Paper vs. Electronic Logbooks: Pros and Cons

Find out the best flight logbook for you—paper, digital, or a combination.

Monday, August 19, 2024 at 10:55 AM ET

Verified

You may consider using more than one type or brand of logbook to diversify your data storage. [Photo by Carly Chamerlik | Flying Magazine]

Key Takeaways:

Pilot logbooks are essential for tracking flight time, experience, and certifications, crucial for training, maintaining currency, and career advancement.
Pilots can choose between traditional paper logbooks, which are tangible and independent of technology, and electronic logbooks, offering automatic calculations, advanced reporting, and cloud backup.
Paper logbooks are susceptible to damage, loss, and manual errors, while electronic logbooks require technology, have a learning curve, and may incur subscription fees.
The best logbook type depends on individual needs, with many pilots benefiting from a hybrid approach or using backup systems to ensure data security and accessibility for different situations like ramp checks or career applications.

See a mistake? Contact us.

Logging flight time and experience is an essential part of becoming a pilot. Logbooks, both paper and electronic, help pilots track and organize their hours and endorsements for future reference.

Deciding which type of logbook to use is important to do early on in your flying career, if possible. The more hours a pilot accumulates, the more work it will be to transfer all of that information into a new format. Before choosing a logbook, consider these pros and cons to determine which one is right for you.