Logbook Cleanup

tgrayson said:
I think you're worrying about nothing. If someone asks about the whiteout, just say you made a mistake, as if that isn't obvious. I wouldn't put much faith in what other people say the FAA does or does not frown on....most such reports are very unreliable and you just can't live your life that way. If you can't find it in writing, it probably isn't true.

Rather than wasting oodles of time fixing the past, just start making neat logbook entries today.
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:yeahthat:

A log book is what the name implies. So long as the entries are accurate there wont be a problem. Everyone knows that there will be mistakes, we all have times crossed out and such on our logs. Heck I have white tape over some totals I added wrong. It doesn't look too bad.

Errors in totals is why I now always write them in pencil. If you have to erase them, it isn't a big deal as it wont be as obvious as whiteout.
 
Dynasty22 said:
After recently passing 100 hours recently, I was told by my instructor who used to be a DPE that the FAA frowns upon white out in the logbook.
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That is because the logbook is viewed as a legal documentation of your training and progression through that training/flight history. When you make a mistake on a document that is used for the purposes of keeping records, such as a logbook, the accepted way to correct that mistake is with 1-3 lines horizontally through the mistake and your initials.

Basically you are omitting a mistake and initial that you were the one that did it and corrected it. At least this is how I was taught to keep logbooks as they pertain to engineering projects, for which my av law professor in college agreed with regards to a logbook. Anyone have an official writing on this?
 
shdw said:
That is because the logbook is viewed as a legal documentation of your training and progression through that training/flight history. When you make a mistake on a document that is used for the purposes of keeping records, such as a logbook, the accepted way to correct that mistake is with 1-3 lines through it and your initials.

Basically you are omitting a mistake and initial that you were the one that did it and corrected it. At least this is how I was taught to keep logbooks as they pertain to engineering projects, for which my av law professor in college agreed with regards to a logbook. Anyone have an official writing on this?
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The FAA doesn't have anything on this other than what to do if your logbook is stolen/lost.

If we had to follow the log perfectly, I wouldn't be making the big remarks I do. I'll take multiple lines if I have to for remarks, this way the FAA can see what we did instead of trying to read point 1 font writing with the ink causing the letters the bleed into each other.
 
Dynasty22 said:
After recently passing 100 hours recently, I was told by my instructor who used to be a DPE that the FAA frowns upon white out in the logbook.
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Wow - someone might frown upon it at the FAA. Fortunately, you aren't trying to get a job there.

Doesn't matter. Don't worry about it. You will have a new logbook anyway by the time anyone who cares ever looks at it.

I personally do keep an electronic version, but that is just for doing the math to add up totals. That is just for my own laziness - I prefer not to add up the pages by hand. Don't worry about it.
 
So, just so I understand, if I switch over to Logbook Pro, I have to have the original with the instructor sign-offs for each flight copied and kept with the new logbook? I want to do this, but I am confused on the signature thing.
 
I never had mine sign anything. I just put his name and instructor number in the box but I still have my old logbook as well with his actual signature.
 
I've had my logbook for 12 years and it's starting to show wear and tear. I think I'm going to make copies of it and store it away, then transfer everything into a new one when I get the next certificate up.

Alex.
 
tprops4me said:
So, just so I understand, if I switch over to Logbook Pro, I have to have the original with the instructor sign-offs for each flight copied and kept with the new logbook? I want to do this, but I am confused on the signature thing.
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No, for conveneince I just copied the page with DPE signature for checkrides, and my HP/Complex endorsements, and Hi-altitude endorsements, and other major items like those. IMO you don't need each line copied that a CFI signed.

Jbroz04 said:
I never had mine sign anything. I just put his name and instructor number in the box but I still have my old logbook as well with his actual signature.
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Yup, that is a good idea and how I have mine setup....Always save your old logbook just in case someone asks....
 
Remember that if you lost your logbooks your 8710 is what you would you to show your flight times. The instructor signoff doesn't matter if you are PAST the rating because, again, the 8710 would be good enough reference for the FAA to OK your flight time. I know of a few people when I was going through college that had their cars broken into and the stole their flight bag.

I personally keep both Logbook Pro AND a paper logbook. Once the paper logbook runs out, in about 10 pages, I won't get another and will just print a report from Logbook Pro. Like Bandit said, that way I don't have to worry about adding up the times wrong or anything like that. I cannot wait to be entirely electronic. I keep backups of my logbook online, in my iPod (believe it or not), and a third on the same computer that I am updating my logbook. That way I can recover my logbook just about no matter what. It's also nice to be able to count on my company records but those don't show approaches, IMC, or single-pilot, or any of the other stuff but it does help if needed.
 
How about this one:
I had a couple of entries in my logbook from '99 (it was just two "introductory" flights with a CFI) and now that I'm back to flight training I'm using the same logbook, but I'd have my name changed. So I greened out the old one and overwrote my new name on it. Could it be a problem?
 
No, people worry too much about how the log book looks and changes made and what not. As long as you don't have forged signatures, flights you never took or any other kind of fraud then you are fine.

I'm on my 3rd logbook and none of them are perfect. I don't worry about it as long as its legible and actuate. My address has changed several times over the years.. I don't put my address in my logbook. If my name changed then I would change it in the logbook so it matched what was on my certificate.
 
Maurus said:
The FAA doesn't have anything on this other than what to do if your logbook is stolen/lost.
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I know the FAA doesn't, but since a logbook is nothing more than a record book similar to that of any other legal record book other sources might. That is what I was asking, maybe one of our lawyers on here has a document on how to keep records and correct mistakes on those records.
 
Maurus said:
The FAA doesn't have anything on this other than what to do if your logbook is stolen/lost.
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Just out of curiosity, what do you do in that case?


If we had to follow the log perfectly, I wouldn't be making the big remarks I do. I'll take multiple lines if I have to for remarks, this way the FAA can see what we did instead of trying to read point 1 font writing with the ink causing the letters the bleed into each other.
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Hah! on both my commercial single engine & multi engine, the DPE used about half a page to write out" All areas of CASEL (and CAMEL on the multi add-on) PTS tested and found to be satisfactory. Commercial ASEL (and AMEL later) certificate & single (multi) engine land rating issued this ( ) day of ( ) 2009 (DPE signature & number)"

Logbooks have plenty of pages- nothing says you have to use only one line per flight. Nothing says you have to use the same color ink on the same line. Nothing even says you have to use up all of the pages in the book before starting a new book, although I think Id make a notation in both books to that æffect. Ive got all kinds of notations in the margins too.

I also use logbook pro as a back up to my written log book.
 
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