Best On Line Logbook?

VWGhiaBob

VWGhiaBob

Line Up and Wait
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VWGhiaBob
OK...I thought surely there would already be a thread on this, but I don't see one. If there is, I apologize...did try searching.

I am searching for the best on-line logbook. Tonight I thought I had found the best one...MCCPilot. Then on check out, I noticed it's in the UK and I'm concerned about US usage.

My requirements are:

* Data in cloud, backed up
* PC Compatible (not just Mac)
* Can enter data on-line (not just local) and then it syncs to all devices...PC / iPad / iPhone


Am I asking for too much?
 
MyFlightbook.com does what you ask. iThingy app will even detect GPS movement and "auto log" time and locations for you if it's running while you're flying.
 
MyFlightbook - 100% free, is the best option out there bar none.
 
Yep, myflightbook is what I use too. Love it.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
 
Another vote for myflightbook. It's really easy to export it to an excel spreadsheet and then its a one click update from that spreadsheet.
 
Just remember that only Zululog is AC 120-78-compliant, so any other method will still require a paper log for training and endorsements and you'll have to find a way to upload the image to your e-log in an FAA-approved unalterable fashion before you can lose the paper. And if you use Zululog, to get electronic CFI signatures and endorsements, the CFI will have to be a paid Zululog subscriber.
 
I have used safelog for several years now. I buy the 3 year plan and never have to worry about it. It will update from any platform such as droid, apple, or windows. It allows you to keep pictures, endorsements, and any field you want to track.
 
One nice thing about myflightbook, if you have something you want to log, and it's not already in the list, they'll add it for you very quickly...there's a literal crap-ton of "Additional Properties" that you can add to a flight.
 
I use Zululog free version. It is a purely online service AFAIK, no local capability, sync, or backup other than downloading a PDF periodically.
 
Ron Levy said:
Just remember that only Zululog is AC 120-78-compliant, so any other method will still require a paper log for training and endorsements and you'll have to find a way to upload the image to your e-log in an FAA-approved unalterable fashion before you can lose the paper. And if you use Zululog, to get electronic CFI signatures and endorsements, the CFI will have to be a paid Zululog subscriber.
Click to expand...

So, I posed this to the developer of MyFlightbo​ok, Eric Berman. Here is his response:
"As far as I can tell, I actually am AC 120-78 compliant. Trouble is, the FAA is completely unhelpful when it comes to certification (I.e., they refuse to review the design/implementation and render an opinion). So I exist in a weird limbo where it seems that I can try to meet the requirements but don't know if I have succeeded until/unless I am challenged."
 
I was looking at myflightbook.com but can't figure out how to add any custom fields. Does it support custom fields?
 
are you looking on the web/computer or on the mobile app?
 
LDJones said:
I was looking at myflightbook.com but can't figure out how to add any custom fields. Does it support custom fields?
Click to expand...

"Additional flight properties (Contact us if there are additional properties you'd like to see.)"

They're VERY responsive. And think of it this way, if you want a field, there's probably 100 other folks who will see it in the list and think "Hey...that's cool, I'll track that too!"
 
I use the "Pilot Pro" free web app (app.pilotpro.com, description at pilotpro.com). Their iOS app looks nice too, but I haven't convinced myself to pay for it yet. (That day is probably coming.)

If you're doing professional/military work, this won't nearly handle it; it doesn't have the "crap ton" of additional fields that MyFlightbook does. But if you're looking for a digital version of the typical student/private pilot logbook (eg to use as a backup or easy totalizer), it's functional and pretty.
 
AggieMike88 said:
MyFlightbook.com does what you ask. iThingy app will even detect GPS movement and "auto log" time and locations for you if it's running while you're flying.
Click to expand...

So what is the iThingy app that will auto log time? I could not find an app that appears to do that.
 
Badger said:
are you looking on the web/computer or on the mobile app?
Click to expand...

Both. I'm trying to setup my son's logbook on-line. I do see that on import you can add a bunch of additional fields. Once added, do they show up for data entry on-line and within the apps?
 
another vote for MyFlightbook. I use the web version as well as the Android version.
 
I use logtenpro and like it. It is easy to print out paper logs as reports but I maintain both by hand. It has electronic signatures and all that too. And foreflight will export flights directly to logtenpro using your actual flight times.

Unfortunately unless you buy separate licenses and 80 bucks a pop you can't sync to pc or Mac versions or even different mobile devices. But I don't care. It is backed up to the cloud and or my Mac backup and I can export csv versions of the log via email and store in spreadsheets as additional security.

I love the smart filters it lets you really customize and track hours. I use it to keep track of maintenance too.
 
creweite said:
So what is the iThingy app that will auto log time? I could not find an app that appears to do that.
Click to expand...

The MyFlightbook app does it. At least, the Android version does, and I assume the iPhone version works very similarly.

For Android, go to the Options tab and make sure the "Autodetect takeoffs and Landings" box is checked. Make sure you're happy with the takeoff detection speed (70 kts by default, I believe).

You might also want to check the "Record flight path" box while you're here, if that's something that appeals to you. Note this uses your GPS sensor, so might consume battery life quicker in flight.

Then, go to the "New" tab. When you're ready, click the "Tap for now" button next to the "Engine Start" field. This is what tells MyFlightbook to start monitoring your speed for autotakeoff detection.

Go fly your flight, and after you shut down your engine, bring up MyFlightbook again. You should see the "Flight Start" and "Flight End" times have been filled in, and probably your departure and arrival airports, and any intermediate stops, too (though I sometimes have to correct this when there are two airports very close together).

Click the "Tap for now" button next to "Engine Stop" to stop recording for this flight (otherwise, it'll keep tracking you home, and to work the next day, etc....).

A very nice feature!
 
rmlewisjr said:
So, I posed this to the developer of MyFlightbo​ok, Eric Berman. Here is his response:
"As far as I can tell, I actually am AC 120-78 compliant. Trouble is, the FAA is completely unhelpful when it comes to certification (I.e., they refuse to review the design/implementation and render an opinion). So I exist in a weird limbo where it seems that I can try to meet the requirements but don't know if I have succeeded until/unless I am challenged."
Click to expand...
Mr. Berman should talk to the folks at Zululog, who seem to have succeeded where he has not.
 
As far as I can tell, Zululog has not received any sort of FAA endorsement either. They appear to self-certify. See https://www.zululog.com/docs/FAACompliance.jsp; this is merely a statement of why they believe they are in compliance. No different than what I'm doing, actually, except that as a free service, I'm a bit more reluctant to put a formal statement around it.
 
EricBe said:
As far as I can tell, Zululog has not received any sort of FAA endorsement either. They appear to self-certify. See https://www.zululog.com/docs/FAACompliance.jsp; this is merely a statement of why they believe they are in compliance. No different than what I'm doing, actually, except that as a free service, I'm a bit more reluctant to put a formal statement around it.
Click to expand...

Yep... In this case, it's all marketing and perception! :)

You make a great product, love it.

BTW, what is your data backup strategy like?
 
dans2992 said:
Yep... In this case, it's all marketing and perception! :)

You make a great product, love it.

BTW, what is your data backup strategy like?
Click to expand...
I make a nightly backup of the database, which I replicate to a few other machines including my development machine, which in an emergency could be made a live site with about 15 minutes of lag time. I'm working on a new solution with closer to real-time replication.

Images are on Amazon Web Services, so they are intact, although if a disaster should happen it could take a couple of days to get them all to show up on the site.

I have implemented a feature with nightly backup of your logbook to your DropBox account, but have not enabled it for public display, thinking that perhaps this might be a decent monetization opportunity. Something people might be willing to pay a modest yearly amount for? (It saves a new spreadsheet snapshot to dropbox every night).

Of course, you can also get a full backup spreadsheet of your logbook at any time...
 
EricBe said:
I have implemented a feature with nightly backup of your logbook to your DropBox account, but have not enabled it for public display, thinking that perhaps this might be a decent monetization opportunity.
Click to expand...

I started checking out your website today after seeing so many recommendations in this thread. So far, it seems a lot better than the other ones I've tried (and given up on). I didn't immediately notice any revenue streams. Would that be the first one for you?

I had some questions/comments about MyFlightbook, would you prefer that I use your Contact Us form?
 
bqmassey said:
I started checking out your website today after seeing so many recommendations in this thread. So far, it seems a lot better than the other ones I've tried (and given up on). I didn't immediately notice any revenue streams. Would that be the first one for you?

I had some questions/comments about MyFlightbook, would you prefer that I use your Contact Us form?
Click to expand...
No revenue stream at the moment (other than ads on the site); it is my intention that the base product (including everything you see currently) remain free. It simply doesn't cost me much (other than time) to support it. Dropbox support, though, taxes the system a bit so a (small) fence around overuse of that seems reasonable.

Anyhow, I certainly don't want to hijack the original thread into a support forum for MyFlightbook, so yes, the Contact Us link will get to me or you can send me a message on this forum and we can take it off line.
 
EricBe said:
Anyhow, I certainly don't want to hijack the original thread into a support forum for MyFlightbook, so yes, the Contact Us link will get to me or you can send me a message on this forum and we can take it off line.
Click to expand...

Actually, we enjoy when developers of our favorite tech products are willing to hang out with us to answer questions and listen to our discussions about the product.

Hilton from WingX and Tyson from ForeFlight do that periodically and it's very productive.

Welcome to PoA and I hope you will continue to visit.
 
I've been using the free version of Pilot Pro. It's very slick and shiny. But based on all the rave reviews here, I exported from Pilot Pro and into MyFlightbook.

First impressions: The export from Pilot Pro and the import into MyFlightbook went perfectly. I had to rearrange the columns to match the order MyFlightbook wanted, but that took 5 minutes.

MyFlightbook is nowhere near as shiny and sparkly as Pilot Pro is. Pilot Pro looks like an iOS app on your web browser. MyFlightbook looks like a web1.0 interface to a legacy mainframe. I know Eric is following this thread, so I don't want to give the wrong impression - this isn't a damning sin, but MyFlightbook looks a lot like the websites I code in my spare time. I'm a programmer and DB guy, not a GUI and interface guy. It's clear Eric is a lot like me, and that Pilot Pro has hired some fancy HTML5.0 shiny-button creating interface designers. Depending on your perspective, this can be a good thing, or a bad thing.

MyFlightbook has two compelling advantages over Pilot Pro. MyFlightbook has more data fields that I could log (if I wanted to) than Pilot Pro. Pilot Pro has fields for the basic things, but if you are the kind of person who wants to track every detail of your flight in DB fields, instead of free text comments, then MyFlightbook is for you. I personally don't need to log "Air Tanker Refueling" or "Takeoffs - Water". The data geek in me appreciates the ability to log individual maneuvers (there are separate logs for S-Turns, Eights, Slips, Stalls, etc.), but I don't know if it's compelling enough to switch. Plus I don't have that data in Pilot Pro, so I'd have to pull out my logbook and manually update each flight.

The other thing that MyFlightbook has is free apps for logging flights and accessing your logbook via smartphone. Pilot Pro has this, but you have to pay for the apps, and they actually block the website from smartphone access, so there's no free way to update Pilot Pro away from your PC. The MyFlightbook app is free. It's spartan but functional, exactly like the website. Personally this isn't a big deal for me right now, as I am a student, so I always have my logbook with me, and it's no big deal to sit down at my PC in the evening and transcribe the paper entries into Pilot Pro. I imagine that after I have my certificate, and I'm not carrying around my logbook, the ability to quickly log a flight from my phone would be compelling enough to switch.

Both logbook tools have their benefits and drawbacks. I think I'm going to log flights in MyFlightbook for a while and see if I can live without the glitz of Pilot Pro. But at the moment Pilot Pro does everything I need, plus it's shiny, so there's not a really compelling reason to switch.

Just my .00002 AMUs.
 
livitup said:
I've been using the free version of Pilot Pro. It's very slick and shiny. But based on all the rave reviews here, I exported from Pilot Pro and into MyFlightbook.
Click to expand...

I did exactly the same thing yesterday (gave MyFlightbook a try from having used the Pilot Pro web app) and have exactly the same conclusions. For me, the prettiness of Pilot Pro is probably just enough to keep me with it, since as much as I'm a data geek (if you exercise, give DigiFit a try), I don't really foresee myself needing all of those extra fields. (Logging takeoffs? Really? Let alone PTS maneuvers...)

livitup said:
. . . appreciates the ability to log individual maneuvers (there are separate logs for S-Turns, Eights, Slips, Stalls, etc.), but I don't know if it's compelling enough to switch.
Click to expand...

Yeah; you will never care exactly how many s-turns or stalls you've done. Though I assume this is a huge benefit for people who need to maintain currency in tanker refuelings or carrier landings or whatnot.

I'll also say that my favorite feature of both Pilot Pro and MyFlightbook is the very reasonable import/export ability, so I'll never feel like I'm locked into either. And, if I want to get even more geeky, I can exploit that. (In my testing of MyFlightbook, I added the "Holds" column by filtering entries that included "[hH]old" in the comments column.)

I also appreciated MyFlightbook's ability to track progress towards different ratings. As an on-and-off instrument student, it's nice to see how the hours are going, and to glance at which of the CPL requirements are getting checked off by my "fun flying."

Also, it's kind of fun to be able to see a list (and pictures!) of all of the planes you've flown.
 
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Since nobody broached the subject, I will. I see value of an electronic logbook, it does the math accurately, but isn't anyone concerned over the security of an online logbook? I have no guilt complex, but I still am leery about giving the FAA 24/7 access to my logbook. And if it's online, don't tell me they don't have it or can't get it.
 
Sac Arrow said:
Since nobody broached the subject, I will. I see value of an electronic logbook, it does the math accurately, but isn't anyone concerned over the security of an online logbook? I have no guilt complex, but I still am leery about giving the FAA 24/7 access to my logbook. And if it's online, don't tell me they don't have it or can't get it.
Click to expand...

Not really...? Though I'm happy to be convinced otherwise if there's some scenario I'm not thinking of? Maybe it's just because my logbook is pretty tame; I don't see how anybody could nail me on flight hours and passenger names and "yay I got the Dulles East transition twice in a row"... And I'm overly careful about currency etc. anyway, so not too worried about that. I guess it would make me think twice about putting "willfully violated ADW bravo" in the comments section, but I try not to do that anyway :-)

Maybe this is just a function of the airspace I'm flying in, but I'm almost always on radar and often have a flight plan with my name attached to it, so if I ever miss something and get violated, I don't think it's going to be because the FAA saw it in my logbook...

But I'm also the type to take reasonable privacy precautions and enjoy hypotheticals, so I'm curious to know what kind of scenario worries you.
 
mcmanigle said:
Not really...? Though I'm happy to be convinced otherwise if there's some scenario I'm not thinking of? Maybe it's just because my logbook is pretty tame; I don't see how anybody could nail me on flight hours and passenger names and "yay I got the Dulles East transition twice in a row"... And I'm overly careful about currency etc. anyway, so not too worried about that. I guess it would make me think twice about putting "willfully violated ADW bravo" in the comments section, but I try not to do that anyway :-)

Maybe this is just a function of the airspace I'm flying in, but I'm almost always on radar and often have a flight plan with my name attached to it, so if I ever miss something and get violated, I don't think it's going to be because the FAA saw it in my logbook...

But I'm also the type to take reasonable privacy precautions and enjoy hypotheticals, so I'm curious to know what kind of scenario worries you.
Click to expand...

It may well be paranoia on my part, I can't think of a specific situation I might find myself in, but I read horror stories in the "Lessons Learned" forum where logbooks have to be surrendered for review - one my scan it for a "gotcha" and be ready to address it in some form before the FAA raises the issue.
 
No wrong impression or offense on the "slick and shiny" vs. "Web 1.0". I haven't got an artistic bone in my body and I'm a tech geek, so the site and apps reflect that. I'm hoping to get some graphic design help soon, but for now it's absolutely function over form. :)
 
EricBe said:
No wrong impression or offense on the "slick and shiny" vs. "Web 1.0". I haven't got an artistic bone in my body and I'm a tech geek, so the site and apps reflect that. I'm hoping to get some graphic design help soon, but for now it's absolutely function over form. :)
Click to expand...

I'm a techie myself, and when a site goes all "pretty", it inevitably slows down.

There are a finite number of cycles/time available for development. I will go with an ugly high-functionality site over a pretty-rudimentary functionality site every day, and twice on Sundays.
 
JeffDG said:
I'm a techie myself, and when a site goes all "pretty", it inevitably slows down.

There are a finite number of cycles/time available for development. I will go with an ugly high-functionality site over a pretty-rudimentary functionality site every day, and twice on Sundays.
Click to expand...

Amen, hallelujah. Green screen Wyse 60 terminals forever!! LOL
 
EricBe said:
No wrong impression or offense on the "slick and shiny" vs. "Web 1.0". I haven't got an artistic bone in my body and I'm a tech geek, so the site and apps reflect that. I'm hoping to get some graphic design help soon, but for now it's absolutely function over form. :)
Click to expand...

I'm glad you took that exactly in the spirit I intended it.

It's true that I often have to use the mouseover pop-up text to remember what little icon in Pilot Pro does what. And for sure it's easier to get to more data in a format like yours - text remains the most descriptive way of communicating... but then I fire up Pilot Pro, and... LOOK A SPARKLY UNICORN!!!
 
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