logging question

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redcloud

Pre-takeoff checklist
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scott keyes
Perhaps this is is a sily question, but ...

If one is not contemplating a career as a professional pilot; is it really necessary or prudent to log things like X-country time after 300 hours or so, or solo time, or landings after several hundred (except for night currency issues).

I can certainly see the value of instruction received, ME time, complex time, actual and simulated IMC time, and keeping track of hours in a particular model of plane. What does a prudent pilot (not compulsive) log into perpetuity.

Thanx for the advice!

Scott
 
Scott, the only thing you are REQUIRED to log is flights that show currency. But the insurance companies may require proof of time for various reasons.
 
hey it aint gonna hurt you to have that time in your logbook. i have no idea what my future in aviation is as far as professional pilot or whatever. everything gets logged.
 
I agree with Tony! Heck, you might decide to pick up an ATP for the heck of it or to prove to yourself that you can. Plus, looking back at it a few decades down the road will (hopefully) bring back some wonderful memories!
 
tonycondon said:
hey it aint gonna hurt you to have that time in your logbook. i have no idea what my future in aviation is as far as professional pilot or whatever. everything gets logged.
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Ditto. Besides, it's your own little personal history in aviation. You get the pleasure to fly some pretty neat airplanes along the way and the first thing you want to do is log them in your "history book."

In the movie, One Six Right, there was an old timer telling a story about the hangar flying sessions. He said some guy would mention having flown a particular bird and it would seem a bit on the far side so they took it with a grain of salt. But, sometimes someone would ask that pilot, "Did you log it?"

You're not required to log except for proving currency. But, what you do log has to be true and correct to the best of your knowledge. Hence, the question, "Did you log it?"

:)
 
Also quoting One Six Right, there was a guy who said that in his logbook he wrote, "This is a love story..." Why wouldn't you want to keep record of your love story?
 
t0r0nad0 said:
Also quoting One Six Right, there was a guy who said that in his logbook he wrote, "This is a love story..." Why wouldn't you want to keep record of your love story?
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Because your wife might find it?:D

Log it? Why not? If you're worried about putting something in an official log (and no, it was never stipulated that you were), just keep a separate notebook where you log all the stuff. The only other reasons I can think of for not logging it are laziness, or repeating the samw trip over and over like an airline pilot.
 
There is no need to log that time. If you want to, fine. If you later decide to go for an ATP or other certificate, you can always go back and add it up. I quit logging retract and complex and x-co years ago. For me, it was meaningless.

On the other hand, many people log everything, such as "day landings" and so on. You can log whatever you want, how many cups of coffee in FBOs while refueling.
 
Then ther's the issue a number of my CFIIs had while I was training. They'd come back after a training flight and just putz around until the next one or it was time to go home. Then long about the 3rd of 4th week, they'd realize they hadn't logged a thing. Now these guys were all accumulating time for that next big job so every minute meant something.
There was also the time the CFII had to go get a few night landing BEFORE my night crosscountry.
It's your log and you get to put in it what you want and how you want to do it. Me, I want it all. It is a trip down memory lane and some of my best memories now are in the plane.
 
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