Can a safety pilot acting as PIC also log cross country time? I am working on my instrument rating and I need to build up both my instrument time and Cross Country time to meet the requirements.  I am planning on making most of that time by flying with a friend who I will switch off between hood time and safety pilot.  We are planning on doing lots of cross country hood time to meet our hours.  Also the safety pilot will be designated PIC so that we can claim PIC time as safety pilot.  

We need to build 50 hours PIC cross country time so my question is can the safety pilot, if they are designated PIC for the flight, claim cross-country time even if they are not touching the controls for that flight?
The safety pilot cannot log cross-country time.

The FAA has issued a Legal Interpretation (Gebhart) that clarifies the FAR.


  Section 61.65(d) contemplates that only the pilot conducting the
  entire flight, including takeoff, landing, and en route flight, as a
  required flight crewmember may log cross-country flight time. Because
  a safety pilot does not conduct the entire flight, a person acting as
  a safety pilot for a portion of the flight may not log any
  cross-country flight time for the flight.