If you use LogTen for iOS, our support team can import your data for you. Follow the instructions below and send the file with your logbook data to via a support ticket here - we've transferred thousands of logbooks over to LogTen and would be very happy to help you!
If you use LogTen for Mac, then you'll be able to follow the instructions in this article to import your data yourself (or feel free to contact us via support ticket here for help if you need it)
Preparing your Data for Import
1. Export your Data
If your data is already in an Excel, CSV, or tab-delimited TXT file, then proceed to Step 2.
If your data is currently stored in another logbook program, export the data to Excel, CSV, or tab-delimited TXT file.
- Export options are typically found under the File or Tools menu, but this will vary depending on the individual program. If necessary, please consult the program's manual or support team for further assistance.
2. Prepare the File for Import
Following these guidelines will ensure that your data is imported into LogTen Pro smoothly. You're free to use just about any spreadsheet program you'd like to prepare the file (e.g. Numbers; Excel; LibreOffice; OpenOffice; etc.)
- Your file should have no blank rows or total (summary) lines between your entries.
- XLS files with data on multiple sheets (e.g. a different sheet for each month) should be consolidated to a single sheet to allow for all data to be imported in a single action.
- Make sure that your formatting is consistent throughout the file; e.g. your dates and times are formatted the same for each flight; your times are all either UTC or local; etc.
- There should only be one column per data type in your file.
- An example of this would be separate columns for Aircraft Types and Simulator Types; in preparing your file, you'll want to combine these into a single Types column that lists both actual aircraft and simulators.
- Another example is to have separate columns for the date and times. Instead of having a single Date/Start/Out column like "09/01/10 12:56", separate the Date from the Out time into two columns (there is often a function in the spreadsheet editor for this).
3. Save your File as a CSV
Once your data is ready for import, convert the file to a CSV (comma-separated value) file. Most spreadsheet programs either have an option for direct export of your data to a new CSV file.
- When saving to CSV, you may be prompted to select a character set; make sure that Unicode UTF-8 is selected before saving.
NOTE: If using LogTen for iOS, you can send your import file to our support team with the following information:
- If your times are UTC or Local
- If you’ve already entered flights into LogTen, please send us your logbook file by tapping More > Help and Email support and we’ll import the data directly into it.
If using LogTen for Mac, proceed with the following steps to import your data.
1. Check LogTen's Settings
Open the Preferences > General menu and check to make sure that the app is set to your desired preferences:
- If the file to be imported contains times and dates in Local time, then be sure to uncheck the "Dates and Times are UTC" option or vice versa.
- If your file contains airport names (instead of ICAO/IATA codes) or crew ID numbers (instead of names), then set the "Preferred Identifier" for each appropriately.
2. Select your Data File
Open LogTen and go to File >> Import from File… >> Flights. A standard Open dialogue displays; from here, browse to your CSV file, select it, and click Open.
3. Tell LogTen where to Import your Data
The Import screen is where you'll set and double-check that your data is being imported to the correct fields in LogTen.
- The left column displays the first entry in each column of your file (usually your column titles, or headers)
- The center column (“LogTen Field”) displays the field that each column’s data is currently set to be imported into.
- The right column (“Import Category”) displays the category for the current selection in the LogTen Field column.
LogTen will try to select the best match for each of your file’s columns based on your headers; however, some fields may have been misidentified so it’s important to make sure that each is mapped to the right field.
The Import screen also includes the following options:
- My Dates Look Like: Use this drop-down to tell LogTen how dates are formatted in your data file. It's important that the dates in your file match one of the format options here, or else some of your dates may not be imported correctly.
- Ignore first row: Selecting this option will ensure that LogTen doesn’t import your first row of column headers as flight data.
- Flight times are in minutes: This should only be selected if your file contains times in pure minutes; e.g. “72” instead of “1:12” or “1.2”.
- Auto fill times and landings: Auto-Enter times are an easy way to have LogTen fill out times for you; e.g. a First Officer will usually log SIC and XC time for each flight, so these would be good options to Auto-Enter. The Auto-Enter options can be accessed from the LogTen menu >> Preferences >> Time. Each time field has an additional checkbox below it to "auto-fill total time". More info on Save Time With Auto Enter Times
- Auto fill Duty and Flight Duty times: For schedule import, auto fill ON/OFF Duty times and Flight Duty Start/End times (FDP) can be done automatically. Ensure the default values are set correctly in the LogTen menu >> Preferences >> Duty. More info on Duty Auto Fill for scheduled times
- Auto fill defaults if blank: You can set the default option in each of the Aircraft Tab, Types tab, People Tab, and/or Places Tab. This can be handy if you always fly the same aircraft or same type or always as PIC/SIC or always from the same airport.
Additional Tips for Successful Imports:
- IMPORTANT! Double-Check your Data: If you need to check the data, you'll find two arrow buttons near the bottom right of the import window. These allow you to go to the next row of your data file, and the data of that row will be displayed on the left side.
- Field Names: Some fields in LogTen may have similar names, but track completely different types of data; e.g. the PIC/P1 Crew field tracks your PIC’s name, while the PIC/P1 field is for indicating PIC duty and the PIC (P1 in some countries) field is to track your time as Pilot In Command. It’s always a good idea to double-check that each of your file’s columns is set to import to the right category for the data type.
- Aircraft ID / Tail Number / Registration Number: Whatever identifies the individual aircraft in your CSV file should be imported to Aircraft >> Aircraft ID.
- Type / Model / Variant: Whatever identifies your different Aircraft Types of your entries should be imported into Aircraft Type >> Type. Your CSV file may contain other information such as Engine Type or Class data for Aircraft Types. These are best to configure afterward, so they can be set to Do Not Import to skip them. You can find more information about this process here: Managing your Aircraft Types.
- Places: LogTen uses three data fields to track airports/places logged on a flight -- From, Route (for waypoints), and To. It is not usually necessary to adjust your CSV file to this format though. If your CSV file contains a single column detailing the route of each flight, just import this to Flight >> Route. LogTen will adjust this appropriately during the import! Note: separate Route places by hyphens like so: KPDX-KSFO. Also, if you have any places that are more than one word, please connect them by an underscore like so: Johns_Landing_Strip.
- Times (Such as Departure and Arrival Times): Make sure that your clock times, such as departure (Out) / Arrival (In) or Take-off (Off) / Landing (On), are formatted to match your Mac's System Preferences (e.g. typically "2359" or "23:59"). If your data file uses a different format, then you'll need to either reformat those columns in your spreadsheet program to use your system's time format before importing. Alternatively, you could modify your system's time format to match your data file in System Preferences > Language & Region > Formats.
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Approaches: LogTen stores your number of approaches, approach type, runway number, and place in a single table. To properly import your data using LogTen's template, your approach data should be all contained in a single cell, separated by semicolons; e.g. 1;VOR;10L;KPDX.
If you only have one or a couple of the different approach data types logged, you can use the same format, leaving the cell blank for any data you don't have; e.g. ;VOR;;KPDX.
4. Click Import!
When you've got everything identified correctly, click Import, and LogTen will import all your data. It will also create the entries for any People, Places, Aircraft, and Aircraft Types, and create the necessary relationships between them.
After Import Please see our Reviewing Your Importing Data article here
HELP!!
Don't worry, if you get stuck, we're happy to help! We understand that the process of migrating your data from one format to another can be a challenge, and we want to be sure you get everything working perfectly in LogTen.
Comments
Good article, what about boolean fields like Pilot flying
great question danieljonbayley
Boolean fields can be entered as either the words "Yes" / "No", or the numbers "1" / "0"
"Yes" or "1" is checked
"No" or "0" is unchecked
I did the import on my Mac which was successful for the most part except that the dates did not import. They all say 1/1/01.
Hi Ray
At the top of the Import window, there is a dropdown menu title "My Dates Look Like". Choose the date format that matches your spreadsheet exactly. When you get 1/1/01 it indicates there was a mismatch. If you need further help, our support team would be happy to help.
Hello,
What would the format look like if you wanted to add multiple approaches on the same flight?
Hi Robert
If you did 3 ILS, 2 VOR, and a GPS on a flight then it would look like the following:
- Approach 1 = 3, ILS, (RWY and City optional)
- Approach 2 = 2, VOR, (RWY and City optional)
- Approach 3 = 1, GPS, (RWY and City optional)
Australian format logbooks have a separate approaches log in the rear. So you fill in your flight in the front then flip to the back to log your approaches.
Hi Daniel
Would you submit this as a suggested new report? A separate report that could be generated from the app? If so, should the Approach column be taken out of the current Australian formats?
Is there any way to import a ForeFlight log book saved as a .csv file into the iOS app or do I need to send it to support? If I need to send the file to support what is the email address as the link on this page is not correct. Thank you.
Hi perks14....thanks for bringing this to our attention. You can always click "Submit a request" at the top of this page. You will also find that the links should work again. We look forward to hearing from you.
I need help. I did follow the steps as specified here and I still receiving an error message: Please map required fields. Import must have a date in order to import.
Hi gallard.daniel
our support team will have to look at this in more detail. I've created a ticket for you and they will get back to you.
When will this option be possible for ios? I keep my mac for only 2 reasons, rest all done via ipad/iphone; 1: printing general stuff and 2: Importing my flown hours from company records to my logbook.
Would be great to be able to import via iOS...
Many thanks ;)
Thanks for the feedback yannickiob,
This is highly requested and on our radar
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