Drone pilot log book

[thatswedishguy]

I decided that a spreadsheet isn't good enough. I want to fill out a paper logbook like all the real cool pilots do

Any recommendations for a good paper logbook for drone pilots?

I found this UAV Pilot Logbook on amazon. Amazon doesn't have a preview of the pages, but I found the official website and they have previews, unfortunately the date format is not ISO standard, so that's a no go Buy Your Drone Logbook - Professional Quality | Parhelion Aerospace
I also found one with the short and on point name "Drone Flight Logbook: UAV Journal: 6 x 9. LogBook for Drone Pilots and Operators" by a publisher named Aerial Publishing. Again, no preview of the pages inside.

My requirements:

• A good layout with aircraft, date, location, flight time, notes and possibly battery info
• ISO 8601 standard date format, or at the very least a common field for year, and a MM-DD field for each flight. (the first logbook mentioned uses DD-MM for date, which is a no go for me)

Any recommendations?

 

[zzxrox]

Airdata and a plain old log book works for me. My logbook is mostly just notes of what I did to my drone and shots I want to try in locations I have flown in as well as personal do's and dont's acquired while flying lol. I just keep it simple.

 

[thatswedishguy]

Thanks for your reply. I can't legally use airdata since the log file includes thumbnail pictures. Swedish law prohibits sharing aerial content without approval. I can't send every single thumbnail in for review.

I'm looking for an offline solution like airdata but haven't found any.

I did find this great looking log book that meets ICAO, EU and Swedish CAA requirements. Unfortunately not ISO standard date but at least month is in the middle and not day. Same as the real pilot logbooks. https://cdn.starwebserver.se/shops/...-pilot-logbook-2015-liggande.pdf?_=1454328320

I thought I should share if any other swedes are interested. I'm considering getting that one

 

[Keule]

I'm looking for an offline solution like airdata but haven't found any.

Did you find DroneLogbook ? You can create reports meeting different requirements (e.g. EASA)

 

[thatswedishguy]

Did you find DroneLogbook ? You can create reports meeting different requirements (e.g. EASA)

I didn't. It's not like airdata but having a digital logbook in addition to a paper one is always a good idea. I'm looking for an offline solution where I can import flightlogs and get performance data on batteries and get alerted of potential issues and battery deterioration. Dronelogbook looks great but it's still online and can't be used legally here with flight logs, unless there's a way to disable storing thumbnails in the flightlogs.

 

[zzxrox]

Thanks for your reply. I can't legally use airdata since the log file includes thumbnail pictures. Swedish law prohibits sharing aerial content without approval. I can't send every single thumbnail in for review.

I'm looking for an offline solution like airdata but haven't found any.

I did find this great looking log book that meets ICAO, EU and Swedish CAA requirements. Unfortunately not ISO standard date but at least month is in the middle and not day. Same as the real pilot logbooks. https://cdn.starwebserver.se/shops/...-pilot-logbook-2015-liggande.pdf?_=1454328320

I thought I should share if any other swedes are interested. I'm considering getting that one

Interesting. I don't upload thumbnails. You can turn that off. I'm sure there are other apps you can use though. Good luck

 

[thatswedishguy]

Interesting. I don't upload thumbnails. You can turn that off. I'm sure there are other apps you can use though. Good luck

I haven't found a way to exclude thumbnails from the logs. Didn't think it was possible. How do I disable this?

 

[zzxrox]

I haven't found a way to exclude thumbnails from the logs. Didn't think it was possible. How do I disable this?

I can't remember offhand. But in order for me to have thumbnails in Airdata I have to manually upload them. In Litchi you can turn them off when syncing. SETTINGS>AIRCRAFT>Airdata UAV Sync Photo/Video Previews NONE.

 

[thatswedishguy]

I can't remember offhand. But in order for me to have thumbnails in Airdata I have to manually upload them. In Litchi you can turn them off when syncing. SETTINGS>AIRCRAFT>Airdata UAV Sync Photo/Video Previews NONE.

Interesting because the thumbnails are embedded in the .txt log file for whatever reason. I can't upload legally anywhere as long as the thumbnails are inside of the file uploaded. Doesn't matter if the service discards them immediately, they can't even be uploaded in the first place. I haven't found a setting to disable the embedding of thumbnails into the log file, but I have local cache turned off and that's all I could find.

Litchi seems interesting, but I'm not sure how good it is for manual flight.

 

[LowCountryFlyer]

I Just use a basic pilot logbook and make a column for sUAS. It is separate from my main logbook that I use as a pilot and flight instructor.

 

[zzxrox]

Interesting because the thumbnails are embedded in the .txt log file for whatever reason. I can't upload legally anywhere as long as the thumbnails are inside of the file uploaded. Doesn't matter if the service discards them immediately, they can't even be uploaded in the first place. I haven't found a setting to disable the embedding of thumbnails into the log file, but I have local cache turned off and that's all I could find.

Litchi seems interesting, but I'm not sure how good it is for manual flight.

I didn't know they were embedded in the .txt files. I just know that only ONE of my flights shows up in Airdata with a thumbnail. I'm hoping someone else can respond because I am no expert.
Litchi is really cool. I like it for manual flying and that's mostly how I fly. Waypoints are awesome and I'm glad I can use them but I usually just like to fly around. I think its worth the money.

 

[thatswedishguy]

I Just use a basic pilot logbook and make a column for sUAS. It is separate from my main logbook that I use as a pilot and flight instructor.

That works I guess, but as I don't have a flight certificate I don't have any logbook yet. So I may as well get a drone specific one. I'd like to get my PPL at some point though.

I didn't know they were embedded in the .txt files. I just know that only ONE of my flights shows up in Airdata with a thumbnail. I'm hoping someone else can respond because I am no expert.
Litchi is really cool. I like it for manual flying and that's mostly how I fly. Waypoints are awesome and I'm glad I can use them but I usually just like to fly around. I think its worth the money.

Thanks, I'll look into Litchi some more. I just need to limit spending as much as possible right now after spending the money for the Mavic 2 Pro.

 

[zzxrox]

Thanks, I'll look into Litchi some more. I just need to limit spending as much as possible right now after spending the money for the Mavic 2 Pro.

HAHA! I know the feeling. I'm at a point now where I'm focusing more on my flying now and thats a good thing because I don't need to spend anymore money right now LOL

 

[thatswedishguy]

HAHA! I know the feeling. I'm at a point now where I'm focusing more on my flying now and thats a good thing because I don't need to spend anymore money right now LOL

The other problem is that I fly with a dedicated Android device most of the time, but I'm also going to fly with my iPad when I get the mount, so I would have to buy Litchi for two platforms which means twice the amount of money. I like to try Litchi, but It'll have to wait.

 

[zzxrox]

I only had to buy it once and I have it on my phone and tablet. I got it from google play store. Its worth it, It would be nice if they had a trial offer so you could check it out first. Even without the waypoints I still like it.