That’s what I’ve been saying too, unless I mis-typed something.
I’m glad we agree with such fervor.
“Mess”? I think it’s kind of fun, but I’ve always had an unusual sense of “fun”.
I think the PIC logging rule, taken in context, is meant to deter what might be an easy way to get around the meager logging requirements for the commercial and other certificates, and dilute the level of experience those logging requirements are meant to achieve. Also, after you’ve got your ratings, logging is only required for currency, and for that time it makes sense to require you to actually be on the controls as well. You do not want to pencil-whip your logbook for the experience requirements for ratings or currency.
Otherwise, the FAA doesn’t care what you put in your logbook. When I’m PIC, I log it as PIC time - not for currency, but for logbook accuracy as to who was responsible for the flight. It’s my diary, and those are my rules. When I’m logging for currency, I follow the FAA’s logging rules.
Wally, I respectfully disagree. What you log must be “acceptable to the a\Administrator.” PIC time is required if you apply for a certificate or rating. If you were to use your version of PIC time, you may be reporting an inaccurate time. Also, your insurance company wants your hours, as does the FAA on your medical application.
I see no problem in keeping track of your version of PIC time, as long as you also have a record of the FAA’s version of it as required by 61.51.
It is best to try to use the FAA definition. You never know when you might want to add on another rating or certificate like a CFI, Commercial or an ATP. Every time I have added a rating, the DPE has gone almost line by line through my logbook and queried times on different aircraft to ensure my logbook was acurate, PIC, SIC time To ensure accuracy. I would almost make the case that with the complexity of the rules, after you have a few thousand hours in your logbook not having innocent mistakes in there is quite challenging. But best we can do is try to maintain consistency and be honest. It does get complicated though. I did a two hour cross country flight almost entirely in IMC, and let a very good VFR only pilot friend of mine manipulate the controls hand flying the whole trip. So we were IMC at 27,000 feet. He was not instrument rated, not high-performance endorsed, turbine experienced, or high-altitude endorsed, but the sole manipulator of the controls. I tried to figure out how to log that one, for both me and for him, and just gave up. The rules are convoluted. 
They may be convoluted, but in you case, the pilot flying may log PIC time. You may not.
Logging Pilot in Command Flight time.
FAR 61.51 (e)(1) A sport, recreational, private, commercial, or airline transport pilot may log pilot in command flight time for flights-**(i) When the pilot is the sole manipulator of the controls of an aircraft for which the pilot is rated, or has sport pilot privileges for that category and class of aircraft, if the aircraft class rating is appropriate;
Jeppesen has a fairly clear explanation:
Far Part 61.51 “Pilot logbooks” covers the logging of pilot time and section (e) addresses logging PIC time. A private or commercial pilot may log PIC time if that person is “the sole manipulator of the controls of an aircraft for which the pilot is rated” [61.51 (e)(1)(i)] Thus a non-instrument rated pilot taking instrument flight instruction, if rated in the aircraft, may log PIC based on the “sole manipulator of the controls” rule. Since there is nothing in the rules that addresses meteorological conditions, the pilot may log PIC while in the clouds. This is supported by FAA chief counsel opinions [Federal Regulations ExplainedJeppesen].
You, although you are the Pilot in Command for the flight, meaning that you have sole responsibility for the flight, may not log time at all. This is spelled out in FAR 61.51(e)(1)(iii):
When the pilot, except for a holder of a sport or recreational pilot certificate, acts as pilot in command of an aircraft for which more than one pilot is required under the type certification of the aircraft or the regulations under which the flight is conducted;
That means, as stated before, when in VMC while the pilot flying is under the hood, you may log PIC time because the regulations require 2 crew members. In IMC, no safety pilot is required, so only the pilot flying may log PIC time.
The problem, in my opinion, is that the FAA has more than one definition of Pilot in Command. One means the person manipulating the controls, and the other means the Captain. It would be clearer to change one of the definitions.
I agree of course. After all, in my post, I did say all FAA-required experience requirements must be logged in accordance with the regs. My post was about my logbook, and I’ve got all the ratings I need or want, and experience beyond anything required by any insurer or FSDO inspector. I don’t intend to present my logbook to anybody as proof of something it’s not.
As I also said, I always have and still do log currency requirements in accordance with the reg. In my “diary” it’s easy to pick out the necessary landings, approaches, maneuvers, etc. to demonstrate I’ve logged FAA-required currency in accordance with the rules. The rest is for me.
When I was a young guy building time and getting my slew of ratings to get an airline job when they were hard to get, I logged all time legally. I would advise anyone in that position today to do the same. If that wasn’t clear from my post, then it wasn’t written well enough.
I agree Charles. Back in the day when I was in your shoes building time for ratings I did not yet have, my logbook was kept strictly in accordance with the rules. That was a long time ago.
I agree with that. Oddly, I think it would impact an employer’s view of pilot experience as well. The FAA is looking for stick time with its definition of what you can log as PIC time, to memorialize that the guy applying for a certificate or rating, or claiming recency of experience, has the actual required stick time - that is, he can actually fly. Only a small part of that time required for ratings has to be logged as the guy in final authority of the flight, and the FAA calls that “solo” time.
An employer I think is more interested in time showing that the applicant has the desired experience being the person with final authority over the flight - that is, more like the FAA’s solo time. Time in charge of the plane, and ultimate responsibility for it, is more important to anyone hiring a captain to fly their family or customers around, with some confidence that the guy getting the job is actually comfortable with the responsibility. With two different definitions, it would be easier for the FAA and prospective employers both to find the experience each is looking for. But then, what really would be gained? The current half-baked definitions have worked to everyone’s satisfaction for decades, so maybe this is a just splitting irrelevant hairs when you take into account the big picture.
The FAA itself recognizes that in part, I think, with the way it allows airline pilots to legally log PIC time even when they are not getting stick time. That may be more for the airline’s own records, since for many guys who fly nothing else, once they get their final airliner job the logbook entries are made no more.