Switching to cloudlog.aero: How to Bring Your Existing Logbook Across

Anyone changing their logbook usually has one worry: will something get lost, or do I have to retype years of flights? Both can be avoided. Which route is right depends on where your data lives today.

Route 1: you are coming from another logbook app

cloudlog.aero accepts export files from a range of common programs. These include SkyDemon, LogTen Pro, CrewLounge (formerly MCC Pilot Log), FlightLogger, Fly Go, B4Takeoff, Pilot Pro, Simple Flightlog and Aircraft Info Desk. ForeFlight tracks can be imported as well.

Here is how:

1. In your current app, create an export in Excel (.xls or .xlsx), CSV or text format. How that works depends on the program.
2. In cloudlog.aero, open the Import & Export page and drag the file onto the upload area.
3. If cloudlog.aero recognises the format, the import starts by itself. Otherwise a dialog opens where you pick the source format from a list.
4. After the import, open the Import Information. It shows how many aircraft, airports, pilots and flights were processed, plus a list of ignored rows with the reason.

Good to know:

• A file may contain at most 3,000 rows. Split larger logbooks before uploading.
• Aircraft, airports and pilots that are missing in your account are created automatically.
• The import adds the flights in the file to your logbook. Existing entries are not overwritten.
• Rows that cannot be imported are not taken over and are listed with the reason. Check this list before you switch off your old program.

The detailed step-by-step guide with every dialog is in Import your logbook from another app.

Route 2: your flights are in a club or booking system

If you book through Aircraft Info Desk, keep records in Vereinsflieger or fly with Charterware, there is nothing to upload:

• Aircraft Info Desk: In cloudlog.aero you generate a personal API key and paste it into AID under “My Profile → Core Data”. Flights then arrive automatically.
• Vereinsflieger: You provide username, password and club ID and explicitly confirm the data transfer. Your full history is imported once, and new flights follow continuously. Launch method and night time carry over.
• Charterware: You enter your chip ID and confirm the data transfer by email. Recorded flights then arrive automatically.

These connections are part of the Pro plan. More on the Integrations page.

Route 3: you keep a paper logbook

You do not have to retype your paper logbook. You enter your existing totals once as carry-over values and cloudlog.aero builds on them. When printing, you can include the carry-over values as opening totals – just like in a handwritten logbook you continue.

The individual flights of your paper logbook stay in the paper version. Keep the original. Whether your authority wants to see both parts at a check is best clarified beforehand with the competent office.

Before you switch: a short checklist

• Export your old logbook and keep the file before you delete anything.
• Test the import during the free trial. The first 30 days are free, and you do not need to provide payment details.
• Spot-check after the import: total times, landings, aircraft. Compare them with your old program.
• Read the list of ignored rows. It shows what was not taken over.
• Choose a plan only once the import has run to your satisfaction. All memberships are cancellable monthly.

Conclusion

Switching is not a weekend project, but it is not a retyping marathon either. From another app your logbook comes across by file, from a club system by connection, and from a paper logbook by carry-over value. If you are unsure whether your format is supported, try it in the trial. What the logbook looks like afterwards is shown on the For pilots page.