What Can You Do When You’re a Pilot Without a Logbook?

From IACRA records to muscle memory, a lapsed aviator can take to the skies again, even after two decades.

Meg Godlewski

Wednesday, December 31, 2025 at 10:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

Student pilot logbook [Credit: FLYING Archive]

Key Takeaways:

Pilots returning to flying after a long break and without a logbook should first attempt to retrieve their certification records via the FAA's IACRA system or by contacting the FAA directly if they completed a check ride.
If no prior certification can be confirmed, the pilot must restart from zero hours; however, muscle memory typically aids in quicker re-learning, with an anecdotal guide of one dual instruction hour needed for every year away from aviation.

See a mistake? Contact us.

Question: I want to start flying again. When I stopped flying 20 years ago, I had accumulated about 302 hours. Now I can’t find my logbook, so I’m not sure what to do. Can you offer any suggestions?

Answer: Did you complete your certificate? If so, did you use the Integrated Airman Certification and Rating Application (IACRA) for the check ride? IACRA was introduced by the FAA in 2004, and if you are in the system, you will be able to pull up your last application.

That is a good place to start.

READ MORE: Can You Return to Flying After a Long Break?
READ MORE: Is My Aircraft Logbook Invalid If Entries Are Written in Cursive?

If you did not use IACRA, but did take a check ride, you might try reaching out to the FAA online to see if it still has a record of your last application. If the records were digitized, you may be able to start from there.

If you did not obtain certification, I am afraid you will have to start from zero hours. However, I want to assure you that muscle memory comes back faster than knowledge retention.

Expect to repeat lessons (please use a syllabus to make sure you cover all the bases), but don’t be surprised if it comes back fairly quickly. Anecdotally, I have noticed that for every year a person is away from aviation, they can expect an hour of dual instruction to bring their skills back to par.

Your experience may vary. Good luck!

Ask us anything you’ve ever wanted to know about aviation. Our experts in general aviation, flight training, aircraft, avionics, and more may attempt to answer in a future article. Email your questions here.