Log Entry

[mocfly]

Roger,

I know that there was some discussion about the preferred way to enter information into both the engine and airframe logs.

 

How about examples of the correct way to log the following.

 

1. Tire changes

2. Tube install with and without new tires

3. Replenishment of fluids other than oil

4. Oil change

5. Any other items that the owner can initiate.

 

Thank you.

 

 

[Anticept]

IAW should not be left out either. Speaking from 4 A&P instructors who have 150 years collective experience, IAW is a way to cover your butt if someone ends up a crater. It is one of the things FAA inspectors do when following an accident, they review the logs and WILL ask questions on why you did what you did. Having references cited right there in the entires takes heat off. Document what you did, and use IAW as a reference to tell people on who's authority you did it.

[Anticept]

I have no problem with IAW although I personally prefer to spell it out, but IAW without the detail included is worthless. I see logbook after logbook with 2-3 sentences for an entire annual. Then I sometimes call the A&P and find out he didn't do half the things and didn't even know what to do nor did they bother to look it up. That happens way too often. So then his accordance with is junk. Yesterday I finally saw a one line annual logbook entry. Unbelievable and that has to be the of epidemy laziness.

 

I'm just saying don't leave it out when addressing what maintenance you did. If a plane you haven't seen for 5 years comes back because of work you did brought the plane down, you have a written record of what you used so you can cover your butt and tell the authorities "I did it according to what the manufacturer said, page xx-yy, in the maintenance manual, revision zzz, as written right there on that logbook page".

 

This is particularly true of helicopters and corporate/larger aircraft, the manuals revise so quickly that you always need to pop it open and make sure the methods haven't changed. The hughes 500 series helicopters went through about 4 dozen manual revisions, then they reissued the maintenance manual (I've never seen that before!), then revised it another dozen. Having that manual revision can be pretty important!

[Doug G.]

I am only doing this for my own plane, but I use the FD and Rotax lists for inspection and make notes on them and keep them in a file. I also try to make my logbook entries as detailed as is practical.