ACARS Terminal Scan Revolutionizes Digital Pilot Logbooks

RB Logbook was released in February 2020, when air traffic was at its peak. The COVID-19 crisis was still on the horizon and nobody could have predicted what would follow. Now with the logbook and ACARS terminal scan, as more pilots return to the skies they will be able to benefit from this feature that revolutionizes the way logbooks are kept.  

How it works 

Populating the logbook with an ACARS photo is easy. In a few steps, you’re done! 

1. Open RB Logbook
2. Navigate to new flight
3. Hit the ‘scan’ icon
4. Take a photo of your ACARS terminal
5. Wait for the results to be processed
6. Validate, correct if needed, and import
7. Complete your flight 

In addition to being a quick and convenient way to log the required times, the photo is kept with the entry in the logbook, adding to the validity and reliability of the data. 

Try RB Logbook – it’s a faster, smarter and secure way to log your flights. 

How it was developed 

As an intern at RB Group within the RB Logbook team, Tuan-Anh researched and built the ACARS Scan feature from scratch. In creating it, he leveraged the knowledge RB Group has gained through years of experience in image and data processing and interpreting countless variations of airline duty rosters.  “It was great working on this feature at RB Group,” said Tuan-Anh. “I worked with AWS, React, Laravel and Machine Learning to make it happen. Seeing it go live and data coming in, I learned a lot and was able to improve the performance even more.” 

By using the mobile device’s camera feature, pilots can interface with the cockpit systems without having to connect to them. As soon as the feature became available, a large amount of photos were uploaded from a wide range of aircraft. With each uploaded scan, the algorithm, which is based on machine learning, is improved. If the terminal is not immediately recognized, on subsequent uploads chances are increased. 

A step change in efficiency, pilots simply take a photo of their cockpit telemetry and by doing so, fill in the logbook. This is not science fiction, but reality. 

Try RB Logbook – it’s a faster, smarter and secure way to log your flights.