Show HN: Yaw – digital logbook for glider pilots
A glider pilot returning to the sport after a decade is building YAW, a digital logbook for glider pilots. The app currently lets users log flights and share their logbook with instructors and CFIs. The developer is now focused on helping existing pilots transfer their paper flight records into the system.
Background
- Glider pilots (soaring) fly unpowered aircraft that rely on rising air currents. Unlike powered aircraft, they log very specific details: launch type (towplane, winch, self-launch), duration, altitude gained, and often the specific thermals or ridges used.<br>- Digital logbooks exist for general aviation (e.g. ForeFlight, LogTen), but glider flying has unique logging requirements and a relatively small, specialized community. Most glider clubs still rely on paper logbooks — handwritten records that pilots must carry to verify flight experience for licenses, insurance, and site access.<br>- A "CFI" is a Certified Flight Instructor; "site" refers to a specific glider airfield or club. Since glider pilots often travel between sites to fly different conditions, having a shareable logbook (with instructors or chief pilots at other clubs) is a practical pain point.<br>- YAW is a niche project built by a pilot for pilots, targeting the onboarding bottleneck: converting decades of paper records into digital form, which is tedious but essential for pilots returning to the sport or applying for advanced ratings.