How to fill in an EASA pilot logbook: every column explained

Your logbook is the official record of your flying experience. Examiners, authorities and airlines read it carefully, so it pays to fill it in the same way every time. This guide walks through each column of the EASA-format logbook (the layout used by the classic Jeppesen professional logbook) and explains what goes where.

The Pilot Log uses exactly this layout, adds up every column for you and calculates night time automatically.

The rules behind the format

EASA Part-FCL requires every pilot to keep a reliable record of their flights (FCL.050). The acceptable means of compliance (AMC1 FCL.050) lists the information to record and gives the model page layout most logbooks follow. Always check local requirements with your own competent authority, especially before a licence or rating application.

Columns 1–3: date, departure and arrival

All times are UTC. Use the four-letter ICAO code (LEBL, EGLL, KJFK…). For a flight that returns to the same aerodrome, write it in both columns.

Column 4: aircraft

Write the make, model and variant (for example A320-214, C172S, PA-28-161) and the registration (EC-ABC). Being consistent here makes your experience by type easy to total later.

Columns 5–7: single-pilot, multi-pilot and total time

• Single-pilot time is split into SE (single-engine) and ME (multi-engine) and is used for aircraft certified for a single pilot.
• Multi-pilot time is time on aircraft certified for operation with at least two pilots.
• Total time of flight is the block time: from the moment the aircraft first moves for the purpose of taking off until it finally comes to rest at the end of the flight.

A flight normally appears in one of SE, ME or multi-pilot, and always in total time.

Column 8: name of the PIC

Write the surname of the pilot-in-command. If that is you, most pilots write SELF.

Column 9: take-offs and landings

Record the number of take-offs and landings, split between day and night. These numbers matter for recency: under FCL.060 you need three take-offs, approaches and landings in the preceding 90 days to carry passengers, and at least one of them at night to carry passengers at night if you do not hold an instrument rating.

Column 10: operational condition time

• Night — time flown between the end of evening civil twilight and the beginning of morning civil twilight (sun more than 6° below the horizon).
• IFR — time flown under instrument flight rules.

Night time is the column pilots most often estimate. The Pilot Log calculates it from your route, date and times, following civil twilight along the great-circle track — you can always override the result.

Column 11: pilot function time

Some situations, such as acting as PIC under supervision (PICUS), have specific logging rules. Note them in the remarks column and confirm the exact requirement with your authority.

Column 12: FSTD sessions

Simulator sessions (FFS, FNPT, FTD) get their own columns: date, type of device and total time of the session. Do not add simulator time to your total flight time.

Column 13: remarks and endorsements

Use it for anything relevant: the nature of the flight (training, check, line flight), instructor endorsements, PICUS countersignatures, cross-country details or the name of an examiner.

The bottom of each page

Every page ends with three lines: total this page, total from previous pages and total time. Carry the totals forward carefully, then sign the page to certify that the entries are true. This is where most arithmetic mistakes happen — and exactly what a digital logbook takes off your hands.

Tips for a clean logbook

1. Log each flight the same day, while the details are fresh.
2. Always use UTC and ICAO codes.
3. Keep the aircraft type spelled consistently.
4. Sign each page once it is complete.
5. Keep a copy: export a PDF regularly or let a digital logbook back it up for you.