What do you write in "Notes"?

[OBK!]

I have just been filling out the ol' logbook after a nice flying session today, but I got to the "Notes" section again...what do you put?

The engine ran fine, the aircraft flew perfectly, I did 3 takeoffs and 3 landings...what more can I say?

What do you use this space for?

Thanks for comments,
obk

[englishal]

Stuff like:

"Club checkout, Stalls, Steep turns, PFL, 1hr JAR qualifier"
"ILS 27 KXXX, VOR-A 30 KYYY missed approach"
"CPL qualifying cross country"
"Holds, Tear drop / parallel entry"
"BFR flight"

Etc...to name but a few. Anything that I think is notable.

Cyer
EA:D

[Lowtimer]

As above, plus names of passengers, stall / spin practice, aerobatics, any interesting weather e.g. poor vis, strong crosswind, rain etc.For A to A flights perhaps the area or route overflown.

[DBChopper]

Routes, turning points, passenger names, weather, VORs used, runways or details of the odd approaches we rotary types often get given (may help for next time) and all the stuff in the above posts. If it was an unevenful one then I write a bit bigger to fill the box ;)

DBChopper
:cool:

[Tall_guy_in_a_152]

To be honest, I usually leave the box blank.

Any flight with an instructor / examiner gets a mention.

This thread has prompted me to resolve to note the number of takeoffs (and landings) for each flight, if greater than 1. That could be useful to demonstrate currency to carry passengers.

TG.

[M14P]

As described above I annotate the nature of a flight (if it is perhaps a little unusual) - quite apart from being the legal record of your flying I think that some suitable text will preserve a little something of your flying 'experience' for the future.

Otherwise it's just a big list of numbers - it's nice to remember the highlights (!) of ones career or hobby (or passion)

[Shaggy Sheep Driver]

Like M14P, any highlights; super high-pressure day, cr*p drizzly and windy, cloudchasing, taking J Bloggs on his/her first flight/first aeros etc. Aeros manouveres e.g B/R, A/R, ST, L (Barre l& aileron rolls, stall turn, loop). Otherwise, runway in use, landing a greaser or teeth-rattler - anything that gives the entry something to remember it by.

Good to look back on years later.

SSD

[*****]

For goodness sake, use your bod! You're hardly going to write, 'I woke up at ten past seven and had a pee, then made a cup of coffee...'
Use your commen sense and initiative - you must have some if you're actually completing a log book.

[OBK!]

Cheers for the comments. It looks like I was on the right lines with what I am writing so far.

*****, what an innovative 6th post that is!

[18greens]

I think you should always write something.

Every flight is memorable for some reason and when I look back at all of the empty notes I wonder what I did with my time in the air.I always make a point of flying with someone so their name always goes in (they may be famous some day). I now resolve to fill in the notes on each flight.

Remember also you are not limited to the one inch of notes , you can write on the next line, and the next one and heck log books are cheap.

Imagine picking up the logbook of a pilot and reading 'Took the kite over the Solent, watched the sun setting over Poole and tailchased a tiger back to base. Cricket team were playing as I landed' versus 'Local flight'. When someone says to you , how did you spend your £10,000 which logbook would you rather have?

[B2N2]

Only write the good stuff,never enter something like "crappy landing ran off the runway" sort of thing.
Write whatever is apllicable to that flight.
REMEMBER it's a legal document.
If anything ever goes down the tubes that's how you can prove that you're current doing whatever you were doing when you bent it.
Cheers:}

[djk]

this might sound like a daft question too, but in the section for Aircraft flown, what info should be put in the Engine/s section as there's not a lot of space given there

[TheKentishFledgling]

Number of engines?

tKF

[Whirlybird]

I just looked back at some of mine...

FIXED WING:

"Short field takeoff on grass!"...a first trip to Derby as a very new PPL.

"TOTAL ECLIPSE TRIP with X"!...11/8/99 to Cornwall, of course.

"DAWN TO DUSK WITH Y"...covering several flights/lines

"Reached 100 hrs P1 at Slieve Bloom mountains"...in Ireland, and I remember the exact point.

HELICOPTER:

"First trip after passing - to see all my friends"...I called it my celebratory cross country; went to the airfields where I knew people.

"With Z - First passenger"

"Landed in A's field and took him for a birthday flight"

"To B and C's house; landed in the garden and took them flying"

"Mountain flying in Snowdonia"

"Helitech with D; he flew back"

"First solo auto!"

"First solo trip in US"

"Climbing over mountains, strong winds"...this was in California

"Along the coast, including LAX transition at 150ft"

"Robinson Factory Tour - flew in to factory"

"Flying down canyons; auto from 8000 ft"

All those in California of course.

"First twin engined turbine helicopter"...in Russia

I don't know if this is the way you're "supposed" to do it - but I enjoy reading them. And yes, I do have the number of takeoffs and landings, type of weather, and other stuff...but I didn't think you'd want all that.

Anyone else want to share theirs?

[djk]

TKF ,

I thought that, but should it be the engine type too? eg Lycoming?

[mad_jock]

Ex .... then the students name.

If I am flying on my tod VFR nothing

Unless IFR then the type of instrument approach I did.

MJ

[TheKentishFledgling]

djk - could be, but is it relevant? You don't need an additional rating to fly Continental engines, but you do need one to fly anything (well, most) with two engines, so that's what's of interest.

That's how I see it :rolleyes:

tKF

[FlyingForFun]

What a coincidence - yesterday, I went flying with AerBabe, and she asked me to e-mail the flight times to her. So I happen to have my logbook with me.

My last few flights, in reverse order, have the following notes:

- No notes. (The from/to airfields say all it.)
- NDB/ILS approach. Safety passenger: AerBabe.
- NDB hold. NDB/DME approach. Safety passenger: AerBabe.
- No notes.
- Short-field circuits
- Circuits
- No notes
- Pax: my sister
- Pax: my dad. Via OCK, BIG, LAM. (From White Waltham to Elstree - but without the waypoints the start/destination doesn't adequately describe the route, hence I've include the waypoints.)
- IMC skills test: pass

My favourite entry in the Notes column simply reads: "Toilet stop". 1 hour into a 3-hour flight I realised I needed the toilet. Another hour later, I realised I wouldn't survive until my destination, so I diverted. The story of the airfield I diverted to can wait for another day.

My second favourite entry is for the one flight I had in a Pitts Special. It reads: "Dutch rolls. Aileron rolls. Loops. Hammerheads. Cuban 8s. Reverse Cuban 8s. Spins - upright and inverted. Inverted flight. Lomcevac. Landings." And then my instructor's signature, because US instructors seem to like to sign logbooks.

FFF
-----------

[strake]

Lot's of interesting things can go in "Notes".

Sunday it was "Divert to LFAC on LFAT-EGMC 'coz of whacking great active CB over SE England"

[djk]

TKF,

It's probably not relevant at all, I was just wondering what others have entered in that column :D

[ratsarrse]

Ex 12,13
Ex 12,13
Ex 12,13
Ex 12,13
Ex 12,13
Ex 12,13

;)

[Whirlybird]

Hey ratsarrse, I hold the record for number of lines saying "Ex 12/13"! ;) :)

[dublinpilot]

I just write my route, and who my pax was.

I'm using a poolies log book, and it doesn't give much space for more than a few words. Some of you guys seem to have lots more room!! Make's me jealous :sad:

[ratsarrse]

You are welcome to retain your record Whirly! I really would like to go and have a look at some different scenery some time in the near future - although Ratcliffe power station is so very attractive. ;)

[FlyingForFun]

Dublinpilot, you're allowed to use as much space as you need for the notes - you don't have to stick to the space which Poolies give you! Spread it over more than one line, or extend it into the "Other" column - do whatever you need to in order to write everything that's relevant.

When I was writing "Ex 12, 13" under the Notes column every flight, my sister came flying with me and sat in the back seat. After the flight, I wrote "Ex 12, 13". One of my regrets (ok, so it's not exactly a huge regret, but that's not the point) is that I can't remember which of the "Ex 12, 13" flights it was that I took my sister with. Don't skimp on the notes - write anything that it would be nice to remember in 50 years time, and use as much space as you need.

FFF
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[Evo]

Just debating what to put after the latest entry in my logbook. It was my first go in a Citabria - "humbled and humiliated" seems kind of appropriate... :)

[dublinpilot]

Thanks FFF. I get by my writing really really small!
Bet I won't be able to read it when I get old and the eye sight start's deteriating :)

[Penguina]

I had a my most 'memorable' flight last summer. Notes has a big row of exclamation marks in it. It was enough of a nightmare that's all the reminding I need! :\