Pilot eLogbook is an electronic representation of your BAZL/JAR logbook. It can hold the same information but you also have the option to include more information as flight time and prices. Pilot eLogbook can then generate statistics in forms of charts presenting different aspects of your flying experience.

One important aspect (which actually triggered the development of the application) is that Pilot eLogbook will automatically calculate the page and total sums, which you would usually calulate by hand.

No, definetely not. The JAR instructions define clearly that you must keep an official paper document, containing the required data about your flights. You must keep your JAR book but you can use Pilot eLogbook to calculate the flight time sums per page and type as well as the totals.

You can use Pilot eLogbook to help fill in the flight time sums on the pages of you paper JAR logbook, to get statistics and information about times (block and flight) and to calculate the price for your training or hobby, thus also allowing you to plan your budget.

Additionally Pilot eLogbook allows you to centralize your documentation (e.g. add a digital copy of your check lists to your aircraft) and make digital backups of your flying data (including scanned copies of the logbook).

Pilot eLogbook will also automatically calculate the page and total sums, which you would usually calulate by hand.

Nothing. It is absolutely free and you can distribute it freely as well. There are also no advertisements. You can even contact me to get the source code if you want to see how it was developed.

If you are happy with Pilot eLogbook you can donate to support the project and keep it online. However it is your choice if and how much you want to donate.

There are several components needed before you can use Pilot eLogbook. Except the Windows operating system, all of them are free and can be downloaded from the web:

• Windows XP, Vista, 7 or later. Any release will work.
• Internet Explorer 6 or later (available as part of the Windows operating system).
• Microsoft .Net Framework 3.5 or later. It is already included in Windows Vista and as a Windows update for the previous versions. If you still don't have it you can download it free from here. The installation is pretty straightforward.
• SQL Server 2005 Express edition with service pack 3. This is the database engine that allows Pilot eLogbook to store all the data and make fast queries for the statistics. It is free and can be downloaded from here. Just use the default settings during the installation.

That's all that is required to run Pilot eLogbook.

Download the most recent version of Pilot eLogbook. There are two download options: a ZIP archive or a self extracting EXE archive. They contain the same files but you need WinZIP or another archive application to extract the former one.

Extract the archive in any folder you like. Then just start the file "Pilot eLogbook.exe" by double clicking on it. It will take some time to prepare the database for the first use. Once the main screen appears and the text "Please wait" disappers, you can start working with your personal copy of Pilot eLogbook.

Currently English is the only supported language. However the application is prepared to use different languages and if there is enough interest I will translate it. Contact me if you would like to have a version in a different language or if you would like to help with the translation.

The first thing you should do is prepare your airports and the aircraft you are flying.

Airports: The installation of Pilot eLogbook contains most of the Swiss as well as some of the German, French and Austrian airports out of the box. You can select "Airports" from the menu on the left and add new airports if you need any.

Aircraft types: You need to register the aircraft types your are flying before you can register the aircraft. The installation of Pilot eLogbook contains some aircraft types by default but they are all disabled, i.e. you cannot select them in the other dialogs. To enable them or add new aircraft types select "Aircraft types" from the menu on the left.

Aircaft: Once you have registered the aircraft types you are flying, you are ready to reister the aircraft you are flying. If you are flying with the Fliegerschule St. Gallen (FSA) or the Motorfluggruppe Zürich, you will find most of their aircraft already registered but disabled. To enable them or add new aircraft select "Aircraft" from the menu on the left.

When you manage any type of objects in Pilot eLogbook you will have context sensitive tasks in the right panel which will allow you to save, revert or delete an object or create a new one.

After you have prepared the airports and aircraft you need, you should create a logbook. Select "Manage logbooks" from the left menu and select the task "New" from the task panel to create a new logbook. Currently on the design of the Swiss Pilot Logbook (JAR, English) but you can use the same layout to enter the data even if you are using another papre logbook.

The above steps have to be done only once. After they are finished, you can start entering your flights.

To enter your flight data select "Log flights" from the left menu, then select your logbook (you can have multiple logbooks). The logbook will open presenting the last page that contains any data (or the first page if no data is entered). You can enter your flights data just as you would in a paper logbook. However you have some advantages: you can select the airports and aircraft by name, the aircraft type is filled in automatically and you can fast enter the times (see next couple of questions for more information). You data is saved automaticaly every time you change the current page or you close the logbook or the application.

If you want to have statistics based on all flights you have, you will need to enter all your flight experience until now, which will take some time. If you are a young pilot, you will be able to enter the data as you fly and will not have to go through this process.

Pilot eLogbook allows you to enter the following additional information about a flight:

• Actual flight time.
• Aircraft price.
• Landing price (per landing).
• Instruction price (if this is a flight with a teacher).
• Mark if the flight is paid.
• Mark if this is remark only line (in case you entered some remark and did not enter any flight data on this line).

Prices can be entered through the corresponding items in the main menu to the left of the main form.

You can also attach files to your logbook page, a flight or an aircraft. This is very helpful for a scanned logbook page from the original BAZL logbook, scanned landing tax receipts or a check list for the aircraft.

Additionally you can swap and move flights, clear the flight data or fast enter the times. All these options are available from the menu available to the left of the flight line.

This is different for the different users. I personally start by entering the departure and arrival airports and selecting the aircraft. Then I go to the fast time entry form and enter the flight date, time (block and flight) and then selecting the prices.

All you data is in two files called "Pilot_eLogbook.mdf" and "Pilot_eLogbook_log.ldf" which you can find in the Database folder of the application. The data is accessible only to people who have access to your hard drive. No data is sent in any way to the internet or through the internet to another location.

All you data is in two files called "Pilot_eLogbook.mdf" and "Pilot_eLogbook_log.ldf" which you can find in the Database folder of the application. You can backup your data by stopping Pilot eLogbook and copying these two files to a backup location, e.g. a CD/DVD or a USB flash drive. If your data gets corrupted you can restore it by copying the archived files over the corrupted ones.

It is advisable to backup your data before updating Pilot eLogbook.

Just download the newest version, extract the archive and overwrite the files. The database files will not be overwritten and the next time you start Pilot eLogbook it will automatically update the database it if needed. Your data will remain unchanged. I still recommend making a backup of the database files before updating Pilot eLogbook.

Statistics are bar and pie charts showing different aspects of your flying experience. Column charts show different kind of grouped data, e.g. block and flight time. Pie charts show one type of data split into several categories, e.g. day and night landings.

You can see the data in a chart and text format. Additionally you can print the data.

The statistics rely entirely on the correcntess of the data entered. For example the statistic for day/night flight takes the total flight time and subtracts the night time to get the day time. Pilot eLogbook cannot check all the data so it is possible that you enter wrong data.

If you have entered wrong data for some flights, e.g. only night time but no total time of flight, the statistic will be compromized.

Some other statistics count data twice, e.g. "Pilot function times" will count the time twice if you were PIC and instructor during a flight.

There are two versions of the FAQ: one version comes with your local copy of Pilot eLogbook and is always available. Another version is available online and is updated more often but you need internet connection to see it.

The latest version of the FAQ is always delivered with the latest version of Pilot eLogbook.