Previous-tacho pre-fill
What it is
Section titled “What it is”When you open the Log Flight screen for a fresh session, the Start meter value is pre-filled with the End meter value of the most recent usage log on the same asset. The value comes from the asset’s running meter reading, which the previous log updated when it was saved.
A “tacho” (short for tachometer, sometimes spelled “tach”) is an hour meter that accumulates engine or propeller running time. The same pre-fill mechanism applies whatever the syndicate has labelled its engine meter — Hobbs, Tacho, or custom.
Who can use it
Section titled “Who can use it”Everyone logging a flight — the pre-fill is automatic. There is no toggle and no permission gate.
Where to find it
Section titled “Where to find it”- Log Flight screen — the Start field on a new (not editing) log.
- Route:
/bookings/:bookingId→ Log Flight button.
Fields / options
Section titled “Fields / options”Not a field in its own right. It affects one value on the form:
| Field | Pre-filled from | Editable |
|---|---|---|
| <Meter> Start | The asset’s current engine meter reading (= end value of the most recent log) | Yes — always |
Behaviour rules
Section titled “Behaviour rules”- Pre-fill only, never authoritative. The value is a suggestion. You can edit it freely and the edited value is what gets saved.
- Asset-scoped. The value comes from the asset the booking is for. Different aircraft have independent meter readings.
- Capture-mode aware. Pre-fill applies to modes that capture the engine meter (
engine_meterandboth). Inclock_timemode there is no Start meter field and no pre-fill. - Only on create. Editing an existing log reads the log’s own saved Start value — it does not re-apply pre-fill.
- No photo gate. You do not have to attach a photo to confirm the pre-filled value, and a photo does not validate the value either. See Hobbs photos.
- Mismatch at finalisation. If the Start you enter disagrees with the previous log’s End, the booking is flagged as a tacho-continuity conflict at finalisation time. auto-finalise skips conflicted bookings; a human admin can still finalise them manually. See Tacho-continuity conflict.
- Interaction with Quick Capture. The “I’m flying now” Quick Capture flow (from a confirmed upcoming booking’s detail screen) uses the same pre-fill rule: when it lands on the Log Flight screen, the Start field is pre-filled from the previous log’s End.