Digital Log problems going into IR training

Rykymus

Rykymus

Line Up and Wait
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Dec 24, 2014
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Rykymus
After I got my PPL 2 years ago, I immediately switched to a digital logbook. (Safelog, by Dauntless) I copied all of the entries from my old logbook from my PPL training, and from that point forward, I only used the digital logbook.

Now, I'm about to start my IR training, and I'm unsure what to do. Although the digital software says (online) that it has a signature pad so that instructors/safety pilots can sign flight entries and endorsements, I can neither find how to do this, nor get any help from customer support. I've looked into printing the logbook out, but that sort of defeats the purpose of a digital log.

The software I've been using can export into .csv files, so I'm pretty sure I could import that into another digital logbook if need be. Does anyone know of a digital logbook that DOES provide a method for instructors/safety pilots to sign entries/endorsements. (I would be using it on my iPad mini.)
 
You need more than one logbook anyway. What would you do if Dauntless went out of business and shut down their server overnight? That sort of thing happens from time to time.

Start a new paper one, with current totals brought forward if you don't want to put all the flights in. Back it up onto your electronic log book.

Virtually every electronic logbook claims they can handle signatures. In real life, digital signatures aren't so easy.
 
Foreflight digital signature would be very easy if you just had a stylus!
 
Many of us on this board are fans of MyFlightBook.com
 
Million ways to skin a cat and you are about to get a million different opinions.

I had an electronic logbook hickup and lost a lot of information that took a while to recreate. Luckily I still used the paper log book for all physical sign offs.

Now I use Foreflight Logbook for all my hours and export backups frequently.
I use my paper logbook only for all signs offs that require a CFI entry and scan those as a backup then enter that data in to Foreflight.

Both my CFII and IFR DPE complimented my system.

I am as gadget and technology loaded as they come, but knowing what I know now I would not trust my entire history and log to one digital format.
 
I use Pilot Pro on my iPad, a spreadsheet in Excel and a paper logbook. I would never go digital only.
 
I didn't not copy, but forwarded and than scanned my old logbook into a PDF.

My new log, which I solely use, and have been using for about 6 years, is a excel sheet brought into google docs, for signatures or even pictures I take of eventual things, it's just a image upload into a cell. For signatures, I simply print up a blank sheet from my excel log, have the CFI or check airman fill it out, I then scan and upload it into that row, entering in all the times myself.

This has worked for everything since I was a greenhorn CPL, through my ATP as well as the companies I've flown for.

After each entry in my log, I automatically download a local copy to my iPad, iPhone and desktop, since it's a excel sheet, which can be read by quite a few commerical and open source programs, I'm not worried if anyone goes out of business.
 
Try Pilot Partner. But with any electronic log, a backup is important. And actually if you hadn't noticed, that applies to ALL electronic data such as pictures, school work, documents, phone contacts, addresses, etc. So it should be easy and second nature by now to back up your electronic log book.
Personally I haven't used a paper log for any flying for about five years.
 
I use Safelog also. I still keep a paper log, with all the endorsements and complete record of dual instruction. I scan endorsements into Safelog.

Keeping paper and digital logbooks is slightly more work. But, I always have an up-to-date backup of all my logged flights and ground instruction. And, Safelog gives me the ability to create reports and sort and filter. Nice to be able to print out a list of every tailwheel hour. Or, prove I've got all the flight experience requirements for that next rating. And, math errors are a thing of the past!
 
I'll get to a digital logbook eventually. I still like my paper for some reason.
 
Entry and math errors are exactly why I prefer digital logs. Thankfully, I finally figured out how to use the digital signature pad in Safelog. (No thanks to customer support.) It was buried in the "Photos" section. Pretty easy to use, actually. Now I just need to scan all the endorsements and signatures from my original paper logbook from my PPL training into Safelog.

BTW: I export the log to a .csv file at the end of each month, and my files are backed up in three different layers and locations. I also print all the new pages at the end of each month and add them to a binder I keep as a paper backup, in case the entire digital world ever crashes.
 
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