Type code vs type rating vs make and model

Log the official model designation, GVII-G600. It is the precise name on the FAA type certificate, it records exactly which aircraft you flew, and it is what a DPE, employer, or insurer recognizes. The marketing name ("Gulfstream G600") and the ICAO type code ("GA6C") describe the same jet, but the type designation is the one that belongs in your logbook.

One aircraft can carry three different names, and they get mixed up constantly. Here is the same Gulfstream described three ways:

Label	Example	Where it comes from
Make and model	Gulfstream G600 (marketing); GVII-G600 (official model)	The manufacturer and the FAA type certificate
Type rating	GVII (covers both the G500 and the G600)	The rating on your pilot certificate
Type code (ICAO type designator)	GA6C	ICAO Doc 8643, used by ATC and flight plans

Make and model

This is the plain name of the aircraft: a manufacturer (the make) and a specific model. "Gulfstream" is the make, and "G600" is the marketing model name. On the FAA type certificate the official model designation is written GVII-G600, and that is the version to log: it is precise, it matches your type rating, and it is unambiguous to any human who looks at your logbook.

Type rating

A type rating is an authorization added to your pilot certificate. Large aircraft (over 12,500 lbs) and all turbojets require one to act as pilot in command. You earn it through a checkride in that specific aircraft.

For this Gulfstream the type rating is GVII, and it is a single, shared rating: holding GVII qualifies you to fly both the G500 and the G600. So your certificate says "GVII," while the specific aircraft you flew on a given day might be a G500 or a G600.

That is exactly why the type rating does not belong in the aircraft field of a logbook entry. It tells you what you are qualified to fly, not which aircraft you flew. The model designation (GVII-G600) does that, and it is the value to log.

Type code (ICAO type designator)

The type code is the short, standardized designator from ICAO Doc 8643. For the G600 it is GA6C, classified L2J (Landplane, 2 engines, Jet). This is the code that goes in box 9 of an ICAO flight plan, that ATC uses, and that many electronic flight bags and scheduling systems sort by.

It is precise and machine-friendly, but it is jargon. "GA6C" means nothing to most people reading a logbook, so it is a poor primary label even though it is a great secondary one.

Which one goes in the logbook

The FAA rule is 14 CFR 61.51(b)(1)(iv), which says each entry must record the:

Type and identification of aircraft, full flight simulator, flight training device, or aviation training device, as appropriate.

Two things matter here:

• "Type" in this context means the make and model, and the cleanest version of that is the official model designation (GVII-G600), not the ICAO code.
• "Identification" means the registration, the tail number (for example, N-number).

So the rule is satisfied by logging the model designation plus the tail number. The regulation does not require the ICAO type code.

The recommendation

1. Log the official model designation. "GVII-G600" is precise, reads clearly to a checkride examiner, a chief pilot, or an insurer, and records exactly which aircraft you flew. For aircraft without a type rating, the make and model (for example, "Cessna 172") plays the same role.
2. Keep the type code as a secondary field. "GA6C" is the best way to group and total your time by exact type and to stay compatible with flight-planning tools that speak in ICAO designators, but it is jargon, so it should not be the only label on an entry.
3. Do not log the type rating in its place. "GVII" qualifies you for both the G500 and the G600, so on its own it does not say which aircraft you flew. Log the model designation (GVII-G600); your GVII rating lives on your certificate.

How KármánLogs handles this

For US-registered aircraft, enter the tail number and KármánLogs pulls the make, model, and class straight from the FAA registry, so the official designation is filled in for you. See Add an aircraft by N-number for the steps. Your printed logbook shows that model designation (for example, GVII-G600) in the aircraft type column, while the app keeps the ICAO type code alongside it for totaling and filtering by type.

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