Hey guys! I wanted to let you know I just launched an "Insiders" Newsletter where once a week I'm sharing an important lesson I've learned in aviation, links to my latest content so you don't miss out, and links to any other interesting or helpful content I've found. I'm also working on a HUGE project I can't announce yet but I'm going to be sharing more behind the scenes info with Insiders first - Subscribe (it's free) at: airplaneacademy.com/insiders
Charlie, Morning! Another insightful video. After 52 flying years, 19,300+ hours and 13 logbooks of various sizes ..... these paper records serve as a DIARY of memories accumulated in the sky. Nothing matches the 'book' of triumphs, lessons learned and signatures of those with whom I've been privileged to share the journey! Memphis CHEERS!
@robertbriggs5254 - we met a few years ago and you were so gracious to let us tour your jet… my daughter still talks about all of your different planes and experiences that you talked about. Thanks for being a great ambassador
I have one entry in my log book so far! 😁 But more to come! Yeah, I'm going to stick to my paper old fashioned log book for now. I appreciate the encouragement and the unique tips you share in this and the other videos!
I'm learning that my actions need to be evaluated on a daily or weekly basis but the outcomes need to be evaluated more in months and years (and not minutes or hours). i.e. did I do the things today or this week that are leading to the things I want over the long haul? And not have a shorter time horizon than that. It's really hard in a day and age when everything is so instant... but the best things in life are things that happen over the course of time (relationships, goals, personal growth, etc.). Funny how a quick exercise of numbering my logbook can lead to some deep reflections. Thanks for watching!
Last century, when I was looking for colleges, I got into a flying school in Colorado. Chronic knee problems closed the door on that. I went to a civilian flight school in the early 2000s and got my COM and CFI shortly thereafter. I got picked up by the FAA for a controller spot in 2007. I'm getting back into flying with my CFI-I check ride coming up in a month or so, hopefully. It's been a fun and challenging trip in aviation for me. I hope this video encourages others, it's got a great message. 👍👍👍
Great idea. I'm a student pilot (just waiting for my PPL checkride!) and I've been using both a paper logbook and duplicating it in ForeFlight simultaneously. I think the extra step of taking pictures of the paper one is a great idea. I take pictures of the airplane (and maybe sneak a few while flying) that I always attach to my ForeFlight entries so I can remember it better. I really like your point about the best things in life not being instant. So true!
@@StrictlySports Several weeks... My school requires me to take a end-of-course ground and flight as a mock checkride, which are coming up for me next week! Focus on the PAVE checklist and airspaces!
2:52 Love It. You're right. So rewarding having many small achievements over time, and yes a reminder that it's not always going to be as planned, but that to helps us grow. Not about Instant satisfaction, dopamine hits.
I use Safelog as an online logbook. Often times when getting added to other people’s insurance policies you’ll be asked how much radial, tailwheel, retract, etc time you have. Safelog categorizes everything to the extreme and makes it really easy to find times for specific types of airplanes. Safelog also goes to the cloud so I can use it on various devices. I also recommend adding additional columns to your logbook if your logbook provides space. I have a separate column for tailwheel time.
I think my favorite logbook entry is one for an hour of dual I got shortly after earning my Private certificate. The Remarks section reads, "Stalls, Spins." That was a fun flight!
Fellow aviator and new subscriber to your channel here. I use both an EFB and a paper logbook, started with the paper copy and began backing up earlier flights to the EFB. As you and some other commenters have stated, the paper copy serves as both a diary as well as a reminder of all of the trials and tribulations of my flight journey. I look through the pages (which I began taking photos of and backing up a while ago) over a cup of coffee on those days I wish I were up flying but can't for whatever reason. When I read some of the entries, I am taken back to that flight where something memorable happened. I remember doing things that I never thought I could actually do, and smile every time I recall those days. There were many days where I almost gave up, thinking it was too hard or too expensive to continue. But, I persevered and the day I earned my wings is one of the greatest days in my entire life. If you have ever thought about earning your pilot's certificate, DO IT!!! Don't let anyone or anything stop you - it is something you can do that you will never regret or ever forget.
You spurred me to do this. I have had this task on my list for years. I finally just took 30 minutes, numbered the pages, took cellphone camera pics of the pages, and stored the whole lot in DropBox. Thanks for reminding me!
I have been out of the cockpit for 14 years. I have an appointment with a CFI tomorrow. I stumbled across your video while trying to get up to speed on what has changed in flying. This is one of the best videos I've come across. Great advice. Great attitude. Great wisdom.
So I recently got back into flying. I originally got my PPL 23+ years ago when I was going for an airline career path. I switched tracks for a lot of reasons but ultimately I knew I wanted to return to flight someday. I started flying again in Oct 2023 and really enjoyed it but it was also a lot of work not just to re-learn the skills but also overcome fears and gain back/establish a confidence. There were lots of time I both wanted to fly but had to overcome my uncertainty but looking back at a year now I feel like I'm back to where I was 23 years ago and so excited for what I can continue to build going forward. Really enjoyed this video, especially the points about keeping up with it and how its not instant and not easy, but worth it to get to achieve and truly feel alive in our physical (vs fleeting dopamine hits in a digital) world!
When I look at my logbook I think about all the people I’ve flown with and feelings I had when flying.. the crazy memories and scary moments and the bad flights and the good flights.. the times I thought about giving up but kept going.. the times my instructors were disappointed in me and the times they were proud of me.. and just the time spent at airports meeting people and conversations I’ve had.. the most wonderful world to be a part of ♥️✈️
Great advice! When I was learning the school recommended that logbooks be kept at their office, and when I took a break due to a health issue, when I went to get back into flying... the school had been sold and no longer existed. Fortunately the CFI was a top bloke and took all of the logbooks with him and I was able to retrieve mine from him from another school. So much relief to have it in my possession.
I haven't flown in 11 years coming on 12. Never have I missed something so much that I broke down crying.... I've been watching many videos, bought a FAR/AIM to study, and getting to get healthier. Hard work pays off and your words are motivation ❤
Got my PPL yesterday. Took a looong time fitting it in between other responsibilities (no kids when I started, have two now). About 100 hours, lots of logbook pages - will definitely be numbering them! Glad to have finally "arrived" and get to just fly for the fun of it for a while now. I've enjoyed many of your vids along the way, thanks for the encouragement.
I have been doing photos of my log book pages for years: When I finish a page, I add up the columns and take a picture that I download to my dropbox. What I also do is change my headset batteries (whether needed or not), check my handheld radio's batteries, check the charge in my backup powerbank, check the batteries in my flashlight, update foreflight with all the downloads, etc. Turning the page is the signal.
Charlie: I returned to flying after an 18 year hiatus. Going back through my log book took me back in time and gave me a little extra motivation to get back in the air. I recently passed my flight review “got my wings back” after a few lessons. Thanks for your time and videos, they are great!
Hi Charlie! I began my flying in 2008 at 41 years old and stopped after 25 hours. In November 2021, I returned. I passed my private pilot check ride in November of 2022, after 6 months of training and another 6 months of schedule juggling with a DPE. Now 56 years old with 161 hours and working toward my instrument rating, the old log book has been backed up in Foreflight. I keep up with both copies with tabs in the hard copy like my FAR AIM, marking all critical entries for easy reference. It probably saved my DPE 20 or 30 minutes and I'm sure it will be handy in the future.
I would keep running tallies at each checkride, cut out of the table on the FAA forms and dated/taped into my logbook so i would only have to update the totals since the last checkride.
Last winter I slowly entered 1,500 flights from my paper logbooks into Excel. It took over a month, but it was also fascinating to see my progress as a pilot. One of my goals was “backup” to the paper logbooks. Secondly, it’s great for completing pilot history forms for insurance or possible jobs. For example I recently had to determine how many high-performance hours have I flown at night in the last 90 days- sort, subtotal, done!
My father was a Navy pilot for 22 years and for several years after he retired from the Navy. I cherish his log books especially post Navy because my name is included on several flights he took me on. Physical log books become family heirlooms.
Thanks for taking the time to talk about the time it takes, and patience involved. I have been very discouraged on my journey in the past month and needed that reminder that this won’t happen overnight. Love your videos man thanks for the awesome content.
So I’ve been struggling with the timeline of what I expected vs what I am seeing in my PPL, and this video about the logbook being a look at how far you’ve come is really on topic, on time. Just made it over 40 hours since starting my PPL training and I am realizing getting to the check ride in 45 hours was very unrealistic. The ads out there online pitch a quick track to an airline and it’s hard to remember to slow down and enjoy the journey. At the end of the day, you have to love this to pursue it. I’ve been trying to slow down and remember that these first pages of my log will be such great memories down the road one day. So I’m 5 pages down, a lifetime of aviation left to go. Love the channel and the content you keep putting out.
After 36 years since I first said "I want to learn to fly an airplane", 18 years since my first flying lesson, and 2 months since I soloed, I'm nearing 100 hours of flight time and the PPL checkride still seems very far away. There have been a *world* of false starts, setbacks, frustrations, aggravations, and stuff I don't even want to get into. I have learned so much about *learning* and being a pilot *in command* that I am a different person than when I started. The only reason I haven't given up on it (again...) is because I have come to realize that airplanes are one of the few things in life which consistently make me happy, and that is a tremendously rare and precious thing.
Such a great & genuine video. I’m 56 & started my PPL training last December because my son is in flight school…everything you said is true. Maybe my biggest take away is STICK with it !…I look back now as you have, & realize i’m pretty proud of the accomplishment, but it has certainly had its blood, sweat and tears, and I will have some more……now working on IFR & flying VFR in the process is super rewarding… thanks for your authentic as well as instructional videos. I look forward to all of them.
Great video, Charlie. I'm the poster child for your comment that the best things take time. I decided I wanted to learn to fly when I was 3 years old. I got my ticket at 57. When I look at my logbook I see 45 years or so of "blank pages," and there's some regret there. But I also see the fruits of never giving up on my dream of flying. I see the result of not giving in to the idea that I was too old, or not wealthy enough, or that flying is not practical for me because I don't have a "mission", or because I can't afford to buy a plane. I see the fantastic memories of the past four years, and the joy of being in the air, and the feeling of freedom that comes with it.
I do both. I have foreflight because the reports are just really nice to have. The currency checks are over the top easy. I keep the paper trail because it reminds me of the work and the achievement. I have my SEL and MEL. I am working on my IFR. I put each check ride on a page by itself to remind myself just how big of a deal it is. It yells, "I DID THIS!" Anyone working on their ratings and licenses, keep it up! I promise. It's worth it.
I've been taking photos of my logbook with my phone after every change. When a page is complete, I do a proper high-quality scan of it on a real scanner. I also keep it on a cloud drive, so I have access to it on my phone/tablet/computer all at once. I also keep my own backups separate from the cloud as I don't trust anyone else to treasure my data as much as I do. I've started using two lines of the logbook per flight. I use the second line as an extension of the Notes field. Take lots of notes! Everything from "changed plans due to angry cloud to the E" to "hit my first temperature inversion...visibility went to garbage quickly...not doing that again." or "both vacuum pumps decided to quit on me today...installing G5s soon" Charlie, congrats on crossing the 1,000 hours mark soon! You are right, this ratings are certainly accomplishments, but the real flying and real lessons happen inbetween those."
Charlie, I love your videos. You seem so real and down to earth. You're a friend I have never met. As far as this video I agree about reviewing your logbook. I am a high time pilot (28,000 hours) but referencing my logbook brings me back to another time. It reminds me of the stupid mistakes I made (and got away with) and triumphs that I will never forget. The other day I was at a nearby airport in Vacaville, CA when I heard a radio call that sounded very familiar. I looked up the N number and found it to be the first four place airplane I ever flew! I remembered the joy and pride of flying this "real" airplane and taking my family up in it. To savor that moment again 45 years later is something that's hard to explain.
I really liked your point about thinking in the long term. My journey to getting my CPL has been so full of ups and downs and going through my logbook and verifying the hours. I’ve realised it has been over 5 years in the making. Hoping for many more years of flying to come.
Just over 13 years from my logbook's 1st entry I had the privilege to start logging flight for work - it's a helluva chronicle, and there've certainly been times over the years while I was doing other things that a glimpse at the book pushed me to find a way to write another line.
The top point also has another important aspect. In addition to being motivational, it helps remind a pilot that life is not only about the next thing but also about the accumulation of lived experience.
Hey, great video! I've been a big fan of your channel for years. I want to encourage fellow aviators to consider using both a paper and a digital logbook. Having a paper logbook as a backup to the digital one provides peace of mind. Using a paper logbook requires patience, time, but it helps relive memories from your aviation journey. Personally, I've gone through seven different logbooks over the years. The logbook I currently use is the Jeppesen professional logbook, which helps me track my hours for the airlines. For instance, I've logged 75.1 flight hours in Civil Air Patrol missions. My advice to pilots on the fence about logbooks is to use both paper and digital. It's a redundant system and allows you to relive your aviation experiences when you flip through your logbook, recalling memorable flights and milestones in your career.
I took my discovery flight last Saturday and signed up for lessons with the school. So excited to start this journey and I appreciate TH-camrs like you putting wisdom and tips for us to absorb.
I totally agree and do what you do. I have been snapping pics of each log book page as they got completed, and they are on all my devices, desktop automatically as the pics live in iCloud. With my private checkride coming up a month ago, I also hand transcribed my 10 pages / 140 entries info FF. Thankfully, I ran a FF track log for every single flight I ever did, so I had the track logs as the basis for FF draft entries, waiting for my approval. All I needed to do was tweak the fine details, enter the time based on before and after pics I had taken of the Hobbs meters, and press approve. It’s very satisfying to have the paper logbook, and have it 100% precise and current in the FF digital log as well. I was happy to have both the foundational paper and the FF generated 8710 report, the private 61.109 report with all the green check marks, for the examiner to review.
Love your point of view! I'm not a pilot, but an avid hiker. Your principle still applies though. The world isn't digital; it's analog. I say that as a (now retired) IT guy. I was a programmer for my entire career, and still love to play with computers, particularly Raspberry Pi's. I refuse to get on Facebook, Instagram, etc. First of all, they aren't secure, and secondly, your point; they're all about instant gratification. My favorite hikes take anywhere from half a day to all day and involve lots of elevation gain and loss. It's very satisfying to still be able to do this at age 67! Lot's of great memories to look back on, and more yet to make. Hiking to the location of a 5,000 year old tree (and giving it a hug) requires effort as does anything worth the doing.
Another thing I do in my hardcopy logbook is add a notation of the year on the left-hand margin of each page. When you end December and begin January, just draw a line and write the outgoing year above the line and the incoming year below the line. On the next page it would only be the current year, or whatever year applies to those entries. This allows you to only write the month and day in the normal date column which has extremely limited room for writing in a date.
Just started backing up my paper log in Foreflight, but taking pics and making a spreadsheet is a good idea too. Good idea thinking back over all the time and work it took to get those flights in!
Glad to hear the encouragement about being patient! My CFI called in sick today so I had to jump through hoops to reschedule, with work and family and other life commitments it can be difficult to stay in the saddle!
You motivated me to make a PDF backup of my ForeFlight logbook and save it on my cloud storage. You never know, ForeFlight could lose it. IT is not perfect. Now I just have to remember to do that once and awhile to keep current backups.
Great video. My logbook shows the trials and tribulations of my aviation journey. The memories of taking loved ones up along with my growing experience in this industry.
I lost my logbook after being 20+ hours in, I felt destroyed but I also realized that this was rebound able and I wasn’t in a hole I couldn’t get out. I got myself a new logbook starting from zero but I’m doing what I love :)
My most interesing entry is about declaring an emergency as a student, in a Cessna 150 negative trasponder, and landing over a jet waiting to take off at EWR.
I have moved nearly 20 years of logbook entries into two digital formats, and yes, it is extremely daunting, but very doable. I reproduced all of the entries from my paper logbook in both ForeFlight and a web application called logbook Pro. I accomplished this two ways. First, commit to only entering five pages a day. 10 if you can stand it. But be consistent and do it every day. You will be done before you know it. Another way is to get help from a friend or family member. Someone who will sit down with you, learn how to read the logbook line by line, who can then dictate those entries to you as you write them in. Not having to look back-and-forth between your old logbook and your new point of entry Repeatedly, will save you a ton of time.
Great idea for sure! I use the old fashioned log books and ForeFlight but I will do this as well for sure. So many incredible stories our log books tell and emotions we experienced. I don’t think there is a pilot alive that can look through their log books and not old back a tear. I’m so grateful for this beautiful thing we all share called aviation.
One great thing about a paper log book, is that you can collect signatures from famous people that you might come across while flying. I had the opportunity to meet Col. Chris Hadfield in Sarnia Ontario (aptly named Chris Hadfield Airport). He was kind enough to sign my logbook, and after some discussion about space travel to Mars, he included the year that he thinks that humans may travel to Mars...... (2040).
I took my first lesson in 1997 and remember it well. However, due to finances, it took until 2000 to finally take (and pass) my PP checkride. I flew for about another month and ran out of money. Earlier this year I started working on my flight review. After 23 years, it was definitely worth the wait.
I’ve migrated to using Google Sheets because I can use my iPad or my phone to update my hours on the same file. I do still keep a paper logbook as a back up. Going digital just takes a commitment of slowly chipping away at it for an hour every night til you’re caught up. I’ve had a paper logbook for 380 hours and been flying for 7 years.
Sir...finally someone in the industry has taken the time to discuss this. I have had 2 logbooks stolen. I had to go through so many channels to get retrieve my hours. I was able to take care of it and move forward in my career To anyone watching this, please do this with your logbook🙏🏿🙏🏿✈️
I succeeded in transposing all my old logbooks from an earlier digital format into Foreflight. I will create a logbook report and save it into my google drive.
Great video and great advice. I love the idea of getting the old book into the cloud. I still use the paper log and it really is a history book of sorts. 33 years of adventures and accomplishments. From the first hours in a plane to the fist solo, private, CPL, multi-IFR and so on.
I do have my logbook backed up to Google drive. But thumbing through just now, my attention went to the pages of my early X-C solo flights. Man, was I a jangle of nerves leading up to those trips. But I never felt so focussed before.
My first solo out of the circuit doing a navigation route my heart rate was 140bpm average (1 hour flight). I didn’t feel my heart racing at the time but I was really tired after the flight. It was only when I looked at my fitbit and the huge number of active minutes that it made sense. Good times
Great vid! I am a total noob and still waiting on my C3 medical (tomorrow!) so i can get my GS started... the waiting has been difficult (2+ weeks for the appt), but i KNOW it will be worth it... at 55 years old, i LOVE to learn, have always loved airplanes, and now I get the chance to put them both together for a life long dream accomplishment thanks for the great info... BE SAFE!
I'm 52 in a couple months and just got my PPL a few months ago. You got this! Just remember to do this at your own pace. I assume you're doing this as a hobby and a passion and not a career change (as am I) so don't get discouraged when you see the teenagers and young 20somethings buzzing through PPL at a racecar pace. They don't have the same obligations and therefore more free time. Anyway, stick with it. I had an instance where I thought "what am I doing" but once I passed my checkride and took my wife for her first flight, I knew what it was that drove me.
@@Fast351 thanks for the advice! yes sir, its a hobby that hopefully will be able to enjoy regularly with my bride... even if its just for an expensive and scenic lunch somewhere different...
Enjoy the adventure! I did Basic Med, and at 55 years old passed my check ride NOV22. After you pass the check ride, the learning continues on each flight. Its a life changing journey that just keeps going.
My log book has 5 hours in it over the last year, I’ve been trying to fly as much as a can but as a high school student is close to impossible and every time I fly it’s super special bc it not super often right now
My logbook has a gap from 2004 to 2022. I earned my Private certificate after nearly 20 years away from the flight line. This break happens in the top third of a logbook page. I will always look back at that line as both lost time as well as the moment when I made the conscious decision to finish what I started. I'm now working on my Instrument rating.
Great video and ideas all-around. Thank you. All the best. Rec'd my PPL in 1983, flew KC and RC-135s in the USAF, and off-and-on current in 172s and 182s since (currently not current). Would love to fly more, but not possible. I strongly encourage those who love airplanes/aviation to pursue it! It's not cheap, but the sense of accomplishment is something you'll never regret. At the very least, go on a Discovery Flight.
I will be doing this- once I find my log book. 😕 I havent been current in 40 years but have been giving much thiught to getting back in. Economy is a challenge, but there may be ways. Better to try and fail than to fail to try!
Considering whether I should get back into aviation. In the late 90's I got my priviate, instrument, commercial + inst in multi-eng with about 300 hrs total. Then I continued a career in IT. I'm much older now but still have that inner deep love of avaition though I've not pursued it for decades. Not sure what to do with it, but always wondered how my life would have been different had I stayed the course with avaition.
I subscribe to your channel and I am just starting to look into pilot training. I find your videos friendly and insightful. From what little I know, however, I believe one of the most important reasons to keep logbooks is for when you decide to sell your plane, if indeed you own one. Perhaps you are talking strictly flight logbooks, whereas I mean more maintenance logs. Keep up the good work.
It's a very thoughtful video. I never would have thought to put my paper log book in the Cloud! I'm inactive and non-current, but I'll still put my flights (4278 hour's worth) in the Cloud, thanks to you. Love ya maaan! 👍
Great Idea. I've got both in foreflight and on paper. Like you said something about having it physical is great. I'll be numbering them after work. There are way more pages than I would have thought there are to your point. I've said it before but I'll say it again. Great video, and you've made a huge impact on my flying. Starting Commercial next Sunday, in no small part to encouragement, you gave me on a comment on a separate video of yours. Thanks again man.
I am just now starting my instrument rating and debating switching from paper to digital. I’m just a hobby pilot but think I’ll eventually go for CPL once I naturally build enough hours for it. Digital has obvious advantages that I’d feel silly to ignore. But the paper ones have something intangible to them. I agree I think they will be more meaningful to flip back through over time. So maybe I should just do both? For those of you who do both … do you get your instructor to sign both or just the paper or just the digital? And yep I’ve been taking pictures of the pages as I fill each one up for nothing more than just backup in case I lose the logbook. I know I’ll need to prove the experience for checkrides and currency etc
Thanks, Charlie, this is why I love your content. You always provide either great information or thoughtful information. This is stuff that I can put away for when I start keeping a log book. And thank you for replying to my email. I had no idea the school you mentioned had a location in the Denison/Sherman area. That's now another point to consider since the Addison location would provide great radio/busy area training.
I had a new young CFI who never had a paper logbook get mad at me for having a paper logbook, and I flat out told him I don't care. He wasn't prepared to deal with a paper logbook, but I made him anyways. They were just stopping paper pilot certificates when I started flying. LORAN was just being shut down. PTS was still the norm. Nobody had GPS or digital logbooks, everything was paper approach plates, AFD and paper charts. I too have multiple logbooks and hold 14 FAA certificates. I have MANY disparate fields to keep track of for all those ratings (categories and class, different xcountry requirements for each, etc.), and have struggled to digitize my logbooks. I would keep running tallies at each checkride, cut out of the table on the FAA forms and dated/taped into my logbook so i would only have to update the totals since the last checkride. I also print out and tape copies of FAASafety WINGS completions, and other things like the DC airspace training course completion, into the front/rear inside covers.
Got my PPL at 17, then college, marriage(s), 2 kids, ...LIFE! At 61, I'm studying for my instrument, and my logbook has been gone for years. I was able to get my records from the FAA for ,y ratings, but had to rebuild my recreational hours mostly from memory. I'm within 5 hrs of my total as I remember, but tail numbers are history. At a little over 100 hrs, if I had to fall back to FAA hrs, lesson learned. At this point your advice is pure wisdom. P.S. ...what's a glass cockpit?!?! LOL 😅 even pilots need humor.
A few years ago there was an article where the author had just finished his PPL. As part of the story his grandmother gave him his grandfathers log books and other various aviation items. In the story he had a small picture of his grandfathers log book... it stopped me cold in my tracks because the picture showed his grandfather at the same airport on the same day as my dad had in his logbook (my dad passed before I ever even thought of learning to fly, but I still have his books)... So, scramble around a bit and I managed to reach out and make contact with the author. We've had a few emails back and forth. But how much of an amazing coincidence of all of the people at all of the airports in time that we had that connection. Try doing that with an electronic log book. This is why going forward I will always preach a paper log book in addition to the electronic books.
For me the Military Base sticker sticks out on the second page :), tried to apply for military pilot, where we had a 2week course and at the end of it, we flew in a GA plane to an military airfield in the alps, it was insane and one of the best flights, even to i screwed everything up XD
3.5 years since lesson #1; two disruptions that lasted over 4 months; 4 CFIs (1 funeral) and 7 airplanes; 6 airports; 6 weeks between oral and flight portion of the practical… hundreds of chances to quit… 115.6 hours in the logbook … = PPL PASSED on October 17, 2023
You know what, this video finally motivated me to go through my 2000 inbox email. It's now 11pm, but when I wake up I know it'll be worth it since my email will only have 1500 in the inbox instead of 2000 :.)
Hello, I'm new to TH-cam and was wondering what video recording equipment you use for your videos. The picture and sound is super clean! BTW, Love the channel and the content and I'm super envious you flew a Kodiak 900. Thanks!
you know in scuba diving it is also important to back up a log book i have my paper copy along with my dive log digital copy and another one i created on publisher
When I see my log book it makes me wanna 😭😢😥. I got my PPL 2014, stopped flying for 4 yrs, then went back and completed my CPL 2018. Made some changes and did jobs I never though of doing to afford a ✈️ 2020. Now it's 2023, 3 years of aircraft ownership and I just about added 100hrs of flight Time to my logbook since 2018. 10 hrs to 400tt and it's been almost 2 months since that calculation. Transponder is getting fixed so hopefully I can bang another 30 hrs, 10 hrs realistically by the end of December. 😊
So I’ve been working on my Ppl for a while and recently I finished my Theorie. I only have 3 cross country solos left to be able to go into my checkride unfortunately the weather has been pretty bad, for the past week every single day the weather is not good enough for me to go do them. I’m in a rush to finish it by January since I’m changing schools nd I’m getting irritated and super sad since I can’t go flying and finish what I begun 9 months ago
Greetings from Cape Town. Interesting, your logbooks are different from ours. Ours take about 25 flights on each page. I have been flying for 41 years, and still use paper logbooks.
My mom gave me my dad's old logbook after he died. Probably because I dragged 3 antique ultralights home, that now take up space in his shop. The only useful information in it was the FAA id of our first plane he restored which I could punch into the online registry. Since he was an air traffic controller and always in the loop, he was able to snag a very short plane 4 character number registration when one came up that was available. Unfortunately, the online registry was useless when it came to finding where the plane is now. I just picked up the book just now and looked through it again... now that I can see again after going blind... wow... he flew a lot of other different planes and did a bunch of aerobatics... chandelles, spins, stalls, spirals, steep turns, loops, figure 8's, steep turns, all sorts of things. Probably in planes not typically used for aerobatics. Way to go dad! Probably because my grandpa was a WW2 fighter pilot with 171 missions behind him and a very smart guy, my dad also a very smart guy felt motivated to do way more than fly from point A to point B. I remember one grass field landing with him as a kid in our 170 taildragger, and I was in utter awe at his fast foot pedal rudder work keeping that thing straight on one heck of a nerve racking bumping landing with of course no visibility forward once you touch down. The man was a god on those pedals. I wish I could take either one of them flying now and wow them back. I'm fully aerobatic :-) I don't fly like the rest of you. I dance in the air like a fish through water. Big difference! And... not keeping a log book.
My log book has one entry, for one hour, and it probably won't have any more. But I will always treasure that one hour. Watch that first step, it's a doozy.
Hey guys! I wanted to let you know I just launched an "Insiders" Newsletter where once a week I'm sharing an important lesson I've learned in aviation, links to my latest content so you don't miss out, and links to any other interesting or helpful content I've found. I'm also working on a HUGE project I can't announce yet but I'm going to be sharing more behind the scenes info with Insiders first - Subscribe (it's free) at: airplaneacademy.com/insiders
Good for you for quitting instracrap!
Charlie, Morning! Another insightful video. After 52 flying years, 19,300+ hours and 13 logbooks of various sizes ..... these paper records serve as a DIARY of memories accumulated in the sky. Nothing matches the 'book' of triumphs, lessons learned and signatures of those with whom I've been privileged to share the journey! Memphis CHEERS!
Awww!
You are a huge inspiration Mr. Briggs!
@robertbriggs5254 - we met a few years ago and you were so gracious to let us tour your jet… my daughter still talks about all of your different planes and experiences that you talked about. Thanks for being a great ambassador
My distinct pleasure!
You are very kind. Many THANKS!
I have one entry in my log book so far! 😁 But more to come! Yeah, I'm going to stick to my paper old fashioned log book for now.
I appreciate the encouragement and the unique tips you share in this and the other videos!
The first one is the hardest !!!! Way to go! Welcome to the sky
I'm learning that my actions need to be evaluated on a daily or weekly basis but the outcomes need to be evaluated more in months and years (and not minutes or hours). i.e. did I do the things today or this week that are leading to the things I want over the long haul? And not have a shorter time horizon than that. It's really hard in a day and age when everything is so instant... but the best things in life are things that happen over the course of time (relationships, goals, personal growth, etc.). Funny how a quick exercise of numbering my logbook can lead to some deep reflections. Thanks for watching!
Last century, when I was looking for colleges, I got into a flying school in Colorado. Chronic knee problems closed the door on that. I went to a civilian flight school in the early 2000s and got my COM and CFI shortly thereafter. I got picked up by the FAA for a controller spot in 2007. I'm getting back into flying with my CFI-I check ride coming up in a month or so, hopefully.
It's been a fun and challenging trip in aviation for me. I hope this video encourages others, it's got a great message. 👍👍👍
Great idea. I'm a student pilot (just waiting for my PPL checkride!) and I've been using both a paper logbook and duplicating it in ForeFlight simultaneously. I think the extra step of taking pictures of the paper one is a great idea. I take pictures of the airplane (and maybe sneak a few while flying) that I always attach to my ForeFlight entries so I can remember it better. I really like your point about the best things in life not being instant. So true!
Me too!! I waiting for my PPL and I use both paper and ForeFlight. I think I'll start adding pictures to ForeFlight.
This is the way! Came here to write this. It's worked well for me in the two years I've had my PPL
taking my checkride soon as well how have you been studying?
@@StrictlySports Several weeks... My school requires me to take a end-of-course ground and flight as a mock checkride, which are coming up for me next week! Focus on the PAVE checklist and airspaces!
2:52 Love It. You're right. So rewarding having many small achievements over time, and yes a reminder that it's not always going to be as planned, but that to helps us grow.
Not about Instant satisfaction, dopamine hits.
I use Safelog as an online logbook. Often times when getting added to other people’s insurance policies you’ll be asked how much radial, tailwheel, retract, etc time you have. Safelog categorizes everything to the extreme and makes it really easy to find times for specific types of airplanes. Safelog also goes to the cloud so I can use it on various devices. I also recommend adding additional columns to your logbook if your logbook provides space. I have a separate column for tailwheel time.
I want to start my ppl journey in 2025, I’ll be 37 by then. I hope not to give up and be financially ready.
I’m in Quebec,
I think my favorite logbook entry is one for an hour of dual I got shortly after earning my Private certificate. The Remarks section reads, "Stalls, Spins." That was a fun flight!
Fellow aviator and new subscriber to your channel here. I use both an EFB and a paper logbook, started with the paper copy and began backing up earlier flights to the EFB. As you and some other commenters have stated, the paper copy serves as both a diary as well as a reminder of all of the trials and tribulations of my flight journey. I look through the pages (which I began taking photos of and backing up a while ago) over a cup of coffee on those days I wish I were up flying but can't for whatever reason. When I read some of the entries, I am taken back to that flight where something memorable happened. I remember doing things that I never thought I could actually do, and smile every time I recall those days. There were many days where I almost gave up, thinking it was too hard or too expensive to continue. But, I persevered and the day I earned my wings is one of the greatest days in my entire life. If you have ever thought about earning your pilot's certificate, DO IT!!! Don't let anyone or anything stop you - it is something you can do that you will never regret or ever forget.
Welcome to the channel!! And thank you for the encouragement!
You spurred me to do this. I have had this task on my list for years. I finally just took 30 minutes, numbered the pages, took cellphone camera pics of the pages, and stored the whole lot in DropBox. Thanks for reminding me!
I have been out of the cockpit for 14 years. I have an appointment with a CFI tomorrow. I stumbled across your video while trying to get up to speed on what has changed in flying. This is one of the best videos I've come across. Great advice. Great attitude. Great wisdom.
Thanks so much! I'm glad you found it helpful. Oh, and WELCOME BACK! Pumped for you
So I recently got back into flying. I originally got my PPL 23+ years ago when I was going for an airline career path. I switched tracks for a lot of reasons but ultimately I knew I wanted to return to flight someday. I started flying again in Oct 2023 and really enjoyed it but it was also a lot of work not just to re-learn the skills but also overcome fears and gain back/establish a confidence. There were lots of time I both wanted to fly but had to overcome my uncertainty but looking back at a year now I feel like I'm back to where I was 23 years ago and so excited for what I can continue to build going forward.
Really enjoyed this video, especially the points about keeping up with it and how its not instant and not easy, but worth it to get to achieve and truly feel alive in our physical (vs fleeting dopamine hits in a digital) world!
When I look at my logbook I think about all the people I’ve flown with and feelings I had when flying.. the crazy memories and scary moments and the bad flights and the good flights.. the times I thought about giving up but kept going.. the times my instructors were disappointed in me and the times they were proud of me.. and just the time spent at airports meeting people and conversations I’ve had.. the most wonderful world to be a part of ♥️✈️
Great advice! When I was learning the school recommended that logbooks be kept at their office, and when I took a break due to a health issue, when I went to get back into flying... the school had been sold and no longer existed. Fortunately the CFI was a top bloke and took all of the logbooks with him and I was able to retrieve mine from him from another school. So much relief to have it in my possession.
I haven't flown in 11 years coming on 12. Never have I missed something so much that I broke down crying.... I've been watching many videos, bought a FAR/AIM to study, and getting to get healthier. Hard work pays off and your words are motivation ❤
Got my PPL yesterday. Took a looong time fitting it in between other responsibilities (no kids when I started, have two now). About 100 hours, lots of logbook pages - will definitely be numbering them! Glad to have finally "arrived" and get to just fly for the fun of it for a while now. I've enjoyed many of your vids along the way, thanks for the encouragement.
Congrats !!!!!!🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
Congratulations!!!
I have been doing photos of my log book pages for years: When I finish a page, I add up the columns and take a picture that I download to my dropbox. What I also do is change my headset batteries (whether needed or not), check my handheld radio's batteries, check the charge in my backup powerbank, check the batteries in my flashlight, update foreflight with all the downloads, etc. Turning the page is the signal.
Charlie: I returned to flying after an 18 year hiatus. Going back through my log book took me back in time and gave me a little extra motivation to get back in the air. I recently passed my flight review “got my wings back” after a few lessons.
Thanks for your time and videos, they are great!
This is awesome!! Congratulations!!
Hi Charlie! I began my flying in 2008 at 41 years old and stopped after 25 hours. In November 2021, I returned. I passed my private pilot check ride in November of 2022, after 6 months of training and another 6 months of schedule juggling with a DPE. Now 56 years old with 161 hours and working toward my instrument rating, the old log book has been backed up in Foreflight. I keep up with both copies with tabs in the hard copy like my FAR AIM, marking all critical entries for easy reference. It probably saved my DPE 20 or 30 minutes and I'm sure it will be handy in the future.
I would keep running tallies at each checkride, cut out of the table on the FAA forms and dated/taped into my logbook so i would only have to update the totals since the last checkride.
This is awesome, thank you for sharing!!
Last winter I slowly entered 1,500 flights from my paper logbooks into Excel. It took over a month, but it was also fascinating to see my progress as a pilot. One of my goals was “backup” to the paper logbooks. Secondly, it’s great for completing pilot history forms for insurance or possible jobs. For example I recently had to determine how many high-performance hours have I flown at night in the last 90 days- sort, subtotal, done!
My father was a Navy pilot for 22 years and for several years after he retired from the Navy. I cherish his log books especially post Navy because my name is included on several flights he took me on. Physical log books become family heirlooms.
Thanks for taking the time to talk about the time it takes, and patience involved.
I have been very discouraged on my journey in the past month and needed that reminder that this won’t happen overnight. Love your videos man thanks for the awesome content.
Hey, Trace! Glad the video could provide some encouragement. You've got this!
I'm right there with you.. this was a great word of encouragement.
So I’ve been struggling with the timeline of what I expected vs what I am seeing in my PPL, and this video about the logbook being a look at how far you’ve come is really on topic, on time. Just made it over 40 hours since starting my PPL training and I am realizing getting to the check ride in 45 hours was very unrealistic. The ads out there online pitch a quick track to an airline and it’s hard to remember to slow down and enjoy the journey. At the end of the day, you have to love this to pursue it. I’ve been trying to slow down and remember that these first pages of my log will be such great memories down the road one day. So I’m 5 pages down, a lifetime of aviation left to go.
Love the channel and the content you keep putting out.
After 36 years since I first said "I want to learn to fly an airplane", 18 years since my first flying lesson, and 2 months since I soloed, I'm nearing 100 hours of flight time and the PPL checkride still seems very far away. There have been a *world* of false starts, setbacks, frustrations, aggravations, and stuff I don't even want to get into. I have learned so much about *learning* and being a pilot *in command* that I am a different person than when I started. The only reason I haven't given up on it (again...) is because I have come to realize that airplanes are one of the few things in life which consistently make me happy, and that is a tremendously rare and precious thing.
Such a great & genuine video. I’m 56 & started my PPL training last December because my son is in flight school…everything you said is true. Maybe my biggest take away is STICK with it !…I look back now as you have, & realize i’m pretty proud of the accomplishment, but it has certainly had its blood, sweat and tears, and I will have some more……now working on IFR & flying VFR in the process is super rewarding… thanks for your authentic as well as instructional videos. I look forward to all of them.
This is awesome!! I'm glad you enjoy the videos!
Great video, Charlie. I'm the poster child for your comment that the best things take time. I decided I wanted to learn to fly when I was 3 years old. I got my ticket at 57. When I look at my logbook I see 45 years or so of "blank pages," and there's some regret there. But I also see the fruits of never giving up on my dream of flying. I see the result of not giving in to the idea that I was too old, or not wealthy enough, or that flying is not practical for me because I don't have a "mission", or because I can't afford to buy a plane. I see the fantastic memories of the past four years, and the joy of being in the air, and the feeling of freedom that comes with it.
Love this! My first flight was in 1970 …. My brother and I BOTH fit in the right seat of a Grumman! Got my PPL two weeks ago at age 58
@@Jeffrey-Flys Right on! Old guys rule!
Thanks for sharing, Tom. This is well said and I'm really happy for you! Keep going!
I do both. I have foreflight because the reports are just really nice to have. The currency checks are over the top easy.
I keep the paper trail because it reminds me of the work and the achievement. I have my SEL and MEL. I am working on my IFR.
I put each check ride on a page by itself to remind myself just how big of a deal it is. It yells, "I DID THIS!"
Anyone working on their ratings and licenses, keep it up! I promise. It's worth it.
I also am taking pictures of my log book pages and storing it on my home machine like what is suggested. I don't want to lose the memories.
I've been taking photos of my logbook with my phone after every change. When a page is complete, I do a proper high-quality scan of it on a real scanner. I also keep it on a cloud drive, so I have access to it on my phone/tablet/computer all at once. I also keep my own backups separate from the cloud as I don't trust anyone else to treasure my data as much as I do.
I've started using two lines of the logbook per flight. I use the second line as an extension of the Notes field. Take lots of notes! Everything from "changed plans due to angry cloud to the E" to "hit my first temperature inversion...visibility went to garbage quickly...not doing that again." or "both vacuum pumps decided to quit on me today...installing G5s soon"
Charlie, congrats on crossing the 1,000 hours mark soon! You are right, this ratings are certainly accomplishments, but the real flying and real lessons happen inbetween those."
Charlie, I love your videos. You seem so real and down to earth. You're a friend I have never met. As far as this video I agree about reviewing your logbook. I am a high time pilot (28,000 hours) but referencing my logbook brings me back to another time. It reminds me of the stupid mistakes I made (and got away with) and triumphs that I will never forget. The other day I was at a nearby airport in Vacaville, CA when I heard a radio call that sounded very familiar. I looked up the N number and found it to be the first four place airplane I ever flew! I remembered the joy and pride of flying this "real" airplane and taking my family up in it. To savor that moment again 45 years later is something that's hard to explain.
I really liked your point about thinking in the long term. My journey to getting my CPL has been so full of ups and downs and going through my logbook and verifying the hours. I’ve realised it has been over 5 years in the making. Hoping for many more years of flying to come.
Just over 13 years from my logbook's 1st entry I had the privilege to start logging flight for work - it's a helluva chronicle, and there've certainly been times over the years while I was doing other things that a glimpse at the book pushed me to find a way to write another line.
The top point also has another important aspect. In addition to being motivational, it helps remind a pilot that life is not only about the next thing but also about the accumulation of lived experience.
Hey, great video! I've been a big fan of your channel for years. I want to encourage fellow aviators to consider using both a paper and a digital logbook. Having a paper logbook as a backup to the digital one provides peace of mind. Using a paper logbook requires patience, time, but it helps relive memories from your aviation journey. Personally, I've gone through seven different logbooks over the years. The logbook I currently use is the Jeppesen professional logbook, which helps me track my hours for the airlines. For instance, I've logged 75.1 flight hours in Civil Air Patrol missions. My advice to pilots on the fence about logbooks is to use both paper and digital. It's a redundant system and allows you to relive your aviation experiences when you flip through your logbook, recalling memorable flights and milestones in your career.
I took my discovery flight last Saturday and signed up for lessons with the school. So excited to start this journey and I appreciate TH-camrs like you putting wisdom and tips for us to absorb.
awesome!! Pumped for you. Thanks for sharing this here.
I totally agree and do what you do. I have been snapping pics of each log book page as they got completed, and they are on all my devices, desktop automatically as the pics live in iCloud.
With my private checkride coming up a month ago, I also hand transcribed my 10 pages / 140 entries info FF.
Thankfully, I ran a FF track log for every single flight I ever did, so I had the track logs as the basis for FF draft entries, waiting for my approval. All I needed to do was tweak the fine details, enter the time based on before and after pics I had taken of the Hobbs meters, and press approve.
It’s very satisfying to have the paper logbook, and have it 100% precise and current in the FF digital log as well. I was happy to have both the foundational paper and the FF generated 8710 report, the private 61.109 report with all the green check marks, for the examiner to review.
Love your point of view! I'm not a pilot, but an avid hiker. Your principle still applies though. The world isn't digital; it's analog. I say that as a (now retired) IT guy. I was a programmer for my entire career, and still love to play with computers, particularly Raspberry Pi's. I refuse to get on Facebook, Instagram, etc. First of all, they aren't secure, and secondly, your point; they're all about instant gratification. My favorite hikes take anywhere from half a day to all day and involve lots of elevation gain and loss. It's very satisfying to still be able to do this at age 67! Lot's of great memories to look back on, and more yet to make. Hiking to the location of a 5,000 year old tree (and giving it a hug) requires effort as does anything worth the doing.
Another thing I do in my hardcopy logbook is add a notation of the year on the left-hand margin of each page. When you end December and begin January, just draw a line and write the outgoing year above the line and the incoming year below the line. On the next page it would only be the current year, or whatever year applies to those entries. This allows you to only write the month and day in the normal date column which has extremely limited room for writing in a date.
Just started backing up my paper log in Foreflight, but taking pics and making a spreadsheet is a good idea too.
Good idea thinking back over all the time and work it took to get those flights in!
After my private pilot and IFR - I switched to ForeFlight Logbook and used the import feature to add the flights that were in my paper logbook.
Glad to hear the encouragement about being patient! My CFI called in sick today so I had to jump through hoops to reschedule, with work and family and other life commitments it can be difficult to stay in the saddle!
You motivated me to make a PDF backup of my ForeFlight logbook and save it on my cloud storage. You never know, ForeFlight could lose it. IT is not perfect. Now I just have to remember to do that once and awhile to keep current backups.
Great video. My logbook shows the trials and tribulations of my aviation journey. The memories of taking loved ones up along with my growing experience in this industry.
As a student pilot, I put tags on important flights for the checkride (xc, night, etc.) makes it really easy to access for exams
I lost my logbook after being 20+ hours in, I felt destroyed but I also realized that this was rebound able and I wasn’t in a hole I couldn’t get out. I got myself a new logbook starting from zero but I’m doing what I love :)
My most interesing entry is about declaring an emergency as a student, in a Cessna 150 negative trasponder, and landing over a jet waiting to take off at EWR.
I have moved nearly 20 years of logbook entries into two digital formats, and yes, it is extremely daunting, but very doable. I reproduced all of the entries from my paper logbook in both ForeFlight and a web application called logbook Pro. I accomplished this two ways. First, commit to only entering five pages a day. 10 if you can stand it. But be consistent and do it every day. You will be done before you know it. Another way is to get help from a friend or family member. Someone who will sit down with you, learn how to read the logbook line by line, who can then dictate those entries to you as you write them in. Not having to look back-and-forth between your old logbook and your new point of entry Repeatedly, will save you a ton of time.
Excellent advice.
Thanks for your encouragement! Becoming and staying a safe pilot is much harder than I expected, so thanks for sharing a similar experience
Great idea for sure! I use the old fashioned log books and ForeFlight but I will do this as well for sure. So many incredible stories our log books tell and emotions we experienced. I don’t think there is a pilot alive that can look through their log books and not old back a tear. I’m so grateful for this beautiful thing we all share called aviation.
love this! great idea and just got all my log book pages photographed.
A engineering student here. I’m getting my PPL after graduation Lord willing. You guys inspire me!
One great thing about a paper log book, is that you can collect signatures from famous people that you might come across while flying. I had the opportunity to meet Col. Chris Hadfield in Sarnia Ontario (aptly named Chris Hadfield Airport). He was kind enough to sign my logbook, and after some discussion about space travel to Mars, he included the year that he thinks that humans may travel to Mars...... (2040).
I took my first lesson in 1997 and remember it well. However, due to finances, it took until 2000 to finally take (and pass) my PP checkride. I flew for about another month and ran out of money. Earlier this year I started working on my flight review. After 23 years, it was definitely worth the wait.
High lighting my checkride day in my paper log book with Green !!! Signified go!!!
I’ve migrated to using Google Sheets because I can use my iPad or my phone to update my hours on the same file. I do still keep a paper logbook as a back up. Going digital just takes a commitment of slowly chipping away at it for an hour every night til you’re caught up. I’ve had a paper logbook for 380 hours and been flying for 7 years.
Sir...finally someone in the industry has taken the time to discuss this. I have had 2 logbooks stolen. I had to go through so many channels to get retrieve my hours. I was able to take care of it and move forward in my career
To anyone watching this, please do this with your logbook🙏🏿🙏🏿✈️
I'm so sorry for what you went through! I'm glad you were able to work through it but that's still really hard. Thank you for sharing this.
@AirplaneAcademy keep up the good work sir....your changing lives 🙏🏿🙏🏿✈️✈️
Terrific video. Motivated me to take more care over the boring routine stuff
I succeeded in transposing all my old logbooks from an earlier digital format into Foreflight. I will create a logbook report and save it into my google drive.
Great video and great advice. I love the idea of getting the old book into the cloud. I still use the paper log and it really is a history book of sorts. 33 years of adventures and accomplishments. From the first hours in a plane to the fist solo, private, CPL, multi-IFR and so on.
Awesome idea Charlie…I traveled internationally a number of years and had passport stolen… I can’t image losing logbook!
I do have my logbook backed up to Google drive. But thumbing through just now, my attention went to the pages of my early X-C solo flights. Man, was I a jangle of nerves leading up to those trips. But I never felt so focussed before.
My first solo out of the circuit doing a navigation route my heart rate was 140bpm average (1 hour flight). I didn’t feel my heart racing at the time but I was really tired after the flight. It was only when I looked at my fitbit and the huge number of active minutes that it made sense. Good times
Great video and good advice Charlie! I keep logs in foreflight as well as the paper book.. You never know when foreflight might implode.
Great vid! I am a total noob and still waiting on my C3 medical (tomorrow!) so i can get my GS started... the waiting has been difficult (2+ weeks for the appt), but i KNOW it will be worth it...
at 55 years old, i LOVE to learn, have always loved airplanes, and now I get the chance to put them both together for a life long dream accomplishment
thanks for the great info...
BE SAFE!
I'm 52 in a couple months and just got my PPL a few months ago. You got this! Just remember to do this at your own pace. I assume you're doing this as a hobby and a passion and not a career change (as am I) so don't get discouraged when you see the teenagers and young 20somethings buzzing through PPL at a racecar pace. They don't have the same obligations and therefore more free time. Anyway, stick with it. I had an instance where I thought "what am I doing" but once I passed my checkride and took my wife for her first flight, I knew what it was that drove me.
@@Fast351 thanks for the advice! yes sir, its a hobby that hopefully will be able to enjoy regularly with my bride... even if its just for an expensive and scenic lunch somewhere different...
Enjoy the adventure! I did Basic Med, and at 55 years old passed my check ride NOV22. After you pass the check ride, the learning continues on each flight. Its a life changing journey that just keeps going.
@@matthewbruun3359 I plan to learn all i can every time i am fortunate enough to go up... ultimate plan is IFR rating
My log book has 5 hours in it over the last year, I’ve been trying to fly as much as a can but as a high school student is close to impossible and every time I fly it’s super special bc it not super often right now
I also digitally sign and encrypt the backup, but I was a nerd long before I was a pilot.
Great idea i think im probably gonna do that to back up my logbooks
It’s taking me forever, but I’m not and never giving up. Commit and earn your license. Keep going!!
My logbook has a gap from 2004 to 2022. I earned my Private certificate after nearly 20 years away from the flight line. This break happens in the top third of a logbook page. I will always look back at that line as both lost time as well as the moment when I made the conscious decision to finish what I started. I'm now working on my Instrument rating.
Great video and ideas all-around. Thank you. All the best.
Rec'd my PPL in 1983, flew KC and RC-135s in the USAF, and off-and-on current in 172s and 182s since (currently not current). Would love to fly more, but not possible. I strongly encourage those who love airplanes/aviation to pursue it! It's not cheap, but the sense of accomplishment is something you'll never regret. At the very least, go on a Discovery Flight.
I will be doing this- once I find my log book. 😕 I havent been current in 40 years but have been giving much thiught to getting back in. Economy is a challenge, but there may be ways. Better to try and fail than to fail to try!
Considering whether I should get back into aviation. In the late 90's I got my priviate, instrument, commercial + inst in multi-eng with about 300 hrs total. Then I continued a career in IT. I'm much older now but still have that inner deep love of avaition though I've not pursued it for decades. Not sure what to do with it, but always wondered how my life would have been different had I stayed the course with avaition.
I subscribe to your channel and I am just starting to look into pilot training. I find your videos friendly and insightful. From what little I know, however, I believe one of the most important reasons to keep logbooks is for when you decide to sell your plane, if indeed you own one. Perhaps you are talking strictly flight logbooks, whereas I mean more maintenance logs. Keep up the good work.
Awesome, I'm excited for you! I was just talking about flying logbooks here but yes, the aircraft logbooks are equally sacred!
It's a very thoughtful video. I never would have thought to put my paper log book in the Cloud! I'm inactive and non-current, but I'll still put my flights (4278 hour's worth) in the Cloud, thanks to you. Love ya maaan! 👍
Great Idea. I've got both in foreflight and on paper. Like you said something about having it physical is great. I'll be numbering them after work. There are way more pages than I would have thought there are to your point. I've said it before but I'll say it again. Great video, and you've made a huge impact on my flying. Starting Commercial next Sunday, in no small part to encouragement, you gave me on a comment on a separate video of yours. Thanks again man.
I am just now starting my instrument rating and debating switching from paper to digital. I’m just a hobby pilot but think I’ll eventually go for CPL once I naturally build enough hours for it.
Digital has obvious advantages that I’d feel silly to ignore. But the paper ones have something intangible to them. I agree I think they will be more meaningful to flip back through over time.
So maybe I should just do both? For those of you who do both … do you get your instructor to sign both or just the paper or just the digital?
And yep I’ve been taking pictures of the pages as I fill each one up for nothing more than just backup in case I lose the logbook. I know I’ll need to prove the experience for checkrides and currency etc
Thanks, Charlie, this is why I love your content. You always provide either great information or thoughtful information. This is stuff that I can put away for when I start keeping a log book. And thank you for replying to my email. I had no idea the school you mentioned had a location in the Denison/Sherman area. That's now another point to consider since the Addison location would provide great radio/busy area training.
I had a new young CFI who never had a paper logbook get mad at me for having a paper logbook, and I flat out told him I don't care. He wasn't prepared to deal with a paper logbook, but I made him anyways.
They were just stopping paper pilot certificates when I started flying. LORAN was just being shut down. PTS was still the norm. Nobody had GPS or digital logbooks, everything was paper approach plates, AFD and paper charts. I too have multiple logbooks and hold 14 FAA certificates. I have MANY disparate fields to keep track of for all those ratings (categories and class, different xcountry requirements for each, etc.), and have struggled to digitize my logbooks.
I would keep running tallies at each checkride, cut out of the table on the FAA forms and dated/taped into my logbook so i would only have to update the totals since the last checkride. I also print out and tape copies of FAASafety WINGS completions, and other things like the DC airspace training course completion, into the front/rear inside covers.
Got my PPL at 17, then college, marriage(s), 2 kids, ...LIFE! At 61, I'm studying for my instrument, and my logbook has been gone for years. I was able to get my records from the FAA for ,y ratings, but had to rebuild my recreational hours mostly from memory. I'm within 5 hrs of my total as I remember, but tail numbers are history. At a little over 100 hrs, if I had to fall back to FAA hrs, lesson learned. At this point your advice is pure wisdom. P.S. ...what's a glass cockpit?!?! LOL 😅 even pilots need humor.
A few years ago there was an article where the author had just finished his PPL. As part of the story his grandmother gave him his grandfathers log books and other various aviation items. In the story he had a small picture of his grandfathers log book... it stopped me cold in my tracks because the picture showed his grandfather at the same airport on the same day as my dad had in his logbook (my dad passed before I ever even thought of learning to fly, but I still have his books)... So, scramble around a bit and I managed to reach out and make contact with the author. We've had a few emails back and forth. But how much of an amazing coincidence of all of the people at all of the airports in time that we had that connection.
Try doing that with an electronic log book. This is why going forward I will always preach a paper log book in addition to the electronic books.
I love this video! Thanks so much for sharing this. What a beautiful perspective.
For me the Military Base sticker sticks out on the second page :), tried to apply for military pilot, where we had a 2week course and at the end of it, we flew in a GA plane to an military airfield in the alps, it was insane and one of the best flights, even to i screwed everything up XD
3.5 years since lesson #1; two disruptions that lasted over 4 months; 4 CFIs (1 funeral) and 7 airplanes; 6 airports; 6 weeks between oral and flight portion of the practical… hundreds of chances to quit… 115.6 hours in the logbook … = PPL PASSED on October 17, 2023
It took 3 yrs to get my PPL. 3 mos of rain before back surgery and 3 mos after to windy to flight. Then Covid hit.
You know what, this video finally motivated me to go through my 2000 inbox email. It's now 11pm, but when I wake up I know it'll be worth it since my email will only have 1500 in the inbox instead of 2000 :.)
Excellent advice - keep up the great content 🙂
Hello, I'm new to TH-cam and was wondering what video recording equipment you use for your videos. The picture and sound is super clean! BTW, Love the channel and the content and I'm super envious you flew a Kodiak 900. Thanks!
I stopped. I did it.
Excellent thanks :)
Excellent video and ideas. Cheers.
you know in scuba diving it is also important to back up a log book i have my paper copy along with my dive log digital copy and another one i created on publisher
💥Great reminder vid, huge thank you.
When I see my log book it makes me wanna 😭😢😥. I got my PPL 2014, stopped flying for 4 yrs, then went back and completed my CPL 2018. Made some changes and did jobs I never though of doing to afford a ✈️ 2020. Now it's 2023, 3 years of aircraft ownership and I just about added 100hrs of flight Time to my logbook since 2018. 10 hrs to 400tt and it's been almost 2 months since that calculation. Transponder is getting fixed so hopefully I can bang another 30 hrs, 10 hrs realistically by the end of December. 😊
So I’ve been working on my Ppl for a while and recently I finished my Theorie. I only have 3 cross country solos left to be able to go into my checkride unfortunately the weather has been pretty bad, for the past week every single day the weather is not good enough for me to go do them. I’m in a rush to finish it by January since I’m changing schools nd I’m getting irritated and super sad since I can’t go flying and finish what I begun 9 months ago
Greetings from Cape Town. Interesting, your logbooks are different from ours. Ours take about 25 flights on each page. I have been flying for 41 years, and still use paper logbooks.
My mom gave me my dad's old logbook after he died. Probably because I dragged 3 antique ultralights home, that now take up space in his shop.
The only useful information in it was the FAA id of our first plane he restored which I could punch into the online registry. Since he was an air traffic controller and always in the loop, he was able to snag a very short plane 4 character number registration when one came up that was available.
Unfortunately, the online registry was useless when it came to finding where the plane is now. I just picked up the book just now and looked through it again... now that I can see again after going blind... wow... he flew a lot of other different planes and did a bunch of aerobatics... chandelles, spins, stalls, spirals, steep turns, loops, figure 8's, steep turns, all sorts of things. Probably in planes not typically used for aerobatics. Way to go dad!
Probably because my grandpa was a WW2 fighter pilot with 171 missions behind him and a very smart guy, my dad also a very smart guy felt motivated to do way more than fly from point A to point B. I remember one grass field landing with him as a kid in our 170 taildragger, and I was in utter awe at his fast foot pedal rudder work keeping that thing straight on one heck of a nerve racking bumping landing with of course no visibility forward once you touch down. The man was a god on those pedals.
I wish I could take either one of them flying now and wow them back. I'm fully aerobatic :-)
I don't fly like the rest of you. I dance in the air like a fish through water. Big difference!
And... not keeping a log book.
Brilliant!
Great tips here guys!
Charlie, where did you find that Cessna hat?
I got it at oshkosh, they were selling it in their booth. Not sure if they sell it through their online store or not but you might check!
Thanks for this video! You have just earned yourself a new subscriber ：）
Awesome, glad to have you as a subscriber and that you enjoy the videos!
My log book has one entry, for one hour, and it probably won't have any more. But I will always treasure that one hour.
Watch that first step, it's a doozy.
Great video. We all need to slow down and relive the 70s again😅