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7 Answers

Best place to keep pilot certificate, medial & logbook?

Asked by: 11044 views FAA Regulations, General Aviation, Private Pilot

Where do you keep each and why? 

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7 Answers



  1. Paul on Oct 05, 2010

    Well, for me I keep the pilot certificate and medical in my wallet because it’s required by 61.3 to be in my “physical possession or readily accessible in the aircraft”.  

    I keep my logbook at home in a safe location, far away from the kid’s grasp. The only time my logbook is required is when I’m applying for a certificate or rating and the examiner needs to verify my recorded and logged time.

    It would be interesting to hear the other answers….

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  2. Matthew Waugh on Oct 05, 2010

    I agree with Paul – certificate and medical in the wallet because I never leave the house without my wallet and the logbook lives on the bookshelf.
    Note that as a student there are times when you will require that you have your logbook with you. Then it pretty much has to ride in your flight bag, depending on where your flight bag lives when you’re not flying might drive a decision to put your logbook somewhere else and make sure you don’t forget it.
    Now in theory you might want to protect your logbook in case there was a fire or something, but I stopped updating my logbook about 2,000 hours ago and just have an electronic logbook which is backed up off-site, but then there’s endorsements, and…. Oh my head hurts……

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  3. Chris Findley on Oct 05, 2010

    I keep my certificates and medical in my headset bag.  The main reason is that a) I’ve had my wallet get washed several times.  That’d be ok for the certs. but the medical may not fare so well.  b.) I’m nervous a bit about losing my wallet.  Wife got her purse picked at mall recently  c.)  I’ve not found a wallet that holds the medical without multiple folds.   All that sounds lame, I know.  But as I always grab my headset if I’m going to fly, they’re always with me. 

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  4. Kent Shook on Oct 05, 2010

    I keep my certificate and medical in my wallet, folded inside a piece of an expired sectional to keep them nice and clean.

    My physical logbook, I keep in my flight bag so it’s handy for CFI signoffs when I get some dual. However, I keep my logbook mainly in electronic form – I enter the flights on my iPhone as soon as I’m done, that syncs with my laptop which backs up to two different hard drives, one of which is off-site. I figure that’ll keep it safe.

    Bottom line, medicals and certificates can be replaced. Logbooks can’t. Keep lots of backups!

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  5. Pete Kemble on Oct 06, 2010

    i keep my certificate and medical attached inside the back cover of my logbook. the logbook is in a fire-proof safe (being career oriented, I can’t afford to lose the signatures at this point) and they all come with me when i fly. Interestingly as well, attached with my cert and medical is a pro/con list i made in a hotel room in florida after visiting a 141 school determining whether at age 32 such an expensive career change was a good idea…guess we’ll find out 🙂

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  6. Mike Pastore on Oct 07, 2010

    Paul,
    I agree with you.  I keep the logbook at home where it is safe unless I receive dual instruction that needs to be logged or taking a BFR.   My Commercial and Flight Instructors certificate, medical and government issued photo id are always in my wallet because they have to be carried when acting as PIC as you noted.
    I’m not sure why some people carry their logbook around with them….not much point to that.  It’s like carrying the airplane logbooks around too…risky at best.
    Regards,
    Mike Pastore 

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  7. MikeO on Oct 18, 2010

    I keep my certificate, medical, insurance card, and Certified copy of birth certificate inside the front cover of my log book with a rubber band holding the previous pages to the front cover. This holds them in place, and when I open my log book, I am on the current page. This I keep in a clear 3 ring pouch (like the ones we use to have in school for pencils, etc.)  It protects from water, coffee, etc. The pouch is in a 3 ring binder that has other pilot info. There all in my flight bag. At home when not flying, and when I fly, grab the bag and go. I know I have all needed papers with out looking for them

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