I just received an email from Scott, asking about what to do when you lose your logbook:

In previous years I have accumulated approx. 30 to 35 hours in student training in the air, either with my instructors or by myself, Unfortunately I have lost my log book. What should I do ? Both of my instructors are still in my area, can they help?

Hi Scott.  Sorry to hear about your logbook, that stinks.  As a pilot, I have two recurring nightmares.  The first one is where I totally forget about a scheduled flight until about an hour after it is supposed to leave and the second nightmare is losing my logbook. You are in a great position in that you have less than 40 hours accumulated so it won’t be nearly the chore it could have been, if say you had like 4,000 hours.

Jeppesen Professional Logbook

There are several ways to copy your logbook once it has been lost or destroyed by using other paper records of the flights, no matter what stage you are in your flying career.

1) Your flight Instructors. Your flight instructors will have their own personal logbook that has records of the flights that you flew with them.  You could ask your flight instructors for copies of the pages where you flew together.  You could easily use that in a new logbook.

2) Your flight school. The flight school should have both financial records and aircraft records of the flights that you lost.  You should contact the flight school and ask for a copy of the aircraft hobbs records.  Usually the hobbs will record the name of the instructor and student so it should be pretty simple to track down these records if you have a general idea of when you flew.

3) Canceled Checks.  I remember one of my flight students would jot down the flight time and aircraft registration number in the notes portion of his check.  If something would have happened to his records,  it would have been a simple matter of flipping through some old checks to duplicate his logbook.

4) FAA Form 8710. When you go to take your checkride you will fill out a form 8710 which is basically your airman application form.  Near the bottom of the form you will fill in a table that documents your flight hours and experience.  You can easily duplicate a logbook from this information.  In fact, that is one of the purposes of that form.

5) Company Records. If you are a professional pilot you can use company records to help duplicate your logbook.  I often make records of the company forms I use in the aircraft and keep them handy in the event something would happen to my logbook.

6) Electronic Backup. There are many options when it comes to logbook software and online pilot logbooks. One of the best electronic logbook programs is Logbook Pro by NC Software. One of the nice things about Logbook Pro is being able to export to many different formats for both printing and storing.

Good luck Scott with your logbook. I hope that you continue your training and that you find a solution to help prevent this in the future.  Be sure to…

Fly Safe.

Here’s a good question concerning logging of pilot time that I received from Don:

Can one log time as a safety pilot? If so, under what heading, eg, PIC, or a separate category “safety pilot“? Thanks.

First a quick review.

A “safety pilot” is a required flight crew member when another pilot is flying under simulated or actual instrument conditions in order to meet the IFR recency requirements of 14 CFR 61.57.  FAR 61.57 requires that in order to file and fly on a IFR flight plan you have to be instrument current, which means that within the past 6 months you have logged 6 approaches, holding and intercepting and tracking procedures.  If for some reason, those 6 months pass, the pilot has another six month grace period in which he can fly with a safety pilot under simulated instrument conditions in order to become fully instrument current again.  In simulated instrument conditions the pilot wears a view limiting device that blocks the pilot’s view of the outside world so that he can only see the instrument panel (we call them foggles).  This can present a problem for other airplanes as the flying pilot is unable to see where he is going!  The FAA found a solution to this problem by creating the safety pilot.  A safety pilot is simply that, someone who looks out for other airplanes (safety) while the other pilot is flying blind “under the hood”.

Instrument Training Glasses “Foggles”

So how do you log time flown as a safety pilot?

Because you are a required crew member when flying with a pilot under simulated instrument conditions the FAA allows you to log this time as SIC or second-in-command (61.51(g)).   If you agree to be the “acting” PIC you and the other pilot could both record the time as PIC but only when the other pilot is under the hood and the other pilot is the “sole manipulator of the flight controls.”   In order to be the “acting PIC” you will have to make sure that you meet the full PIC requirements for that flight and aircraft, which will include any necessary medical, category, class, type, recency and ratings requirements.

Don’t forget!  If you use a safety pilot to gain instrument currency the FAA requires that you record the name of the safety pilot in your logbook.

As always…fly safe!

I have been really amazed at the timing of some of the questions I have been receiving from readers lately.  The last two questions that have been asked of me have been questions I have asked myself within the past week.  This morning’s question is a perfect example:

Paul, I’ve been teaching this gal with ADD…how do I keep her focused on a task? I’ve all but stood on my head. Thanks

I currently have a primary student who I have been working with for both the ground and flight portion of a private pilot course who has ADHD.  While every student can present unique and individual challenges, a student that has been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder takes careful planning to keep the student clearly focused on the daily lesson’s objectives.  The key is to treat this condition as a strength and to use that to your and the student’s benefit.  Pilot training is perfectly suited to people with ADD because it is a very hands-on type of activity.  The struggle is usually with the theory and knowledge ground portion of the course.

Here are some suggestions to help keep such a student involved and participating.  This is not meant to be exhaustive or to stereotype students who have this condition.  It will vary student to student.  These are just some of the things I have done (or do) with some of my students who have ADD:

• Use the “Demonstration-Performance Method” The Aviation Instructors Handbook taught us about the 3 teaching methods.  Don’t even bother with lecture or guided discussion.  Get them hands-on as much as possible and keep your demonstration portion short…very short.  They will learn during while performing what you quickly demonstrated.
• Do not recommend a home study course. If you do, make it a home study course they do at the airport under your supervision.
• During ground training, use visual aids as much and often as possible. Even if it is simple hand drawings and model airplanes.  Students with ADD tend to benefit from the use of visual aids.
• Provide daily challenges. This will vary student to student but you’ll have to work harder to motivate ADD students to participate.  “See if you can get a 95% on this chapter’s test.”
• For younger students, provide constant supervision. If you leave them alone to study while you work on updating your logbook (or blog) they will not be studying when you return and might appear frustrated that they are not learning the concepts.
• Stop the discussion and ask questions.  To keep this student involved in the lesson and tuned in, it will be necessary to ask questions often.  Not just to rephrase what has been discussed but for you to ask questions in a truly meaningful way so that the student has to think and prepare an answer.  If they know a question is coming, they are less likely to drift off.
• Don’t let the student give a “rote” answer. Sometimes a rote answer is easy for a ADD student to respond with but they don’t really understand the concept.  Grill them a little deeper to make sure they understand what is going on.
• Provide real world examples.  For example, when it comes to weather, print out current weather reports and forecasts and have them read back the current and forecasted weather.
• Focus on correlation. From the example above you can use that lesson to correlate the time zone lesson with the aviation weather chapter.
• Be prepared for “accelerated” training. You can (and should) introduce advanced concepts early.  Let this student work the radios, even if it is just the second lesson.  ADD students will tend to catch on to concepts very early and will enjoy the challenge.
• Let the student fly as much as possible. While they are flying, even if it is just enroute to the practice area, provide a challenge.  “See if you can keep the altitude within 50 feet out to the practice area.”
• Keep the briefs short. I would conduct pre-briefs and post-briefs just like any other student but much shorter.  Get to the point and get flying.
• Make sure they understand “fitness for flight.” I’ve had a student call me and say, “I didn’t take my medicine.  It won’t be a good day for ground school”  That is fine with me.  No reason to waste my time or theirs when no new material will be absorbed.
• Stress the use of checklists and procedures guides. You can pre-brief how to do a slow flight maneuver but make them write out the procedures and then reference that procedure guide in the airplane.

Again, this list is in no way exhaustive.   Every student’s needs and ADD severity will be highly unique.  The idea is simply to keep them interested. The other side of this coin is of course, your student may not be cut out for flying.  When it comes down to it, flying an aircraft does require intense concentration for long periods of time and that might prove to be too difficult for some severe cases.  As instructors, we like to think that we can teach ANYBODY to fly but we have to understand learning to fly comes with  limitations…the student has to be prepared and able (mentally, emotionally and physically) to learn.

I know this must be a difficult position for you and I hope that you can implement some of my ideas to help.  I am very interested in learning how this goes.

As always…

Fly Safe.