How To Log Flight Time

by Jason Schappert

Today I answer a very popular question! Dave an MzeroA fan and now friend was curious about how to log flight time. Do you start logging when the engine starts, or when the wheels leave the ground? DO you use Tach time, Hobbes time, or a stop watch? What really is the best way to enter time into your logbook? I’ll share that with you guys in this video.

How do you guys log flight time? I’d love to hear what your opinion is! Leave me a comment below this video.

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Tagged as: How to log flight time

http://www.facebook.com/kiangj Justin Kiang

Since you mentioned Tach time, do you know how it works on a constant rpm aircraft? If it’s also just using the RPM as a multiplier to the actual time, can I theoretically get the same power settings with a higher MP / lower RPM combo (to the limit stated on POH) so that the flight will be easier on my wallet?
Balint Madar

Do you log your flight in hours (e.g.: 1.0, 1.3, etc…) or in hours:minutes (e.g.: 1:00, 1:18, or even like 1:23 if you actually measure the aircraft movement with your stopwatch)?
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=544176184 Dave Grier

Thank you Jason for answering my question. Now I have to get back to flying.

- Dave
Deblv2fly

I also got the answer to a question that I had. Thanks.
Maybe it’s my computer or maybe you just wanted us to see your mouth and hands (?) Keep sharing. Thanks for what you do. Deb
Jason Brasher

Scared me for a moment when I saw the title to this. Yes, def Hobbs time. Especially if the plane is For Hire and you rent it. The clock is ticking in that sense. Wish it was more like Tach time though.
Jason Brasher

Tach time because , say, if it’s For Hire, it’s easier to figure out the cost.
Say you fly 1hr and 15 min. Then that would would equal 1.25, take that times your rate for rental.
Kenn

I give you a different senerio. You taxi out with the intent to fly but during runup you have excessive mag drop on one mag. You lean the mixture and run it and recheck the mag and the drop is within limits. You line up on the runway and as you begin your takeoff roll the engine starts to run rough and the landing is then aborted and you taxi back to the hangar. Is that time loggable? Is your student responsible for the hobbs time?
Kenn

Correction Take-off Aborted…..
Anton Vialle

Hi Jason great service you provide keep on the good work.

In Sweden (Europe) we log in our logbook five minuted before take-off and five minutes after take-of (in UTC) .

In the airplane-logbook we log actual take-of and landing time (local time)to the closest 5 minutes intervall.
regards
Anton V (ppl-A pilot)
mzeroa

Anton, Thanks so much for sharing that!

Jason
mzeroa

Kenn,

If you have the intent to fly that is loggable time. However the .1 or .2 that it takes to realize you’re not flying isn’t that significant in the grand scheme of things… Now will you as a renter have to pay for that… 90% of the time yes unfortunately. Depends on what kind of mood the flight school manager is in

Jason
mzeroa

Thanks Jason! and thanks for helping answer questions below I greatly appreciate all the help I can get!

Jason
mzeroa

weird……

Try again and let me know

Jason
mzeroa

Sweet man glad to have helped

Jason
mzeroa

it’s always logged 1.1 or 1.7 etc… each “tick” or “point one” on the hobbes meter is 6 minutes

Jason
mzeroa

Justin.

Thats a really interesting question. I’m going to have to ask someone smarter than myself (my mechanic) and get back with you.

Jason
Raison D’etre

Great video. Should have elaborated a little more about logging XC time, hood time etc. Say you take off and land at a airport 50 + miles and 1.2 hours later. Then you proceed to spend .5 hours doing touch and goes – what do you count as PIC-XC time? All of it or the first 1.2 only?
Brianandersen

Hi Jason. - Brian here from the land down under.
Just letting you know that I very enjoy your small video segments.
I am training for my PP.
Bobdaszy

Acft moving under own pwr-Okay- Real scenario at my airport- Distance to run up area from parking is approx 4k feet. You leave park with intent to fly but long taxi/runup time can add considerable time before actual t/o- Is this proper to be logged-I don’t think so

Bob
Temp3

You forgot to mention when you STOP logging the time (though you implied it):
You stop logging time when on that same “intent to fly” session you finally shut down the engine no longer intending to fly.
In practical terms this means start when you start up the engine, stop when you’ve taxiied to hanger or tie-down and shut down engine.

These rules are sometimes annoying to charter operators (where there are rules regarding how many hours the pilot can fly without a break, etc) because if they taxi out and they’re on the tarmac held up for an hour waiting to takeoff at a busy airport that eats up an hour of their permitted flying time.
Temp3

Yeah, it sound odd, but many FAA rules are odd. Yes, if your taxi plus warmup plus runup is 15 minutes and in addition the control tower holds you on the ground for 15 minutes before letting you takeoff all of that time is not only permitted to be logged as PIC hours but is REQUIRED to be logged.
Temp3

Speaking of being charged rental time by HOBBS time or tach time.
I knew one rental pilot who used to climb really high with the rental aircraft and glide down with the engine off. Restart, climb again, etc.
Claims he made the same trip with significantly less billable rental time.
Stearman7b3

If Hobbs time is the official way to log flight time, and the engine stops at 10,000 feet, is the trip down log-able since the hobbs will not be running?
Sagar Karvande

ahaaaa as a student i would have always liked if the school logged time ” when the wheels leave the ground “ but over that now…i would really love if the company lets me log using the last opposition ” when you get in your car and start driving to the airport..” (company pays me to the hour… )anyways reading some of the comments belowi do agree to “TEMP3 ” about the hobbs time rule being annoying to charter operators (to all actually, even students ) but i think where as a rules regarding how many hours the pilot can fly without a break, i think waiting at the tarmac is even more frustrating and probably add up to more fatigue than actual flying !!! so i feel “YES ” even taxi or holding time on the ground should be counted to add up the total permitted flying time…and ya engine stopping at 10,000 feet and hobbs not ticking, i think faa will allow us to double the total log time. Also if it happens again more often, then they will probably ask you and your engineer buddy to log even more time in their office… (more important things to worry that time the your log book entry(s)…. anyways hobbs are for me backed up with a simple time note scribe on the flight planer usually both average up to be same on a long run…. anyways as always thanks Jason….