Personal milestone. First log book filled!

[rbridges]

Don't laugh, it took 700 flight hours and 12.5 years. . Finally filled the last line tonight.  It seems like just yesterday that I was flying the 172 over middle Georgia with my CFI. 

[BKlott]

Congratulations! That is quite an achievement. I remember wondering if I would ever fill my first Log Book and now I am well into #3. Owning versus renting is a big factor in filling up the pages. 

[gsxrpilot]

20 minutes ago, BKlott said:

I remember wondering if I would ever fill my first Log Book

And it never happened... I switched to electronic log books and put the first log book, half filled, away in a box somewhere 

[EricJ]

I just did this recently as well, also with about 700 hours, but in my case it took 47 years.   First recorded flight was June 17, 1974.   I took a little gap in the middle for a while. 

 

[carusoam]

Rb’s log page...

easier to read this way...

-a-

[0TreeLemur]

Similar to @EricJ, I filled my first log book last year with first flight in 1981.  Such a variety of a/c in my first log book.  A mixture of different models of brand C, G, & P.  Now it's all about M20P baby.  I had several gaps while life got in the way of flying.

[rbridges]

8 hours ago, carusoam said:

Rb’s log page...

easier to read this way...

-a-

 

You think so?  I never could read my CFI's handwriting.  

[201er]

The first log book takes the longest.  

Then on subsequent books you get frustrated they don’t fit more. I’ve got 5.

[Unit74]

I don’t do eLogs.  The nostalgia of paper entries and the inability to lose it from a data failure keeps me old skool.  I’m about half way into mine with 600 hours. 

[jlunseth]

1 hour ago, Unit74 said:

I don’t do eLogs.  The nostalgia of paper entries and the inability to lose it from a data failure keeps me old skool.  I’m about half way into mine with 600 hours. 

Over a period of a couple of decades I have had three computers crash. Two were hard drive crashes and the third was failure of a RAID array controller, which we all went to because it allowed duplicating data on multiple hard drives because those were not safe. But then you have a single point of failure in the RAID. We all discovered that CDs cut with home CD or DVD drives would only hold data for about a year before it started to corrupt. The problem with data is that you lose it when you need it, and you can't get rid of it when you want to get rid of it.

And then, of course, there are the multiple issues caused by the rise and fall, or changes in business model, of the company whose software you use to create the data. All the cool pilots were on Coradine's Log X Pro, and then, of course, they went from a one-time buy price to an expensive monthly subscription model, business fell off, and although the software is still offered it is not supported very well. Which brings us, currently, to Foreflight. I am on my second data migration of logbook data, over to Foreflight. Of course, they now charge a monthly subscription.

Through it all, I have always kept my paper log. Stuff goes in the electronic log just to make sure the math is correct. My paper log is my record. Its hard drive has never crashed, it has never heard of a RAID array, the columns and fields are always the same, it does not "glitch," I never have to go through the pain of a data migration and, well, it is simply superior to electronic in every way.

And next time get this one if you can find it, it holds around 2,000 hours:

[jlunseth]

Garmin might be the safest bet because they are acquiring everyone, not being acquired (yet). I have an electronic bicycle trainer, brand name Tacx. It was and is a great system, the bike goes into a rack with an electonic brake, it plays a course on a video, and the system keeps all the data for you so you can analyze your rides. It worked for me for about 7 or 8 years, and then, of course, Garmin bought it. They now market the Tacx line, but the software was obsoleted, so I have to keep an old Windows 7 computer running to be able to continue to use the rack. That is the way of electronics, they work as long as the company stays in business and wants them to work, and for a limited time after, but eventually they all die, even 100,000+ installed flight systems.

You don't actually think it is your data to do with as you wish, do you?

[gsxrpilot]

Paper logs are just as susceptible to loss as are electronic logs. Just think of all the Mooneys we've looked at with one or more missing log books. Paper logs get lost, get damaged, get destroyed, or even just fade away.

I think the difference is that some people are more comfortable with the maintenance and care required to maintain paper logs. I'm privileged to have some of my grandfather's log books but I don't have all of them as some were lost in a fire. I've heard of some making copies and storing a copy in a safe deposit box at their local bank. So there are ways to mitigate the risk of paper logs as well.

Obviously as someone who works in the IT world, maintaining electronic logs is easy for me. But they need to be maintained just the same. My primary logs are all in ForeFlight today. I think it's my third electronic logbook. But rather than waiting until a platform completely sinks and goes under and then crying about it, I proactively manage my logs and make sure I'm using a platform that is well supported and growing. The thing that makes this easy is doing it all with a few keystrokes at my desk on my computer, laptop, tablet, phone, etc. Moving from one platform to another is as simple as export/import. I've not once had to recreate a log entry. They are all there and can be moved as required. It's also super easy to create backups and copies. Logs are periodically exported and stored on my Google Drive, iCloud backup, and a flash drive in my office. I used to burn them to CD's, RAID Drives, and portable hard disks, today it's a flash drive. But that's actually just my third level back up. 

And when I get in my Mooney and fly to meet an instructor or DPE for a FR or Checkride, I'm not carrying my precious log books along in the plane. 

[EricJ]

When I got my multi-engine rating last spring they recorded some of the basic time accumulations from my logbook, which apparently went into an FAA database.   This way even if my logbook gets lost/erased/burned/bankrupted/whatever the FAA has an established record of what my pertinent times were at that point.   I thought that was a good thing to do.

 

[201Steve]

My original book got left in a back pack in the back of my truck when it rained, so I got a "new logbook" pretty early after it was water logged. LOL

[rbridges]

1 hour ago, 201Steve said:

My original book got left in a back pack in the back of my truck when it rained, so I got a "new logbook" pretty early after it was water logged. LOL

Mine is a little swollen where it got wet, too.  

[Unit74]

I have an envelope in a secure place.  Every time I finish a page, I photocopy it and put in the file.  I also take a pic with my phone which saves iCloud. 

[RJBrown]

A log book is a BOOK.

any e log is no more than a temporary backup.

NOTHING is ever permanent in a computer.

‘if it was “stored” on a 8088 it can never be accessed again.

 

[N201MKTurbo]

The important stuff is recorded on any IACRA application. Your medical has some information on it.

I haven’t written in a paper logbook in decades. I keep a folder with IPCs, BFRs (I know they call them flight reviews now) and such.

I wrote my own logbook app in Delphi in the early 90s. As much as I liked it, it was getting hard to maintain. I exported it all to ForeFlight. I make a paper backup of the ForeFlight log about once a year. I also keep the .CSV files it exports, they are a lot easier to deal with than the paper.

[N201MKTurbo]

18 minutes ago, RJBrown said:

 

‘if it was “stored” on a 8088 it can never be accessed again.

 

Why can’t it be accessed again?

[Jim Peace]

I have 4 pro log books now...I decided a few years back to just make one entry per year....I will never have to buy another one...LOL

One entry for work flying and one entry for GA flying per year....I measure once and cut with an ax.....

 

[donkaye]

I'm just about ready to start logbook number 11.  I like the size and color of the ASA "The Standard Pilot Logbook".  I only carry the last one with me.  Since I need to manipulate the data in all sorts of ways and use a Mac, I wrote a logbook application on 4D a number of years ago.  It comes in handy all the time.  It does require me to record in both the ASA log and the computer log, but that doesn't take too much time.  I am a year behind on totaling the handwritten one, but the 4D database is up to date.  So far 6,259 entries.