Remarks Section of Logbook as a CFI????

[dueguard1]

Just Curious to find out what most of my fellow CFI's put in their Remarks section of their logbook given the fact you're conducting lesson flights day after day ????????

My first instinct is to just leave it blank since I'm just logging instruction time, and nothing more needs to be written??? Is this the correct way of doing things...................After all I don't want to go for another job one day with 500+ hours of dual and someone questions my time???

..What are You all Writing in Your Remarks????

 

[El Cóndor]

I would usually write the student's first and last name, and the type of lesson(s) or maneuver(s) that I was covering in flight with him/her.

 

[midlifeflyer]

I only write the student's first and last name. (I use a s document, signed by both me and the student, as a record of training)

 

[Fly_Chick]

I put the students first/last name, type of flight (ppl, cpl, ir), and what we did. Examples:

John Doe, PPL, slow flight, emergency procedures, radio failure, touch and goes, xwind 12 kts.

John Doe, IR, ILS 27R MLB PP (partial panel) or C (circle to land).

John Doe, CPL, Sim gear failure, diversions, emergency procedures.

If I do a significant amount of ground time (more than the pre-post flight brief) I also note this. As a rule of thumb for myself, if I do anymore than 15 minutes of ground work, I will also note this in my logbook. Examples:

Ground - Towered airport entry and departure procedures - 1 hour.

Ground - Airspace review - 1 hour.

Ground - ATC communciations, pilot and controller resposibilites - 1 hour.

If I do a flight review I will also note this in the remarks, as well as the amount of ground time on this.

For any new student I also log the endorsement from the TSA Alien Flight Training Rule...

"The flight school or flight instructor will make an endorsement in both the instructor's and student's logbook, or other record used by the instructor to record flight student endorsements, the following: "I certify that [insert student's name] has presented me a [insert type of document presented, such as a U.S. birth certificate or U.S. passport, and the relevant control or sequential number on the document, if any] establishing that [he or she] is a U.S. citizen or national in accordance with 49 CFR 1552.3(h). [Insert date and instructor's signature and CFI number.]"

 

[bobbysamd]

Remarks section of the CFI's logbook

I would put in the student's name, lesson number per the TCO or syllabus as applicable, and every maneuver and procedure covered, including numbers and types of approaches and their location. (I wrote the approaches for record-keeping purposes only and not for currency; that issue is covered elsewhere on the board.) I learned to print very small and wrote using a Cross finepoint. I did that so I would have a complete record of the training activity for that flight, to CYA in case it ever came up that I did not cover all the maneuvers/procedures for that training unit, and to help a student reconstruct his/her logbook in case he/she might lose it.

 

[MTpilot]

I only put their name, I might start being a little more detailed.

 

[Lil Jon]

i just put their name. do we really need records of other than signoffs/results of signoffs and the tsa thing of course.

 

[HMR]

I agree w/Bobby. It's all about CYA.

FWIW- I had a good friend and former student die while attempting a missed approach at night, IMC, in his newly purchased 400 series Cessna. Though he'd been with another CFI for 100hrs or so since we last flew together, the feds had indicated they might want to "review" my records since I trained him for his ppl, inst., and CMEL. I no longer worked at the flight school and they had my training records under lock and key. Fortunately, I had kept detailed notes of every single one of our training flights in my Remarks section.

 

[midlifeflyer]

i just put their name. do we really need records of other than signoffs/results of signoffs and the tsa thing of course.

The issue is having a record that shows that certain types of training were given. Not from a FAR standpoint but from a CYA one in case some question ever arises abut whether certain training has been given. So long as there is some record out there, it's okay. But it's better if you, as the instructor, have that record.

The flip side of the issue is that full time instructors are moving from student to student during the day and some don;t make their own entries until that night. IMO, records that say different things (yours vs your student's logbook) can potentially be worse from a CYA standpoint than a minimal record.

That's why I use the separate signed record. More detailed than any logbook entry I've ever seen and acknowledged by the student.

However you choose to approach it, it's not an FAR issue. It's a good business practice issue.

 

[avbug]

I list every detail in the remarks section that I can. I've detailed it before, but this information has saved my bacon from an enforcement point of view and from civil litigation. Document all you can.

When logging a flight with a student, I have everything in my logbook that went in the student's logbook. I also maintain a separate record detailing everything, including personal observations of the student. In my separate record, I may include notes to myself about the students needs, worries, attitutude, schedule, or anything at all that helps me address that student's needs. It might even include details about spouse's aniversary, kids names, etc...something I can review before the flight in order to brief myself on the student and prepare to address him or her as an individual.

The more detail you can capture the better. Perhaps it's a maintenance habit. Some mechanics will change a tire and make a logook entry that says simply, "changed tire." That's not good enough. I prefer an entry that lists the tire part number (and serial number, where applicable), maintenance manual chapter and page, and in many cases, specific details of the operation. This will include any NDT testing done on the wheel, part numbers of the wheel packing, etc. All the detail I can put that's relevant. I do the same for a student when logging instruction provided in his or her log, and mine.