How to log a Flight Duty Period in DaPilot

A Flight Duty Period (FDP) is the formal Part 121 unit of duty. It starts when you report for duty and ends at the end of the last flight segment. DaPilot's FDP entry form captures the fields that matter for FAR 117 math: report time, release time, segments, augmented crew flag, acclimation, and the maximum FDP from Appendix B.

This guide covers how to log an FDP, what each field means, and how DaPilot uses the values.

Why this matters

The five rolling-window cards on your dashboard read your FDP history. If you don't log FDPs accurately, the rolling-window math is wrong. Logging takes about 60 seconds per FDP if you log at the end of the day; it takes longer to backfill from memory a week later.

What you need

Airline Mode enabled (see How to enable Airline Mode).
The actual report and release times for the FDP, ideally in UTC.
Knowledge of the FDP's segment count, augmented status, and your acclimation state.

The FDP form

1Tap the plus button → Flight Duty Period

On the dashboard, tap plus, pick Flight Duty Period. The FDP entry sheet opens.

2Enter report and release times

The two most important fields. Both default to UTC.

Report time: when you officially reported for duty. For most carriers this is the show time at the airport (typically 60 to 90 minutes before the first flight). It's the time on your roster, not when you arrived at the gate.
Release time: when you were officially released after the last segment. Usually about 15 minutes after block-in of the last leg, depending on your operator.

If you logged in your operator's app and recorded local times, tap the time field and toggle between local and UTC. DaPilot stores UTC internally.

3Add segments

Tap + Segment for each flight in the FDP. The minimal entry per segment is route, aircraft, and block times. If you've already logged the segments as flights, link them to the FDP instead of re-entering.

A 4-leg domestic day has 4 segments. A 1-leg long-haul has 1.

The segment count is used by Appendix B. Your max FDP varies with the number of segments and the report time.

4Mark augmented if applicable

Toggle Augmented crew if a third or fourth pilot was on the FDP for inflight rest credit under §117.17. If you're a 2-pilot crew, leave it off.

5Set acclimation state

Three options:

Acclimated: you're acclimated to the time zone where the FDP started. Most domestic FDPs.
Not acclimated: you're not acclimated to the time zone where the FDP started. Less common in pure domestic; more common after international back-to-back trips.
Acclimated elsewhere: you're acclimated to a different time zone (e.g., you started a trip in your home time zone but it's now Day 4 of a Pacific rotation and you've slept three nights local).

Acclimation is per §117.3. DaPilot does not auto-detect it; you set it explicitly. The acclimation state determines which Appendix B table column applies.

6Confirm Appendix B max FDP

DaPilot looks up the Appendix B max FDP based on report time (in the acclimated time zone) and segment count. The result shows on the form. For example: "Max FDP for 0500-0559 report, 4 segments, acclimated: 13:00."

If your actual FDP exceeded the Appendix B max, the field displays the actual hours alongside the max. The pilot is responsible for understanding why an exceedance occurred (Appendix C inflight rest, FRMS authorization, weather diversions covered by §117.19, etc.).

7Save

Tap Save. The FDP appears on the dashboard. The five rolling-window cards refresh.

What DaPilot does with the FDP

The FDP is the unit of computation for several windows.

FDP duration in rolling windows

DaPilot computes FDP duration as release - report in hours. That value contributes to:

§117.23(c)(1): cumulative FDP in the previous 168 hours (7 days), capped at 60.
§117.23(c)(2): cumulative FDP in the previous 672 hours (28 days), capped at 190.

Pre-FDP rest validation

The most recent FDP's report time is the boundary for pre-FDP rest. DaPilot computes "rest preceding this FDP" as the duration of the rest period that ended at the report time, and compares it to the required rest under §117.X based on your acclimation state.

If pre-FDP rest is short, the FDP card shows the gap with a §117 citation.

Weekly rest validation

§117.25 requires 30 consecutive hours of rest in any 168-hour period. DaPilot scans your rest periods and surfaces the longest 30+ hour rest in the trailing 168 hours. If none exists, the §117.25 card shows "30 / 30 required" and how many cumulative hours you have toward the requirement.

Multiple FDPs per day

Multiple FDPs in a single calendar day are uncommon for typical Part 121 operations but possible (e.g., split-duty arrangements). DaPilot handles them as separate FDPs back-to-back. Each gets its own report and release time. The pre-FDP rest field on the second FDP reads the rest between the first and second.

Edits

Every field on a saved FDP is editable. Open the FDP from the dashboard or the duty list, change a field, and save. The rolling windows recompute.

If you discover a multi-week-old FDP that was logged with the wrong release time, edit it. Subsequent windows recompute from the updated history.

Common pitfalls

Confusing block-out with report time. Report is when you sign in for duty (60 to 90 minutes before the first block-out, depending on operator). Block-out is later. Use report.
Confusing block-in with release time. Release is typically 15 to 30 minutes after the last block-in, when you're formally released by ops. Use release.
Logging FDPs in local time without flagging the time zone. DaPilot stores UTC internally and the form has a UTC/local toggle; pick one and stick to it.
Marking 'acclimated' too aggressively when you've crossed multiple time zones in 48 hours. The §117.3 definition is specific; if you're not sure, mark 'not acclimated' or 'acclimated elsewhere' depending on which zone applies.
Forgetting to log the rest period that follows the FDP. The next §117.25 weekly-rest check needs the rest record. Without it, the dashboard cannot tell whether you've had your 30 consecutive hours.

Tips from line pilots

Log the FDP at the end of the day in the parking lot. Release time is fresh. If you wait until you get home, you'll forget the actual release minute and approximate it.

If your operator's iOS app shows OOOI in UTC, screenshot the OOOI page before you walk away from the airplane. Reading the OOOI off your operator's app and re-typing into DaPilot is faster than estimating from memory.

For long-haul augmented operations, the FDP form lets you log inflight rest blocks within the augmented crew section. Those count toward the §117.17 augmented-crew rules but are not yet feeding the Appendix C inflight rest credit lookup; that's coming in v1.1.

Last updated April 27, 2026 · 7 min read