FCL.050 compliance for commercial operators, airlines and their pilots
Do airline pilots need to keep a personal logbook?
Yes, every pilot needs to keep a personal logbook. Even though theoretically made possible by AMC1 FCL.050 (c), we do not know of a single operator who officially takes over the responsibility for maintaining the record for their pilots fulfilling all requirements.
What the basic regulation says
There is no question at all as to whether airline pilots must keep a personal pilot logbook: Yes, they must.
However, there is a passage in AMC1 FCL.050 that would generally allow the operator to maintain the record for the pilots and do so electronically.
Of course, this means that this electronic record must meet all the requirements of AMC1 FCL.050.
In addition, the operator may only keep a record for the flights operated in its name but not for any other flights the pilot may carry out. Regardless of whether this concerns private flights, a flight instructor activity outside the operator or commercial flights for other operators, the required completeness of the data collection for all flights flown will be violated.
AMC1 FCL.050 (c)
Format of the record
(1) details of flights flown under commercial air transport may be recorded in an electronic format maintained by the operator.
In this case an operator should make the records of all flights operated by the pilot, including differences and familiarisation training, available upon request to the flight crew member concerned;
So far, we have not seen a single airline operations system or planning system that is compliant in this respect.
What we often see, however, are pilots believing that the operator does this for them.
These pilots are at the mercy of their employers when having to present their personal flight experience. Even worse, there are cases when a lot of data and/or details are lost and gone forever, as many OPS tools do not take into consideration the required levels of data granularity and information mandatory under AMC1 FCL.050.
Another factor is that the typical career path of airline pilots has changed significantly in recent years. Whereas in the past, pilots often spent their entire career with the same airline, changes of employer are much more common nowadays. And if you want to have a clean list of your own experience when applying to another carrier, you should have a good data record yourself.
Establishing compliance through separation of responsibilities
Empower your pilots with our FCL.050 certified logbook solution
Our FCL.050 certified digital logbook solution provides flight schools, operators and airlines with a state-of-the-art digital tool that ensures full regulatory compliance.
Your pilots will benefit from an independent and professional tool that they can continue to use after their time with you.
It simplifies flight data management, reduces paperwork and results in more efficient routines, error-free and safer flight operations.