Flight time

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Flight time is the total time spent piloting an aircraft and is the main way pilots show their experience. The ICAO defines it as the time from when an aircraft first moves for takeoff until it comes to rest at the end of the flight. This includes taxiing and pre-flight checks if the engine is running. It’s often called blocks-to-blocks time.

Air time is different: it’s the time from when the aircraft leaves the surface to the moment it touches down at the next landing.

For special aircraft:
- Gliders without self-launch: flight time starts when towed and ends when it rests after landing.
- Helicopters: flight time starts when the rotor blades begin turning and ends when they stop.

Why it matters: licensing and airline jobs require flight hours, and pilots keep a logbook—the official record.

How it’s recorded:
- In commercial aviation, flight time is logged to the nearest minute.
- In general aviation, it’s often rounded to the nearest 5 minutes or written as decimal hours (0.1 hour), matching the typical Hobbs meter.

What pilots log: day or night flying, single-engine or multi-engine, visual or instrument conditions, and the pilot’s role (e.g., captain or first officer).

Regulatory limits (short overview):
- Europe (EASA): there are maximum flight-time limits per crew member.
- United States (FAA): limits vary by operation type. Part 121 rules (airline passenger service) are covered in Part 117 and include complex daily limits and rest rules to accommodate long flights (augmented operations) or multiple short flights without overnight rest (unaugmented).
- Some rules also count taxi time, de-icing, or delays as flight time.

Special notes:
- De-icing between taxi and takeoff counts as flight time, even if the engines are shut down.
- If the first aircraft becomes unserviceable and a replacement is used, the taxi time of the first aircraft still counts toward total flight time.