Logbooks Matter More Than You Think – Here’s What You Need to Know

You will notice that logbooks are a lot more than simply an ebook for keeping track of your flight times as well as exercise logs. They represent your individuality, skills, and as a pilot. If you are in the cockpit, you are not getting employed for a certificate, but because of the knowledge, you have acquired which is going to make you a successful and safe pilot. The aircraft logbook could be a little more crucial than you understand in this process. In some instances, they can figure out if you are going to get hired.

We Talked to Brooks Butler, Chief Pilot of PSA Airlines, and Eric Graser

a Pilot as well as a recruiter with ExpressJet Airlines, about what they search for in logbooks when they hire new pilots. Their suggestions as well as suggestions originate from hundreds of logbook reviews over years,.. and trust me, they have seen everything.

Create Good Habits Early on

The most untidy and disorganized logbooks are generally the very first ones. It makes perfect sense, since when you initially get going on a flight training program, you will make a few mistakes, and that is good. However right from the start, in case you truly wish to be a pilot, you must log all your flights as an expert. Does imply that you have to be perfect? Nope. It simply means it is something you need to care about and invest effort in every time you create a post.

As a Logbook Is a Legal Document, It’s Crucial It Is Totaled, Legible, and Signed Properly

 If at all possible, record flight times electronically together with your paper copy in case possible. It is going to save numerous hours in the future.

Remember to save your logbooks with scanned copies and copies. I take a photo of every new totaled web page and have them in a file that is on my laptop and synced to an internet server. If you lose your single copy of the logbook, you will most likely drop a lot of hours of work and a lot of it is going to be hard to re-record properly. Keep them secure.

Both ExpressJet, as Well as the PSA

suggest that pilots record flight time using a reliable electronic program. Eric and Brooks pointed out the need to make use of a dedicated logbook program instead of attempting to format your very own spreadsheet. The self-made spreadsheets generally have probably the most mistakes, probably the most incorrect information, and aren’t formatted a lot more professionally.

What kind of electronic logbook must I make use of? There’re lots of choices, but both recruiters stated the format does not important almost as the system itself. The LogTen Pro X, as well as ForeFlight Logbook, are a few of the most widely used.

Just How Many Logbooks Will You Need?

It does not truly make a difference. That is okay when you’ve 7 or 6 logs. Be certain that after every logbook the times are totaled as well as the logs are correctly carried over to the next logbook. Brooks discovered flight times between brand new and old logbooks unreliable by as much as twenty hours, in a single instance. If at all possible, the very best logbook for a pro pilot is big and professional. Bring along handwritten publications and electronic copies of everything you need for the interview.

In the commercial airline business, pilots often use little journey books to keep track of their flights as well as duty times before they have the time to take out the physical logbook to make the entries. Based on both pilot recruiters, these journey books aren’t professional papers and should not be used as such. Consequently, you shouldn’t bring back 25 or 50 of those small books which you used to keep an eye on your flight knowledge. You have to make certain they’re properly logged into your logbooks.