If you do get a logbook already, make sure it's the right one. There are subtle differences between the way the US FAA and the Europeans (JAR-FCL / EASA-FCL) wants things logged. So you have to get a logbook that is JAR-FCL / EASA-FCL compliant - just getting a generic one from a US pilot shop might be a waste of money.
Furthermore, what you need to log, formally, is the time "the aircraft first moves under its own power for the purpose of taking off" and the time "the aircraft comes to a final rest after landing". And, of course, the time difference between those. That last item then becomes part of the running total. (These times, by the way, are typically referred to as "off blocks" and "on blocks" - where "blocks" means the chocks that are laid against the wheels to prevent movement.)
That's what the rules say. However, for other purposes (aircraft logbooks) you also need to record engine start/engine stop, and takeoff/landing times. In practice people just write down two or four of those items, and extrapolate from there. Your instructor will tell you how things are done at your place. Me, I write down engine start/takeoff/landing/engine off during the flight. These go straight into the aircraft logbook, but I also use engine start/engine stop for my personal logbook. After all, the time difference between engine start and off blocks is normally less than a minute. And on return I might already shut the engine down while the aircraft is still rolling.
Then you have to log some particulars of the flight itself. Aircraft callsign and type, departure and destination airfield of course, but you also need to log:
- The type or category of aircraft. Which will most likely be "SEP" (Single Engine Piston) in your case. You need to be able to tally up this category separately for licence revalidation purposes, that's why you record it separately.
- Your operating capacity. Were you student with an instructor on board ("dual") or were you the Pilot In Command (PIC)? For some purposes only PIC time is counted, for other purposes only Dual time is counted. So you need to record this separately.
- Were you flying at night, or flying under Instrument Flight Rules (IFR)? Again, some purposes require that you are able to tally up these separately.
- The number of take-offs and landings, and whether these were done in daylight or at night.
Last edited by BackPacker; 28th Jun 2013 at 11:50.