First Logbook: Suggestions

bqmassey

bqmassey

Line Up and Wait
Joined
Sep 18, 2006
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636
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Central Oregon
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Display name:
Brandon
I'm shopping around for what will be my first logbook. I'm looking for a nicer logbook, something that is built well enough that I can look through the pages 50 years from now. I'd like there to be enough room to make some personal comments. I don't need the logbook to hold a lot of entries; I'd like to be able to retire it before it gets overused.

Basically, I want something that will grant me the ability to read through the details of my first flights for many, many years.

Any suggestions?
 
i had, like many others, the standard little Jeppsen one. Now i got an ASA "senior pilots logbook" or something like that. its nice. I like white paper. Green paper reminds me of accountants with reams of balance sheets. Mostly, dont confine yourself to one line and you will be able to write as much as you like about your flights. heck just start writing flight reports, especially after notable flights, and you'll have a permanent record of all the good ones, doesnt have to be in logbook.

some of my favorites are at www.knightglider.com/flightreports.htm
 
Here's the one I use.
http://www.sportys.com/acb/showdetl.cfm?DID=19&Product_ID=1549

I filled up the little "Cessna" logbook after 5yrs and I bought one of the large ones. I've had it for 17yrs and about 3/4 the way through it now. It has plenty of room to make notes which you will really like. I look back at my flying from 1985 and events in my life are chronicled in my logbook.
 
If I had to do it all over again starting in 2007, I'd go electronic. Some of them will show all the different currencies without you having to do a bunch of flipping and head scratching. If I was feeling cheap Id probably make my own on Excel.
I get a bit nervous about losing the paper ones, although I love having them around.
Also the electronic ones are flexible. My first logbook does not have columns for a lot of items that we keep track of now. If you buy a book intended to last for 50 yrs of your flying career, I bet it will be 'out of date' in 10. You will need extra columns to record new items like "Approach fee paid Visa 4/6/11" :D
 
I use 3.

An ASA flight log for the plane. http://www.mypilotstore.com/MyPilotStore/sep/2595

An ASA pilot log. Just started filling in my third.
http://www.mypilotstore.com/MyPilotStore/sep/547

And an electronic pilot log.
http://www.dauntless-soft.com/PRODUCTS/Safelog/index.asp


If you like to write down a lot of detail about each flight you might be interested in
http://www.mypilotstore.com/MyPilotStore/sep/skuoption.asp?sku=1454

I use to be verbose with flight descriptions. Now I just log the basics. At my age there's not a lot of time left to reminiscence. ;)
 
I use the Sporty's Sr. Pilots logbook, but then one I had before is great too. It was the ASA pilot's logbook. Small enough that you will flip pages often so you feel as though you are progressing but holds enough that you will not end up with a gazillion logs at the end of your flying career.
 
I used a 50 year old blank log book that my father had in the Air Force - we made it work all during my training, and the last entry in it was my PPL checkride!

Now I've got a generic logbook for flying - I wish it had more space for writing notes and such about the flights, so you might want to think about making sure you've got the space you want!
 
Thank you all for the suggestions!

I've decided to get the Sporty's Logbook. I was able to hold one, and it seemed pretty durable. There are plenty of columns and space for endorsements and things. Looks like a solid logbook.

I like the idea of some kind of electronic logbook as a backup, but I definitely want a physical logbook to keep with me when I'm flying. I might try Logshare.com so my family can keep up on the flying I do.

I'll be looking into a flight journal to keep longer stories. I have a digital camera, so maybe I should keep longer descriptions on a website like 160knots.com (I'm a web developer).

One more question for ya all. I'm going to pay for the engraving on that logbook, but I'm not sure what I should have put on it! You're allowed two lines of up to 15 characters each. I think one line will be my name, the obvious choice, but I don't know if I should add a second line and what it should be. Starting to fly is a very big deal for me, something I've been anticipating for many many years, and is hopefully the beginning of a life-long career. I'm thinking about the second line being "The Beginning", quotes included. Is that stupid or gaudy? Another choice would be to just have the year, 2007.

Thanks for the replies everyone! If you have any suggestions or comments for the engraving, please post!
 
Teerawood said:
No one uses the log book that they did their PPL with?
Click to expand...

I do, still, along with 2 electronic backups. But I'm nearing the end of my first logbook (very soon, actually), so I'll need one too
 
bqmassey said:
I like the idea of some kind of electronic logbook as a backup, but I definitely want a physical logbook to keep with me when I'm flying. I might try Logshare.com so my family can keep up on the flying I do.
Click to expand...

Bear in mind that the only time your logbook needs to be with you is when you need the endorsement(s) in it, for example, when flying solo prior to getting your initial PPL rating.

My logbook usually stays home unless I am doing a BFR or other recurrant training that needs to be logged, and even then, it does't ride around in the helicopter or airplane with me.

BTW the logbooks from Sporty's seem to hold up much better than the Jepp logbooks (my Jepp lasted two years before pages started falling out). I like Logbook Pro for electronic logging.
 
I've had my Jepp for 2 1/2 years its doing swell... Not enough room to write little notes though.
 
BTW I like the Sporty's logbook holder too, LINK

My logbook sits in my flight case so this works out great for me. Some of you don't like flying with yours and that is fine too. For those that don't fly with it you won't need this case.
 
It's ordered! I had my name engraved on the first line, and "2007" on the second. I'm really excited to get it. My first logbook :D. I ordered the free cockpit poster as well.

I plan on keeping my logbook in my flight bag all the time. I don't trust myself to make sure the numbers get in there correctly unless I'm able to have it handy as soon as I'm done flying. I'll keep an electronic backup (Logshare.com) in case something happens to my written log, and so my family can see what kind of flying I've been doing.

smigaldi said:
BTW I like the Sporty's logbook holder too, LINK
Click to expand...

I saw that too. I really would like to have that; looks very nice. I had to talk myself out of buying it this time around. Maybe later.

Thanks for the help everyone!
 
I use Sporty's Senior Pilot logbook. I had a Jepp one earlier that started falling apart after a year. I quit using that little "starter" (I think it was an ASA) logbook the day I got my first rating...
 
Troy Whistman said:
Apparently DauntlessSoft's Safelog's latest update now has a "poison pill" that makes the data no longer available to you... unless you pay.

http://groups.google.com/group/rec.aviation.ifr/browse_thread/thread/4f75118e2b55e562?hl=en
Click to expand...

Thanks for the heads-up Troy.
I'm a Safelog user... well, maybe not for much longer!
They claim that the time-limited license period has been included in their agreement for more than 4 years and they've only now decided to enforce it. Of course, I have no recollection of this policy, and I do actually tend to read (or at least skim) licensing agreements. If I'd have known, I wouldn't have purchased it!

The "order" page on their web site now includes the 3-year stipulation in the product descriptions for some ("Safelog FAA" and "Safelog CAA/JAA") but not all of the Safelog products; and the subsequent pages (after clicking "buy now") have the "three years" highlighted in bold type. I have not been able to find pricing information for license extensions - so, I have no idea how much it might cost me to keep this software functioning.

Once upon a time, their marketing information said "your logbook is too important to be held hostage by any vendor," in reference to their export functionality. But... their current agreement says: "If you don't extend your license, the software will basically revert to a locked state: you can still VIEW your logbook data in the main view mode, but most other functionality will be restricted. Don't expect to be able to do very much at all with the software while it is in this 'reverted to locked' state." So, I guess I'd better assume that I won't be able to export after my license expires; better get while the getting is good.

Augh!
I wouldn't mind if they went to a pay-to-update model. But to just cripple it? Cheeses me off. Really, this time-limited license was not readily apparent at the time of (or before) purchase. Caveat emptor. :mad:
I'm done. Time to just build my own RDB...
 
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This is one of the reasons I'm developing PilotFreeStuff. I can't stand companies that try to make money at the expense of pilots.

Give it a few more weeks, and I think y'all will have a shiny, gold-versioned, version of PilotFreeStuff: Multimedia Logbook waiting for your download.
 
SkyHog said:
This is one of the reasons I'm developing PilotFreeStuff. I can't stand companies that try to make money at the expense of pilots.

Give it a few more weeks, and I think y'all will have a shiny, gold-versioned, version of PilotFreeStuff: Multimedia Logbook waiting for your download.
Click to expand...

Thanks Nick!
I've been keeping an eye on PilotFreeStuff... good stuff.

I don't mind companies making money, really - I tend to register (pay for) "donation-ware" that I actually use and even re-up for significant updates. But, I really don't like "subscription" licenses, having to continue to pay to use a product that I thought was good enough when I "bought" it the first time (so I'm not necessarily interested in updates/enhancements). The non-subscription model was one of the reasons I went with Safelog... :rolleyes:
 
I've been using Safelog since 2003. The support is great and they truly develop SafeLog all the time. It's very feature rich and continues to grow. I don't mind paying them $50 every 3 years. I think of how much I spend on aviation and $50 is a drop in the bucket. It's the cost of 2 sectionals each year. Heck, that's only 38 minutes of AVgas at 14gph @ $5.60/gal. I think the crew at Dauntless-soft deserves to make a living too.
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
If I had to do it all over again starting in 2007, I'd go electronic. Some of them will show all the different currencies without you having to do a bunch of flipping and head scratching. If I was feeling cheap Id probably make my own on Excel.
I get a bit nervous about losing the paper ones, although I love having them around.
Also the electronic ones are flexible. My first logbook does not have columns for a lot of items that we keep track of now. If you buy a book intended to last for 50 yrs of your flying career, I bet it will be 'out of date' in 10. You will need extra columns to record new items like "Approach fee paid Visa 4/6/11" :D
Click to expand...

For several years I've been using an Electronic Flight Log which I've found to be a cool tool. It was authored by a MCSE who used to live down the street from me. Then he moved to Wisconsin and I lost contact.
Thinking there might be upgrades to my Version 1.3.6, I was able to chase him down through a CFI who taught both of us. Indeed, there are some advantageous new features. His response to me, to me is as below:

"Hi Jerry,

New to FlightNotes 2.1.1 is the Weight and Balance Calculator, the Fly Legal Quick Check, Bulk load of previous flight time, new tools for the database, Time and Temp conversion tools, new ways for CFI's to log Dual Given time using the Quick Entry feature, a new Form for Aircraft entry...and other things...

I don't have it on the web right now...I am working with a web developer here locally and he is building me a new website (I am not much of a web designer) and will have the ability to accept credit cards online....should be coming soon.

If you come across anyone who wants to try FlightNotes, just shoot me an email and I can help them get a copy.

-JS"

PoA, note: I was one of the earliest flyers to have the, as Smothers Brothers would have said -- "the virgin edition / the original virgin" -- and I'm impressed with the latest file.

The way it used to work is that one could do a TRIAL RUN of the program, but the total features would only work when a Registration Code would be supplied. I don't know if that's still the manner because my 2.1.1 upgrade just overwrote my original 1.3.6(without losing any prior data). Also note, I have no appreciable incentives to bring this program to your attention. However, if anyone has further interest you know how to reach me.

HR
 
I started out with a small log, then got a Jepp Senior Pilots log (which I still use), and also put all my flights in Logbook Pro.

What I find myself doing typically is entering the flights into Logbook Pro, then going back and filling in the paper log to match later. The only time I take the paper log anywhere is if I am getting dual or some other flight where somebody else needs to sign the log. And the minute Logbook Pro starts supporting ink on the tablet PC, the paper log is gonna stop being used altogether. If I go for an interview, the printed log from Logbook Pro will be what I take, with the handwritten stuff along as "proof" if needed. I take frequent backups of the logbook pro files and keep at least one fairly recent copy off-site.

I've considered just capturing the handwritten stuff using Ink in OneNote or something similar, but it's not as neat as having them stored in the logbook pro database would be. I have done it once when I forgot the logbook, and just used Word and typed up the details, and had the instructor sign. Once I was home I printed it out onto a label and stuck the label in my logbook.

As far as the electronic signatures go, I'm not aware of any court issues yet, but the last Digital Signature Act in the late 90's made it clear that an electronic representation of a signature (scan, tablet ink, etc) was legal from a federal standpoint - this is one of the things that enabled banks to just image checks and do EFTs rather than actually shipping the checks around, putting a bunch of night freight dogs out of business and eliminating a lot of the "float" in the checking system.
 
RotaryWingBob said:
Bear in mind that the only time your logbook needs to be with you is when you need the endorsement(s) in it, for example, when flying solo prior to getting your initial PPL rating.

My logbook usually stays home unless I am doing a BFR or other recurrant training that needs to be logged, and even then, it does't ride around in the helicopter or airplane with me.

BTW the logbooks from Sporty's seem to hold up much better than the Jepp logbooks (my Jepp lasted two years before pages started falling out). I like Logbook Pro for electronic logging.
Click to expand...

My FR CFI thought it was funny I did not have any time recorded in mine after I got my HP endorsement. I keep all my time on Logbook pro and only use my paper log book for endorsements. It stays at home. Safe.

Dan
 
Lawreston said:
For several years I've been using an Electronic Flight Log which I've found to be a cool tool. It was authored by a MCSE who used to live down the street from me. Then he moved to Wisconsin and I lost contact.
Thinking there might be upgrades to my Version 1.3.6, I was able to chase him down through a CFI who taught both of us. Indeed, there are some advantageous new features. His response to me, to me is as below:

"Hi Jerry,

New to FlightNotes 2.1.1 is the Weight and Balance Calculator, the Fly Legal Quick Check, Bulk load of previous flight time, new tools for the database, Time and Temp conversion tools, new ways for CFI's to log Dual Given time using the Quick Entry feature, a new Form for Aircraft entry...and other things...

I don't have it on the web right now...I am working with a web developer here locally and he is building me a new website (I am not much of a web designer) and will have the ability to accept credit cards online....should be coming soon.

If you come across anyone who wants to try FlightNotes, just shoot me an email and I can help them get a copy.

-JS"

PoA, note: I was one of the earliest flyers to have the, as Smothers Brothers would have said -- "the virgin edition / the original virgin" -- and I'm impressed with the latest file.

The way it used to work is that one could do a TRIAL RUN of the program, but the total features would only work when a Registration Code would be supplied. I don't know if that's still the manner because my 2.1.1 upgrade just overwrote my original 1.3.6(without losing any prior data). Also note, I have no appreciable incentives to bring this program to your attention. However, if anyone has further interest you know how to reach me.

HR
Click to expand...

I've got FlightNotes 2.0 and the e-mail address it uses to contact the author doesn't work. As a result, I've been unable to port it over to my new (as of early last year) computer. I'd appreciate his current e-mail address.

Thanks.
 
Ghery said:
I've got FlightNotes 2.0 and the e-mail address it uses to contact the author doesn't work. As a result, I've been unable to port it over to my new (as of early last year) computer. I'd appreciate his current e-mail address.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Ghery:

As I had written earlier, I only yesterday was updated with John's new address. He had sent me the upgrade months ago but my address had changed, so it kicked back at him. I'll send you his new e-mail address by PM.
Anyone else who needs it, let me know.

HR
 
Teerawood said:
No one uses the log book that they did their PPL with?
Click to expand...
I still do, about 70% of the way through it. I also have entered all the info into an Excel spreadsheet, though. One of the features I will need in an electronic logbook is the ability to import from my spreadsheet.
 
tonycondon said:
Green paper reminds me of accountants with reams of balance sheets.
Click to expand...

Thems fightin words, Tony!:D

I used the small Jepp logbook during my primary training, but since it took me 22 months and three instructors to get through the process, my endorsement section was getting very full. So, I started with a Sporty's Senior Pilot's logbook, with the first entry being my flight returning to my home airport at the conclusion of my checkride. Woo Hoo!
 
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I have the little ASA one. If i had to do it all again, i would have gotten one of the senior log books from the start. But then again, maybe its gonna be nice to "graduate" to a bigger log book once I fill this one.

I am lazy. My method of backing up is easy. I just take nice clear pictures with my digital camera. If I ever had to replace my logbook, a simple bit of printing would bring it back to life. And I think that is a bit more convincing to anyone that had to look at the replacement. I can back up the entire thing in maybe 30 minutes, that includes getting out the camera.
 
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Lawreston said:
Ghery:

As I had written earlier, I only yesterday was updated with John's new address. He had sent me the upgrade months ago but my address had changed, so it kicked back at him. I'll send you his new e-mail address by PM.
Anyone else who needs it, let me know.

HR
Click to expand...

Thanks for the e-mail. I've made contact with John thanks to your help.
 
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