Dauntless - HelpDesk

Getting a 'Please Wait ...' message when attempting to use certain features

Our eLogbook client programs are mostly fully-featured programs in their own rights and you can use them for most day to day flight log activities even if your device is completely disconnected from the internet. This is particularly useful if you are on a foreign trip or want to update your logbook where you don't necessarily have internet access.

However, certain features in our eLogbook client programs for PC, Mac, iOS, and Android are accessed via the internet and do require internet access. Broadly speaking, such "connected" features are usually classified as relatively minor / infrequently used, benefit from immediate centralization to keep your logbook state consistent (this includes logbook setup), or relate to aviation / regulatory issues that are are subject to short notice critical change (such a certain currency analysis tools).

Most of the time, you can identify "connected" functionality in our eLogbook system because we color code them in purple. For example, if you are in the PC or Mac version of Safelog and see a purple border, then what's inside that purple border is being accessed via the internet. The process is normally fairly transparent.

We have gotten isolated reports from time to time, however, of reports of this not working. The typical case for this is a "Please Wait..." message that seems to go indefinitely.

Below are a few possible reasons why this can happen. We've written the below mostly for PC users as that's where we've found most such issues occur, so if you are on a different platform, please use the guide below as a series of hints as to what to do on your specific platform.

Possible Reason #1: Make sure your copy of Windows (MacOS, iOS, Android OS, etc) is up to date.

For Safelog to work correctly, you must have an up-to-date copy of Windows. Updates from Microsoft are free and are vital for the secure and efficient functioning of your PC. Go into the "update" or "windows update" functionality of your PC, and check for updates. If you have a new PC especially, do this repeatedly. Sometimes, you will find that Windows says that you are "up to date" but then, after a reboot, you check again you may find that there are more updates to be gotten. Installing all updates for a new PC may take several reboots and many update checks. If you have pending updates or updates are 'in progress', our apps (as those of our competitors) may not work correctly. Make sure you reboot your PC after you have updated your PC. After a major update, you may need to reboot again.
Possible Reason #2: Try rebooting your PC / Mac / Device.: It's a cliche, we know, but it often works! In fact, this fixes nearly all such issues that users report. The reasons for this are many and technical, but it comes down to this: turn your PC all the way off and then all the way back on and the problem may be solved.
Possible Reason #3: Maybe something's up with your Internet connection / or DNS: If your internet connection is not ideal, Safelog may have issues. Specifically, there may be DNS issues at your internet service provider that may be causing your issue. Or, if you're using some custom DNS, this may also cause issues with your device being able to connect to one of our server farms. Again, rebooting your PC may help, as may, in some cases, rebooting your home internet router, if you are using one. If you are in a country where internet access is restricted by government systems, this may also cause issues.
Possible Reason #4: Your "Internet Security" or "anti-virus" may be blocking our app or portions thereof: If you have internet security software on your PC, including firewalls, anti-virus apps, or general 'security suites', this may be the cause of your issues. Such apps are often poorly written and throw many false positives your way as a means of scaring you into thinking that you have paid for something useful when in fact, you likely have not. As of this writing, nearly all such software, including those from formerly big name, respected companies including those whose names begin with "No", "Ka", "AV", "Av", "Bit", "Mc", "Li", "Sy", and others are, in our opinion and in the opinion of many in the tech industry, basically rubbish, no matter how good of a rating some long-irrelevant computer magazine may give them.
Possible Reason #5: VPN?: While our system will normally work fine with many VPN setups, there is always a chance that such VPN services are themselves acting up or have security settings set that don't let our data get through. Additionally, if your VPN happens to be set to a country which itself restricts internet access, this could be an issue. Try turning your VPN off if you have one.
Possible Reason #6: Local or Regional or even Hotel/Company Internet Monitoring or Filtering??: Some organizations restrict access to the internet in non-transparent ways. While Safelog works fine in most places since it uses basically standard protocols and formats, if you encounter an organization or country with fairly zealous internet policing of one sort or another, this may theoretically cause issues beyond our ability to help. This is especially true as Safelog traffic is encrypted, and certain entities view all encrypted traffic with suspicion. In such cases, a VPN might help - but whether it actually will depends on the specific policies of the "policing" entity. If you live in such a place, you may already be aware of VPNs and other workarounds. If you're just visiting such a place temporarily, consider just waiting until you get to a location without such restrictions.

Some combination of the the above four reasons have so far solved things for 100% people who have come to us with this issue. However, we also include the following for you to try / consider:

Make sure you have the latest version of our software.: Uninstall our software from your PC / Mac / Device, reboot your PC / Mac / Device. Visit www.PilotLog.com to download and install the latest version. It is vital to have the latest version for Safelog to work correctly.
Try refreshing your data file: Start the Safelog program / app on your device. Go to 'my account' then 'support/troubleshooting.' Follow the links there to 'switch accounts' and, here's the key - 'switch' to your own account. This will basically force the system to rebuild your local database, which can often fix the odd issue.
Try again after a few hours: There's always the possibility that all of our server / farms are temporarily unavailable, such as due to an non-scheduled update that we need to make for security or other reasons. Our up-time has historically been top-tier excellent, but there's always the possibility. In such cases, please wait a few hours or a few days and try again. If any outage is likely to be prolonged, our team will generally put a message on our helpdesk front screen. Again, rebooting may also help. Thank you for your patience should any unplanned outage occur.