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Log Books

C

cubpilot2020

Registered User
Seems like its getting to be a thing to have a big 3 ring binder for log book entrys now. Out with the small books and in with new. Any source of blank forms that a person could print out?
 
A few years ago I flew with Morgan Araldi on an American Barnstormers Tour. If I remember correctly she normally flew a Caravan on floats for a family in Florida. Morgan had the large professional logbook, and she left blank areas for photographs and solicited comments. Over time it must have become an incredible document of her adventures in aviation. So I would encourage young pilots to get the big logbook and put a lot more in it than we normally do with the small ones. I am concerned that a loose leaf logbook might encourage what we in the Navy called “gundecking.”
 
A log book is a legal document. I only put the minimal information in there that is legally necessary, lest it ever be needed for it's purpose. I believe what you are referring to is a scrapbook. It's cool if you want to keep a diary, but I don't keep them together.
 
soyAnarchisto said:
A log book is a legal document. I only put the minimal information in there that is legally necessary, lest it ever be needed for it's purpose. I believe what you are referring to is a scrapbook. It's cool if you want to keep a diary, but I don't keep them together.
Click to expand...

I agree with that philosophy. I keep detailed notes of what I have done to my experimental FX-3. These notes are in a spreadsheet separate from the aircraft and engine logs. I also stopped keeping paper logs of my flight time. My paper log only has records of my mandatory flight reviews. All other flight records are in a database that can be filtered or sorted to produce the minimum information I may ever be required to present. I got tired of transcribing from the database to the paper log and just stopped doing it.

Once at the local FSDO for a CFI renewal I was asked by the inspector to produce log book records to substantiate all the flight experience I had declared. I asked for a blank form on which I showed no flight experience since none was required for a CFI renewal.
 
I know a fella that keeps 2 sets of logbooks on his own aircraft. One for the FAA and the other for future buyers.
STC's, AD's, 337's, etc. are kept in a 3 ring binder for both.
His log shows all annual inspections.
FAA log shows only the current annual ( on a note card that gets replaced by the new annual)
No separate engine log either.
 
Now that fella has all the bases covered. Sounds like an old A&P that told me he kept all logs of planes he took care of near the Woodstove, that way if any of them crashed and we're killed, he would simply toss the books in the fire! ( Not sure if he was kidding or not?)
 
Work keeps track of my proficiency…I have no interest in that. I keep track of my proficiency in the cub….but my logs aren’t as neat as the were at 10k hours.
Aircraft logs for me are pretty detailed.

The wife knows the drill….in case of accident I can’t find any logbooks.
 
Now I realize why the shops keep logbooks. I have always encouraged owners to keep their own logbooks, but most just shrug - they stay at the shop. Yes, crash? By all means lose them. "Who, me? Never touched that airplane!" Good luck at the deposition.

I had a Stinson with the "ADlog" setup. I hated it. I may have switched back. My logbooks get minimal entries - takes a half page per year unless I do something unusual like recover. The ones I really hate are the ones where every flight is entered. Get a recording tach, and be kind to your mechanic.

For my pilot log I use that little book that fits in a shirt pocket. More than adequate. For my CFI records I stick a sentence or two in a computer record.
 
I know of several instances where a shop lost a customer's logbook(s)--
unfortunately it wasn;t cuz he crashed, they just lost them.
Another where an employee at the mechanic shop stole a customer's logbooks, 'due to a personal dispute with the person.
Another where the one-man-shop mechanic died,
and his customers had a hard time getting their logbooks from the guy's family--
"you're not taking dad's stuff!!".
I've gone into mechanics shops / offices where logbooks are scattered around willy-nilly--
not mine thank you.
Lost logbooks make a helluva dent in the airplane's value--
why take a chance on something happening?
My logbooks stay in my posession until the mechanic needs them for review or doing new entrees--
even them I am usually there while he's doing that.
 
I just made a template for this exact "trend". I've been using 4X6 Sticky labels for years because my format seemed to work best for that. The one I made is a .pdf that can be filled out and saved. it's really generic, but should be a start.

This version below lost all the editable fields and has an extremely low resolution. I cant figure out how to get the darn thing to upload correctly. If you want a clear, editable, and high resolution version just let me know and I will email it to you.
 

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Last edited:
TurboBeaver said:
That is a good one Grant! Tnx
E
Click to expand...

Actually, I just opened it from here and it looks like it's not quite what I created... It lost all its detail and none of the fields are editable. If you want a fillable version that is a higher resolution just let me know and I'll email it direct to you. Then fill it out and print. I left enough on the left margin to give room for the three-hole punch.
 
Airplane arrives at the shop the logbooks go in the safe. I have a big Rubbermaid box that I put the things in that I am working on (logbooks, STCs etc) so the don't get mixed up with the stuff on my desk.
 
hotrod180 said:
I know of several instances where a shop lost a customer's logbook(s)--
unfortunately it wasn;t cuz he crashed, they just lost them.
Another where an employee at the mechanic shop stole a customer's logbooks, 'due to a personal dispute with the person.
Another where the one-man-shop mechanic died,
and his customers had a hard time getting their logbooks from the guy's family--
"you're not taking dad's stuff!!".
I've gone into mechanics shops / offices where logbooks are scattered around willy-nilly--
not mine thank you.
Lost logbooks make a helluva dent in the airplane's value--
why take a chance on something happening?
My logbooks stay in my posession until the mechanic needs them for review or doing new entrees--
even them I am usually there while he's doing that.
Click to expand...


I absolutely agree with this 100 percent. This is how I do it also. I NEVER leave my log books (the originals) with anyone. I am always present when anything goes in them, stickers or writing. This is not meant to be disrespectful to the mechanic but it is just one less thing both of us has too worry about. I make copies of all my logs and give the mechanic the copy for research and if there any questions we refer to the originals. Keep your logs organized so it easy for the mechanic to review and find what he needs, help your mechanic help you, make his or her job as easy as possible. Keep your logs in your possession and NEVER fly the airplane until the appropriate log entry has been made. No one is going to look after your logs better than you are.

Kurt
 
I am 100% with Kurt. I have seen approved shops fail to make entries and release aircraft to the owner. If the endorsement is not in the records, the aircraft is not legal, and in most cases, insurance coverage is zero even if you have paid your premium. Logbooks are the owner's responsibility.
 
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