Digital/Electronic Flight logs

[HawkerF/O]

Just wondering if any other flight departments are using these type of flight
logs. I have recently taken our flight log, created it onto an Excel format,
and now we just enter basic data (T/O and landing Zulu time, APU times, crew via dropdown menus, inspection stats, TTs, fuel burns, ect) directly onto the spreadsheet, but it is set up in a way that one could not tell the difference in the original or the Excel formated sheet once printed. It's nice because Excel does the math, flight times, ect. (We use hours and minutes instead of hours and tenths, but it can be done either way) It is somewhat time consuming to create the initial sheet, but the results are well worth it once the program is as we wanted it. I've not heard of any other departments using such a format, so that got me curious as to if anyone else is having any luck or problems using the same type of program or if anyone has even attenpted to do the same. I created one for a pilot locally, and he has been just great on providing input, ideas, and picking it apart for me so I could make it better, and now that I think we have it working well for the most part, it just got me curious as to what luck others have been having if they are doing the same thing or any long term issues that might surface by having it done on the computer instead of on paper by hand. Thanks in advance for the input.

 

[suen1843]

We do the same thing except everything is in MS Access. Much easier to retrieve past records. Plus, we can keep a lot of additional info in the computer record which does not appear on the printout.

 

[HMR]

Good topic. I use the Excel format for our plane. How do you use your drop down menus? Did you create the menus? That sounds a little better than my system.

Suen- I'm not familiar with MS Access. Is it as easy to create documents in Access as Excel?

 

[HawkerF/O]

I did create them myself. Email me, [email protected], with your # and a good time to call, and I will give you a ring and walk you through it. It is easy.

 

[suen1843]

Good topic. I use the Excel format for our plane. How do you use your drop down menus? Did you create the menus? That sounds a little better than my system.

Suen- I'm not familiar with MS Access. Is it as easy to create documents in Access as Excel?

Although I have a fairly good "user" knowledge of Access, our program was actually composed by a buddy of mine who is sort of a computer hobbiest. I do know that you can take all the info from an Excel spreadsheet and import it directly into a "table" within Access. Then, he takes the table and creates a really neat "form" where you enter all the new data. One of the nice features (other than it not costing me anything) are the reports we can generate from the main screen to show us, for example, every flight we have done between any two specific airports, or how much the fuel burn for our aircraft is for flights between 1.2 and 1.5 hours.
Pretty simple system for a one or two a/c operator but nothing like the commercial programs (but, costs many thousands less).

 

[HMR]

Thanks!

 

[JimNtexas]

Check out the excellent and free Logshare web based logger. I've been using it for over a year. It works really well, and has an excel compatable backup feature.

I have no connection with this program execpt as a happy user.

 

[Flying Fever]

I've been using EXCEL for sometime. I recently tried to set up in Access. Mainly because of having an input form that I could more with. May could make the form in EXCEL, but I just don't know how there. On a recent 4 day layover worked out on the laptop with Access for Dummies ref book and learned and setup an Access database with nice input form with drop down menus, etc. Only problem was when I put the info in the form, I didn't go in the the different tables I intended for it to go into. So I'm sorta back to square one there.

What I am doing now in EXCEL is having one workbook per trip. On the first sheet I have a summary listing the paxs, legs with time and distance and expenses charged to the trip. On the second sheet I list all the expenses for the trip. On the following sheets I break down the expenses into the different credit cards that we use. I just copy the total expense sheet to a new sheet, rename and delete off the rows I don't want. It's working, but I think it could be made better.

At NBAA last year I visited a company that had software that would do all that and more, but was ten's of thousands of dollars! We are just a little 91, single plane, two guy flight dept, so not that much to keep up with to justify spending big bucks.

I'd be interested in hearing any suggestions on improving what I'm doing and share what I am doing with anyone.

email [email protected]