Need of hand written logbook
 

It depends on each CAA. As an expat some CAA will give them one of their logbooks for you to fill in when you get a license issued by them. Others will just be happy taking a look at your own logbook, while some others want to see the signature of each instructor that you flew with when you got your first IR twenty years ago, along with the stamp of CTL TWR for each cross country flight.

While navigating around the CAA's with your own logbook is still possible, doing it with an electronic logbook is still a no-no, at least from Istanbul to the East.

Can't see the point of even having a logbook nowadays. All the hours can be printed out from the company system and signed by FLT OPS / HR which makes it even more reliable. I personally only use the logbook for recreational SEP flights once in a while and just print out my operator's logged hours signed by somebody in the office whenever I need them.

And once printed, it is indelible ink.

I'm going fully electronic eventually, both professionally and recreationally.
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FAA doesn't specify electronic or paper. Paper logs are only convenient for signatures, which you can get electronically now anyway.

I haven't used my paper log in years.

That's how I and my company handle it since 15 years.

The beauty of a hand written logbook is you have a continuous almanac of your flying career from First flight, First Solo right through to final check ride and final flight with all the people you flew with and all the margin notes you made along the way, all in a very accessible and readable format. The hand written log books are also a very accurate record of what you flew, who with, where and when. Not sure just how personalised electronic log books can be these days, some employers require a lot more information about one's hours than others, saw an experienced B747 skipper get turned away from the interview once because all he had to offer was a weighty computer print out!

Your quote is actually an AMC, not an IR itself, therefore not legally binding. The only legal bit is as follows:

So it depends on the licencing authority, which issued your licence.

I'm really impressed you made the leap to airplanes, think you would have stuck to bikes...

I appreciate the romance and sentiment associated with a paper logbook, but digital is just more practical.

Not true for most companies. Could only get direct records from one of my many companies to date(they tend to keep dying on me, currently RYR, no harm to aviation world if they would follow their predecessors here :E). So - do NOT rely on that.

However, most electronic logbooks offer the option to print out pages, even export them to external print shops to have a pro result(e.g. MCC, just to name the one I use). So, every 6 months I let print off my missing pages, put them in the binder, sign them off. Mission accomplished. Do not understand the discussion here.

Just combine the best of both "worlds"(as an airliner it is not really comfortable to do it the "classic" way and write every flight up - EXCEPT you are a green boy and need to have your first 1500 hours signed off by the Captain as PICUS - after that there is not really a need for discussion anymore), go for electronic, BUT do not rely on electronic alone and have it printed, signed, put it into a binder. A 5 Minute job every 6 months.

Would suggest largely depends on your prospects in the aviation game, if you're working for a company that will never EVER go broke and that you will never EVER leave then it's an irrelevant question.

If you're a contract pilot or just have s**t luck in your ongoing choice of employers a written logbook will be accepted by all, electronic by some.
If you want to play in someone else's CAA backyard they set their standards and requirements, no matter what you think of them it's their backyard - up to you to decide whether you want to....or can.... play or not.

Cheers.

We have turned away several super qualified skippers with nicely hand written logbooks because as soon as they sat in the SIM You could easily figure out that the vast majority of those hand written hours were BS. When people show up for an assessment at my Operator with company printed hours / OPC there are generally no big surprises during interviews (with the usual exceptions obviously), so we are more than happy to consider that rather than scanned logbook pages.

If You have any decent rostering management system such as AIMS or similar You can easily print out Your hours every month or so. If You don't, I am sure You still have a way to cross check how many hours exactly You flew in the past 30/90 days or whatever for FTL compliance and print them out.

There is no requirement mandating how records are kept in most countries, but some authorities or airlines still in this day and age only accept paper copies of records.
Whether those records are handwritten or printed, as long as it is signed by a competent authority, makes little difference.

E.g.: some time ago the IAA would only accept paper records when transferring licences...

i do stick to paper logbook, personal preference mainly.

After paper logbook nr 6 i couldn't be bothered anymore. Went to electronic and stayed there. For my last interview i just printed the last 50 pages, put them in a binder and they were more than happy with that, the simulator and interview were more important anyway.Since i do keep it on several devices with a backup on a network storage, it has a much higher safety in my view than a paper written one that might get destroyed easily.