Peter wrote:
That needs an FAA CFII which is a lot more work than the CFI. The DPE who did my IR checkride, the late John Walkup, said the CFII is harder than the ATP.
Actually, the easiest FAA check ride is the CFII. CFI have a high rate of failure, but for CFII, it is very rare to fail. The knowledge exam is from the same question set as the instrument knowledge exam, but it is only 50 questions in comparison to 60 for the instrument.
“A safety pilot does not need to act as PIC …”
The pilot who lacks a current medical but wishes to maintain instrument currency, other than in a training device, will need the safety pilot to act as PIC.
If the actual flight is in VMC then the PIC does not need a valid IR.
One previous thread. Some interesting people in that thread 
But this is country dependent. In the UK, Class G, any PPL can legally fly some IAP. Even on the PMD. And with a valid IMCR it is beyond any question.
There may be countries where an IR is required to ask for an IAP, but I have never seen a reference to it.
Also you can fly the trajectory of an IAP under VFR and I would argue you can log it as an IAP. Examples might include the mountain airport IAPs like Bolzano or Lugano which require special crew clearance. It makes perfect sense to fly those on a VFR flight.
Opinions?
Qalupalik wrote:
The pilot who lacks a current medical but wishes to maintain instrument currency, other than in a training device, will need the safety pilot to act as PIC.
True, but the real issue is that a pilot without a current medical can’t act as PIC, regardless of what they are doing if they are flying the aircraft. It does not matter if they are just the sole manipulator of the controls, doing takeoffs and landings for currency, or practicing using simulated instrument conditions. In all these cases, the pilot without a medical is unable to act as PIC and there needs to be an appropriately rated and current pilot who must act as PIC for the flight. IOW, it is not a requirement for a safety pilot to be PIC, it is a requirement for there to be a pilot who is acting as PIC to conduct any flight. As long as the pilot without a current medical is rated in the category and class, they may log any time as PIC that they are the sole manipulator of the control whether or not they may act as PIC.
Have you missed the context of my initial comment on this scenario?
If you scroll up to post 5, you’ll see Peter G claimed that an IPC will eventually be needed. Responding in post 6, Peter H suggests this would be necessary only after many months with a lapsed medical.
As you know, instrument currency can be maintained without the rating holder needing to act as PIC. Whilst it’s not the usual scenario, nothing precludes the SP acting as PIC. The SP acting as PIC is merely a legal convenience for the pilot whose instrument currency is being maintained, since they cannot act as PIC without a valid medical. The SMOC flight time recording rule is irrelevant here.
As I also mentioned, a pilot with a lapsed medical may maintain instrument currency in a training device.
The bottom line is that a lapsed medical does not in itself require an IPC. The pilot still has two avenues left before needing one.
