I recently discovered the reason my flights and flight times were not captured in the log book is because I have been enabling Dev Mode and clearing the console while in flight (at any point after the plane is at the departure gate).  After I clear the console I disable Dev Mode and save, so it's only done to get to the console window then is closed prior to starting engines.  I do this only to reduce or outright eliminate the white spiral spinning indicator which I'm pretty certain represents logging of warnings/errors/messages in the console, and I want to eliminate the indicator because every time it happens I get a very brief micro-stutter.  If I don't do this sometimes the indicator pops up frequently to constantly and it really ruins fluidity.  If there is a trick to stop this logging in the console I would like to see if it also kills logging flights in the logbook, which I assume it will but would like to see.  Strangely I also learned I don't even need to clear the console all I need to do is enable then disable Dev Mode and the same issue happens--flight is not captured in the log book and spinning indicator largely disappears as well.

Last night I say another hard to explain phenomenon.  I completed a flight from KPDX to CYYC, the flight was correctly logged.  Then I went back to the main screen, and created a new flight plan, cleared the console as per my usual practice to help eliminate the spinner, and had the smoothest flight of all time from CYYC to CYOW, a 1700nm flight. I did not see the spinner even once, whereas normally even w/ clearing the console prior to loading the plane to the gate I'll see the spinner happen many times prior to TO and somewhat regularly after but that often tapers down to rarely through the flight plan, though nowhere near as much as when I don't clear the console prior to loading the plane to the gate when it can spin every few seconds sometimes.  This must sound confusing but at least I can reduce the spinning indicator and retain logging of flights now but would love to see if killing the logging actions also prevents logging of each flight in the logbook.

Edited May 23, 20215 yr by Noel

I would like to know this as well.  At each startup I quickly activate dev mode, bring up the console, and clear the massages (normally around 2000 per session I have noticed).

This seems to reduce the bottom right spinner for me also.

Wow, very interesting finding and it's happened twice now in very different scenarios.   Try this and see if you get the same.  Here's what happened:

I cleared the console PRIOR to launching the flight plan by hitting FLY on the flight planner screen, this was KTVL to KSMF, a short hop in the Citation L.  By the time I got to the runway threshold at KTVL, a very short taxi at this small airport, the spinner displayed 11 times.  By the time I got to just 3k feet up in altitude the spinner was displaying very frequently and with it the slight stutters.  Recall in order to get the spinner not to display virtually at all I've had to load the flight plan onto the departure gate, then clear the console.  And again, when this is done while the spinner largely doesn't display the flight will not to logged into the logbook, consistently.

When I arrived at KSMF, I shut the plane down at the arrival gate, and the flight was indeed logged.  All's behaving as predicted so far.  Here's the amazing new finding:   I went from shutdown where the screen pops up to display your logbook, back to the Main Screen from the logbook dialogue of choices.  Next, I created a new flight plan from KSMF to KSBA, cleared the console prior to launching to the departure gate so there were zero content in the console.  The, returned to the Welcome screen to my previously setup new flight from KSMF to KSBA and here's the finding:   I've yet to see the spinner even once, and I'm about 1/3 of the way to KSBA already.  When I land we'll see if the flight is logged, and if the spinner ever appears.   This has been another ultra smooth flight!  Standby.....

Wow, great!  Never saw the spinner even once!  The landing at KSBA was choppy because that area can do that but the entire flight there was absolutely smooth.  I'm letting AI taxi in to park right now and will look to see how many new entries are in the log but AFTER shutting down and exiting to the Main Screen.  I won't close MSFS because presumably the solution for now until this is recognized and fixed is to complete one flight but don't exit MSFS, and don't clear the log while in a flight plan.   Standby...

OK, after shutting down at KSBA indeed the flight was correctly logged in the logbook.   So I just hit Back to Main Screen from the Logbook dialogue and had a look at the Dev Mode console:  over 1400 entries present, and I just now cleared those and am going to create a new plan from KSBA to KPSP so will see how this goes w/ regard to the spinner.  Standby...

Just took off from KSBA and no spinner displayed and I'm at 13K feet.  So it would appear as long as you don't leave MSFS, and as long as you FIRST execute one flight to completion w/ the spinner displaying despite clearing the console (FWIW, not sure) prior to launching the flight to the departure gate, you're going to have lose the spinner completely AND log your flights in the logbook.  After KPSP I will do one short test to see if this continues to work when changing the new departure airport from the prior arrival airport.  And I will avoid clearing the console at KPSP as well and see if we remain spinner-free.     

Try and duplicate this Bob and see if you get the same.  If so, I'll report it as a zendesk ticket as it will help to know others have found the same behavior.  I guess the key is pretty simple:  don't close MSFS unless you're done for the day!

 

Edited May 23, 20215 yr by Noel

Just as a side note, take a look at these 'warnings'.  You will see the vast majority of the issues are with the default aircraft (at least on my pc).

I have no reason to use Dev Mode.  If I want a capture or FPS reading I use the XBox game bar.

Cheers

bs

I like the Dev Mode camera better than the drone cameras for exploration, only reason I may use it when not developing stuff. 

I am so stoked about this finding!  The spinning micro-stutter generating thing is now gone, and logging of flights restored!  May be a red herring, the part about needing to first do a complete flight after clearing the console w/ the first flight after opening MSFS.  It may be sufficient just to complete any flight without that ritual so can check on that next time up.  Consider it a test flight of the day and it may be good enough to simply take off and fly around the airport then land.  Right now on an RNAV arrival into KPSP and no spinner.  Next I will try creating a new plan from a different airport and see if the goodness persists.

Just TO out ok KHND for KTVL and all's well again no spinner.

Cheers

This seems to work - nice find Noel! 

I did a short 'test' flight, then quit out and cleared the log, turned dev mode off, and I did three flights, one of them was nearly an hour.  I can't remember seeing the spinner.  This will be great for capturing videos without it interfering.

It is obviously a bug / unwanted feature, and there is no need for the darn thing at all.

Ok great well I can try to put up a zendesk ticket and hopefully they can fix this.  It's also nice to have the logbook working again just for kicks.  Next test will be to see how to reduce the test flight to the bare minimum.  I guess maybe enter the departure and arrival airports as the same, then take off and land and see it will record that as a flight.  Unfortunate ritual to have to go thru but still worth it for me.