Logbook Review

Jimmy_Norton

Well-Known Member
What do airlines look for when they are reviewing someone's logbooks? It probably depends on the airline, but what is something that they could find that would prevent them from giving someone a job offer?
 
My logbook review seemed to be, wow it's neat. He found one oddish type (to him, he was half my age) and asked about it. If you're talking about one of the larger more desirable career destinations, I have no idea. I gave the reviewer mine at the interview and it was a print of a digital logbook. One of the bennies of this is nothing stands out to someone making a cursory review.

If the reviewer does have a lot of experience there are likely ratios of total time that are normal. Night/Day - VMC/IMC etc. If those are out of whack, they may ask you to explain it. @Cory Trevor answered while I was typing, that answer has a couple very good ones!

If it was a complete mess, that'd probably indicate a lack of professionalism and what kind of paperwork/reporting/maintenance logging they may not want to deal with for a few years from you.

Good Luck! (assuming a review is coming soon..)
 
So nothing like "We see you logged some night flying back in 2000, but your night currency ran out 3 days prior. Hasta La Vista, baby!"?

I had my logbook reviewed at SkyWest, Frontier, United, and FedEx. None of them had that attitude at all. More just like a discussion about the airplanes or type of flying you do. All fairly enjoyable experiences in that regard. I don’t think UAL even said anything at all about my logbook.
 
At SWA it's just an opportunity to verify the time you said you have on the app, and then tell some more TMAAT stories
 
I'm guessing you're specifically asking what DAL is looking for. They'll send you a packet prior to your interview asking you to tab your logbook.
I tabbed all my check rides, type rides, PIC, 1000 turbine PIC, and aircraft summary. Also, if you're using an electronic logbook to bring all your previous paper logbooks, even if you have all your endorsements scanned into your electronic logbook.

All they're looking for is consistency between your airline apps and your logbook. I was questioned how I flew 10 hours in a day while towing banners, which led into a story.
 
At my first charter job the interviewer mentioned he noticed I had some recent GPS approaches and used that as a launching point to ask questions about those.

Regional airline asked if I liked flying a certain plane I had a lot of time in.

Major airline didn’t say anything notable about them.

I was worried too, and went through everything with a fine tooth comb. I tabbed checkrides (don’t worry there’s no requirement for an examiner to sign your logbook). I included scanned copies of my training (91/135) records from CAE.

My first logbook was pen and paper. There were adding errors, strike throughs, different color pens, etc.. everything else was a print out from my digital logbook and neatly bound.

Don’t sweat the small stuff. Provide exactly what the interview packet requests.
 
When the interviewers looked thru my logbook, they zeroed in on one flight and asked me about that one specific flight 0.5 that I logged in a R22. "looks like you don't like helicopters..."

Then another question, "was that one flight with just 1 landing? how do you log 4.2 in a single glider flight?" racing from Hemet to Tecate and back to Hemet.... and a gallon ziploc bag to hold the pee that you can use to adjust CG.... doesn't even count as a cross country
 
I was worried too, and went through everything with a fine tooth comb. I tabbed checkrides (don’t worry there’s no requirement for an examiner to sign your logbook). I included scanned copies of my training (91/135) records from CAE.

That's good to know, because when my MEI was doing my IACRA he couldn't find my checkrides. Also the DPE for the same multi add-on, also asked where my checkrides were located in my logbook.
 
For 121 people.. what do you log for instrument? instrument approaches?
what do you put on apps when asked for instrument time?
 
For 121 people.. what do you log for instrument? instrument approaches?
what do you put on apps when asked for instrument time?
The great Carnac says, When I’m sleeping or actual, when I get a landing, and whatever my logbook says.
 
For 121 people.. what do you log for instrument? instrument approaches?
what do you put on apps when asked for instrument time?
.5 instrument each flying leg, unless actual exceeds .5.
I log recurrent (PT/PC) as 6 TO/landings and whatever happens while flying the line.
 
They DO read any and all comments that you put in there. Something to think about if you use comments for memorable flights like I do.
 
Unreported Boo-Boos (are you a liar by omission?) Gaps in flying. Totals not off by an insane amount.

It’s all a giant personality test. Is this guy lying to us or attempting to cover something up? Is he fairly organized? Can he tell me why this flight he logged seems strange? What about this six month gap?

Present a neat orderly logbook that you can speak about honestly and you’re fine. Present a messy pile of trash that you can’t……uh oh.
 
Unreported Boo-Boos (are you a liar by omission?) Gaps in flying. Totals not off by an insane amount.

It’s all a giant personality test. Is this guy lying to us or attempting to cover something up? Is he fairly organized? Can he tell me why this flight he logged seems strange? What about this six month gap?

Present a neat orderly logbook that you can speak about honestly and you’re fine. Present a messy pile of trash that you can’t……uh oh.

Makes sense, thank you.

The time it would take them to go through it and find errors like what I talked about in post #4 would take a huge amount of time and effort.
 
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Makes sense, thank you.

The time it would take them to go through it and find errors like what I talked about in post #4 would take a huge amount of time and effort.

Yeah it would be wild. It’s never comfortable to hand someone your logbook when you know they’re gonna put it under a microscope but all of my experiences have been super reasonable and positive.
 
Neither Omni nor UPS really looked at mine. I think maybe Omni thumbed through it, just to make sure it wasn't all just dick graffiti, probably. I did the UPS interview in the age of Zoom, so while I sent it to them, it didn't come up at all. In the age of PRIA, they can make a pretty obvious and easy determination of whether you're making stuff up. Sounds like maybe other employers are a bit different.
 
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