Answer: The short answer is no. But unfortunately there’s a lot of “tribal knowledge” surrounding logbooks and what can happen. FLYING contacted the FAA for the correct information.

Endorsements

The CFI should be familiar with Advisory Circular 61-65 (H), which contains the endorsements an instructor is allowed to give. The language is copied verbatim. If you are a learner pilot, the first endorsement you will get is the TSA citizenship verification endorsement in accordance with 49 CFR 1552.3(h).

FAR 61.51 covers pilot logbooks and details how to log “training time and aeronautical experience.” It states that each person must document and record the following time in a manner acceptable to the administrator:

(1) Training and  aeronautical experience used to meet the requirements for a certificate, rating, or flight review of this part.

(2) The aeronautical experience required for meeting the recent flight experience requirements of this part.

Part B covers logbook entries, stating that “for the purposes of meeting the requirements of paragraph (a) of this section, each person must enter the following information for each flight or lesson logged:

(1) General—

(i) Date.

(ii) Total flight time or lesson time.

(iii) Location where the aircraft departed and arrived, or for lessons in a full flight simulator or flight training device, the location where the lesson occurred.

(iv) Type and identification of aircraft, full flight simulator, flight training device, or aviation training device, as appropriate.”

The savvy CFI logs all instruction given, including ground time and the topics covered. If the learner takes the time to be there, they should get credit for the experience.

As far as “messing up an entry in a logbook,” FLYING posed a series of questions gleaned from scenarios encountered in more than 30 years of flight training on both sides of the CFI certificate.

Ink Color

I start with this because when I was working on my CFII certificate, I logged time in my own logbook with blue ink and the CFII who I was training with positively clutched her pearls over that one.

According to the FAA, they do not require a specific ink color for a paper logbook.

The logging of time spent using an advanced aviation training device (AATD) can be controversial as there are some CFIs who refuse to do it, saying it will “ruin” a logbook.

According to the FAA: “Simply logging time (in any capacity) does not ruin a logbook, but the pilot must ensure they are properly categorizing the flight time logged. For example, if a pilot decided to record their time spent using an AATD in their logbook, that is acceptable. However, the AATD time could not be counted toward cross-country time for pilot certification.”

Set Up Your Own Logbook

As most logbooks have a few blank columns, it’s a good idea to designate them to suit your needs. For example, you might have one for ground training received or given, AATD, solo flight, etc. You can have an entire section set aside for ground instruction, dual instruction given, etc.

Endorsements

There are many logbooks with preprinted endorsements, but you may run out of room. The FAA does not require endorsements to be on a specific page or in a specific location in the logbook. 

“Endorsements can be made in a pilot’s logbook or other documents acceptable to the administrator if the learner uses an electronic logbook rather than paper, in order to show they meet the aeronautical experience requirements for the certificate or rating that may be in paper form or electronic,” FAA said. “Keep in mind that many endorsements require a CFI’s signature which may not work with an electronic logbook.” 

For check rides most learners print out spreadsheets of their experience and have the CFI sign those.

Mistakes

Mistakes do happen. Usually they are math errors.

Filling out a logbook takes a fair amount of concentration, as does totaling up the columns and double checking the math before you sign the page. Take care when you do this, and please be extra careful when it comes to totaling up required experience for a check ride. You do not want a learner to go for a check ride and be turned away because they are missing 0.2 of something, or a takeoff and night landing or two. 

If you make a mistake, correct it. Please note that the FAA does not have specific guidance on correcting logbook errors. According to the source at the FAA, “choosing a particular correction style (white-out, crossing out the error and correcting, crossing out the line and making a new entry, etc.) is up to the pilot.”

The post Does the FAA Punish Pilots for Logbook Mistakes? appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

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Answer: The FAA’s General Aviation Operations Inspector’s Handbook (FAA Order 8700.1) provides guidance for reconstructing lost airman logbooks. It states: “The airman should begin with a signed and notarized statement of previous flight time as the basis for starting a new flight time record. Such a statement should be substantiated by all available evidence such as aircraft logbooks, receipts for aircraft rentals, and statements of flight operators.” But if it has been decades since you last acted as pilot in command, and probably longer since you did your training, this is probably a long shot.

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You can request copies of your medical application and Airman Certificate and/or Rating Applications (FAA Form 8710) from the FAA, which will have documentation of your experience at the time of application. You can access this by contacting the Airmen Certification branch at 9-AMC-AFS760-Airmen@faa.gov or 405-954-3261 and follow the prompts to request your records.

As far as additional endorsements, such as tailwheel, complex and high performance, etc., if they are not recorded on the last 8710 on file, you will need to be reendorsed. But since you will need a flight review anyway, you may want to kill two snakes with one rock and do the recurrent training for the flight review in an aircraft that requires an endorsement. Good luck, and welcome back to the sky!

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Do you have a question about aviation that’s been bugging you? Ask us anything you’ve ever wanted to know about aviation. Our experts in general aviation, flight training, aircraft, avionics, and more may attempt to answer your question in a future article.

The post I Lost My Logbook. What Now? appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

My club found another Citabria a couple of years ago, but by then I was working on complex and high-performance endorsements, so it was easy to put tailwheel proficiency on the back burner. Last week, though, after spotting the green-and-white 7ECA in the back corner of the hangar, looking lonely, I finally asked my instructor for a tailwheel refresher.

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No Leisurely Drive

On Sunday morning we rolled the rag-and-tube machine onto the tarmac, completed preflight checks, and were ready to taxi. Taxiing a taildragger is not just a leisurely drive to the runway, however. And my heart sank when I realized that this Citabria had heel brakes instead of the more familiar toe type. Still, we got past the runup and onto the runway without too much  meandering.

A crosswind greeted us, naturally, and with full power the airplane wanted to wander. I was trying to anticipate whether built-in forces like gyroscopic precession and p-factor would cause the airplane to veer left—or if the crosswind from the right would weathervane us the opposite way, into the wind. But that didn’t matter. The Citabria’s nose seemed to seek any heading as long as it was away from the centerline.

More speed, forward on the stick, rolling fast on the mains, a little squirrely, soon we were flying. The takeoff run seemed long with too much zigzagging, but all was well once we became airborne. I quickly recalled why flying small, simple airplanes, especially those with tandem seating, was so appealing. Lush forests and fields of rural northern New Jersey looked spectacular from the Citabria’s bright, airy greenhouse as we climbed, slowly, behind the 100 hp Lycoming.

Once at altitude we practiced s-turns, steep turns, slow flight (more like slower flight) and stalls. With no GPS on board and no desire to chase VOR signals, I navigated using pure pilotage, which was a pleasant flashback to my student days. We practiced approaches and landings on grass and asphalt at nearby airports before returning to home base at Sussex, New Jersey (KFWN).

By the time the field came into view, the Citabria’s slow pace and drafty cabin felt pleasantly adequate. As we touched down, even the heel brakes seemed like an annoyance I could easily live with and even learn to like. Best of all, my overall confidence as a pilot had grown a bit, instead of being shattered.

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More To Do

I strongly believe that learning to fly tailwheel aircraft is a worthwhile step in any pilot’s training progression—the earlier, the better. There simply is more to do in a taildragger, and a greater demand for attention and precision, so the experience naturally makes you a better pilot. But those skills decay quickly, so be prepared to maintain them.

I am looking forward to another tailwheel stint this weekend, and more as I try to get fully back into the swing. Within a few weeks, I hope, dancing on the rudder pedals will be less daunting than dancing at my eighth-grade prom.

The post Getting Reacquainted With Taildraggers Is Time Well Spent appeared first on FLYING Magazine.