Pilot and air frame logging question.

[Frank Giger]

Yesterday was a unique window in the weather we've been having, and I took full advantage of it, making several hour and half hour flights during the day, all of it "local."

Others saw the same thing, so the normally deserted airport had a bunch of folks driving up, pulling open hangars and exposing their aircraft to sunlight. Heck, at one point there were four aircraft on the taxiway at the same time waiting on a fifth to land!

I kept track of each flight, including having my trusty tablet recording data for CloudAhoy.

At the end of the day I just put them all together by writing how many flights, how many landings, total duration of all the flights, and a smiley face in both the pilot's log and the air frame log.

Now, then, I'm not too worry about the Sky Cops coming to get me over this, but it does beg to question whether this is actually in the regs or not.

[DaleB]

I don't think you're actually required to log any of that, are you?

[Frank Giger]

Actually, since I'm in test phase, yep. Otherwise, how can I sign off when I've accomplished the forty?

But to be honest, I'm kind of in the dark on logging to begin with, so I just log everything.

[rwanttaja]

There's no requirement to log anything...except to comply with specific regulatory requirements. Examples:

- Currency requirement (3 TO/Landings in 90 days). Doesn't apply to you, since the requirement is for carrying passengers.

- Time required for a given rating. If you were going for a commercial license, for example, you need a logbook to show that you have the required minimum hours.

- Airframe/Engine hours to comply with ADs or other required services. Most doesn't apply to you, but like you said, there's the need to document the 40-hour test period.


Ron Wanttaja

[Frank Giger]

Pretty enlightening.

I like having a log of my flying time, to be honest. I can look back and see the comments I left (and I tend to be pithy or happy), and the memory of the flight is instantly triggered.

And having a track of all the maintenance is nice - every bit of work done on the air frame and engine is in there, so I can go back to see what I've done and need to keep an eye on.

Frank "Please, please, won't some FAA man ramp check me!" Giger

[Marc Zeitlin]

And having a track of all the maintenance is nice - every bit of work done on the air frame and engine is in there, so I can go back to see what I've done and need to keep an eye on.

Logging aircraft flying time and logging maintenance are two different things. As Ron W. states, there's no requirement to log flights. I've seen a zillion EAB aircraft with no indication of flights - only a signoff at 40.3 hours that the Phase I test period was complete, blah, blah, blah. That's the only legal requirement, per the OL's. Is it good to keep a record of what you actually did on each flight, if for no other reason than that the guy you sell the plane to in 15 years will have some sense of security that you actually tested the damn thing and didn't just fly around in circles for 40 hours at mid-weight and mid-CG? Sure. And it's nice to look back on, because YOU won't remember it all, either.

But there IS a requirement for logging maintenance, although there are some who will argue with this (and have). 14 CFR Part 91.417:

https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/14/91.417

speaks to this issue, and although EAB aircraft are not subject to Part 43 requirements, they most certainly are subject to part 91 requirements, and there is no exemption from this requirement anywhere for EAB aircraft that anyone who believes it doesn't apply has ever been able to point me to. I've had informal discussions with the FAA's corporate legal department and they support this position (although they have not issued an official letter on the subject, so until they do, this is just my opinion).

So, log whatever you want for both yourself and for the airplane - totally up to you. Log what you ate for lunch while changing the oil, too, if you like. The only thing you HAVE to log for yourself is what Ron W. said.

And log 100% of any maintenance you do on the plane.

My $0.02.

[rwanttaja]

Agree wholeheartedly with Marc about logging what's done to the airplane. It's especially important when, like me, you purchased a homebuilt rather than building it. Once a year, I need to have an A&P examine the airplane for the Condition/Conditional/Giger inspection. If I did work that WASN'T logged, they might suspect I'm trying to hide something or am sloppy. So in goes everything.

Pilot log? Pish. Every two years, I make an entry (adding up time from a rough log I keep at the airport) noting my total time. CFI for the BFR wants to know.

Ron Wanttaja

[L16 Pilot]

Also, insurance companies usually want total time, time in type, last 90 days, etc. Anyway I pretty much log all my time.

[WLIU]

As noted above, there are different reasons for logging time. Since I carry insurance on my Pitts I need to tell the insurance company how many hours I flew each year. Helps with rates. And as a Pitts driver, I keep track of take-offs and landings. Some folks attach some weight to having logged over 1000 Pitts landings without scratching the airplane. And the FAA and CFI's attach some importance to whether you have done 3 in 90.

The airplanes that I fly generally have recording tachometers that track time. We use those for scheduling maintenance. Since oil changes are the most basic and important maintenance that is done to most airplanes, when I look at a new airplane's logs I look for those entries as an indication that the owner cared about maintenance. My eyes can look at the airframe and tell whether its been bent and/or repaired correctly.

Some aerobatic guys log spins as that is another number that some folks attach weight to. I have to confess that I gave that up once it got into three digits.

Logs tell a story. You can make each story as detailed or as vague as you like depending on what you want to accomplish.

Best of luck,

Wes

[rwanttaja]

My last two insurance renewals, they didn't ask any questions other than "Do you want to renew?" Of course, I just have liability.

I keep a "rough log" at the airport, and list every flight and the significant aspects (temperatures if extreme, fly-in attended, people seen, etc.). It's just a three-ring binder. It's what I use to tally my flight hours when I have to. My official personal logbook is at home. Somewhere. I transfer data to it from the rough log for BFRs and if an insuror ever asks.

Ron Wanttaja