Military 2P flight time?

[desertbug]

This may be kind of a weird one…. But I’m finally working on a General Aviation Instrument Rating and, common theme here ->, trying to get the most loggable hours for the $$$ with the family budget.

I’m in the military with weapons system/navigator training/experience. Flew “front seat” T-34’s back in ’96 for about 15 flights with instructor in the back (even flew aerobatics). Then on to the back seat for instrument training in the T-34 and right seat in the Beechjet (T-1).

Since then, hundreds of hours F/A-18, F-16, E-2C (and even the UH-1W Cobra….which is a trill a minute BTW!). Since I am a navigator/weapons systems guy, I cannot (and will not) log any as PIC.

I finally broke down and got my PPL SEL last winter and am working on instrument rating. I have been logging F-16 time (the only single-engine) in my GA logbook as 2P, dual received, etc. since there is flight controls/instruments and I will surely die just as fast as the guy in the front seat if either one of us drive into a mountain or another plane.

Question is, does it seem right/wrong to anybody to log the T-34 time from back in ’96 while I was up in the front at the controls? I understand that would not be PIC, but it WAS time on the stick and every hour counts (especially since baby on the way and I entered the military too long ago [‘83] to have a GI Bill for IFR training).

Also have plenty of multi-time in the bag (F/A-18, E-2C, E-2C full motion simulator), that I will be asking about once I can find a twin around here for that ticket too.

I’ve received a fair mix of “yes-but, yes, no, no-but” answers from all over, and the FAR’s address military PIC’s only (as far as I can find).

Thanks for any advice/wisdom/encouragement/donations!

[Denny of Oakland]

Contact your local FAA Flight Standard District Office FSDO and ask to speak with a Ops Inspector. They can assist you directly by going over you military records and alot of the flight time can be counted. Look in the white pages of the telephone book and contact the nearest one or you can contact me at (510) 748-0122 ext. 246 and I can hook you up with one of the Oakland FSDO types.

Denny