Do I need to keep my paper logbook after importing it?

Yes. Keep the original paper books, especially pages containing instructor signatures and endorsements. A digital logbook improves access, totals, backups, and reporting, but it does not make the signed source record disposable.

Do I need a computer to import the finished file?

ForeFlight's current instructions direct pilots to import CSV or TSV files through ForeFlight on the Web from a computer. You can photograph and review pages from other devices, but follow ForeFlight's current Web import instructions for the final upload.

Does QuickLogs connect directly to my ForeFlight account?

No. QuickLogs generates a ForeFlight-compatible file that you download and import through ForeFlight on the Web. QuickLogs cannot inspect or change the flights already stored in your ForeFlight account.

Will importing the same file twice create duplicates?

Yes. ForeFlight states that imported entries are appended, so importing the same flights again can create duplicates. Back up the destination, test a small batch, and keep a clear record of which flights were already imported.

Paper logbook → ForeFlight

Move your paper logbook into the flight tool you already use.

ForeFlight can make your flight history useful alongside planning, track logs, currency, and reports. QuickLogs gets the history out of paper first, flight by flight, with FAR 61.51 checks and your review before you export.

By Dylan, Founder of QuickLogs · Updated September 18, 2026

Why ForeFlight

ForeFlight is where a flight becomes more than another line in a book.

ForeFlight can be an all-in-one flight tool: planning, weather, charts and approach plates, moving-map awareness, and your logbook in one place. When your logbook lives beside the tools you use to fly, it is easier to check currency, look up a past flight, and keep the next one moving. That is the draw of ForeFlight. The catch is that a photo of a paper page is not a flight record ForeFlight can use.

Its importer expects a structured CSV or TSV file, so the old book has to be typed, summarized, or converted first. That step is easy to underestimate until you are staring at years of tiny handwritten rows. QuickLogs reads the page, keeps the source image beside the draft flights, and lets you decide what is ready to export.

ForeFlight's current paper-logbook import guidancesays the same thing: the paper record must first become a digital file. Its product overview has the current details on its flight-planning and in-flight tools.

The missing step

Before you import old flights, make sure the record holds up.

ForeFlight is a great place to manage clean flight data. Turning old paper pages into that data is a different job.

QuickLogs checks extracted flights against FAR 61.51 before export: required fields, time math, aircraft identifiers, and instrument details are flagged for review. A flight with a blocking issue cannot be verified or included in the ForeFlight export.

This is not a legal opinion, and no software replaces the pilot's responsibility for the record. It is a practical guardrail: catch a bad transcription while the paper source is still beside you, not after it has already changed a total you rely on.

I built QuickLogs for this awkward middle part: getting years of paper history into the tool you actually fly with, without asking you to trust a conversion you have not reviewed.

Choose a method

You have three ways to get a paper logbook into ForeFlight.

The question is not whether you can go digital. It is how much time, money, and verification work you want to take on.

Method	Pilot effort	Keeps each flight	Main tradeoff
Type it yourself	Highest	Yes	Maximum control, but you type, format, and check every flight yourself.
Hire a transcription service	Low to medium	Usually	Someone else types the book, but you still need to audit the result and compare cost, turnaround, and privacy.
QuickLogs	Review-focused	Yes	QuickLogs extracts and formats the rows; you review the original page and approve the record before export.

QuickLogs is designed for the middle ground: less expensive and faster than handing off the whole book, without making you trust a black-box conversion. You retain the paper source, inspect every extracted flight, and decide what becomes part of your ForeFlight history.

Preserve the source

Keep the signed paper books after the import.

A digital entry makes your history easier to search and total. It does not erase the value of the page your instructor actually signed. Keep the original books securely, especially endorsements, training entries, and any record you may need to show later.

For U.S. pilots, FAR 61.51 describes the aeronautical experience and training records a pilot must document. QuickLogs helps with conversion and review, but the pilot remains responsible for deciding whether the digital record matches the source.

The QuickLogs path

From photographed page to ForeFlight import file

The work shifts from typing every row to reviewing the records that were extracted.

Capture the pages. Photograph each page with your phone or upload scans you already have. Keep the pages in order and retain the originals.
Review every flight. Correct uncertain dates, identifiers, times, landings, approaches, remarks, or totals while looking at the source image.
Export the approved records. Download a ForeFlight-compatible CSV containing the verified flights you intend to import.
Preview and import in ForeFlight. Open ForeFlight on the Web, inspect the mapped records, and accept the import only when the preview is correct.

What moves

Preserve the details that make a digital logbook useful.

A line-by-line transfer protects more than total time.

Flight date and aircraft identification
Departure, destination, and route
Total, PIC, SIC, solo, and dual time
Day, night, cross-country, and instrument time
Day and night takeoffs and landings
Approaches, holds, and navigation tracking
Instructor names, remarks, and endorsement references
Aircraft make, model, category, class, and equipment information

ForeFlight publishes the authoritative formatting requirements for its logbook template. QuickLogs prepares the supported export, but you should still inspect ForeFlight's preview before accepting an import.

Import safely

Test three known pages before moving the complete history.

A small first import is easier to check and much easier to undo than a full logbook with a mapping mistake.

Export or otherwise back up the ForeFlight logbook you already have.
Choose three representative paper pages and verify every extracted row against the source images.
Download a ForeFlight-compatible CSV containing only those known flights.
From a computer, sign in to ForeFlight on the Web and open Logbook → Import.
Upload the file and inspect dates, aircraft, routes, time categories, landings, approaches, and remarks in the preview.
Complete the test import only when the preview is correct, then compare the resulting entries and totals with the paper pages.
Export the remaining verified history without including flights that were already imported.

Follow ForeFlight's current CSV and TSV import instructions. ForeFlight states that imported entries are appended, so importing the same flights more than once can create duplicates.

Know the boundary

QuickLogs prepares the file. You control the ForeFlight account.

QuickLogs does not sign in to ForeFlight for you and cannot inspect flights already stored there. It creates a compatible export from the records you verified. You choose the batch, download the file, review ForeFlight's preview, and decide whether to complete the import.

That separation is useful for control, but it also means QuickLogs cannot prevent you from importing the same file twice. Keep a clear cutoff date or batch record, and make an independent backup before each major import.

Still choosing a destination? Compare this workflow with the paper-to-LogTen Pro guide or read the broader pilot logbook digitization guide.

Questions

Paper logbook to ForeFlight FAQ

Do I need to keep my paper logbook after importing it?: Yes. Keep the original paper books, especially pages containing instructor signatures and endorsements. A digital logbook improves access, totals, backups, and reporting, but it does not make the signed source record disposable.
Do I need a computer to import the finished file?: ForeFlight's current instructions direct pilots to import CSV or TSV files through ForeFlight on the Web from a computer. You can photograph and review pages from other devices, but follow ForeFlight's current Web import instructions for the final upload.
Does QuickLogs connect directly to my ForeFlight account?: No. QuickLogs generates a ForeFlight-compatible file that you download and import through ForeFlight on the Web. QuickLogs cannot inspect or change the flights already stored in your ForeFlight account.
Will importing the same file twice create duplicates?: Yes. ForeFlight states that imported entries are appended, so importing the same flights again can create duplicates. Back up the destination, test a small batch, and keep a clear record of which flights were already imported.

Test your own handwriting before moving the whole logbook.

Upload three pages free, review the extracted flights, and see whether the ForeFlight workflow fits your records.

Try your first 3 pages free