i just got a new logbook to replace my cheap paper cover one, just wondering if i need to copy over all the logs(that my instructor wrote) or just leave it and when i need to tally up my hours read two. Is there any rules saying that I cant copy logs that someone besides me wrote? Should I carry both with me?
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1$\begingroup$ Welcome to aviation.SE! Can you tell us which country you're asking about? Regulations and best practices are different in different places. $\endgroup$– PondlifeCommented Apr 4, 2018 at 12:12
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2 Answers
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My recommendation - don't copy over anything from your old logbook. Just start your new logbook with your next flight or other item that needs to be logged. You will simply have more than one logbook.
You don't need to carry your logbook with you while you are flying. Pilot cert and medical is all that is required. If you need to produce a record verifying that you are qualified for a particular type airplane, operation, etc., you can produce your record (logbook[s]) at a later time.
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The following information is pertinent to the FAA in the US and additional information is on their website. AOPA provides this guidance.
...Each person must document and record... in a manner acceptable to the Administrator... Persons must present their pilot certificate, medical certificate, logbook, or any other record required by this part for inspection upon a reasonable request 14 CFR 61.51 - Pilot logbooks (Copies of you log are acceptable by the FAA administrator.)
Your medical and Pilot's license are the only documents required to be carried with you. It is suggested that all other records be kept in a safe place. Insurance companies have been known to deny claims when the records are destroyed in a plane crash.
Electronic or written records are permitted so copying or transferring is legal. To legally act as PIC, a private, commercial, and airline transport pilot must have a current medical certificate and have all required endorsements, ratings, and recency of experience for the type of aircraft being flown and the flight conditions under which the flight is conducted (see FAR 61.3, 61.31, 61.56, 61.57).
It has been popular to transfer and use electronics means for over 25 years. About the only thing the FAA does not track is recency requirements such as IFR or night currency and a signed copy is only required until it runs out - after which the information can be transferred to other written or electronic form. I imagine most pilots don't keep a signed copy of recency experience and if the FAA requested it, they would pencil whip a copy to them.
While electronic records hold the same legal validity as paper, it seems to me hand written documents are less likely to be disputed. I prefer paper, but I scanned my old logbooks onto multiple computer backups just in case something ever happened, i.e flood or fire.
If paper or electronic storage is destroyed, the pilot is required to make an entry with their best guess. I know of an airline pilot that had his baggage stolen in Japan with his cell phone containing several months of data; he simply made a new entry with a guess.
