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Drop the paper weight

James Careless | May 17, 2018

Estimated reading time 5 minutes, 15 seconds.

Using paper to track a single helicopter’s maintenance requirements and completed service appointments is complicated enough. Tracking an entire helicopter fleet on paper is exponentially more difficult.

Add in the stress of tracking the fleet’s parts inventory, and a paper-based system can be an overwhelming experience.

This is where Flightdocs HMX can help. This simple, user-friendly, cloud-based electronic platform makes recording and tracking a helicopter fleet’s maintenance and inventory records incredibly easy and convenient, all from a smartphone, tablet, or web-connected computer.

“We’re using modern technology to solve real-world business problems,” said Greg Heine, Flightdocs’ chief operating officer. “Flightdocs’ HMX is so much more than an electronic spreadsheet. It is a sophisticated, integrated, and highly-informative maintenance/inventory tracking platform that gives operators real-time insights into their fleet’s performance, allowing them to react to new problems quickly and prevent potential issues proactively.”

As a company, Flightdocs is a cloud-based Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) provider of aircraft maintenance and inventory management software. Founded in 2003, Flightdocs was the first maintenance tracking provider to offer a web-based solution, an iPad application, and a fully compliant electronic signature.

Flightdocs is now being used to support thousands of aircraft worldwide. The latest version, Flightdocs HMX, was released in 2017 and is enjoying good market acceptance.

“Our products are creating significant ROI [return on investment], by reducing helicopter/fixed-wing downtime and maximizing in-service availability,” said Heine. “The more time the aircraft spends in the air, the more money our customers are going to be making. Flightdocs’ product development is solely focused on streamlining the multiple facets of our customers’ operations so they can reduce downtime and accept as many missions as possible.”

Most of Flightdocs’ helicopter clients are flying for air medical, law enforcement and firefighting operations, with a mix of charter and corporate users thrown in.

“The vast majority of our customers have multiple aircraft, several base locations, operate around the clock, and keep a large value of inventory on hand at all times,” said Heine. “As a result, they have extremely demanding maintenance and inventory tracking requirements.”

These requirements explain why operators across the industry are adopting Flightdocs. They rely on the ‘in-the-hand’ immediacy of Flightdocs’ electronic maintenance/inventory management platforms to keep their fleets safely aloft as much as possible.

Beyond the modules outlined above, Flightdocs HMX has four features that make it indispensable for pilots, maintenance technicians, and the managers who oversee helicopter fleet operations.

Pilot dash

Available on the Flightdocs iPad, iPhone, and Android apps, this single view gives pilots an instant, real-time snapshot of their helicopter’s flight status.

“In addition to viewing key data from their device, helicopter pilots can use the Pilot Dash to report discrepancies and non-routine maintenance while in flight,” said Heine. (These real-time reports can include photos and videos as well as the pilot’s notes.)

“As soon as these reports are filed, the helicopter’s maintenance staff and its home base are notified, allowing them to work on a solution before the helicopter has even landed.”

End-to-end electronic workflow

Flightdocs logs everything entered into its database in real time, providing a comprehensive record that can be viewed after the fact.

“From a mechanic and inspector perspective, Flightdocs’ electronic workflow provides massive efficiencies to the compliance process,” said Heine. “Users can easily plan, update, sign off, and create documentation; all in real time. This eliminates a huge amount of labor usually spent on paperwork, and slashes the time required to release an aircraft to service after maintenance has been completed.”

Divisions and core exchange

Flightdocs’ Divisions feature allows users to view their inventory and purchasing company-wide, or break it down into specific child companies or base locations.

“We have also implemented Core Exchange tracking into the purchasing and inventory modules,” said Heine. “This allows for easy traceability of cores owed to vendors, and corresponding financial transactions.”

Rock-solid customer service

“We know a lot of companies tout good support, but we truly stand by our Flightdocs products,” said Heine. “This means 24/7/365 U.S.-based analyst support. There’s no voicemail or answering services. You always get a live person that can help you with whatever you need.”

The bottom line: Flightdocs is a progressive, money-saving electronic platform that puts helicopter fleet control right in your pocket. Peace of mind is no more than a few taps away.

“We’ve had great success in transforming the workflows used in operations of all shapes and sizes,” said Heine. “Give us a call to learn what Flightdocs can do for you.”

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