Logbook neatness and airline interviews

A

Avi8er10

New Member
I have been keeping my logbook as neat as possible everytime I log my time. I have however made some mistakes here and there. I have a few scratch outs where I put in the wrong number or put something in the wrong column by accident. Each time I made a mistake I put a single line through it and put my initials next to it. Also, my logbook is all in the same ink color...black. But I have used different pens. Is that a real problem? I try to keep everything as meticulous as possible but nothing can be perfect. Do interviewers look down upon that at all?

Also, as a CFI I have been logging all the landings that I either did my self or have had to help my students with. It seems that 9 times out of 10 I have my hands on the controls during the landing either to help my students with the proper technique or for fear of death...haha. So for that being said, I have a lot of logged landings. Is that questionable at all? I just want to make sure that my logbook looks professional and well kept.

Thanks for the help.
 
I think your logbook sounds fine. The interviewers are human, they've screwed up their logbook too just like all of us do from time to time.

A line through with initials sounds like a perfect way to show a correction.

Using black ink sounds good too, it doesn't matter which pen it came out of. Trust me, after years of flying it would be tough to have kept the same pen the whole time.

As for logging landing as a CFI, again...it sounds like you're doing the right thing. And if anyone questions you, give them a straight answer. Simple as that.

Hope that helps.
 
yeah sounds like youre doing good. except in my opinion i dont think i would log landings that you just shadow or slightly assist a student at. i log the landings that im actually making 100% whether im demonstrating one with the student following along on the controls or not. as long as im doing everything myself. but thats just my opinion and by no means is it the only one out there. i think of it as all i need is enough to stay current so 3 every 90 days. so i really dont need to be logging thousands of landings. of course i end up with more than the bare minimum but.... yeah so anyway thats my .02
 
I recently scanned my logbook and was going to show you the horrendous, yet legible records I keep. but I can't find the images.
 
hattrick said:
yeah sounds like youre doing good. except in my opinion i dont think i would log landings that you just shadow or slightly assist a student at. i log the landings that im actually making 100% whether im demonstrating one with the student following along on the controls or not. as long as im doing everything myself. but thats just my opinion and by no means is it the only one out there. i think of it as all i need is enough to stay current so 3 every 90 days. so i really dont need to be logging thousands of landings. of course i end up with more than the bare minimum but.... yeah so anyway thats my .02
Click to expand...

I totally agree with all of that.

I just wanted to add, be careful about logging enough takeoffs to stay current as well. The currency reg requires both takeoffs and landings.

I actually had a problem with staying current last winter. I would demo a landing every now and then for some reason, but I would never be sole manipulator of the controls during takeoff. After about 80 days of having no takeoffs I decided I better go take a spin around the pattern a few times in order to stay legal.
 
i absolutely hate it when an instuctor attempts to sign my logbook in blue. i'm like, you sign your own logbook in blue? then, they're like, umm...i use black in mine. i never let the pen touch te paper.

i'm quite jealous of you technique.
 
I'll tell you what my favorite logbook entry is. You go through, try to keep everything neat and in order and then a DPE uses about three rows in felt tip pen to scirbble in your checkride.
 
jrh said:
I actually had a problem with staying current last winter. I would demo a landing every now and then for some reason, but I would never be sole manipulator of the controls during takeoff. After about 80 days of having no takeoffs I decided I better go take a spin around the pattern a few times in order to stay legal.
Click to expand...

Also, try to land at any airport when out with a student. Log it as X/C.

You will need them for the ATP and 135 min., I think.
 
jrh said:
I just wanted to add, be careful about logging enough takeoffs to stay current as well. The currency reg requires both takeoffs and landings.
Click to expand...

Wanna know something funny? None of my logbooks have a column for takeoffs, and I've never logged one...

My first logbook, during my PPL days, had whiteout all over it. In fact, it's even put together with thread because the spine started falling apart. IMO it just makes it look more authentic :).
 
wheelsup said:
Wanna know something funny? None of my logbooks have a column for takeoffs, and I've never logged one...
Click to expand...


I was thinking that as I was reading this thread. In fact, I have never seen a logbook that has a spot for logging takeoffs. I would think it is assumed.
 
Ha, my students who have the Cessna Pilot Kit all have those small logbooks, and I always have a confused look on my face when i get to that column.
 
Avi8er10 said:
But I have used different pens. Is that a real problem?
Click to expand...

Yes. You'll never see the right seat of a jet now. You should probably just go out and buy a new logbook and start copying things over.

But seriously, I've got a "logbook pen." I think it looks neat, but I don't know that most sane folks care or would even really notice. Just keep things relatively tidy.
 
Holding Short said:
Also, try to land at any airport when out with a student. Log it as X/C.

You will need them for the ATP and 135 min., I think.
Click to expand...

This is a big pet peeve of mine. I hate it when instructors say to land at another airport in order to build XC time.

And please don't take this personally, I'm not meaning to jump on you. The reason I hate CFI's doing this is that it potentially wastes the student's time and shows incorrect priorities on the CFI's part. Instructional flights are 100% for the student's sake and 0% for the CFI. There is nothing wrong with landing at other airports, but the XC time should be a side benefit to such activity, not the reason for the activity.

I've known CFIs who have their students land at another airport for no good reason (except for the CFI to build XC time). The students don't need the practice at all. If you add even 0.1 unnecessary hours to the flight, that's at least $10 of the student's money you're wasting.
 
wheelsup said:
Wanna know something funny? None of my logbooks have a column for takeoffs, and I've never logged one...
Click to expand...

Yeah, I use ASA logbooks without takeoff columns as well, but I've seen quite a few Jeppesen logbooks with both takeoff and landing columns.

But the main point still stands. No matter if you're logging the takeoff or not, you still need to perform three takeoffs in the past 90 days in order to stay current.
 
iowapilot said:
I'll tell you what my favorite logbook entry is. You go through, try to keep everything neat and in order and then a DPE uses about three rows in felt tip pen to scirbble in your checkride.
Click to expand...

Just don't let him/her write in your logbook!
 
stultus said:
But seriously, I've got a "logbook pen." I think it looks neat, but I don't know that most sane folks care or would even really notice. Just keep things relatively tidy.
Click to expand...
Me too, actually; a Pilot P-500 Extra Fine. How else could I write this small?
 
My logbook has blue pen, felt ben, black pen, big pen, small pen, white outs, cross outs, and all that jazz. But, it's honest and correct and I should hope that's what counts.

If someone is seriously not going to hire me because my logbook isn't perfect... nuts to them, sounds like a boring place to work.

I haven't had any problems yet, but none of the three flying jobs I've had actually asked to see it...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top