Logging simulator time with the FAA: what FFS, FTD and ATD count
Checked against the sources below on 29 October 2026. How these guides are written
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Time in a full flight simulator, flight training device or aviation training device is never flight time under 14 CFR 1.1. It is pilot time when an authorised instructor gives the training (61.1), and you log it on its own line with the device's type and identification (61.51(b)). Part 61 caps the credit: 2.5 hours toward a private certificate, 20 hours of instrument time for the instrument rating, 50 hours toward a commercial certificate and 100 toward the ATP, with higher limits in Part 142 courses.
- Private pilot
- FFS or FTD 2.5 h toward flight training (5 h in a Part 142 course)
- From an instructor
- 61.109(k)
- Instrument rating
- FFS or FTD 20 h (30 h Part 142); basic ATD 10 h; advanced ATD 20 h; 20 h combined
- From an instructor
- 61.65(h), (i), (j)
- Commercial pilot
- FFS or FTD 50 h toward total (100 h Part 142), airplane; 25 h (50 h) helicopter
- Device represents the class; from an instructor
- 61.129(i)
- ATP airplane
- 100 h FFS or FTD toward 1,500 h; 25 h toward 75 h instrument (50 h Part 142); 25 h FFS toward 50 h class time
- Approved course rules apply
- 61.159(a)(3), (4), (6)
- IFR currency
- Any mix of aircraft, FFS, FTD or ATD representing the category
- 6 calendar months
- 61.57(c)(2)
- Takeoff and landing currency
- FFS or FTD approved for landings (night: FFS, visual set to night) in a Part 142 course
- Preceding 90 days
- 61.57(a)(3), (b)(2)
- IPC
- Aircraft, FFS or FTD representative of the category
- When IFR currency has lapsed over 6 months
- 61.57(d)(2)
Flight time, pilot time and training time
14 CFR 1.1 defines flight time as "Pilot time that commences when an aircraft moves under its own power for the purpose of flight and ends when the aircraft comes to rest after landing". A device session is never flight time. 61.1 defines pilot time to include time in which a person "Receives training from an authorized instructor in an aircraft, full flight simulator, flight training device, or aviation training device" or gives that training as an instructor.
The devices are defined terms. 1.1 calls an FFS "a replica of a specific type; or make, model, and series aircraft cockpit" with a visual system and at least three-degree-of-freedom motion cues, and an FTD a replica of the instruments, equipment, panels and controls, with no visual or motion requirement in its definition. 61.1 defines an aviation training device as "a training device, other than a full flight simulator or flight training device, that has been evaluated, qualified, and approved by the Administrator". 61.4(a) requires a simulator or FTD used for credit to be qualified and approved for that training and the aircraft it represents.
61.51(b) tells you what to record: the "Type and identification of aircraft, full flight simulator, flight training device, or aviation training device", the location of the lesson, "Training received in a full flight simulator, flight training device, or aviation training device from an authorized instructor", and simulated instrument conditions in the device.
Where device time goes in the logbook and on the 8710-1
Keep device time in its own column. AC 61-136B says instructors using an ATD "are required to log the time as dual instruction and as basic aviation training device (BATD) or advanced aviation training device (AATD) time", that "Any columns that reference flight time should remain blank", and that "ATD time can only be logged as Instruction Received (Dual), Instrument Time, or Total Time as reflected on the pilot time section of FAA Form 8710-1".
The 8710-1 follows the same pattern for all three devices. Its FFS, FTD and ATD rows shade the Solo, PIC and SIC and cross-country boxes, and the instructions say device time "may be credited towards the total time in the category, class, and instrument time as permitted by the regulations". Examiners are told to ask for each ATD's letter of authorization, so keep a copy.
Limits for certificates and ratings
Private: 61.109(k) credits "a maximum of 2.5 hours of training in a full flight simulator or flight training device" toward the flight training time, or 5 hours in a Part 142 course. Instrument: 20 hours in an FFS or FTD (30 under Part 142), 10 in a basic ATD, 20 in an advanced ATD, and 20 for any combination outside Part 142 (61.65(h) to (j)).
Commercial: outside Part 142, 61.129(i)(1) credits "a maximum of 50 hours toward the total aeronautical experience requirements for an airplane or powered-lift rating" in an FFS or FTD that represents the class sought, 100 hours in a Part 142 course. The FAA Chief Counsel told Fihmi Rossman in 2012 that 40 hours in an FTD representing a single-engine airplane could not count toward the total for a multiengine commercial rating.
ATP airplane: 61.159(a)(6) allows "Not more than 100 hours" of the 1,500 in an FFS or FTD as part of an approved course under parts 121, 135, 141 or 142. Of the 75 hours of instrument time, no more than 25 may be simulated instrument time in an FFS or FTD, or 50 in a Part 142 course (61.159(a)(4)). Of the 50 hours in class, 25 may be FFS training in an approved course, and "A flight training device or aviation training device may not be used" (61.159(a)(3)).
Currency, flight reviews and IPCs in a device
Instrument currency is the most flexible. 61.57(c)(2) lets you fly the six approaches, holding, and intercepting and tracking in an FFS, FTD or ATD that "represents the category of aircraft", and "in any combination" with the aircraft. Since Amendment 61-142 (June 2018) no instructor has to watch: 61.51(g)(5) needs only "a logbook or training record ... to specify the training device, time, and the content." Device time toward a rating still needs an instructor's signature (61.51(g)(4)).
Takeoffs and landings are narrower. Day currency in a device needs an FFS or FTD "Approved by the Administrator for landings" used in a Part 142 course (61.57(a)(3)); night currency needs an FFS approved for takeoffs and landings with its visual system set to night, also in a Part 142 course (61.57(b)(2)). A flight review in a device must be in a Part 142 course (61.56(i)).
The IPC rule names an aircraft, or "a full flight simulator or flight training device that is representative of the aircraft category" (61.57(d)(2)). AC 61-136B says the FAA specifies in an advanced ATD's letter of authorization the credit it allows, including for the IPC, so read the LOA before you book an IPC in one.
Mistakes pilots make
- Adding device time to total flight time or PIC. A device session is not flight time, and the 8710-1 shades the PIC and SIC boxes on every device row.
- Counting solo practice in a club simulator toward a rating. With no instructor present and signing it earns no rating credit (61.51(g)(4)), though it still counts for IFR currency.
- Using single-engine FTD time toward a multiengine commercial certificate. 61.129(i) needs a device representing the class sought.
- Stacking device instrument time past 20 hours for the instrument rating outside a Part 142 course. 61.65(j) caps any combination of devices at 20.
- Counting FTD or ATD time toward the ATP's 50 hours in class. 61.159(a)(3) allows only FFS training in an approved course.
What Off Chocks tracks
- Logs a simulator session with its device type (FFS, FTD, BIT for a basic instrument trainer, or Other) and device ID, and keeps sim time out of total time, PIC and the other flight columns.
- Licence progress caps device credit at 50 hours toward the commercial 250, 100 toward the ATP 1,500, 20 hours of device instrument time toward the instrument rating and 25 toward the ATP's 75. It does not apply the higher Part 142 limits or tell a basic ATD from an advanced one.
- Takeoff and landing currency counts an FFS session on its own; an FTD or other device counts only if you mark it approved for landings. The 8710-1 summary puts BIT sessions on the ATD row.
Common questions
- Does simulator time count as total time under FAA rules?
- Not as flight time. It is pilot time when an instructor gives the training, logged in its own column, and Part 61 credits set amounts toward certificate totals.
- Do I need an instructor to log simulator approaches for IFR currency?
- No. 61.51(g)(5) needs a record of the device, time and content. An instructor must be present and sign only when the time counts toward a certificate or rating (61.51(g)(4)).
- Can I log PIC in a simulator?
- PIC under 61.51(e) is flight time, which a device session is not. The 8710-1 shades the PIC and SIC boxes on its FFS, FTD and ATD rows.
- How many simulator hours count toward the 1,500-hour ATP?
- Up to 100 hours in an FFS or FTD as part of an approved course under parts 121, 135, 141 or 142 (61.159(a)(6)).
- Can I do an IPC in an aviation training device?
- 61.57(d)(2) names an aircraft, an FFS or an FTD. AC 61-136B says an advanced ATD's letter of authorization sets any IPC credit, so check the LOA first.
Sources
- 14 CFR 61.51 Pilot logbooks (eCFR, up to date as of 27 Oct 2026)
- 14 CFR 61.57 Recent flight experience: Pilot in command (eCFR)
- 14 CFR 61.129 Aeronautical experience, commercial pilot (eCFR)
- 14 CFR 61.159 Aeronautical experience: Airplane category rating, ATP (eCFR)
- FAA Advisory Circular 61-136B: FAA Approval of Aviation Training Devices and Their Use for Training and Experience
- FAA Chief Counsel legal interpretation to Fihmi Rossman (13 Dec 2012), FTD credit under 61.129(i)
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.