Logbook accuracy

[timeoff]

I had an instructor that used to own his own Aztec. He told me that he logged around 3-4 hours a week in it. Problem was, the plane never moved from the ramp. It had mx issues and two flat tires for as long as I could remember. I guess he figured that since he was the owner, he could pretty much get away with it. He is at a regional now.

Knew another guy that was working on his comm that would always round up to the next whole hour when he flew by himself. It was his way of "saving money".

Have you ever come across anyone that has fradulent or padded time?

 

[honeycomb]

Yes...

I have met a few cheats. Some got caught. Some did not.

I have personally got over a couple of hundred, to maybe even a thousand or so, ride a long hours with my father that will never see a log book. And, for good reason.

Ethics are easy to spot. There seems to be Little or No Shame in general not just in aviation. I think people do it once and it gets easier.

I am not condoning there actions. On the contrary....I despise anyone who has....but as a rational person I know it goes on.

As a side note, I have a military buddy who will take your stated time and take half as an accurate number. He is also used to only counting flight time...just like in the military (I guess)...and no taxi time. That may be his reasoning. But, after you said this...it got me thinking that the real reason was because of un-ethical pilots.

Anyway....I don't give pilots like that (cheats that is) the time of day.

 

[Kingair1181]

Not sure how much of it went on in the past but it seems many of the younger pilots today are doing it. I know of at least 2 pilots who I went to flight school with who inked in their log books til they had their 1200 hours. Probably was they inked in in in a little over a year when I know most of the time they were sitting around an FBO waiting for students. They said although they had only flown X number of hours they had X times 2 hours of experience so they felt it was justified. Now one of them is at a regional and the other is flying cargo. I'll admit I am a little jealous since I still have a ways to go to get there but at least I know that my time is correct. Probably took me an extra 6 months to a year to get it but oh well....

I have a feeling that in the future more and more pilots are going to have their log books screened for this practice because companies can't afford not to.

 

[landlover]

its been going on since at least vietnam. i met an old retired eastern guy that owned a plane, a rockwell commander. went flying with him a few times cause he lost his medical. he told me most guys that came back from vietnam just logged what they needed(usually more than they actually had) to get an interview and that i should log as much time as i needed in his airplane.

 

[SPilot]

Sure I've seen this going on. One hour flight suddenly becomes 5 hour xc, or a backseat ride suddenly becomes PIC. I hope they all get their books verified against FBO or flight school records!

 

[Way2Broke]

I met a guy once that said "Fly what you want, log what you need." He was a private owner talking about insurance minimums. While it would make my life much easier to do so I am not a liar. This is the one thing that keeps setting me back in aviation, but I am hoping that in the long haul my honestly will pay off. I remember the days when I was excited to get .5 in a twin. To come from that to where I am today I take pride in.

 

[A Squared]

Her's a couple of pilots that it didn't work real well for:


http://www.ntsb.gov/o_n_o/docs/AVIATION/4008.PDF

Notice that the penalty is revocation. THat's where they take your pilots certificates aweay and you aren't a pilot any more. If you want to be a pilot, you have to earn the certificates over again, if they let you.

 

[hyflyt560]

I knew a guy who didn't lie, but certainly stretched the truth. For a job at some regional eons ago, he was asked how many multiengine hours he had. He didn't lie and told them the number, which apparantly was enough to get the job. All but whatever it took to get his airplane multi rating were in a UH-60 Blackhawk.

Related question: How do you log your night time? I know some people go through the trouble of figuring out nautical twighlight etc. I've always just used the one hour after/one hour before sunset.

 

[NavajoKing]

I have heard of some guys logging yearly averages instead of logging every flight.

 

[NavajoKing]

when you fly cargo it's always night, so it makes it easy.