Logbook - At home or in the plane with you?

Old Geek

Old Geek

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Old Geek
I noticed in the flight bag thread that a lot of you carry your logbook with you when you fly. When I got my pp certificate this summer, I was advised by both my instructor and the examiner to leave my logbook home and just carry my pp and medical certificates when I fly unless I needed it for an endorcement. The reason being that the logbook is priceless and should be in a safe place.

Any thoughts?
 
+1 with your CFI.

In the event of an accident or ramp check, the FAA only requires you to "produce" the logbook in a reasonable period of time.

And being even more paranoid, every few months (and definitely before a BFR) I scan the new entries to the logbook (and the airplane logbooks, too). When I finish my taxes each year, everything gets burned to a CD/DVD (multiple copies) and stashed in the safe deposit box.
 
What he said.
 
Old Geek said:
I noticed in the flight bag thread that a lot of you carry your logbook with you when you fly. When I got my pp certificate this summer, I was advised by both my instructor and the examiner to leave my logbook home and just carry my pp and medical certificates when I fly unless I needed it for an endorcement. The reason being that the logbook is priceless and should be in a safe place.

Any thoughts?
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Good advice. :thumbsup:
 
I've lost my logbook enough without intentionally keeping it in my flight bag. Mine is just stacked under a bunch of books in the corner so I'll never remember I put it there anyways. :D
 
Old Geek said:
I noticed in the flight bag thread that a lot of you carry your logbook with you when you fly. When I got my pp certificate this summer, I was advised by both my instructor and the examiner to leave my logbook home and just carry my pp and medical certificates when I fly unless I needed it for an endorcement. The reason being that the logbook is priceless and should be in a safe place.

Any thoughts?
Click to expand...
Electronic copy safe at home. Paper version in plane with me, since it has my high-performance endorsement in it.

The original paper logbook is NOT priceless. So long as you have the data backed up somewhere the paper is just for nostalgia's sake. I'd argue that the plane's maintenance logbooks are substantially more important.
 
I photographed all the pages and endorsements of my logbook as I finish each page, then I email those photos to myself on my Gmail account...

Granted my logbook has fewer entries than most of you guys. :)
 
After the crash of our 340, I never did find the pilot logs (including one of mine) that were in the plane. We could see some of the scattered debris that had blown away, some of which was several miles away. Fortunately by book contained only the time accumulated in that airplane and related sim instruction, so it wasn't a huge deal. But I learned my lesson and will never carry the original in the airplane again.
 
Morne said:
... Paper version in plane with me, since it has my high-performance endorsement in it...
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You may need an HP endorsement in order to be able to act as PIC on a particular flight, but you don't need to have that endorsement with you in the plane.

In general, there's nothing in your logbook that you're required to have with you while you fly unless you're a student on a solo.
-harry
 
CFI and DPE both made it clear to me - leave it at home after the checkride.
 
Our logbooks live in the co-pilot's seat pocket.

When full, they live in a box in the attic.
 
Although I'm not so anal as to keep my paper log in a fire proof safe with biometric combinations located 2000 feet under concrete in a secret location known only to me, I don't bother to take it with me in the plane either. Just haven't seen the need for doing either.

I do take the most recent one with me when I deploy though. That way I can keep it up to date. My completed logs are currently kept in a box in my hangar.
 
I keep an "aircraft log" in my plane to keep track of tach time for maintenance reasons. MY logbook is at HOME.
 
For a while I kept mine with me because it is required by the regulations for light and sporty pilots. But after a little more research, I see that the "gotta have the book" rule is not under the list of rules that apply to a drivers license medical PP operating under SP rules (me). So I leave it at home.

And if that makes any sense to you, then you are smarter than I am.
 
Personally, from a hiring standpoint, electronic is pretty wothless. A printout from an employeer or a paper logbook that i can see has variations in handwriting and endorsements in it go a long way.

Its hard enoigh to verify if a young guy really has 1,200 hours or did he sit around writing in stuff for a week. Electronic can be done the day before and it will look identical to one done over 12 years.

That value means that my paper logbook stays at home in a safe, and the FAA gets to see it via my lawyer.
 
Fortunately, others don't have your disdain for e-logs Grant. I've used mine for showing hours and currency for rentals. At this point, I consider one of my e-logs my primary (and it's in the airplane with me since it's online and accessible with both my Droid and iPad) with my paper log still used for backup.
 
I would leave it at home, if I had a home. Since I travel all the time, I prefer to just leave it in my flight bag, in order to not misplace it. It's not updated, for sure. I just update my online logbook, then do the paper one when I've got some time to kill, or when I'm going to go fly something with an instructor that will have to sign.
 
n20junkie said:
Personally, from a hiring standpoint, electronic is pretty wothless. A printout from an employeer or a paper logbook that i can see has variations in handwriting and endorsements in it go a long way.

Its hard enoigh to verify if a young guy really has 1,200 hours or did he sit around writing in stuff for a week. Electronic can be done the day before and it will look identical to one done over 12 years.

That value means that my paper logbook stays at home in a safe, and the FAA gets to see it via my lawyer.
Click to expand...

I take the nicely printed log from logbook pro, and also the paper log(s). So far nobody's ever asked to look at the paper.
 
Never really thought about it before. I just never took it with me except when I soloed. Just because I wasn't told/taught to bring it.
 
Logbook goes with me only if I'm going to get instruction (where I'll need a signature) or plan to get checked out at a new FBO (where they'll not only want to see my endorsements, but will probably put me through a checkout, so I may as well log that with a signature).
 
gprellwitz said:
Logbook goes with me only if I'm going to get instruction (where I'll need a signature) or plan to get checked out at a new FBO (where they'll not only want to see my endorsements, but will probably put me through a checkout, so I may as well log that with a signature).
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Ditto!
 
I suppose it matters how important it is to show the hours logged.

I'm not a commercial pilot and will never have to show my logged time to qualify for work. So if I lost my logbook, it would only mean that I don't have evidence of the last 200 to 300 hours of my total time. No big deal for me.
 
Mine is digital and is stored on several computers and a few different locations on the internet.

My paper logbook stays at home and I fill it out sometimes. Right now it's about six months behind...Maybe I'll catch it up this winter.
 
TMetzinger said:
I take the nicely printed log from logbook pro, and also the paper log(s). So far nobody's ever asked to look at the paper.
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Most airlines now request you bring all logbooks to interview...when I interviewed for my current and last job..the logbook pro wad brushed aside...only my paper logbooks were audited. ...but I am glad I knew my paper log wad spot on thanks to my digital book
 
I use myflightbook and I keep a paper log. Paper log stays at home, I log regularly in myflightbook from my iphone and catch the paper log up from time to time. Keeps me from having to do math because myflightbook keeps track of my totals and currency.

Lately I have been recieving instrument instruction and I'm going to have to get the paper logbook out to have it signed by my instructor(s)
 
After losing one logbook, I keep mine in my desk at work and fill it our about once a month. I don't log time for a future career, only to keep current.
 
I'm old skool, I just do a paper logook which I keep at home. I did keep an aircraft log as well for business flights when I owned my plane, but I'll probably burn it after the statutory retention time expires, whatever that is (7 years I think for the IRS?).

And I mean burn it, not burn it on DVD.
 
Matthew said:
So - what do you guys use for e-logbooks?
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Online - myflightbook.com. I like the way it works, the availability of both Android and iOS apps and the availability of an Excel spreadsheet so you can back up the information locally.

Locally - I've been using a self-made eLog since the days of DOS (it's now in MS-Access). I continue to use it due to the potential risk of loss that can be associated with an online log that is not under my control. Haven't switched to any of the commercial offerings since none of them do anything that my doesn't.
 
I keep my paper logbook at home on my desk unless I'm headed to the airport to take a friend for their first flight experience (see "guest book", below), or if I'm headed for a BFR or other instructor flight that needs an endorsement by them in my logbook (haven't forgotten yet, knock on wood).

I use Logbook Pro for my electronic copy (and have it save it's backups to my DropBox, so I have multiple backups on each computer I have DropBox installed on, and in their cloud). Logbook Pro handles making sure my math is right, calculating currency and printing any reports needed for insurance or ratings.

My FBO sends me an electronic copy of my receipt as soon as I check out, so by the time I'm in my car leaving the airport, it's in my inbox. When I get home, I enter it in Logbook Pro and then in my paper logbook. At least once/year I scan my new paper logbook pages and save those to DropBox too.

Why keep both? The electronic copy makes currency and reports super simple, and generates all those reports that otherwise take hours crawling over your logbook. The paper copy is nostalgic, has more details about my flights, has signatures and comments from friends who have flown with me (I use it as a sort of guest book, letting them fill in the flight comments on trips they take with me). It will be passed onto my children or their children when I'm no longer here.
 
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