There are unquestionable advantages to having an electronic logbook over the traditional paper logbook, and no one ever said it is against the rules for pilots to use both.

First and foremost, logbook apps offer pilots peace of mind knowing they are never at risk of losing flight records with multiple options for backing up critical logbook data. Flight logs stay tidy, stain-free, and if you follow this list of 6 things to look for in an electronic pilot log, you’ll have a logbook that does it all, including one of the most tedious tasks a pilot must do: tally up flight hours. Are you ready to protect your logbook?

Sure, your pilot logbook is the record of your flying life, but that doesn’t mean you want to spend a lifetime entering flights, calculating totals, and making sure your current and flying within regulated limits!

Pilots should be looking for a logbook that is as streamlined and automated as possible. And when you land in the FO’s seat (or if you’re already there!), you’ll want a pilot log that will import your schedule for even faster logging.

2 | Customizability

As you move through your pilot career, it’s invaluable to have a logbook that can be customized fully to your specific needs. As a student, you’ll want to track dual received, progress towards your certificates, and all your endorsements. As an instructor you’ll want dual given, digital signatures, and the ability to track each of your students. Finally, as a commercial pilot, you’ll want to import your schedule, and probably also track flight, duty, flight duty, and rest limits. 

Make sure you have full control over your logbook - to create the fields you need, and track the details you want … for your whole aviation career.

3 | Flying Safe

At the end of the ‘daily limit’, it is the pilot’s responsibility to be sure you are current and flying within regulated limits. So when you move to a regional, flying 10 legs a day, having a logbook that tracks your daily limit, duty, and rest makes the job of keeping safe, and legal, a lot easier. Thinking ahead when choosing your digital logbook could avoid some big headaches later on.

4 | Logbook Reports and Audit Functionality

A detailed, clean, and error free logbook is the ticket to your first (or next!) pilot job. 

Choosing a pilot logbook with a broad range of reports is very important: Does it have the 8710? Does it have experience reports? Both summary and detail? Does it have multiple Jeppesen formats? Does it have reports from around the world (you never know where you might end up flying throughout your career!)?

You’ll also want a logbook with an audit report! Even the best, most meticulous pilot can make mistakes, and as your logged time grows, uncovering potential errors can be like finding a sandwich for less than $30 at KLGA.

5 | Multiple Backup Options

We said it already - your pilot log is the record of your flying life, and it’s the ticket to your dream job in the cockpit. Making sure your data is always safely backed-up is a no brainer. So in choosing your career pilot log, check that there are multiple options for backup (that you control!) Also check if you can easily export a CSV of all your data? And what happens if your subscription lapses? Can you still access your data? 

And this leads us to …

6 | Support

Things change fast in aviation (especially in the last couple of years) - sometimes even with the best will in the world, you need some last minute help. So choosing a pilot logbook provider with a great track record for service is essential. Test them out - send them a question - it could be one from above or something else you want to know. Check their App Store reviews - do they answer customer reviews?  Check their Instagram - are they engaged?

Now, you have a choice. You can use all the advice above to head out in search of your career pilot logbook… Or, we’re happy to report that we’ve done a lot of the work for you! Late last year, we surveyed Flight Schedule Pro pilots asking what feature they most wanted us to develop. The answer came back: A Digital Pilot Logbook. So we went out and researched the best logbook on the market for career pilots, from C172 to B787, and we found it: LogTen Pilot Logbook.

In fact, we were so impressed, we bought the company! Try LogTen Pilot Log free today.