CaptainYoda

I'm looking for an electronic logbook for my computer.



I would prefer something that is stored directly on my computer and not using cloud services.


Any suggestions?



Thanks


CY

Making it Count

Make your own excel spreadsheet.

Pahpa Kilo

If you are considering MCC Pilot Log, here’s my experience:

I purchased MCC Pilot Log Enterprise Edition (Lifetime) 5 months ago because I had heard good reviews and the company’s web site pitched how there were no subscription fees. It cost me about $81.09 after the EUR conversion. The MCC Pilot Log web site states “We do not run a subscription plan. We have 3 editions with one-time fee for life-time use. The basic STD Edition is even FREE.”

During these 5 months I used the software, but suddenly the airline interface stopped working. I went to the support page to log a support ticket and was greeted with the following message:

“IMPORTANT NOTE : 10 years after the first release, and 2600 changes and fixes later, it was time to rebuild mccPILOTLOG on new fundaments.

mccPILOTLOG is still available to existing customers. New customers can still purchase mccPILOTLOG, if they want. However, we are no longer updating mccPILOTLOG. Instead, the team is focusing on the new logbook. We recommend all pilots to migrate to our new app CrewLounge PILOTLOG !”

After my initial disbelief and further investigation I found the FAQ page for people like me who had just purchased what was sold as a lifetime license. Below is an excerpt from the company’s FAQ page:

” I paid for mccPILOTLOG, do I have to pay again ?
We keep our word : your license for mccPILOTLOG remains valid ! You have paid for a lifetime use of mccPILOTLOG, so you can continue to using mccPILOTLOG as long as you want. We do not terminate mccPILOTLOG, your logbook continues to run. We do not terminate support, you continue to receiving the same support as before.
We only terminate further updating and bug fixing. Our team is now focusing on the CrewLounge AERO Suite, a completely new platform created with the latest coding technologies and security protocols. CrewLounge PILOTLOG, as part of the CrewLounge AERO Suite, is the new pilot logbook to replace mccPILOTLOG. CrewLounge PILOTLOG is subscription based, we do no longer offer one-time payments.
We invite all pilots with a lifetime license for mccPILOTLOG to migrate and enjoy the new CrewLounge AERO Suite ! We certainly understand that you are reluctant to switching to a subscription plan. We have GOOD news for you : You don’t !
Contrary to our competitors, that either ceased to exist, or that canceled all license keys and forced users into a subscription plan, we offer grandfathering rights to all users of mccPILOTLOG ! You can now migrate your lifetime license from mccPILOTLOG to CrewLounge PILOTLOG with a one-time contribution ! Buy 3 years and get Lifetime ! No subscription, no extra charges ! We will also pay the VAT for you !
That’s true ! All pilots with a lifetime license for mccPILOTLOG can now transfer their license to the new CrewLounge PILOTLOG application and be excluded from subscriptions, for lifetime! This offer is limited in time !
As a bonus, you receive a free 1-year license for the popular calendar app CrewLounge CONNECT (value 12.00 EUR) ! And, as an extra bonus, all PRO users (mccPILOTLOG) can now free upgrade to ENT (CrewLounge PILOTLOG) without being charged extra !
So, here is our offer :
• purchase 3 years of the new CrewLounge PILOTLOG software (*)
• get 10% immediate discount (for 3-year orders)
• get another 20% discount (that is, we will pay the VAT applicable to your country)
• transfer your Lifetime license to CrewLounge PILOTLOG (be excluded from subscriptions)
• upgrade to a higher Edition ENT or the new ENT+ (even if you are on PRO today)
• get 1 year free use of our popular roster app CrewLounge CONNECT


This is a temporary offer, we hold the right to terminate this offer at any time !
(*) Pilots that purchased mccPILOTLOG in 2019, can upgrade with paying only 1-year subscription to CrewLounge AERO.”

Essentially, the lifetime software I just purchased will not be updated any more. Therefore, the airline interface will not be fixed. In other words, my software is now useless to me.

But wait, I checked out their upgrade offer and found that I will need to pay for 3 years up front to get the lifetime subscription that I already paid for 5 months ago. The price is 2.99 EUR/month or about $3.35/month as of today. A total of about $120.00. Believe it or not, I actually considered just paying the money and moving on with my life. So I downloaded the trial version of the new CrewLounge Pilot Log, imported my data and tried to download my schedule with the airline interface. Of course – it doesn’t work.

Overall, my experience with this company is extremely negative. I would not recommend MCC Pilot Log or CrewLounge Pilot Log. You will be disappointed and will end up having to pay for a real logbook program from a reputable company. Good luck folks. Learning is a change in behavior as a result of experience.

airlinegypsy

If anyone comes up with a decent alternative to MCC let me know. I was happy with the old version but after paying for the new one I am completely turned off. Roster won’t download, mobile won’t sync. Tech support took 3 weeks to start helping and so far their most creative fix has been for me to check if my browser was up to date.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Pahpa Kilo

Here is the syrupy .pdf I received from support asking me to "take a journey" with them and essentially "take one for the team."


"Belgium, March 2019
Dear Pilot,
Thank you for being a loyal user of mccPILOTLOG. Did I ever tell you how the story began ?
I'm actually a little bit embarrassed… the local aviation authorities refused to renew my pilot license because my logbook was a complete mess. I was grounded from my 737 duties for a couple of days…
Being a lazy pilot, I preferred to using my programming skills over handwriting. Two days later I had my new logbook printed with a couple of thousands of flights, using "some piece of software" that I wrote over the weekend. Soon after, other pilots wanted to receive a copy. That's how mccPILOTLOG got started.
At that time, it was standard practice to purchase, or sell, software on a Compact Disc. Pay once and use forever. We actually shipped a few CD to our very first customers !
Today, similar to streaming music, software has become a service, which includes the use of the program, all updates, cloud storage and helpdesk support. You do no longer purchase the software. You pay for the service, when you need it and as long as you need it !
That "piece of software" turned into a company with 25 full-time developers and support agents. But the fixed pricing model got outdated. To ensure the company's long term health, we must now switch to service subscriptions, in line with the competition and global market practices.
That puts me in a difficult situation, as I gave you my word with a lifetime use of mccPILOTLOG. From a legal point of view, I do keep my word : You can continue to using mccPILOTLOG for as long as you want. You continue to receiving our support whenever you need assistance. mccPILOTLOG continues to run, including the expensive cloud servers that sync and backup your flight data. We are only terminating further development and software updating.
However, in the future, your logbook may encounter issues when the surrounding operating system (Mac, Windows, iOS, Android) is updated, or when your airline makes changes to the crew rostering system. Therefore, we invite all pilots to switch to CrewLounge AERO today.

Your license is valid for mccPILOTLOG only. But, (for a limited time) we offer you the
opportunity to migrate your lifetime license to CrewLounge PILOTLOG through the
"grandfathering" program :
 Purchase a 3-year license for CrewLounge PILOTLOG
 Get a lifetime license (no subscriptions, no extra charges)
 Get an immediate discount of 10% (online payment)
 Get another 20% discount, as we pay for the VAT (EU residents)
 Receive a bonus 1-year free license for the calendar app CrewLounge CONNECT
Although many pilots happily migrate to CrewLounge PILOTLOG, we certainly also understand
your disappointment. Giving the new software away for free would undoubtedly make you
happy. But the satisfaction would be short lived, as our company would run into financial
problems in months, and your current logbook would stop running short after.
The switch-over from an outdated fixed pricing plan to the new subscription payment model,
causes our revenues to dropdown below the operating costs for the next 3 years. As founder
and business owner, it’s my responsibility to guarantee the company’s financial health,
without being greedy and always respecting your rights as a customer! We cannot bridge that
gap without your help! I truly believe that the grandfathering program, with all extra bonuses,
is a very honest and balanced deal. You can now migrate to CrewLounge PILOTLOG and be
excluded from subscriptions. Whereas all new customers, often junior pilots, are being
charged every year again…!
Allow me (exceptionally) to compare numbers with our main competitor LogTen Pro, who also
switched to subscriptions a few years ago :
 Pilots spent a total of 500 USD to receive all updates in the past 10 years
(mccPILOTLOG was 80 USD / 69 EUR, including all 2600 software changes)
 Nobody received a lifetime license when Coradine switched to subscriptions
(we offer a grandfathering program to migrate your lifetime license)
 Annual subscriptions for LogTen Pro are 300% more expensive (129.99 USD per year)
compared to our pricing (39.99 USD per year)
The price for migrating your lifetime license is less than what LogTen charges for 1 year!
I have no right and no intention to judge the competition. I consider Coradine LogTen Pro an
outstanding logbook and a respected company. I'm just highlighting facts and numbers.
I'm very grateful to you, for being part of the "lost-my-license-story". And I truly hope that
you will join us on our new journey : CrewLounge AERO !
Sincerely,
Pat
Captain Boeing 737 - 787
Business Owner MCC Europe-Asia
Author of the B737 MRG books
Coffee addict"



It's been a month since I've logged a support ticket and all I've received is insincere apologies and requests for more money.

JohnBurke

I've never had to pay a subscription for my paper logbooks. They're fine in the presence of a magnet, don't need an internet connection, and the only migration comes when it's time for a new logbook.

CaptainYoda

Wow, you're so edgy.
Can we be as cool as you?

JohnBurke

Is using a paper logbook "cool?"

Then, yes. You may.

CaptainYoda

***yawn***

JohnBurke

Millennial?