Flight time

For other uses, see Flight Time.

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.[1] 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",[2] and thus includes time spent taxiing and performing pre-flight checks on the ground, provided the engine is running. It is colloquially referred to as "blocks to blocks" or "chocks to chocks" time.[2] In commercial aviation, this means the time from pushing back at the departure gate to arriving at the destination gate.[3]

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".[4]

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."[5]

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."[4]

  1. ^ Wragg, David W. (1973). A Dictionary of Aviation (first ed.). Osprey. p. 234. ISBN 9780850451634.
  2. ^ a b "ICAO ADREP 2000 Taxonomy" (PDF).
  3. ^ "What is "Block Time" in Airline Schedules? Why Does it Matter?". Cirium. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
  4. ^ a b "Advisory Circular (AC) No. 700-052". 00000000. 9 August 2019. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  5. ^ "Definition: Flight time from 14 CFR § 1.1 | LII / Legal Information Institute". www.law.cornell.edu. Retrieved 31 January 2024.