Originally Posted by
Lead Balloon
Correct (sadly). Logbook rules are merely one example of the utter overkill that is the Australian aviation regulatory regime.
In the USA, FAR 61.51 only requires the recording of (1) training and aeronautical experience used to meet the requirements for a certificate, rating, or flight review of Part 61, and (2) the aeronautical experience required for meeting the flight experience requirements of Part 61.
Accordingly, in the USA, you don’t have to log ordinary, run-of-the-mill jollies. But you log the occasional flight to show, for example, that you’ve done 3 take offs and landings within the 90 days previous to today’s flight, to meet the recency requirements to carry passengers today, per FAR 61.57.
In Australia, you are of course a criminal if you fail to record each and every flight. And you’re also a criminal if you record in your logbook, as flight time, a period that never included a period in which the aircraft became airborne. It’s ‘safer’ this way.
(Time ‘on duty’ is a related but different concept than ‘flight time’.)
Where people use their log books to claim more experience than they really have is perhaps different from not recording every flight?
I know my books have some missed flights - not to mislead. If CASA want to question that - let them, I can't find the details on those flights so skipped them and just wrote "missing entries" and a block of dates with no time recorded, doubt CASA could find the details - if they could I would actually be grateful!
I sometimes have written an entry at the appropriate point stating as much and I record no time.
Do you really need to add 0.3 to your total aeronautical experience because you ran an engine up and couldn't clear a rev drop or had some other issue? (I have had one student get a sudden case of the runs during runup and had to taxi back promptly as close to the toilet block as I could whereupon he jumped out and waddled off). Up to you, go for it if you think it adds something to your resume but really? I wouldn't mind a beer for the times I have not taken off because of an issue but I would not think it worth adding to my record of hours. That just me. Legally I think you would not pass the requirements as you didn't make a flight despite what some say. (IMO)
All that said what people write in their log book is their business. I do shake my head sometimes though. I have watched one person sit down at the desk and write themselves as PIC for flights in their log book and not even put me down as other crew when I certainly was the PIC and they were under instruction (not under supervision).
I have heard some classics from colleagues who have come across brazenly fraudulent log books - one person caught out because my colleague had a photocopy of some pages of their log book kept with training records that were then sent to a new school and the photocopy told a rather different story of dual and solo flights to the log book presented to the new school.
Your log book though. But do you really need an extra 0.3 that bad? Like I said earlier - we would not even charge the pilot if that happened (unless the fault was their doing). Sensible choice to not fly? Yep. So is not flying if at the last minute you decide the weather is getting too dicey. Should you add a few tenths for that because it "made you a better pilot" or you showed good airmanship?
All my opinion of course. Others clearly have a different take.