Template · Records · v2026.10
A flight log that holds up to an audit.
Part 107 doesn’t prescribe a log format, but the FAA, your insurer and your clients will all ask for records after an incident. This template captures what each of them needs, plus the battery and maintenance history that tells you when an aircraft is due for attention.
Why log
Who will ask for your records.
FAA
On request
You must present your certificate and any required records to the FAA on request. After an accident, logs are your account of what happened. 107.7
Insurer
Claims & renewals
Claims adjusters ask for the flight, battery and maintenance history of the aircraft involved. Hours logged also lower renewal premiums.
Client
Proof of compliance
Studios, utilities and enterprise clients want authorization numbers and flight times in the deliverable package.
You
Trend data
A pack that sags 0.2 V earlier every week or a motor that runs hot only shows up when it’s written down.
Flight log
The fields that matter.
One row per sortie, one sortie per battery. Fill the planning fields before you launch and the rest within five minutes of landing.
| Field | Example | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Date & UTC times | 2026-10-25 · 17:42–18:03Z | UTC matches LAANC, NOTAM and ADS-B records. Local time causes disputes. |
| Location | 34.0736, -118.4004 | Lat/long of the launch point plus a site name. |
| Airspace & authorization | Class D · LAANC 9921 | Ties the flight to its permission. Note waiver numbers here too. |
| Aircraft | FA3XXXXXXX · RID S/N | Registration and Remote ID serial, not a nickname. |
| Battery ID & % | B-07 · 98% → 31% | Links the flight to the battery log. |
| Crew | PIC J. Armstrong · VO A. Ruiz | Who held the PIC role, with certificate number on the cover sheet. |
| Max altitude & distance | 380 ft AGL · 0.4 mi | Pull from the flight record, not from memory. |
| Conditions | Wind 9G16 · 72 °F · Kp 2 | Context for any anomaly. |
| Purpose & client | Real estate · Sterling | Separates commercial from training and test flights. |
| Anomalies | Compass warning at launch | Write "none" rather than leaving blank. Blank looks like missing data. |
Battery log
Catch a failing pack early.
LiPo failures rarely come without warning. Logging three numbers per charge is enough to see the trend.
Cycle count
200–300
Typical service life for drone LiPo and Li-ion packs. Plan replacement when the count or health drops below 80%.
Cell delta
≤ 0.05 V
Difference between highest and lowest cell after charge. Over 0.1 V, ground the pack.
Storage voltage
3.8 V/cell
Discharge to storage if the pack won’t fly within 48 hours. Most smart batteries do this automatically after a set number of days.
Maintenance log
What to record between flights.
| Item | Interval | Record |
|---|---|---|
| Propellers | Every flight · replace ~200 h | Date replaced, set ID, reason (wear, strike, scheduled). |
| Motors & bearings | 25 h | Free spin, noise, temperature after landing. |
| Firmware | Every update | Version before and after, date, test-flight result before the next paid job. |
| Calibrations | As prompted | IMU, compass, gimbal, vision. Location where performed. |
| Airframe | 50 h or after any hard landing | Arm hinges, landing gear, shell cracks, connector corrosion. |
| Repairs | Each event | Who repaired it, parts replaced, invoice or RMA number. |
Habits
Four logging rules worth keeping.
01
Log no-go decisions too
A weather cancellation with the numbers you saw shows a consistent go/no-go process. Insurers and clients value that record.
02
Label every battery
B-01, B-02 on the pack and in the log. Without IDs, a battery log is just a list of dates.
03
Export the aircraft’s own record
Sync the manufacturer’s flight record weekly and keep it next to your log. It’s the tie-breaker if memory and paper disagree.
04
Keep records three years
Match your insurer’s claim window and most client contracts. Store a copy off-device.
Report to the FAA within 10 calendar days if the operation caused serious injury, loss of consciousness, or more than $500 of damage to property other than the drone (107.9). Record the report number in the incident page of your log.
Air Pixels Flight OS
Stop transcribing. Log every sortie automatically.
Flight OS logs time, GPS, authorization and battery IDs from the in-flight HUD and exports audit-ready Part 107 records.