Understanding Logbook Endorsements
How to Make Sure Your Logbook is in Compliance
With the COVID-19 public health emergency restrictions lifting in several areas, a lot of you are probably wanting to dust off your wings and take to the skies once more. After all, it’s summer and the best flying time of the year is a-wastin’! Now is also the time to catch up on those missed flight reviews, obtain that endorsement, or engage in that proficiency check you might not have gotten a chance to do while hunkering down. Soon you and your flight instructor will be flying again!
Once you are done partaking in any one of these activities, there are a few things to consider to make sure your logbook is in compliance. Your logbook is your own personal testament to everything you have accomplished in your pursuit to be a pilot. It is THE documentation of the hard work, knowledge, skill, and time you have put in to becoming a pilot. It is also serves as your witness for the Federal Aviation Administration, attesting to your qualifications and experience.
For a quick review on what to expect, each endorsement in your logbook must be legible and must include the instructor’s signature, date of signature, flight instructor or ground instructor certificate number, and certificate expiration date (if applicable) in order to be a legitimate and legal accounting of your deeds.
A proper endorsement in your book should look something like this:
- For a flight instructor: [date] /s/ J. J. Jones 987654321 CFI Exp. 12–31–19
- For a ground instructor: [date] /s/ J. J. Jones 987654321
Before heading off on your next adventure, take a quick thumb through your own logbook and make sure it looks ship shape and ready to fly. If there are some missing details, get those rectified as soon as you can. Going forward, always double check to make sure your book has what it needs to represent what you’ve accomplished after each flight. The controlling regulation — 14 CFR section 65.51, Advisory Circular (AC) 61–65H titled Certification for Pilots and Flight and Ground Instructors, and Appendix C of the Aviation Instructor’s Handbook have even more information for you to check out if you’d like to learn more.
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