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To clean or not to clean up an old logbook?


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Looking through my logbook preparing for future interviews I'm wondering how far cleanliness goes when being considered for commercial pilot jobs. Currently my logbook looks clean but the entries are a mess in some places with the typical mistakes that occur through student instruction. Some logs are scratched out, some are whited out. There are the occational entries that don't fit on the line and look scrunched and squished, and the constant change in pen color and the scratches from pens that refused to write the first few times. The book itself isn't falling apart, but the story it tells shows one of many mistakes, errors and scribbles.

 

Should I consider purchasing a new logbook and transfering every entry over in order to clean it up significantly and risk it looking faked? I have nightmares of returning to school with a forged report card and the teacher noticing that both my parents had the same handwriting as a 6th grader. Or will an interviewer see it instead as a sign of clenliness and professionalism?

 

Which is the better choice to show a cheif pilot during an interview?

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I agree, don't mess with it.

 

An option, is if you have an electronic logbook (and if you don't, they are a good idea to have purely for the ease of backing up the data and emailing it to yourself so it's never lost) something you can do on lots of them is to print out your logbook. You can put that in a binder, bring both, and show them the printed one. If they ask for the origional, you can show them that too.

 

All that aside, they didn't even look at my logbook for my interviews. But, maybe I'm an exception to the norm.

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I have been thinking about this also. My logbook also has white out marks and is a little sloppy in some places. I will leave it how it is though. If you keep an electric logbook how do you have a CFI sign off on your training or currency flights? Are you suppose to keep a paper logbook also?

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The digital log books are meant only as a source of a backup in case your actual one gets lost/damaged/stolen. The also help in tallying up the more complicated hours such as "night XC instruction given" type hours that would take more digging to find. You simply tell the program what you want to look up and it does the work for you.

 

The biggest PITA about them for me is actually taking the time to make it match my log book. It can be a tedious task if you don't stay on top of it.

 

 

Also, what I did for those sign offs was put my instructors name and cert # in the comments section for future reference.

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I was not asked for a logbook review on my last 4 flying jobs going back 13+ years. I did have a POI look at my most recent one once. As a reminder, sign your Pilot certificate. It's grounds for automatic and immediate dismissal for 135, 121, and other carriers.

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"No-one will look at it anyway, so dont worry about it."

 

I don't get this, if no one ever looks at your logbook, how do they know you meet their qualifications? 3000 TT, 1500 PIC, 500 in type,...how do they know you have it, if they don't check?

 

No need to fudge your book, if no one will ever look at it!

Edited by eagle5
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"No-one will look at it anyway, so dont worry about it."

 

I don't get this, if no one ever looks at your logbook, how do they know you meet their qualifications? 3000 TT, 1500 PIC, 500 in type,...how do they know you have it, if they don't check?

 

No need to fudge your book, if no one will ever look at it!

 

They will be able to tell by the way you fly.

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"No-one will look at it anyway, so dont worry about it."

 

I don't get this, if no one ever looks at your logbook, how do they know you meet their qualifications? 3000 TT, 1500 PIC, 500 in type,...how do they know you have it, if they don't check?

 

No need to fudge your book, if no one will ever look at it!

 

Other then seeing how you fly they can see your job history. If you worked x amount of years at xxx helicopters who flys these types of helicopters... They can get an idea of your experience. They won't know exact hours but they should know roughly how much you might have flown. Especially if they check with your previous employers and find out you were accually there as a pilot and you're not claiming fuel truck time as turbine time.

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In more than 40 years, nobody has ever seen my logbook since I received my private. An FAA inspector wanted to see it on my first cross-country solo, but nobody since. You can certify your hours with your signature. There is no requirement for any format, and it doesn't have to be a book. The regulation specifically says that electronic format is fine. As a student, you need something that your instructor can sign off for your solos, etc, but other than that paper is not necessary. Paper was the only possibility back when I was starting out. When I was in college, the university had a computer. One. It had its own building. An entire building, around one computer. We used slide rules, not calculators. I remember the first electronic calculator I ever saw. It was about the size of a breadbox, could add, subtract, multiply, and divide with amazing speed, and cost >$5,000 in 1960-something dollars. No electronic logbooks for us. But now they're common, and accepted everywhere. Just print out your totals, sign the bottom, and that's all you need.

 

Any prospective employer will check with previous employers, and get a copy of your records from there. It's required. If you claim a thousand hours with XYZ Helicopters, and only flew a hundred, you will be caught. Don't try to lie about your hours with a company, and don't try to apply for a job secretly if you're still employed. The company you're applying to is required to contact your current employer for your records, and the current employer is required to provide them.

Edited by Gomer Pylot
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The digital log books are meant only as a source of a backup in case your actual one gets lost/damaged/stolen. The also help in tallying up the more complicated hours such as "night XC instruction given" type hours that would take more digging to find. You simply tell the program what you want to look up and it does the work for you.

 

The biggest PITA about them for me is actually taking the time to make it match my log book. It can be a tedious task if you don't stay on top of it.

 

 

Also, what I did for those sign offs was put my instructors name and cert # in the comments section for future reference.

 

According to the Chief Counsel's office the regulation 61.51 states an acceptable record. However, it does not define an acceptable record. According to the Chief Counsel's office, as long as the FAA can figure out what you have for flight times, anything is acceptable. So the electronic logbook programs are acceptable. I have had 2 times when the local FSDO looked at my logbook. The first one claimed that the electronic version was not legal, but changed their tune when I mentioned the letter of interpretation. The second time the FSDO just accepted the electronic version. Most logbook programs let you printout a copy and Programs like Logbook Pro also put a certification block at the bottom of each page.

 

As for endorsements, signoffs, etc. All I do, is get it on an index card (or equivalent), scan it into my computer and save the card in a large envelope. So far I haven't had any issues.

 

As for looking at your logbook, once you get to a certain point, most employers don't bother. HOWEVER, bring it with you. You never know.

Edited by rick1128
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I've been using an electronic logbook for the last several years. I occasionally print out a copy, especially if I am going to an interview.

 

I've only had one Chief Pilot look at my logbook in an interview. He went through it line by line, asking specifics about the type of aircraft, name of airport, distance between points, etc, as a means of verification. Was no issue, and I was offered the job (but turned it down.)

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