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Logbook for Type Rating: What to Record and Who Signs
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Logbook for Type Rating: What to Record and Who Signs

October 20, 2026

Logbook for Type Rating: What to Record and Who Signs

Pilot recording a simulator lesson logbook

Your logbook for a type rating has to show the training you flew, in a form the authority will accept: date, time, aircraft or simulator identification, the training content and a legible instructor signature on every session. Most pilots can fly the profiles. Fewer finish the course with a logbook that survives an application review or an airline recruiter’s audit. This guide covers what to log, how to handle full-motion simulator sessions, which paper or electronic format to choose, and how to reconcile your book with the training center’s records before you file.

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TL;DR

  • Log every type rating session the day you fly it: date, time, simulator or aircraft identification, and what was trained.
  • Every training entry needs an authorized instructor’s signature, with certificate number and date. An unsigned session may not count toward the rating.
  • Record the full flight simulator’s qualification information, not just “A320 sim.” Generic logbooks rarely have a column for it, so add one.
  • Compare your logbook with the training center’s official record before you apply. Mismatches are what delay endorsements.
  • Finishing the checkride does not put the rating on your certificate. You still apply to your authority, and your logbook supports that application.

Table of Contents

Why the type rating logbook matters more than the one you kept before

Until now, your logbook probably tracked basic flight experience: hours, landings, cross-country, instrument. A type rating changes the shape of the record. You move from logging flights to logging dense blocks of simulator training, often several sessions a week, each tied to a specific device and a specific instructor.

In the United States the baseline rule is 14 CFR 61.51. It requires you to document training and aeronautical experience used to meet the requirements for a certificate, rating or flight review, in a manner acceptable to the FAA. It lists what an entry contains: the date, total flight or lesson time, the type of experience (including flight and ground training received from an authorized instructor), and the conditions of flight.

Four required logbook entry fields

The record is also a safety document. An ICAO working paper on electronic logbooks describes logbook data as the way pilots and regulators track currency, recency and the experience required on a particular aircraft type.

The FAA’s own instructor guidance makes a related point: logging is cumulative, not something you stop doing at a new certificate level. The Aviation Instructor’s Handbook appendix walks through the certificates, ratings and endorsements instructors deal with, and logbook endorsements run through all of it.

What each type rating entry should contain

Treat the regulation as the minimum and add the details a recruiter or examiner will ask for later. For each simulator or aircraft session, write:

  1. Date. The day of the session, not the day you filled in the book.
  2. Total lesson or flight time. Use the same time convention as the training center’s record, so the numbers compare cleanly.
  3. Device or aircraft identification. For a simulator, the type (for example A320 or B737) and the full flight simulator qualification or device identifier the training organization gives you.
  4. Type of experience. Flight or ground training received, and your seat: pilot flying, pilot monitoring, or the role the syllabus assigns.
  5. Training content. The lesson or exercise in plain words: normal procedures, abnormals, engine failure at V1, non-precision approaches, LOFT, checkride preparation, skill test.
  6. Conditions. Day or night, actual or simulated instrument, as your book’s columns require.
  7. Instructor signature. Printed name, signature, certificate number and date, every session.

One point on the qualification number. The research behind this article stresses that Level D full-motion simulator details are essential to a clean record in airline interviews and license conversions, and that generic logbooks tend to lack a field for them. Ask your instructor for the device identifier on day one and write it into the first entry so you can copy it forward.

Simulator time versus aircraft time

A type rating course at an approved training organization is mostly simulator time. That time is real, signed training and belongs in your logbook, but it is not the same as flight time in an aircraft, and you should never blur the two.

Keep them visibly separate:

  • Use a dedicated simulator or FFS column, or mark each simulator line clearly, so a reader can total aircraft time and device time without guessing.
  • Do not add simulator hours to your aircraft totals. The rules on what simulator time may count toward a specific certificate or rating differ by requirement. For the ATP specifically, see our breakdown of whether simulator hours count toward ATP flight time.
  • Under 14 CFR 61.51, simulator or training device time used to gain aeronautical experience requires an authorized instructor present to observe the session. If no instructor signed it, do not rely on it.

When a recruiter reads your book, they want to see two things quickly: the real flight experience you have, and the type-specific training you just completed. A clear separation answers both.

Signatures: the detail that gets logbooks rejected

Flight instructors in the US must sign the logbook of each person they give flight or ground training, under 14 CFR 61.189. That rule also requires instructors to keep their own records of endorsements. So two records exist for your training: yours and theirs. They should agree.

Practical habits that prevent trouble:

  • Get the signature the same day. Instructors rotate through courses. Chasing a signature three weeks later is how sessions end up unsigned.
  • Make it legible. Print the name beside the signature.
  • Add the certificate number and the date. If your instructor’s certificate details are missing, the entry is harder to verify. Ask them to include them every time.
  • Do not sign for yourself. Your own initials in the instructor box are a problem, not a shortcut.
  • Never erase. Logbooks are official records. The Australian regulator states plainly that a logbook is an official record of your experience used for licensing, and it can be paper or electronic. If you make a mistake, strike through with one line, correct it and have it initialed.

Paper or electronic logbook for a type rating

Both are accepted by many authorities, but check what yours says before you commit. CASA, for one, allows either paper or electronic logbooks. For the FAA, the rule asks for documentation “acceptable to the Administrator,” so confirm with your examiner or the training center what they will accept for your specific application.

Factor Paper logbook Electronic logbook
Instructor signature Immediate, wet ink Depends on the app: some capture a signature, some need a printout
Simulator qualification field Often missing; add a column or note Usually configurable
Totals and summaries Manual arithmetic Automatic, with exports
Audit risk Corrections visible Edits need to be traceable
Backup One copy unless you photograph pages Cloud or file backup

A sensible approach for a type rating: sign on paper during training, then mirror the data in an electronic logbook for totals. If you go fully electronic, confirm how your instructor’s signature will be captured, and keep a PDF export of each training block.

A few pilots keep separate books by aircraft category. That is fine for personal organization, but the type rating record should sit where one reviewer can read the whole story in minutes.

Reconcile your logbook with the training record

This is the step most people skip. After your course, the training organization holds an official training record for you: sessions, hours, devices, instructors and results. Your logbook is the personal side of the same story.

Before you apply for anything, sit down with both and check:

  • Session count and dates match.
  • Hours per session match, and the totals match.
  • The simulator identification matches.
  • Each instructor’s name and certificate details are consistent.
  • The checkride or skill test date and result are recorded the same way.

According to EASA’s rules, a type rating endorsement depends on an application and supporting records, and the Easy Access Rules for Aircrew set out how ratings and endorsements are handled in the EU. In practice, a mismatch between your logbook and the organization’s file is the kind of discrepancy that slows an endorsement. Fix it while the instructors are still in the building, not after you have flown home.

After the checkride: getting the rating on your certificate

Passing does not automatically change your license. You normally apply to your aviation authority, and your records back the application. EASA publishes an FAQ on this exact situation: whether you can immediately ask your authority to endorse a type rating. The answer is yes when the theory and practical parts were completed under the stated conditions, such as an approved training organization.

For US certificates, the checkride result and the examiner’s paperwork lead to the type rating being issued on your certificate. Details vary by route, for example whether you train for a rating on an existing US certificate or convert a foreign license. If you are a foreign-licensed pilot, read how FAA license conversion is structured, and check when a type rating is required for your plans.

Keep the logbook for the long term. Retention periods differ by authority, so ask yours. Australia’s CASA, for instance, sets its own rules, which you can read on its logbook page.

Perspective: what we see in logbooks on day one

We train pilots on Level D full-motion simulators, and we see the same pattern with new arrivals. They are well prepared for the flying and underprepared for the paperwork. A logbook built for a private pilot works until the first week of an A320 or B737 course, when a pilot flies several sessions in a row and has nowhere to put the device, the lesson content or the instructor’s certificate details.

Our advice is simple. Decide before day one how you will log, bring the book to every briefing, and have each session signed before you leave the building. Our instructors are current and former airline pilots and examiners, and they would rather spend two minutes on a clean entry than see a gap surface at your airline interview.

We also run scheduling, documentation and checkride coordination inside one program, which makes it easier to line up your book with the official record. If you want a second pair of eyes, our own guide on a one page airline logbook summary with simulator proof shows how we think about presenting hours to recruiters.

— Jake

A pre-course checklist for your logbook

  • Choose the format and confirm your authority and examiner accept it.
  • Add a simulator or FFS column, plus a space for the qualification identifier.
  • Write down your instructors’ full names and certificate numbers at the start.
  • Photograph or scan each page weekly.
  • Plan one reconciliation meeting with the training center before the checkride.
  • Check the paperwork you need after the course. Our article on what to verify before type rating ground school covers the front end, and securing a type rating after ATP CTP covers the paperwork chain.

If you are newer to airline hiring, you may also find our guides on low hour pilots and recruiter requirements and the first airline type rating useful.

Training with a logbook-ready program

We offer type rating courses for the A320, A330, ATR 42/72, Boeing 737, 737 Classic and 757/767, along with FAA ATP-CTP and license conversion for foreign pilots. Sessions run on Level D full-motion simulators, and our team handles scheduling, documentation and checkride coordination. Browse the type rating courses, simulator training sessions or start admissions. Pricing is not published on our site, so contact us for a quote.

FAQ

Do I log type rating simulator time in my logbook?

Yes. Training used to meet the requirements for a rating must be documented, and 14 CFR 61.51 sets the content of the entry. Log it with the date, duration, device, training content and your instructor’s signature. Keep it distinguishable from aircraft time.

Who has to sign my logbook during a type rating?

The authorized instructor who gave the training. US flight instructors must sign the logbook of each person they train. Ask them to add their certificate number and the date as well.

Can I use an electronic logbook?

Often yes, but confirm with your authority and examiner. CASA, for example, accepts paper or electronic formats. Make sure the app lets you record simulator identification and instructor details.

Is the type rating added to my license after I pass?

Not automatically. You typically apply to your authority, supported by training and checkride records that should match your logbook. Ask your training organization what paperwork it provides.

What if my logbook and the training center’s record disagree?

Resolve it before you apply. Ask the training center to review both records with you, correct the error properly with a dated initial, and keep a copy of the corrected page.

Sources

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