Proper Way to Enter Round Trips in Logbook??

VWGhiaBob

Line Up and Wait
Joined
Mar 17, 2013
Messages
884
Display Name

Display name:
VWGhiaBob
I am cleaning up my logbook for IFR and have a question.

If I fly to an airport, land, have lunch, and then return, do I list this as one line in the logbook or two? Does it matter?

Example...fly KWHP to KAVX 51 NM. Have lunch. Return KWHP. List as two entries:

KWHP KAVX 1 hour Cross country
KAVX KWHP 1 hour Cross country

Or

KWHP - KAVX - KWHP 2 hours cross country
 
Whichever blows your cork! Some do it either way, or one of the ways. Do what ya wanna do!
 
My technique has always been takeoff to landing is one line. But then again, I grew up logging sorties. Not sure why you would log it any other way.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
the latter is my choice.....with very little to no explanation for why and who went on the burger run.

12/15 BE35 N123XY KWHP - KAVX - KWHP 2.1 hrs, 2 lndgs, .....etc.
 
I think the correct way is to log it as two lines in the book. Otherwise, it could be misinterpreted if you were going for an advanced rating which requires certain XC distances.

But saying that, I have indeed logged short hops to and from, indicating full stop landings in remarks.
 
I honestly don't think it matters. I've seen both. Personally, I like to log each leg separately, by that is entirely a personal preference.
 
Whatever, it's all good.

I usually make a new entry if I shut down.
 
Very simple solution

If round-trip flight is flown in one day, I log it as one flight

Ex. ABC-XYZ-ABC

If one leg is flown one day and the return is flown the following day:

Ex. Jan. 1 ABC-XYZ
Jan. 2 XYZ-ABC
 
Very simple solution

If round-trip flight is flown in one day, I log it as one flight

Ex. ABC-XYZ-ABC

If one leg is flown one day and the return is flown the following day:

Ex. Jan. 1 ABC-XYZ
Jan. 2 XYZ-ABC

Im with him.

Method 1 gets you a new log book 2x as fast as method 2.
But I usually use method 2.
 
Either works and I use both. More commonly I use option one so I can put more notes in the comments. The who's and why's along with the what's. No other good reason than that.

Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk
 
Very simple solution

If round-trip flight is flown in one day, I log it as one flight

Ex. ABC-XYZ-ABC

If one leg is flown one day and the return is flown the following day:

Ex. Jan. 1 ABC-XYZ
Jan. 2 XYZ-ABC

I do it like this, too. As small as I write, there's plenty of room for comments; I can put 3 lines of writing in that block. As many breakfast runs as I've made, I'd need at least one more logbook every three or four years if I used a separate line every time I turned the engine off!
 
You can save space, or
You can make review of your flights Much easier in your your future!
I wish I had Not tried to save space..
My 1st page starts with a discovery flight...
My 2nd page ends with,, Private Pilot!
 
I am cleaning up my logbook for IFR and have a question.

If I fly to an airport, land, have lunch, and then return, do I list this as one line in the logbook or two? Does it matter?

Example...fly KWHP to KAVX 51 NM. Have lunch. Return KWHP. List as two entries:

KWHP KAVX 1 hour Cross country
KAVX KWHP 1 hour Cross country

Or

KWHP - KAVX - KWHP 2 hours cross country
I would log that trip as a single line entry in my logbook.
 
There is no "correct" (as in 'required by regulation') method. Whatever floats your boat. Because logbooks are cheap and should contain memories, I recommend using as many lines as necessary to describe the weather, anything unusual or notable, etc so that I can relive the trips in my reclining years . (I am in my reclining years, BYW.) I regret that I did not follow this practice in my early years, so there are many trips/experiences lost forever.


Bob
 
the latter is my choice.....with very little to no explanation for why and who went on the burger run.

12/15 BE35 N123XY KWHP - KAVX - KWHP 2.1 hrs, 2 lndgs, .....etc.

This is my preference too. I put one day on one line, unless I switch planes, which is extraordinarily rare for me (not a CFI).

As others have pointed out, there is no one right way.
 
There is no "correct" (as in 'required by regulation') method. Whatever floats your boat. Because logbooks are cheap and should contain memories, I recommend using as many lines as necessary to describe the weather, anything unusual or notable, etc so that I can relive the trips in my reclining years . (I am in my reclining years, BYW.) I regret that I did not follow this practice in my early years, so there are many trips/experiences lost forever.


Bob

I'm with Bob here.

When I started my flight training my instructors would enter the flights into my logbook onto one line. I carried that process forward through the end of my paid working jobs. Now that I'm back to flying for myself and on my own schedule I separate the flights to preserve some memories going forward.

If I was to do it all over again I would've been more diligent in adding better notes on a flight by flight basis since many years are just a blur now.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
I do both, too. If I'm just out doing something humdrum and happen to touch another runway, I'll do one line. If it's interesting and/or notable, I'll do separate lines. If I'm trying to cram as many airports as I can into a single flight, I'll do one line.
 
I don't think it matters, but I generally log everything that's part of the same trip on the same day in one line if it fits. If I have some reason to break it up into separate lines I will, but I think the key is that you can read it when you go back to total up hours/landings for whatever reason.

As far as I know there aren't any rules about how to do your log entries, just about what can be logged.
 
I do 1 entry per trip in my Pilot Logbook.

For the club airplane logs I ask them to record multi-day trips as of the LAST day so that trips spanning a month end get billed on a single invoice.

As the consensus seems to indicate, either way is "legal."

That said, since we are only required to log time towards a rating it might make sense to separate them out with nice notations so the logbook review with an examiner can go smoother.
 
It DOESN'T matter. Do it however you want.

If you need XC, count whole days. If you need a specific set for a rating, daisy chain sorties to make it work.

Whatever you want.
 
Option 3 wait 30 days then your flightclub bill comes in then be like Oh dang I better log that... hope I remember which airports I hit up..end up logging the time and guessing how much was split between each flight. Don't wanna lie so just put in the basics in 1 line per day.
 
I used to do 1 trip/day, 1 line. However, when I started using an electronic logbook a couple decades ago, I changed that practice since it's easier to put each leg on a different line.

As others have said, it's your logbook. Do what you want.

BTW... I knew a guy in Alaska that would just log once a month. The entry would go something like...

January 2003 86 hours, 93 takeoffs and landings, Bethel area.

He'd fill in the appropriate blanks, but it would be a monthly total on each line.
 
I think the correct way is to log it as two lines in the book. Otherwise, it could be misinterpreted if you were going for an advanced rating which requires certain XC distances.

But saying that, I have indeed logged short hops to and from, indicating full stop landings in remarks.

I just followed my initail CFI's log protocol from way back and just log one line, even for multiple airports within a single day (i.e. KCPS-KGRI-KEVW-KRNO 3 ldgs, 8.6 hrs, Notes: 1,415 NM Xctry). Had no impact on going for the CPL check ride two weeks ago with two logbooks to weed through. I just tabbed those particular flights that met the requirements and noted the distances for the DPE to review. He flipped through them and we moved on.

Cheers,
Brian
 
Semi related to the op.

How do you log landings? just full stop? Full stop and T&Gs in the same box or separately?
 
Full stop or T&G all the same. I typically put something in the remarks saying I did touch and goes, but that's just saying what I did, not documenting the difference.
 
Full stop or T&G all the same. I typically put something in the remarks saying I did touch and goes, but that's just saying what I did, not documenting the difference.

For Night Currency full stop and T&G are not the same.

As an aside for them that might know... why do we log the number of take offs and landings? the total is hard to fit at the bottom of the page. Most everyone stays passenger current for DAY without much effort, but the NIGHT currency FOR ME is an extra trip for no other reason but to have it.
 
For Night Currency full stop and T&G are not the same.

I put in the comments section "3 T/O + 3 Ldgs IAW 61.57(b)(1)" just in case I accidentally do an unintentional night T&G. I've also seen some people divide the landings box into two sections and put night in one and non-night in the other.
 
It doesn't matter so long as you don't lie.

I have some one line entries that span months and 100's of hours. No one from the logbook police have shown up to arrest me.
 
For Night Currency full stop and T&G are not the same.

I knew someone would throw that out there. We're talking about a log book here. Not technicalities. If it makes you feel better feel free to put FULL STOP in the remarks. It's up to the individual pilot to police themselves on whether they did full stops at night.
 
So logging T&Gs as landings is fine, and a note detailing night full stop would be advisable?
 
I log T/Gs and full stops the same, but for night currency I mark "full stop / night currency" if I have to do those separately.
Citing the CFR just seems a bit Ron Levy'esque to me.
 
It DOESN'T matter. Do it however you want.

If you need XC, count whole days. If you need a specific set for a rating, daisy chain sorties to make it work.

Whatever you want.

It's your logbook, do it whatever the way that makes you happy and gets the job done.
 
I log T/Gs and full stops the same, but for night currency I mark "full stop / night currency" if I have to do those separately.
Citing the CFR just seems a bit Ron Levy'esque to me.


Is that the scientology guy? :D
 
Is that the scientology guy? :D

You nearly made me choke! Ron Levy is a CFII who used to post here a lot, guess he's retired to the Red Board. He would answer almost every question by quoting the relevant FAR by paragraph and subparagraph number, and the strictest interpretation thereof.

The "scientology guy" was a science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard. ("Was" because he's been dead for a while, now. He wrote the Dune saga, among others.) What a way to start a new religion . . . .
 
The "scientology guy" was a science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard. ("Was" because he's been dead for a while, now. He wrote the Dune saga, among others.) What a way to start a new religion . . . .

Actually, the original Dune books were written by Frank Herbert.
 
The only reason I would split a round trip in to two entries is if I'm staying overnight. No, there's no statutory reason for making the distinction, but you can look at the logical extreme - Fly from A to B, store the airplane for several months, and then fly back to A. Of course you would logically log that as separate entries.

Now I might possibly split around trip (more specifically a multi-leg trip) up for other reasons, like separating a leg I might get reimbursed for as business travel from non-business travel.
 
Back
Top