Flight time or block time is an
aviation term referring to the total amount of time spent piloting aircraft, and serves as the primary measure of a pilot's experience. Flight time is defined by
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as "The total time from the moment an aeroplane first moves for the purpose of taking off until the moment it finally comes to rest at the end of the flight",
and thus includes time spent
taxiing. It is colloquially referred to as "blocks to blocks" or "
chocks
Chock or Chocks may refer to:
Devices for preventing movement
* Wheel chock, tool to prevent accidental movement
* Chock (climbing), anchor
* Chock, component of a sailing block
Other uses
* Chock (surname)
* ''Chock'' (TV series), a Swedi ...
to chocks" time.
In commercial aviation, this means the time from pushing back at the departure
gate
A gate or gateway is a point of entry to or from a space enclosed by walls. The word derived from old Norse "gat" meaning road or path; But other terms include ''yett and port''. The concept originally referred to the gap or hole in the wall ...
to arriving at the destination gate.
Air time is defined as "the time from the moment an aircraft leaves the surface until it comes into contact with the surface at the next point of landing".
For
gliders without self-launch capability, flight time "commences when the glider is towed for the purpose of flight and ends when the glider comes to rest after landing."
For
helicopters, ICAO defines "flight time" as "The total time from the moment a helicopter's rotor blades start turning until the moment the helicopter finally comes to rest at the end of a flight and the rotor blades are stopped."
Recording flight time
Most government licensing regulations have specific flight hour requirements, as do virtually all airline job listings.
Consequently, all pilots maintain a
logbook
A logbook (or log book) is a record used to record states, events, or conditions applicable to complex machines or the personnel who operate them. Logbooks are commonly associated with the operation of aircraft, nuclear plants, particle accelera ...
, which is a legal document.
In
commercial aviation, flight time is recorded to the nearest minute. In
general aviation it is often rounded to the nearest 5 minutes or recorded in decimal rounded to the nearest 0.1 hour, which corresponds to the resolution of a typical
Hobbs meter, an odometer-like instrument installed in most light aircraft. In
commercial aviation, time is recorded to the nearest minute. Pilots record many details about their flight time, such as whether a flight occurred during the day or at night, in a single- or multi-engine aircraft, in visual or instrument conditions, and the pilot's role during the flight.
Legal decisions
In the United States, time spent de-icing between taxi and takeoff is considered flight time, even if the engines are shut down. If an aircraft becomes unserviceable during taxi, and a replacement aircraft is used, time spent taxiing the first aircraft is still included in the total flight time.
[https://www.boldmethod.com/learn-to-fly/regulations/logging-flight-time-on-the-ground/]
See also
*
Flight length
*
Endurance (aeronautics)
*
Pilot licensing and certification
Pilot licensing or certification refers to permits for operating aircraft. Flight crew licences are regulated by ICAO Annex 1 and issued by the civil aviation authority of each country. CAA’s have to establish that the holder has met a specifi ...
References
External links
Flight timeFlight calculatorFlight time calculatorBlock time vs flight timeEASA definitions
Terminology
Aircraft operations
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