What to Do When You Lose Your Logbook

Hours of aeronautical experience don’t expire but they need to be properly logged. [Shutterstock]

Question: I have more than 8,900 hours logged as PIC and hold several instructor ratings. The trouble is I can't find my older logbooks. I moved and I think they are in a storage unit thousands of miles away. Will the FAA accept an 8710 form as proof of hours?

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Answer: According to an FAA spokesperson: "Generally speaking, the FAA will accept [a pilot’s] last airman certificate application (Form 8710-1) or what they reported on their last medical application (Form 8500-8)." You should have access to at least one of those documents.

Pro tip: Moving forward, you may want to invest in an electronic logbook and save the information to the cloud, or at least record a digital image of each page of the paper logbook when you fill it up. If you rent aircraft, sometimes you can re-create your experience by cross-referencing your receipts.

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Meg GodlewskiAuthor

Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.