I have a DGAC logbook, standard issue in 2007. It’s hardback, 24×16cm, and has lines for 1,050 flights. They don’t make them anymore and aéroclub pilots have a white FFA one and a choice of hardback and paperback.
It was starting to splay out, so I used a bulldog clip after seeing an instructor’s logbook fall apart in the wind on a tower staircase.
Later I got a leather cover which keeps it together. It doesn’t look that good so I might eventually get one custom made on Etsy to also hold all the licences etc.
The front cover explains how to fill it out, which was handy in the early days. There’s also grids to keep track of aircraft types flown and licences gained.
The format of the column headings, translated.
The ‘crew member’ column is for flights that aren’t otherwise specifically loggable. ‘Nature of flight’ I use for aerodromes and number of landings. I can’t be bothered to do times. In ‘observations’ I like to collect airport stamps, but sometimes forget to ask, or they can’t find the stamp.
I sellotaped a sheet of clear plastic into the back cover to make a wallet to keep my licences, medicals, fuel and membership cards; these are now kept separately because there’s too many and it doesn’t close properly.
Someone I spoke to years ago colour-coded their entries, e.g. blue for trips, black for local, green for aerobatics. A good idea, but I don’t see myself doing it.
Entering flights in the logbook used to be a proud moment, but sadly I mostly now find it inconvenient, filling in personal and aircraft logbooks after landing. During the flight I usually complete some of the fields to speed up the process by a few seconds.
I don’t have an online logbook, but do occasionally take the physical one to the office and scan the pages and back it up that way.
How does this compare around the world?
How does this compare around the world?
My logbook entries start in 1979, I was a teenage student pilot then, and I still use a handwritten logbook. It’s a bit silly to fill out every flight just to keep a record that will likely never be physically checked by anybody, and could be filled out with any info I want. But I do have to keep track of hours and flight reviews for FAA currency and insurance renewals. My current logbook stays in a cabinet in my hangar, and doesn’t move. On trips I make notes on a piece of paper and transfer it over later. I add up PIC hours when it’s time to renew insurance on the plane.
My pilot certificate is in my wallet with all the other cards and licenses. I insert it into my printed and folded up BasicMed info to prevent abrasion to the card. I found a low hassle way to get BasicMed done and have stopped getting FAA medical certificates for the time being.
I don’t keep any kind of activity log for the plane or engine, tach data is used.
My first logbook from British Gliding Association, 1982. Got two more after that (PPL and UL)
I’ve been using MyFlightBook for several years now. I have three full paper logbooks up to about 2018, and a brand new one that I will write entries in if ever there is any reason to do so. I also have a separate paper logbook for helicopter flights, not that I do much of that any more.
For flights in France I have a French-style logbook, which I do keep up to date since I’m not sure the French authorities would recognise an electronic log, and anyway some of the information is different (e.g. logging flight start/finish times).
I use the Swiss model, because that’s the one I got from my PPL school; when it became filled up, I wasn’t convinced by anyone to switch to another model, so I just bought a new one from the Swiss Federal Printing Office, along with a few freebies / Swiss Propaganda that one gets at no extra cost (like a picture of the members of the Federal Council and whatnot).
I do transfer my flights “sometimes” into a self-designed PostgreSQL database with a small graphical frontend I did in LibreOffice Base. I had plans to go further with that, but never did, so I just extract the information I want (like “SEP PIC/total time in last 12 months” to see if I qualify for SEP revalidation by experience and “list of SEP flights” to send to the authority with the revalidation by experience) by SQL queries.
I do transfer my flights “sometimes” into a self-designed PostgreSQL database
I used to do much the same thing, using Excel – far easier than paper when you get asked how many hours you’ve done under the hood in a taildragger in the last 27 months, or whatever. I switched to MFB because the FAA started accepting electronic logbooks, and also you get shared access and you can access from anywhere. Generally it can do the analysis you need, and if not it will export to a CSV file.
Plus doing their airport quiz is fun.
I have stopped using paper logbooks about a year ago. Sat down during some idle time and transferred all the pre-GPS-data flights manually to ForeFlight and that was that. Now only using the FF logs which also make it much easier to break out things like MEP/SEP, x-country, etc. The entries are derived from FF logging and, failing that, from the Hobbs or Tach times, depending on the airplane I fly. Have no intention to ever use a paper log again, although I do recognize the nostalgia value of flipping through the pages and remembering certain flights.
when you get asked how many hours you’ve done under the hood in a taildragger in the last 27 months
Who asks this? very specialised 
I use, and intend continuing to use, the standard UK logbook. I’m nearing the end of my third book.
If I’d started with an electronic recording format in 1964, would there still be a tool to access the record today?
Maoraigh wrote:
If I’d started with an electronic recording format in 1964, would there still be a tool to access the record today?
Had a meet up with other pilots this weekend. The consensus is that all up until a couple of years ago, the bureaucracy made things overly difficult. Today digitalization has taken over for bureaucracy I am never going over to electronic logbook.
