How to switch from a paper logbook to a digital pilot logbook
Carry forward totals or enter every flight? A practical plan for going digital without losing a single hour.
Going digital is mostly a one-time job. Done right, it takes an evening and leaves you with totals you can trust. Here is a plan that works.
1. Choose your approach
There are two ways to move a paper logbook:
| Approach | What you enter | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Carry forward totals | One entry with your totals per column up to a cut-off date, then every new flight | Pilots with many years of flying who mainly need correct totals |
| Enter every flight | Each flight from the paper logbook | Students and pilots who need per-flight detail, for example for licence requirements |
You can also combine them: totals up to a certain year, individual flights after it.
2. Pick a clean cut-off date
Use the end of a completed page in your paper logbook. Then the totals on that page are your starting point, and nothing is counted twice.
3. Collect your totals
From the last completed page, note the “total of previous pages + this page” row for every column: total time, single-pilot SE/ME, multi-pilot, night, IFR, PIC, co-pilot, dual, instructor time, and day and night landings. Do the same for simulator sessions if you have them.
4. Enter or import
- Totals: enter them as past experience, split by aircraft category.
- Spreadsheet or another app: if you already kept a spreadsheet or used another logbook app, import the CSV. flightlogbook.cloud reads exports from ForeFlight, LogTen, MyFlightbook, mccPILOTLOG/CrewLounge, Safelog and Garmin Pilot, and any CSV with the column mapper. See switching from another logbook.
- Paper pages: photograph them and let the AI scan (beta) turn each row into a draft entry for you to review.
5. Check the totals
Compare the digital totals with your last paper page. They should match to the minute. If they do not, the usual causes are:
- a time typed as decimal hours (1.5) instead of hours and minutes (1:30),
- a flight counted under the wrong function (PIC instead of dual),
- a missing or duplicated row.
6. Keep the paper logbook
Your paper logbook remains the original record of the flights in it. Keep it safe, and note in the remarks of your digital logbook where the carried-forward totals come from.
7. Log new flights the easy way
From now on, log right after each flight, on your phone if you like. Copy a previous flight for regular routes, and let the logbook fill in night time, recency and totals for you.
Read next: is an electronic logbook allowed under EASA?
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to enter every old flight?
No. Many pilots carry forward their totals as one past-experience entry and log every flight in detail from a cut-off date. Enter old flights in detail only when you need them, for example for recency or licence requirements that look at individual flights.
How long does the switch take?
Carrying forward totals takes about 15 minutes. Importing a CSV from another app takes a few minutes. Entering years of paper flights by hand takes much longer, which is what the AI page scan is for.
What if my totals do not match?
Compare page by page with your paper logbook. Typical causes are a missing flight, a time typed as decimal instead of hours and minutes, or a flight counted in the wrong function column.
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.