Guard Your Logbook

An instructor weighs in on who writes what—and where—in a pilot’s logbook.

Meg Godlewski

Tuesday, November 29, 2022 at 10:52 AM ET

Verified

An instructor weighs in on who writes what—and where—in a pilot’s logbook. [Credit: iStock]

Key Takeaways:

Proper and timely logbook documentation, including correct CFI signatures and endorsements (per AC 61-65), is critical for flight training progression and check ride eligibility.
Flight instructors bear the primary responsibility for ensuring all dual instruction entries are accurately filled out, reviewed, and signed immediately, not left blank or for later.
Learners should meticulously organize their logbooks, verify totals, and protect against loss by digitizing pages or backing up electronic records, understanding that accurate logging is paramount.

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The learner was totaling up his logbook for his private pilot check ride. He was using a paper logbook—and had been doing so for the several years he had been working on his private pilot certificate. The learner had recently moved from California to Washington. One page in his logbook had five consecutive blank lines from flights in California that were dual lessons required for completion of the certificate.

The learner explained that the California CFI was very busy, rushing from one lesson to another everyday, so he instructed the learner to “fill out the logbook,” saying he would sign it later. The learner wasn’t sure what to write so he left the lines blank—and then left the state before the CFI could sign. There was talk of the CFI flying up to Washington or the learner flying down to California to get the necessary signatures.