Is an electronic pilot logbook allowed under EASA? (FCL.050 explained)
What Part-FCL requires of a pilot logbook, which details each entry needs, and what to check before you go paperless.
Most pilots still carry a paper logbook, but more and more switch to an app or a cloud logbook. Before you do, it is worth knowing what EASA actually requires.
What FCL.050 requires
FCL.050 Recording of flight time says that a pilot shall keep a reliable record of the details of all flights flown, in a form and manner established by the competent authority.
The acceptable means of compliance, AMC1 FCL.050, describes the content of that record and allows it to be kept in electronic format as long as the format is acceptable to the competent authority. In other words: EASA does not require paper, but your national authority decides which formats it accepts.
What every entry needs
AMC1 FCL.050 lists the details a logbook entry contains. In summary:
| Group | Details |
|---|---|
| Personal | Name and address of the pilot |
| Flight | Date, place and time of departure and arrival (block times in UTC) |
| Aircraft | Type (make, model, variant) and registration |
| Operation | Single-pilot or multi-pilot, total flight time, accumulated total |
| Pilot in command | Name of the PIC |
| Landings | Number of day and night landings |
| Conditions | Night time and IFR time |
| Pilot function | PIC (including solo, SPIC and PICUS), co-pilot, dual, flight instructor or examiner time |
| FSTD sessions | Type and qualification number, instruction, date, session time, accumulated total |
| Remarks | Free text, for example the purpose of the flight |
A good electronic logbook has a field for each of these, and prints them in the familiar column layout with totals per page, totals from previous pages and the overall total.
Will my authority accept it?
Acceptance is a national decision. Some authorities publish the formats they accept; others decide case by case, for example when you apply for a new licence or rating. Before relying on an electronic logbook for an application, ask your authority (for example Austro Control in Austria or the LBA in Germany) which printout they want.
What makes a digital logbook “reliable”
FCL.050 asks for a reliable record. In practice, look for:
- No silent edits. A change history that records old and new values, and locked entries once signed.
- Signatures. Your own signature on printouts, and instructor signatures on training flights.
- Verifiable printouts. Page totals and a way to show that a printout has not been altered since it was produced.
- Export. Your full record in an open format (CSV, PDF) so you are never locked into one provider.
- Backups and hosting you trust, ideally in the EU.
How flightlogbook.cloud handles it
flightlogbook.cloud prints your logbook in the EASA AMC1 FCL.050 layout with page totals, previous-page totals and grand totals. Every page carries a SHA-256 hash chain that anyone can verify online. Entries signed by you or your instructor are locked, every change is recorded in a change history, and you can export everything as CSV, JSON and PDF at any time. Your data is hosted in Austria.
If you are switching from paper, read how to move from a paper logbook to a digital one.
Frequently asked questions
Can I throw away my paper logbook after going digital?
Do not. Keep your paper logbooks as the original record of the flights in them, even when their totals are carried forward into an electronic logbook.
Will my authority accept a printed electronic logbook for a licence application?
That is decided by each competent authority. Ask yours before you rely on a printout, and bring the format it asks for, for example the AMC1 FCL.050 layout with page totals.
Who has to sign the entries?
The pilot certifies their own record. Instructors sign the entries of training flights they conducted; with an electronic logbook this is done with an electronic signature that locks the entry.
This guide explains the rules in plain language and is not legal advice. Regulations change and national authorities may add requirements, so always check the current text in EASA’s Easy Access Rules for Aircrew and ask your authority if in doubt.