diff --git a/Tools/autotest/apmrover2.py b/Tools/autotest/apmrover2.py
index 9d59483422..f962ffd6c1 100644
--- a/Tools/autotest/apmrover2.py
+++ b/Tools/autotest/apmrover2.py
@@ -75,17 +75,9 @@ class AutoTestRover(AutoTest):
         self.mavproxy = util.start_MAVProxy_SITL(
             'APMrover2', options=self.mavproxy_options())
         self.mavproxy.expect('Telemetry log: (\S+)\r\n')
-        logfile = self.mavproxy.match.group(1)
-        self.progress("LOGFILE %s" % logfile)
-
-        buildlog = self.buildlogs_path("APMrover2-test.tlog")
-        self.progress("buildlog=%s" % buildlog)
-        if os.path.exists(buildlog):
-            os.unlink(buildlog)
-        try:
-            os.link(logfile, buildlog)
-        except Exception:
-            pass
+        self.logfile = self.mavproxy.match.group(1)
+        self.progress("LOGFILE %s" % self.logfile)
+        self.try_symlink_tlog()
 
         self.progress("WAITING FOR PARAMETERS")
         self.mavproxy.expect('Received [0-9]+ parameters')
diff --git a/Tools/autotest/arducopter.py b/Tools/autotest/arducopter.py
index 539895e485..2afc0432c7 100644
--- a/Tools/autotest/arducopter.py
+++ b/Tools/autotest/arducopter.py
@@ -57,9 +57,6 @@ class AutoTestCopter(AutoTest):
         self.speedup = speedup
 
         self.log_name = "ArduCopter"
-        self.logfile = None
-        self.buildlog = None
-        self.copy_tlog = False
 
         self.sitl = None
         self.hasInit = False
@@ -103,19 +100,7 @@ class AutoTestCopter(AutoTest):
         self.mavproxy.expect('Telemetry log: (\S+)\r\n')
         self.logfile = self.mavproxy.match.group(1)
         self.progress("LOGFILE %s" % self.logfile)
-
-        self.buildlog = self.buildlogs_path(self.log_name + "-test.tlog")
-        self.progress("buildlog=%s" % self.buildlog)
-        self.copy_tlog = False
-        if os.path.exists(self.buildlog):
-            os.unlink(self.buildlog)
-        try:
-            os.link(self.logfile, self.buildlog)
-        except Exception:
-            self.progress("WARN: Failed to create symlink: %s => %s, "
-                          "will copy tlog manually to target location" %
-                          (self.logfile, self.buildlog))
-            self.copy_tlog = True
+        self.try_symlink_tlog()
 
         self.progress("WAITING FOR PARAMETERS")
         self.mavproxy.expect('Received [0-9]+ parameters')
diff --git a/Tools/autotest/arduplane.py b/Tools/autotest/arduplane.py
index 862b3a2e46..2992a4b951 100644
--- a/Tools/autotest/arduplane.py
+++ b/Tools/autotest/arduplane.py
@@ -70,17 +70,9 @@ class AutoTestPlane(AutoTest):
         self.mavproxy = util.start_MAVProxy_SITL(
             'ArduPlane', options=self.mavproxy_options())
         self.mavproxy.expect('Telemetry log: (\S+)\r\n')
-        logfile = self.mavproxy.match.group(1)
-        self.progress("LOGFILE %s" % logfile)
-
-        buildlog = self.buildlogs_path("ArduPlane-test.tlog")
-        self.progress("buildlog=%s" % buildlog)
-        if os.path.exists(buildlog):
-            os.unlink(buildlog)
-        try:
-            os.link(logfile, buildlog)
-        except Exception:
-            pass
+        self.logfile = self.mavproxy.match.group(1)
+        self.progress("LOGFILE %s" % self.logfile)
+        self.try_symlink_tlog()
 
         self.mavproxy.expect('Received [0-9]+ parameters')
 
diff --git a/Tools/autotest/ardusub.py b/Tools/autotest/ardusub.py
index d18b77771a..d29b4023da 100644
--- a/Tools/autotest/ardusub.py
+++ b/Tools/autotest/ardusub.py
@@ -64,17 +64,9 @@ class AutoTestSub(AutoTest):
         self.mavproxy = util.start_MAVProxy_SITL(
             'ArduSub', options=self.mavproxy_options())
         self.mavproxy.expect('Telemetry log: (\S+)\r\n')
-        logfile = self.mavproxy.match.group(1)
-        self.progress("LOGFILE %s" % logfile)
-
-        buildlog = self.buildlogs_path("ArduSub-test.tlog")
-        self.progress("buildlog=%s" % buildlog)
-        if os.path.exists(buildlog):
-            os.unlink(buildlog)
-        try:
-            os.link(logfile, buildlog)
-        except Exception:
-            pass
+        self.logfile = self.mavproxy.match.group(1)
+        self.progress("LOGFILE %s" % self.logfile)
+        self.try_symlink_tlog()
 
         self.progress("WAITING FOR PARAMETERS")
         self.mavproxy.expect('Received [0-9]+ parameters')
diff --git a/Tools/autotest/common.py b/Tools/autotest/common.py
index 84aac14e6d..be280034f1 100644
--- a/Tools/autotest/common.py
+++ b/Tools/autotest/common.py
@@ -115,6 +115,9 @@ class AutoTest(ABC):
         self.use_map = use_map
         self.contexts = []
         self.context_push()
+        self.buildlog = None
+        self.copy_tlog = False
+        self.logfile = None
 
     @staticmethod
     def progress(text):
@@ -228,6 +231,20 @@ class AutoTest(ABC):
         self.progress("########## %s  ##########" % description)
         self.progress("#")
 
+    def try_symlink_tlog(self):
+        self.buildlog = self.buildlogs_path(self.log_name + "-test.tlog")
+        self.progress("buildlog=%s" % self.buildlog)
+        if os.path.exists(self.buildlog):
+            os.unlink(self.buildlog)
+        try:
+            os.link(self.logfile, self.buildlog)
+        except OSError as error:
+            self.progress("OSError [%d]: %s" % (error.errno, error.strerror))
+            self.progress("WARN: Failed to create symlink: %s => %s, "
+                          "will copy tlog manually to target location" %
+                          (self.logfile, self.buildlog))
+            self.copy_tlog = True
+
     #################################################
     # GENERAL UTILITIES
     #################################################
diff --git a/Tools/autotest/quadplane.py b/Tools/autotest/quadplane.py
index 9a563c99ba..43d48ee622 100644
--- a/Tools/autotest/quadplane.py
+++ b/Tools/autotest/quadplane.py
@@ -46,8 +46,6 @@ class AutoTestQuadPlane(AutoTest):
 
         self.log_name = "QuadPlane"
         self.logfile = None
-        self.buildlog = None
-        self.copy_tlog = False
 
         self.sitl = None
         self.hasInit = False
@@ -71,17 +69,9 @@ class AutoTestQuadPlane(AutoTest):
         self.mavproxy = util.start_MAVProxy_SITL(
             'QuadPlane', options=self.mavproxy_options())
         self.mavproxy.expect('Telemetry log: (\S+)\r\n')
-        logfile = self.mavproxy.match.group(1)
-        self.progress("LOGFILE %s" % logfile)
-
-        buildlog = self.buildlogs_path("QuadPlane-test.tlog")
-        self.progress("buildlog=%s" % buildlog)
-        if os.path.exists(buildlog):
-            os.unlink(buildlog)
-        try:
-            os.link(logfile, buildlog)
-        except Exception:
-            pass
+        self.logfile = self.mavproxy.match.group(1)
+        self.progress("LOGFILE %s" % self.logfile)
+        self.try_symlink_tlog()
 
         self.mavproxy.expect('Received [0-9]+ parameters')