Why Handwritten Flight Logs?

[eldorado]

Since of 2016 I want to start logging all my flights in a handwritten book, but as I don't want to spend a lot of time writing the book, I started to design my logbook, the first 16 flights I made this year ware logged on some A4 papers, as the logbook wasn't finished

What's missing in your opinion or what's not important? Next week I will print a 50 or 100 pages book and I'm not yet decided if it should be with 3 flights / page (the size of iPad mini 2 screen) or one flight / page with the size of a smartphone.
View attachment 5549
View attachment 5550

Ovisopa Really cool!
I have something very similar. I really like the slips idea! My checklists are modular and like you I am still working out easy and fast.
One thing to break out might be the voltage of the six cells. They need to stay balanced and this helps to see performance.
Attached is one version I have been testing... The middle area includes Mission plan and Actual: Satellites, Compass value, Flight Mode, Distance flown, Total time, # Photos, #Videos. and random notes.

 

[ovisopa]

You could probably do with the number of the battery against each flight together with the number of charge cycles.
Also I would add the pilot name (you) together with your cumulative flight time for each month.

I don't think I understood to well the first part of your message You're saying to add also the charge cycles to the table ?

I won't add the pilot name on each page as it's my logbook, so all the flights logged here are mine, the pilot name will be on the first pages of the logbook where other information like all the drones, cameras, and all the batteries are written down, and on the end of the book I want to have cumulative stats but didn't found yet a good solution how I can write down without making a huge table that adds the time of each flight. But maybe it's better how you say, to write the total pilot flight time after each log entry, I just updated the drawing now with 2 new boxes, one for Total pilot's time and one for Total battery flight time

Any other advice are welcome What would you guys log ?

 

[ovisopa]

Ovisopa Really cool!
I have something very similar. I really like the slips idea! My checklists are modular and like you I am still working out easy and fast.
One thing to break out might be the voltage of the six cells. They need to stay balanced and this helps to see performance.
Attached is one version I have been testing... The middle area includes Mission plan and Actual: Satellites, Compass value, Flight Mode, Distance flown, Total time, # Photos, #Videos. and random notes.
View attachment 5560

I just noticed this post, so you have one flight / page, I will also try to add battery life but the voltage for every cell it's a little to much for me, I also like healtydrones website for managing digital logs, you can see there alot of details.

In the lower left corner of your log what's the meaning of M column and A column ? And the space around the middle part of your log will remain empty ?

A few more general questions :

1. Use a Pencil or a Pen?

2. How many pages do you guys have ?

3. What method to bind the pages together? Initially I was thinking at the simplest way to glue them together, in the image bellow it's perfect-bind, but I think it will be more practical to to ha a spiral , this way I can open up the book completely and write infos without having to hold the cover on a side


This is what I like most so far, I find it perfect for a thicker logbook :

 

[Jimmykjimmy]

I'm not an expert, but I make handwritten notes about each flight to avoid taking attention from the aircraft and the Pilot / Go app. I have my camp table set up, with my checklists and flight plan printed out in a small 3-ring binder, and a pen ready. Before taking off, I note environmental data about the area (wind, power lines, highest obstacle for RTH failsafe height), note key items of interest in the area to film, etc. While flying, I can make quick notes about MOD values or other data, visibility problems or other control issues (e.g. bugs in my face, make a note to put on bug repellent!), suggestions to myself regarding better procedures or updates to my documents, etc., all real-time rather than trying to remember it later. When I get home, I take some time to review the handwritten notes, update my documents, etc.

Taking handwritten notes for later interpretation and review is quick and easy, and doesn't have me jumping between apps, messing with a touch-screen keyboard, etc. It does require some preparation and a writing surface, but I've got my methods down pretty well. Works for me, but as I said, I'm no expert.

mTp

I use Hover after each flight it is pretty good. It would be hard to cheat with the app since it automatically puts in your location ( via GPS) and date.

 

[eldorado]

I just noticed this post, so you have one flight / page, I will also try to add battery life but the voltage for every cell it's a little to much for me,
In the lower left corner of your log what's the meaning of M column and A column ? And the space around the middle part of your log will remain empty ?
View attachment 5580
This is what I like most so far, I find it perfect for a thicker logbook :
View attachment 5581

Batteries need to be in good condition or the bird could crash ;-) I know it's a lot to record but for now I am being very careful.
The M and A are for Mission plan and Actual flight. Sometimes the plan changes and I thought it would be nice to note when things change. The entire middle area is for notes and I am still learning what I need to capture so it is fairly prototype.

I think the version that lays flat or even folds back on itself is best. Looks like a really nice project!

 

[ovisopa]

First printed version

The next modifications will be :

1. Just a little bit smaller
What sizes do you have your flight logs? I want it to be small enough to fit in a pocket

2. I made it to store 300 flights, I think it should have even more pages, maybe 500 flights ? What do you think ?

3. Will try to change the spiral from this metal one to a plastic coil, as it looks cleaner, and also I was thinking it will be nice to have the pen stick inside the spiral

 

[eldorado]

First printed version

The next modifications will be :

1. Just a little bit smaller
What sizes do you have your flight logs? I want it to be small enough to fit in a pocket

2. I made it to store 300 flights, I think it should have even more pages, maybe 500 flights ? What do you think ?

3. Will try to change the spiral from this metal one to a plastic coil, as it looks cleaner, and also I was thinking it will be nice to have the pen stick inside the spiral

Excellent! Looks great. Maybe it's fine to have 300 flights as it might get too big and change is a permanent part of UAV flights.
How does the Batt cycle work? Maybe in an update indicate blocks of 10 or 20 tallies to remind calibration?

 

[ovisopa]

I was thinking also to add on the left a small thick so you can easily count rows, for each battery there are 4 columns and 75 rows, that's 300 cycles , I think it's something DJI wrote as a maximum battery life.

Good ideea, now you easily know also when you need to calibrate the batteries

I attached the modified battery page, after each flight you just fill another square to the used battery, this way you will have a general view of all your batteries.

I will add another thing to this page , to each battery, the maximum difference between cells, with a maximum of 0.2v, don't know yet how I'll do it to be editable and without needing to erase the previeous mark, I think it will be something the same as the cycles squares, but with 20 thicks, and you will just fill in the square with that respresents the difference between cells. If you have the highest difference of 0.13v .. than you will fill up all the squares from 1 - 13.

I'm trying to make this to minimize the amount of time I need to spend while filling info of each flight.



I have 4 batteries, the first one has 46 cycles, the second one 45 (I filled a few more squares after I made the photo), the third has 6 and the forth has 7 cycles.



Here's the edited page, once more, now it includes 20 spaces to fill the maximum difference between cell recorded, the first battery has a difference of 0.03v, the second one 0.01v and the 4th 0.07v. How does it look ?

 

[eldorado]

I was thinking also to add on the left a small thick so you can easily count rows, for each battery there are 4 columns and 75 rows, that's 300 cycles , I think it's something DJI wrote as a maximum battery life.

Good ideea, now you easily know also when you need to calibrate the batteries

I attached the modified battery page, after each flight you just fill another square to the used battery, this way you will have a general view of all your batteries.

I will add another thing to this page , to each battery, the maximum difference between cells, with a maximum of 0.2v, don't know yet how I'll do it to be editable and without needing to erase the previeous mark, I think it will be something the same as the cycles squares, but with 20 thicks, and you will just fill in the square with that respresents the difference between cells. If you have the highest difference of 0.13v .. than you will fill up all the squares from 1 - 13.

I'm trying to make this to minimize the amount of time I need to spend while filling info of each flight.

View attachment 5840

I have 4 batteries, the first one has 46 cycles, the second one 45 (I filled a few more squares after I made the photo), the third has 6 and the forth has 7 cycles.

View attachment 5841

Here's the edited page, once more, now it includes 20 spaces to fill the maximum difference between cell recorded, the first battery has a difference of 0.03v, the second one 0.01v and the 4th 0.07v. How does it look ?

View attachment 5842

Looks great, took me a while to figure out the cel differential notation (got it!). I think the balance might change over time, perhaps get better after calibration, worse with age? The cel balance is very technical and important so a tally box might not be best.
This works great to see when to calibrate and while charging its easy to do.
Great job!

 

[breathein]

I was thinking also to add on the left a small thick so you can easily count rows, for each battery there are 4 columns and 75 rows, that's 300 cycles , I think it's something DJI wrote as a maximum battery life.

Good ideea, now you easily know also when you need to calibrate the batteries

I attached the modified battery page, after each flight you just fill another square to the used battery, this way you will have a general view of all your batteries.

I will add another thing to this page , to each battery, the maximum difference between cells, with a maximum of 0.2v, don't know yet how I'll do it to be editable and without needing to erase the previeous mark, I think it will be something the same as the cycles squares, but with 20 thicks, and you will just fill in the square with that respresents the difference between cells. If you have the highest difference of 0.13v .. than you will fill up all the squares from 1 - 13.

I'm trying to make this to minimize the amount of time I need to spend while filling info of each flight.

View attachment 5840

I have 4 batteries, the first one has 46 cycles, the second one 45 (I filled a few more squares after I made the photo), the third has 6 and the forth has 7 cycles.

View attachment 5841

Here's the edited page, once more, now it includes 20 spaces to fill the maximum difference between cell recorded, the first battery has a difference of 0.03v, the second one 0.01v and the 4th 0.07v. How does it look ?

View attachment 5842

What you did is awesome, would you share the files so I could print my own log book?

 

[ovisopa]

I attached the PDF file with some small modification I made in the mean time I'll make a new one just a slight smaller size, an A6 format, that fits better in the pocket.

 

[Haakon]

I attached the PDF file with some small modification I made in the mean time I'll make a new one just a slight smaller size, an A6 format, that fits better in the pocket.

Hi this is looking great - do you have any example pages of how you filled it in now you had it printed?

 

[ovisopa]

Sorry for my late reply, haven't flown in the last weeks at all but here are few of my previous flights, some fully completed some not.

 

[woodc]

I personally decided against written logs for all the reasons nothing else uses written data these days <lol> Entering the data electronically allows reporting and analysis while being accessible from anywhere and secured/able to be backed up. Surely one can print a report from any given time range quickly enough to satisfy the FAA should the need arise? If I had a written book I would fear <insert one of a 1000 ways a book can get destroyed here>.