Airline pilots have a lot on their plates as it is. They train for years to become qualified to fly, and after that, they need to stay diligent and alert through long flights and odd work hours. On top of that, they need to keep track of all relevant data, especially their flight hours. This is where utilizing a pilot logbook app becomes critical.
What is a Logbook App?
If you are new to flying or considering getting a pilot’s license of your own, you may probably even have heard of logbook apps. So, what are they?
These apps are useful tools that pilots use to keep their flight data neat and easy to view. Along with tracking data that the pilot either enters themselves or is collected automatically via the GPS, logging apps can also provide the pilot with important information regarding their flight conditions. With this extra knowledge at their fingertips, pilots can be well-informed and well-prepared for each flight.
What Exactly Do Logbook Apps Do?
As established, logbook apps are incredibly convenient and can make a pilot’s tricky job much easier. But what exactly do they do? Every app is different, so if you’re in the market for one, we recommend looking at different apps to find what’s ideal for you.
Here at Excel Pilot Logbook, we offer a high-quality Excel-based logbook app based on the Jeppesen Pilot Logbook, the industry standard for logbook excellence and one that continues to be beloved by pilots worldwide. It offers an exceptional range of features, including the following:
- Log Your Flight Hours: Many pilots use logbook apps to keep track of their flight hours.
- Create Reports: Your app can easily create flight reports for you based on data that you input. This can be very useful as it saves you time you might otherwise need to spend searching for old documents or data.
- Access Past Flight Hours: Most flight logging apps allow you to view previously logged flight hours and your total logged hours. This is useful if you need to assess your currency or apply for new qualifications.
- Protect Your Data: Many apps will also secure your information so that your data will be kept safe, even if you lose your internet connection. Some of them are capable of syncing to the cloud, too, ensuring that you won’t lose your precious records.
- Customisable Templates: We know that no two pilots are the same, and depending on the airline you fly for, the aviation authority you’re reporting to and the certifications you have, you may want to be tracking different specifics. That’s why our logbooks are highly customisable and designed to make it easy for you to select exactly what you want to keep track of and how you want that organised.
From Paper to Phone – The Evolution Of Tracking Flight Hours
In the past, pilots used to log their flight hours into physical logbooks using pen and paper. As you can imagine, this used to be far less convenient and a lot more time consuming than simply using a digital logbook app. Nowadays, many pilots utilise computers to automatically monitor their flight hours.
How Important Are Flight Hours?
Flight hours play a much larger role than just helping a pilot figure out how long each flight lasted. To put it simply, flight hours correlate to a pilot’s experience. As a rule of thumb, aviation professionals consider a pilot with more flight hours to be more experienced.
That is why pilots with more flight hours and more experience are looked upon more favourably than pilots with fewer hours. In fact, when looking to hire a new pilot, many airlines actually set a minimum required hours flown for prospective candidates.
Many aviation insurance companies will also look at a pilot’s logged flight hours when assessing insurance applications. They tend to offer pilots with more flying experience lower insurance rates, as they perceive them to be safer flyers.
Should Every Pilot Use a Logbook App?
Some pilots might prefer to keep doing things the old fashioned way and log their hours with pen and paper in a physical logbook. Using a Logbook App can help you save a considerable amount of time and give you more accurate readings. That frees up more time for you to focus on planning and enjoying your flight.
Here at Excel Pilot Logbook, we’ve developed a comprehensive Logbook product that is easy to use, even if you’re not tech-savvy. It’ll help you track your hours consistently, accurately and with ease, saving you time and letting you focus on what matters. Just get in touch with us for any questions and to make tracking your flight hours easier than ever!
