Airline Logbook Audit

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Pilot-To-Be

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Im about to begin applying and getting my airline apps account set up. Besides tabbing all of my checkrides and what not, how hard are they scrutinizing and what are they looking for?

Thanks!
 
I don’t think anyone scrutinized my logs in my career, I log what is legal, my logs are what they are, arguing with them would be like arguing with excel sheet math

Not too many are hiring right now, but the industry is up and down as always, having a ATP is useful, turbine pic I hear many of them like, some of our old new hires used raven for logbook and interview prep
 
They want to see a reliable record that supports the flight times and experience you listed on your application.

What you want to provide is something that instills confidence in the interviewer that the times you have presented are correct.
 
There are airlines that want your PIC time to be "acting PIC" time, not just FAA-loggable PIC time. I'm sure not going to not log time that the FAA says I can, but I did recently decide that in case I ever go to a place that wants that, I should be prepared.

Thus, I added a custom field to my ForeFlight logbook for "Acting PIC" and went back and filled it in so that I can answer that question.

I also have one I called "seat time" which I use for any time, loggable or not. That's a result of having spent several hundred hours in a single pilot turbine aircraft in a multi crew environment, where a good amount of experience isn't loggable under FAA rules. Thus, I can say "I have 550 loggable hours in a crew environment, but 1100 hours of actual time spent in the aircraft." I don't put this on the resume at all, but it's something that I can talk about in interviews.
 
Pilot-To-Be said:
Im about to begin applying and getting my airline apps account set up. Besides tabbing all of my checkrides and what not, how hard are they scrutinizing and what are they looking for?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Any good interviewer doesn’t need to see your logbook. They can make an evaluation within the first five minutes you walk through the door. I suggest black shoes, slow swagger, and make sure to bang your fist on the table when talking to HR.
 
I am going to dive down this rabbit hole for you as I was TERRIFIED of this.

I don't think they even looked at my paper logbook which has whiteout on every single page. I am embarrassed by it and I hated handing it to them.
HOWEVER, I printed my digital logbook and tabbed every flight that counted toward my ATP as well as a cover sheet that had every milestone noted and it was as perfect as I could make it.

First, Here is my paper logbook which never bothered me because I never planned on becoming a professional pilot.
It is a terrible mess with markings, whiteout, and corrections.

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Here is what I put together from my digital logbook. Honestly converting to MyFlightBook is the best thing I did as far as this application process is concerned.

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flyingcheesehead said:
There are airlines that want your PIC time to be "acting PIC" time, not just FAA-loggable PIC time. I'm sure not going to not log time that the FAA says I can, but I did recently decide that in case I ever go to a place that wants that, I should be prepared.

Thus, I added a custom field to my ForeFlight logbook for "Acting PIC" and went back and filled it in so that I can answer that question.

I also have one I called "seat time" which I use for any time, loggable or not. That's a result of having spent several hundred hours in a single pilot turbine aircraft in a multi crew environment, where a good amount of experience isn't loggable under FAA rules. Thus, I can say "I have 550 loggable hours in a crew environment, but 1100 hours of actual time spent in the aircraft." I don't put this on the resume at all, but it's something that I can talk about in interviews.
Click to expand...


When I got hired no one asked, I was well over any mins however, as a USA based pilot I log based on the requirements of the governing body I fly under, which is the FAA.

The logs here sent over online, I had to send from 0 time to now with all checkrides marked, there was no mention of their own version of the FARS for what they would count.


Perhaps making their own logging rules is a regional thing?, I don’t recall hearing anything like that at my company.

Anyone who wants to work in the industry, I would highly recommend going with a electronic logbook, the sooner the better even as a student pilot.
 
Suddenly my little leather logbook seems wildly inadequate.
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
Ha! It's probably fine.
I have been unemployed for a year. I can't not get this job.
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I'd like to imagine the interviewer talking about how they want someone motivated, detail-oriented, and willing to make an effort. And then you slam that down on the desk. You should probably take a microphone along with you so you can drop it.

Also, I had no idea about that night time provision regarding take-offs and landings. That's pretty nice.
 
Roller said:
When I got hired no one asked, I was well over any mins however, as a USA based pilot I log based on the requirements of the governing body I fly under, which is the FAA.

The logs here sent over online, I had to send from 0 time to now with all checkrides marked, there was no mention of their own version of the FARS for what they would count.

Perhaps making their own logging rules is a regional thing?, I don’t recall hearing anything like that at my company.
Click to expand...
That's what I always figured. If I'm logging based on the current rules of the FAA, then I should be good, right?

But in fairly recent memory (maybe a year ago), I specifically saw something saying something to the effect of "For PIC time, count only that time where you were the acting PIC responsible for the aircraft" or something like that. FWIW, it was AAL. Looked again more recently and couldn't find it again, but I couldn't find anything at all so I probably just didn't find the page again.
 
flyingcheesehead said:
That's what I always figured. If I'm logging based on the current rules of the FAA, then I should be good, right?

But in fairly recent memory (maybe a year ago), I specifically saw something saying something to the effect of "For PIC time, count only that time where you were the acting PIC responsible for the aircraft" or something like that. FWIW, it was AAL. Looked again more recently and couldn't find it again, but I couldn't find anything at all so I probably just didn't find the page again.
Click to expand...


Like everything in aviation “it depends”


I had some safety pilot time and some manipulator of the controls but not signed as PIC time smattered in my log, but my TT PIC TPIC etc was high enough not wouldn’t have moved the scales, I didn’t bother to try to go that deep into my logs to remove it.


No one cared


Now if you’re right at mins it might be a issue
 
Roller said:
Like everything in aviation “it depends”


I had some safety pilot time and some manipulator of the controls but not signed as PIC time smattered in my log, but my TT PIC TPIC etc was high enough not wouldn’t have moved the scales, I didn’t bother to try to go that deep into my logs to remove it.


No one cared


Now if you’re right at mins it might be a issue
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Yeah, I didn't think it'd be a problem, but it's better to be prepared than not. Pretty much for every hour of logged PIC where I wasn't acting PIC, I have another hour of acting PIC I couldn't log. And I'm way beyond ATP mins and have been for years.
 
AvNavCom said:
I'd like to imagine the interviewer talking about how they want someone motivated, detail-oriented, and willing to make an effort. And then you slam that down on the desk. You should probably take a microphone along with you so you can drop it.

Also, I had no idea about that night time provision regarding take-offs and landings. That's pretty nice.
Click to expand...
It’s only worthy of a mike drop if the action is unique or significantly more than expected.
 
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