Online Logbook

[russellwwest]

Not sure if this is the correct forum section?

I am basically building an online logbook system as I haven't been impressed by the existing choices.
The system will be free to begin with during beta testing! There will always be a free version, might look at adding extra niceties for a "premium account".

I was just interested to find out from fellow pilots what features you would expect/like to see in an electronic logbook?

Your help and input would be appreciated.

Russell

[jxk]

Will it look like a real logbook page?
Will it accumulate hours by aircraft type?
Will it accumulate hours such as cross country?
Will it tell you when you need to revalidate e.g.3 t/os and ldgs?
Will it keep track of when medical due?
Will it keep track of BFR due?
Will you be able to log hours as decimal as well as hours and minutes?
Will it allow you to do searches for miscellaneous things like people you have flown with or airfields you've landed at?
And of course the regular things like IMC, Night, Solo, Dual, Single, Multi, Stalls, Aerobatics etc..

[riverrock83]

There are a few people around who use their own spreadsheets, which lets them make whatever changes they want to them, so you will have to make it impressive before people will move to it.

• how much money I've spent to help me keep track of my costs.
• export all the data from it into a usable format?
• print out from it in a standard format? Some items need to be signed (by an examiner / instructor) so a paper copy of log entries is needed...
• input details from a phone
• number of touch and gos (and then calculate num landings as entries plus touch and goes)
• description of flight
• import current details into the system (people wont hand key 1000s of hours again)

[piperarcher]

I dont think I have found anything useful for the iPhone or PC that I have liked so I am looking forward to seeing this. The basic things I cant seem to find on the others is:

1: Import and Export to Excel or other .csv format file
2: Be able to update / re-arrange column headings. There's lots of different log book structures out there so something customisable would be nice.

All the other things mentioned so far are good as well

PiperArcher

[Whopity]

Some extracts from the new CAP 804

3.4 Instruction time
A summary of all time logged by an applicant for a licence or rating as flight
instruction, instrument flight instruction, instrument ground time, etc. may be logged
if certified by the appropriately rated and/or authorised instructor from whom it was
received.

2.2 Pilots applying for a licence or rating are strongly advised to use a log complying with
Part-FCL.050 AMC No.1 to facilitate its issue.

4 Format of the record
4.1 Details of flights flown for commercial air transport may be recorded in a
computerised format maintained by the operator. In this case an operator should
make the records of all flights operated by the pilot, including differences and
familiarisation training, available upon request to the flight crew member concerned.
4.2 For other flights, the pilot must record the details of the flights flown in a log. The
following format is strongly recommended.

5 Presentation of flight time record
5.1 The holder of a licence or a student pilot shall without undue delay present his flight
time record for inspection upon request by an authorised representative of the
Authority.
5.2 A student pilot shall carry his flight time record log with him on all solo cross-country
flights as evidence of the required instructor authorisations.

It also contains a sample log book.

[riverrock83]

So on cap 804 - a solo student carrying their log book on solo cross country expeditions to show authorised - my flight schools normal practice is esther than to sign log book for each lesson is to check it in detail at the end of the course and sign it in one go then. This sounds like it means instructor needs to sign each lesson before student has done it as an authorisation. Otherwise what happens on first solo? There would be no authorisations in log book if inspected...
All sounds like pointless bureaucracy to me...
Currently all authorisations at my school are in an authorisation log held at the club. Why change?

[Torque Tonight]

I keep paper logbooks as my master copies with original signatures etc but also use MCC Pilotlog in parallel for all the benefits the electronic logbooks confer. Good luck with the project, and by all means go for it, but I think you'll have a tough time producing a better product, and unless it is significantly better, existing users won't convert across to a new system.

[Genghis the Engineer]

My recommendation would be as-per-CAP804, then the ability to add extra columns according to personal requirements, then a separate one-page printable summary which automatically creates the desired summaries from the CAP804 pages.

(Or in other words, what I'm already doing in Excel myself!).

G

[cct]

I still primarily use a paper log book, and enter electronically on UKGA.COM as a backup. That can be saved as a CSV, so can be analysed in a spreadsheet easily

[robin]

Having worked in IT for over 30 years I am somewhat cynical of any form of electronic media - except as a backup

I have seen papyrus scrolls and clay tablets over 4000 years old, but have tapes and backups 10 years old that can't be read. I know that on-line data is possibly secure, but how many websites give up the ghost in a year or 18 months once the developer decides he is bored or the income is not worth the candle

By all means develop your product, but don't expect a huge take-up

[Whopity]

All sounds like pointless bureaucracy to me...

And guess where it came from, all copied from the FAA! It has been in JAR-FCL for the past 12 years but as no authorisation was required in UK Law, nobody has taken any notice but now its EU Law, and students on solo flights will have to carry a log book signed by the FI.