Training and Safety Tip: Log it like a pro
Your pilot logbook is your aviation résumé. It documents your education, skills, certifications, and work experience. And, like a résumé, you will need to present your logbook(s) at every pilot job interview for the rest of your career.
To a potential employer, the care with which a candidate’s logbook is kept reflects on the professionalism of its owner.
In the regulations, check 14 CFR § 61.51(b) for the nitty-gritty of what exactly needs to be logged. Beyond that, a truly professional logbook will also link training elements to the regulations that require them. For instance, slow flight is a required element of private pilot training. But rather than just writing “slow flight” in your logbook, write “slow flight per 14 CFR § 61.107 (b) (1) (viii)” which has the added benefit of making it easy for the examiner to ensure that you have met the required training element for the checkride. At an FAR Part 141 school, add the lesson number as well.
It’s hard to fit all of that into those little boxes, and sometimes you have to use more than one line. When you do, put a neat line though the unused Date column, so you don’t start the next entry in the wrong place.
While you should make the entries in ink (although that is not actually required), use pencil for the column totals at the bottom of each page. This allows you to quickly and neatly correct math errors—perhaps the most common type of logbook error. (Another is including simulator time in the far right Total Time column, which should only include time in actual aircraft, and not in simulators.)
If, during a logbook audit, you find cascading mistakes, instead of marking up your entire logbook like a first draft novel written by a troubled literary genius, create a correction page where you fix the numbers, noting the dates being amended, and the reason(s).
While it’s your instructor’s responsibility to sign entries to verify accuracy, it’s not his or her job to make those entries. That’s your job. It’s YOUR logbook. YOUR professional résumé.
Take ownership, and ensure it reflects your professionalism.
