I Lost My Logbook! What Do I Do?
So, some jerk broke into your car and along with the other stuff he took, walked away with your logbook. Fortunately, the FAA gives us some guidance on what to do. Before getting to the guidance, though, the FAA gives you a potential baseline. Assuming you already have a certificate or rating that required you to prepare an 8710-1, there is an official record of your time until then and that you have met the training and requirements for that certificate or rating. The 8710-1 itself tells us: RECORD OF PILOT TIME. The minimum pilot experience required by the appropriate regulation must be entered. It is recommended, however, that ALL pilot time be entered. So, even though you don't have to, it's usually a good idea to put complete up-to-date totals in those flight time boxes, whether or not the box is required for the application. Now to the guidance the FAA gives us... The first is from FAA Order 8900.1 - Flight Standards Information Management Systems (FSIMS). Volume 5 (Airman Certification), Chapter 2, Paragraph 5-321 tells us: 5-321. LOST LOGBOOKS OR FLIGHT RECORDS. Aeronautical experience requirements must be shown for a person to be eligible for the issuance or to exercise the privileges of a pilot certificate. A pilot who has lost logbooks or flight time records should be reminded that any fraudulent or intentional false statements concerning aeronautical experience are a basis for suspension or revocation of any certificate or rating held. The pilot who has this problem may, at the discretion of the ASI accepting the application for a pilot certificate or rating, use a signed and notarized statement of previous flight time as the basis for starting a new flight time record. Such a statement should be substantiated by all available evidence, such as aircraft logbooks, receipts for aircraft rentals, and statements of flight operators. That one's pretty general, but the second is a little more helpful and goes into more detail. It even includes a reference to updated totals for the 8710-1. That one is FAA Order 8400.10 - Air Transportation Operations Inspector's Handbook. Volume 5 (Airman Certification And Designated Examiners), Chapter 9, Section 4, Paragraph 731 gives us this advice: 731. LOST LOGBOOKS OR FLIGHT RECORDS. Inspectors should advise airmen that they may reconstruct lost logbooks or flight records by providing a signed statement of previous flight time.
A. Proof of Experience. Airmen may use the following items to substantiate flight time and experience: - Aircraft logbooks
- Receipts for aircraft rentals
- Operator records
- Copies of airman medical files
- Copies of FAA Form 8710-1, "Airman Certificate and/or Rating Application"
B. Obtaining File Copies. Airmen who have lost their logbooks or flight records may request copies of their files from the FAA by writing to the following: FAA Airmen Certification Branch, AVN-460 P.O. Box 25082 Oklahoma City, OK 73125 FAA, Aeromedical Certification Branch P.O. Box 25082 Oklahoma City, OK 73125
NOTE: Inspectors should encourage pilots to complete the flight time sections of official record forms, even though it would not be required for that specific certificate. These records document a chronological development of flight time in case personal records become lost. I think you need to read both of those references together to get the full picture. I don't think that the list under "Proof of Experience" in the second reference is exclusive, but that they are examples of the types of records that could be used to substantiate the notarized statement of flight time that the first reference talks about. To the list, I would add personal calendars, at least for the dates and events (like the day you received your complex endorsement), if not the hours. This is also where photocopies of logbook pages and electronic logbooks, personal or online, would be a great help. Two final thoughts: If you are going to use personal records as a backup, the records used to reconstruct the logbook should be kept in a safe place. And, it's not stated, but since a primary use of the reconstructed logbook will be to verify the information in an 8710-1, it would be a good idea to review what you did with the DPE who will be performing the practical test or with a local FSDO inspector.
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What is my responsibilty as a safety pilot?
A lot of folks seems to think that a safety pilot has very little responsibility unless she also chooses to take on responsibility for the flight by acting as PIC. I've seen this issue discussed a number of times (which is, of course, why I have a FAQ on it). There are two versions of this view of safety pilot responsibility.One is that the only job a safety pilot has is looking for traffic. The related one is that by choosing to also act as PIC, the safety pilot picks up a whole bunch of extra liability. Both views are apparently based on two concepts: - A safety pilot picks up no responsibility for a flight unless he's also PIC.
and it's evil twin - § 91.3(a) means that no one except the PIC has any responsibility for the safety of a flight
I don't think either is true.Of course being the hooded pilot's "eyes" is the safety pilot's primary role. But I've never been able to find the part of 91.109(b) that says that the safety pilot's role is limited to seeing and avoiding other aircraft. On the other hand, I notice that a recreational (or sport) pilot cannot act as a safety pilot. That despite being able to carry passengers, being rated in category and class, and having a current medical. Wonder how come? Could it possibly be because the FAA wanted someone who was also trained more heavily in navigation and communication, the only two skill sets that separate the recreational from the private certificate? I also notice that the airplane must have dual controls, and that if a throw-over is in the airplane, the safety pilot (whether or not the PIC!) is given the specific responsibility of determining whether the flight can be made safely. Sounds just a little more serious than "hey stupid, turn left!" So I really doubt that a safety pilot's responsibility ends with empty skies. And, although no doubt a safety pilot does pick up some additional responsibility when she chooses to act as PIC, I'm not really sure that, practically, it's really that much. I ran a brief challenge in one or two groups: tell us about a case in which a safety pilot who was acting as PIC was held responsible for something solely on the basis that the pilot had assumed PIC responsibilities. I haven't seen any. The closest is this an NTSB case that found as probable cause, "the pilot's failure to maintain proper glide path during a practice instrument approach, which resulted in an in-flight collision with terrain. Contributory factors to the accident were the dark night light condition and the safety pilot's inadequate monitoring of the practice approach." The report is here. Notice that there was no mention in the report of whether or not the safety pilot was acting as PIC. If anything, the reference to the safety pilot as "passenger" suggests that he was not. So, at least in that case, it seems the safety pilot is being held responsible for being a bad safety pilot. The lesson I get is, "If you are going to act as a safety pilot, don't take it as a joke. It is an important job, so do it correctly." Here's an example of something we're all concerned with these days: Let's say you are acting as safety pilot and the flying pilot busts, say a stadium TFR. I would expect the safety pilot to be looking at the possibility of a violation. But, again, that would be for not performing safety pilot duties properly and would have nothing to do with their status as PIC or not PIC or logging something or not logging something.
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