How do you count how many airplanes you've flown?

[Seth]

I was asked how many different types of airplanes I've flown, not N numbers, and I have a question for the group: What do you consider a different type of airplane. There are many ways we could go about this but it boils down to three main ideas (there may be others):

Here are some questions and though processes:

1. Is a Mooney M20 considered 1 type? Or do you count yourself as flying three airplanes if you fly an M20C (short-body carbureted 180 HP), M20J (mid-body fuel injected 200 HP) , and M20V (long-body turbo fire breather 280 HP). They are all M20's but they are different sub models with different engine types, horsepower, and handling characteristics: M20C, M20J, M20V.  

2. Do you go by the ATC identifiers? M20P / M20T (which I heard many have changed/may be changing)

3. Do you go by what you put in your logbook type certificate? Beechcraft King 200/250 Air is a BE20, but that could be many different models 

I'm curious. No wrong answer, but if someone asked how many different airplane types have you flown, would each 172 (M, N, S, etc) count as a 172, or would each, like Mooney example above count? Or where do you draw the line?

Just curious.

Thanks!

-Seth

[midlifeflyer]

I haven't come across a good universal method which is why I always say "about" or "more than." To the extent I have a method to my madness it's my subjective assessment of differences. Manufacturer model is "model" is too limited. PA28-180 vs PA28-181 are the same in my book, as are all the fixed gear, fixed prop 172 regardless of whether 160 or 180 HP. OTOH, ICAO identifiers too broad. A 180 HP M20C and a 285 HP M20R are not the same airplane.

[MooneyMitch]

Interesting question!  

Up until this last insurance renewal with the same underwriter for the last several years, the underwriter didn’t care which M20 I was insuring.  Now they do.

My opinion based on my experiences, I consider each M20 model as a different airplane, sometimes... lol. 

Ive found the difference between the models to be greater as the model number spread becomes greater.

While M20’s share many similar flight characteristics, the difference between my current D/C model is substantially different than my former R, and definetly in the landing process.  

[RobertGary1]

No mater how its counted I lost track a long time ago. Now just differentiate between 1 engine, 2+ or 0 engines. Land planes vs sea planes. Piston vs other. I used to track "glass cockpit" but today its more ubiquitous. But when they first came out it was a big deal flying glass.

[Skates97]

Probably too late for most of you but shortly after I started my PPL training I started using MyFlightbook.com and went back and put the previous flights into it as well. You can download and print off a copy of it just like a regular logbook. I download a PDF version of it every couple of months in the event that their website goes away for whatever reason so I wouldn't lose everything. It keeps track of all kinds of things, including planes flown and the time in those models.

[Seth]

46 minutes ago, Skates97 said:

Probably too late for most of you but shortly after I started my PPL training I started using MyFlightbook.com and went back and put the previous flights into it as well. You can download and print off a copy of it just like a regular logbook. I download a PDF version of it every couple of months in the event that their website goes away for whatever reason so I wouldn't lose everything. It keeps track of all kinds of things, including planes flown and the time in those models.

I use myflightbook.com too. I've slowly converted about 60% of my paper logbooks to the online system. I plan to keep both paper and online because I'm me, but new generation pilots are doing everything digital. I'm still in my 30s (late 30s) but love the physical logbook.

It's really neat to see my tracking month to month, patterns of when I fly, etc.

-Seth

[midlifeflyer]

1 hour ago, Skates97 said:

Probably too late for most of you but shortly after I started my PPL training I started using MyFlightbook.com and went back and put the previous flights into it as well. You can download and print off a copy of it just like a regular logbook. I download a PDF version of it every couple of months in the event that their website goes away for whatever reason so I wouldn't lose everything. It keeps track of all kinds of things, including planes flown and the time in those models.

I've been using MyFlightBook for 14 years now. I'm apparently the 18th user account. 

In terms of going away, in addition to printing the logbook to PDF, there are multiple download options to save your data. An updatable Excel file or a csv file with a zip file of whatever graphic and pdf uploads you did. You can save to your PC or to a DropBox, GoogleDrive or OneDrive cloud folder. While it is free, a $25 donation buys you a year's worth of nightly saves to your cloud folder.

Fortunately it wasn't difficult for me to get my data into it. I'd been using an eLog since DOS. But, you can always skip the work and start with totals.

[Skates97]

33 minutes ago, midlifeflyer said:

I've been using MyFlightBook for 14 years now. I'm apparently the 18th user account. 

In terms of going away, in addition to printing the logbook to PDF, there are multiple download options to save your data. An updatable Excel file or a csv file with a zip file of whatever graphic and pdf uploads you did. You can save to your PC or to a DropBox, GoogleDrive or OneDrive cloud folder. While it is free, a $25 donation buys you a year's worth of nightly saves to your cloud folder.

Fortunately it wasn't difficult for me to get my data into it. I'd been using an eLog since DOS. But, you can always skip the work and start with totals.

I have mine saved on my PC and backed up on OneDrive. I didn't know about the donation and nightly saves, thanks.

[1964-M20E]

1,2,3........

[Jim Peace]

Blonde Brunette Redhead Vietnamese Pinay Japanese skinny athletic normal Latina top heavy shy outgoing crazy

What was the question again? how many types of what....?

 

[0TreeLemur]

fingers and toes?

[Hank]

Personally, in addition to outting the flight(s) in my logbook, I have a flying spreadsheet with a page for each N number. There's an insurance update page where I keep track by make and model, too. So I guess I count with Excel . . . .

[Jim Peace]

I make one logbook entry per year for GA flying and one entry per year for work flying...takes like 5 or 6 years to get through a page....

 

Does FlightAware count as a logbook?

[aviatoreb]

The number of different airplanes I have flown fits on my left hand fingers plus one more finger on my right hand, so it doesn't take long.

[Bluevalley]

Really little ones and really really BIG ones!

[ArtVandelay]

For insurance reasons I keep track of actual model, because I think they ask for that. My transition CFI entered M20J201....so I continued it, I probably will shorten to just M20J next logbook.

[donkaye, MCFI]

For insurance purpose the insurers want make and model, so I have mine broken down that way.

[David Lloyd]

Earlier this year Mooney hours moved into the #2 position ahead of RV7 time and ahead of all PA28 variants.  Champ, 182 and BE36 time isn't even close.  At the current rate of flying, my Mooney time will pass BE33 time in 75 years or so.  Seven kinds and the PA28s all counted the same including -140, -151, -180, -181.  Don't have any time in Arrows or 235 or 236, but they would count different.