot log flight time." An instructor giving instruction may log PIC while the other pilot logs dual, and a safety pilot who keeps a lookout logs PIC only if they are the designated PIC, so agree who that is before you start the engine.
When you can log ICUS
61.095(1) makes a flight ICUS time when "(a) the person holds a pilot licence; and (b) the person performs all the duties of the pilot in command for the flight", and one of two routes applies. Under 61.095(2), the flight is conducted by an operator that has training and checking responsibilities and the PIC "is authorised by the operator or the operator's Part 142 operator to conduct the supervision of the person". Under 61.095(3), "the person is supervised by a flight instructor or flight examiner" and "the person is not receiving flight training".
The licence test is any pilot licence: Part 61 lists the RPL, PPL, CPL, MPL and ATPL. The 61.010 definition of pilot in command under supervision excludes a student pilot. An older answer attributed to CASA, still quoted on forums, limits ICUS to commercial licence holders and logs co-pilot time at half; the current compilation contains neither rule.
CASA applies the instructor route to checks. Its flight reviews page says: "If you do not receive training during the flight review, log the flight time as 'pilot-in-command under supervision' as per Part 61.095(3) of CASR." Its logbook page adds that you must carry out all PIC duties, that any part of the review where you receive training is dual, and that the same applies to endorsement check flights and flight tests.
How ICUS counts toward your licences
61.080 makes "flight time as a pilot" the total of solo time, time receiving training, instructor and examiner time, PIC time, ICUS time and co-pilot time. ICUS therefore counts in full toward any requirement worded as flight time as a pilot, such as the aeroplane ATPL's 1,400 hours (61.705(1)(a)).
Where Part 61 lets ICUS stand in for command time, it says so. The aeroplane ATPL asks for "at least 500 hours of flight time in an aeroplane as pilot in command under supervision", or "at least 250 hours of flight time in an aeroplane as pilot in command or pilot in command under supervision, of which at least 70 hours must be as pilot in command" (61.705(1)(c)), and 100 hours of cross-country as PIC or ICUS (61.705(1)(e)). The helicopter ATPL asks for 250 hours PIC or ICUS and, separately, 70 hours PIC (61.710(1)(c), (d)).
The aeroplane CPL rules read differently. 61.590(1)(b) and 61.610(1)(b) ask for flight time "as pilot in command of an aeroplane", and the 20 hours of cross-country is "as pilot in command"; the instrument rating's 50 hours of cross-country in 61.885(5)(a) uses the same words. None of those paragraphs mentions ICUS. Before you count ICUS toward them, get a written answer from your flight training provider or CASA.
What to write in the entry
61.345(3)(f) asks for the flight time in each capacity, so an ICUS flight goes in its own column, separate from PIC. Part 61 and CASA's logbook page set no countersignature for ICUS, and 61.345 does not require the PIC's name in a pilot's logbook. Your operator's procedures may require both.
Name the supervising pilot in the entry anyway. It is your evidence that 61.095(2) or (3) applied if CASA, an employer or a licence assessor asks how you reached your command hours.
Mistakes pilots make
- Logging ICUS on a training flight. If the instructor is training you, the time is dual; ICUS under 61.095(3) needs no training received.
- Logging PIC as the second pilot in a single-pilot aircraft when you were not the designated PIC. CASA says that pilot cannot log flight time unless receiving instruction.
- Reading the ATPL's 250-hour limb as 250 hours of ICUS. It needs at least 70 of those hours as PIC.
- Counting ICUS toward the CPL's PIC hours without checking. 61.590 and 61.610 say pilot in command and do not mention ICUS.
- Logging ICUS as a student pilot. The definition excludes student pilots, and 61.095 requires a pilot licence.
What Off Chocks tracks
- The CASA seat list is Command, First Officer, Second Officer, PICUS and Dual Received, and the CASA printed logbook has its own I.C.U.S. columns for single-engine and multi-engine, day and night.
- Licence progress counts CPL PIC hours and CPL cross-country from the Command seat only, and the ATPL's 100 hours of cross-country from Command plus PICUS.
- The ATPL command bar tests both limbs of 61.705(1)(c), 500 hours ICUS or 250 hours PIC or ICUS with at least 70 hours PIC, from your Command and PICUS time in aeroplanes, and names the limb you are closest to.
Common questions
- Can I log PICUS during a flight review?
- CASA says yes if you receive no training and carry out all PIC duties. Any part of the review where you receive training is logged as dual. The same applies to endorsement check flights and flight tests.
- Does ICUS count as PIC time for the CPL?
- 61.590 and 61.610 ask for flight time as pilot in command and do not mention ICUS, while 61.705 names ICUS expressly for the ATPL. Get a written answer from your flight training provider or CASA before relying on ICUS for CPL PIC hours.
- Can two pilots both log PIC on the same flight?
- No. CASA's logbook page says only one pilot can log PIC for any given flight.
- Can a safety pilot log time in Australia?
- Only in a role Part 61 allows. CASA says a safety pilot who keeps a lookout logs PIC only if they are the designated PIC, and cannot log dual instrument time.
- How much ICUS do I need for the ATPL?
- For aeroplanes, 500 hours ICUS, or 250 hours PIC or ICUS with at least 70 hours PIC, plus 100 hours of cross-country as PIC or ICUS (61.705(1)(c), (e)).
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: Flight reviews (last updated 6 November 2025)
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.