45 I MAINTENANCE & ENGINEERING
The need to implement a full electronic maintenance function across the
aviation sector has been a noticeable trend in the last few years. Paperless
systems have different levels of sophistication to cater for the specific
needs of individual MROs and operators. Implementation has seen
advances but also setbacks due to constraints and regulation
The many roads to a
paperless maintenance
system
M
aintenance & engineering
(M&E) IT systems have
been available for several
decades. They have evolved
to allow many maintenance activities to be
performed in both an electronic and a
paperless environment, and produce
paperless records. For the most part,
maintenance activities performed by
operators and maintenance repair and
overhaul (MRO) organisations still rely on
physical printed manuals and manually-
signed records.
Transitioning to paperless records and
electronic practices leads to bigger
efficiencies and reduced costs and labour.
In spite of this, implementation has been
slow and has been met with resistance by
different sectors in the industry for a
variety of reasons. For example, the
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and
other global aviation bodies have until now
generally stated a preference to maintain
traditional paper records.
There are opportunities to accelerate
the implementation of electronic solutions.
The long-term cost savings realised by
becoming paperless outpace the initial
investment required, and so reduce long-
term costs. Cost reduction is a driver to
implement a paperless solution, but is not
the only one.
There is now a mandate by the US
government that requires all federal
agencies to become paperless by 31st
December 2022, and the FAA needs to
comply with it. M&E system and content
management system (CMS) providers say
they expect this mandate to encourage
operators and MROs to migrate from a
traditional paper-based system to one that
at least generates paperless records.
ISSUE NO. 129 • APRIL/MAY 2020
Traditional paper systems
Traditional maintenance systems have
had documents and manuals configured in
page blocks and book formats. These
manuals are used in maintenance planning,
and maintenance execution by mechanics.
Planning engineers have generated
paper printed task cards for mechanics for
decades. Task cards had various bits of
information manually written on them by
the mechanic on completion.
Completed paper task cards and
maintenance records comprise thousands
of pages, which are essential because of
legal requirements. Searching records to
prove maintenance compliance to the
regulator, or providing them during an
aircraft transaction, is laborious and
expensive. Reducing cost and man-hours
(MH) in this process is one area where
M&E and CMS systems provide savings.
M&E systems are transactional in
nature, and they maintain a database of all
events relating to maintenance status and
performed maintenance. This includes
aircraft age, flight hours (FH) and cycles
(FC) and operation dates. To adhere to the
aircraft’s approved maintenance
programme (AMP), and comply with the
intervals for each task, information relating
to the number of each maintenance task
will be loaded onto the system.
Early versions of M&E systems had
some of the information from these printed
manuals included in the database. The
manual management and editing of page
blocks and paper documents, even with
M&E systems, creates an inefficient
workload for engineering departments.
Updating and revising printed paper
manuals issued by the original equipment
manufacturers (OEMs) is highly time-
consuming. Each task in the maintenance
planning document (MPD) and AMP to
each aircraft refers to several other
manuals, including the illustrated parts
catalogue (IPC), approved parts list (APL),
structural repair manual (SRM), aircraft
wiring manual (AWM), and others.
Evolution of M&E and CMS systems
allows these tasks to be undertaken
electronically. A revision therefore affects
several manuals, and so takes a long time
to implement through all copies of each
manual held in an organisation.
Evolution of electronic records
M&E systems facilitate the execution
of AMPs. Each operator’s AMP is unique,
even for other airlines operating the same
aircraft type. M&E systems’ document
management capabilities evolved from
printed page block structures to the full
mobility solutions available today. The
M&E systems also had to become more
sophisticated to handle all the
documentation and content associated
with maintenance. This requires
documents to be held in an electronic
format. Evolution of CMS solutions has
made it simpler and quicker to author and
edit documents.
A CMS is preferable when users need
to do a lot of in-house authoring and
editing. Examples are adding service
bulletins (SB)s, airworthiness directives
(AD) or engineering orders (EOs), and in-
house tasks that are unique to the operator.
When an operator has to merge its
own tasks with the AMM tasks provided
by the OEM, the advantage of having a
CMS becomes clear.
AIRCRAFT COMMERCE
46 I MAINTENANCE & ENGINEERING
“The first version of Trax M&E was
introduced in 1997,” says Chris Reed,
managing director at Trax. “The software
was installed on a desktop Windows-based
environment. The maintenance database
was stored in a server on the initial
solution provided by Trax. This allowed
the user to plan and execute maintenance
activities in a more structured way than
traditional paper-based systems.”
A new version of the Trax M&E
solution was released every year, and the
vendor still supports users of the system.
This was superseded by eMRO in 2010,
which is a portable solution. “eMRO is an
agnostic solution, which means that users
can visualise and use the same interface,
independently of the device on which the
application is run,” explains Reed.
eMobility is the most recent product
introduced by Trax to the market. When a
maintenance activity is carried out, eMRO
users are in different locations, some of
which have poor connectivity. The
AIRCRAFT COMMERCE
eMobility solution allows the eMRO suite
to remain interactive during the execution
of a maintenance task. The information is
typically transmitted to devices using 4G
technology. eMobility guarantees that the
flow of information is synchronised, even if
signal coverage is temporarily unavailable.
“For instance, a mechanic may request a
part at a remote stand where there is
intermittent coverage. When connectivity is
re-established, eMobility automatically
synchronises this request and the part is
prepared for collection. If signal coverage is
stable then the request is received in real
time.” Interacting with the system,
accessing information and authorising
transactions are optimised when they can
be executed in real time. This reduces MH
and makes the maintenance function more
efficient.
“Mobility is now growing,” says
Ronald Schaeuffele, chief executive officer
at Swiss Aviation Software. “We try to
differentiate between the mechanics
The aircraft maintenance industry has
progressed slowly to electronic and paperless
maintenance system. The US government that
the FAA had to comply with to have paperless
records should now finally push airlines and
MROs to adopt a paperless approach.
performing maintenance, and activities that
operate in a more controlled
environment.”
Swiss Aviation Software’s AMOS
system offered mobile capabilities first
because of demand from its customer base.
The AMOS mobile solution has now been
available for five years. “Digitalisation of
the data to its full extent means there is no
paper at the end. Implementation was a
huge challenge for most organisations.
Introduction of mobile tablets in the
maintenance environment generated
interest, but the introduction of e-
signatures was a big hurdle.”
Paperless aircraft
The 787, A350 and A220 aircraft have
their technical documents and manuals
produced in extensible mark-up language
(XML). As older aircraft get retired and
new aircraft are introduced, the use of
electronic records should be more
widespread.
“Operating an aircraft that produces
maintenance information electronically
does not, however, necessarily lead to
airlines adopting fully paperless systems,”
says Nick Godwin, managing director at
Commsoft.
There are many parameters and sets of
information that an aircraft can produce,
but not all of them are relevant to an
airline’s particular maintenance procedures.
OASES is an M&E system that is built
around a Core Module that contains all
the databases required for maintenance,
and there are optional modules that give
functionality to the Core.
“Airlines using the OASES solution are
able to select which modules they need for
their maintenance activities, giving a lot of
flexibility to interact with continuing
airworthiness management organisations
(CAMOs) and MROs,” adds Godwin.
A relevant point is that an operator’s
AMP is certified by the regulator in the
jurisdiction where the airline operates.
M&E systems provide solutions that
adhere to, and ensure compliance with,
airworthiness regulations in each
jurisdiction, although M&Es are not
certified by the regulator. “This has been
another impediment for a more widespread
use of electronic maintenance and is
something that will need to be addressed in
the future,” says Godwin. For the time
being, physical records and electronic
records coexist in most jurisdictions.
ISSUE NO. 129 • APRIL/MAY 2020
48 I MAINTENANCE & ENGINEERING
Technical challenges
Having an electronic system is more
streamlined and efficient than manually
handling records. Running the
maintenance function electronically will
generate cost savings, but the initial
investment in the technology may deter
small operators in particular. “OEMs did
not originally produce electronic versions
of maintenance manuals for many legacy
types like the A300, 737 Classics, MD-80
and 717s. Converting all this information
to an electronic format is time-consuming,
expensive and, in many cases, does not
make economic sense,” claims Reed
EmpowerMX is one of the leading
providers of CMS solutions. The decision
to move from a paper-based to electronic
environment is not easy according to
Dinakara Nagalla, chief executive officer at
EmpowerMX says “With our solution we
can take the airline through transitional
steps. This allows a seamless transition
from a paper-based system to an electronic
one.”
“Trax does workshops with the client.
We show them how the software works,
the options and the processes,” says Reed.
“The business workshop process allows
the client to have a better understanding of
the system. Some of our clients were still
using paper, Excel, or an old M&E system.
Workshops are a key business-to-business
activity for implementation. Each version
of the software incorporates new features.
We are releasing two versions of eMRO
this year. Due to COVID-19 we are adding
some new features on the second release to
help business through the crisis.” The
market landscape has changed and
artificial intelligence (AI) is one of the
elements that will enable further efficiency
in maintenance.
E-signatures are widely used and they
are important for compliance. “eMRO is
AIRCRAFT COMMERCE
able to validate e-signatures,” adds Reed.
“There are several ways this can be done.
For example, typing a PIN that is unique to
the mechanic is a form of authentication.
Biometric validation is also enabled so the
mobile device can capture fingerprints
through a touchscreen. Face-recognition
technology is also available. The task
information and the signature are then
saved and stored electronically.”
All electronic records can be retrieved
in PDF format and printed if required, for
example at a lease end.
Validation of e-signature is heavily
dependent on the regulatory environment
in which a carrier operates and its internal
practices. “Some jurisdictions accept a
signature that is collected through a
touchpad once a task is completed, but
others require signatures and different
validation in many other steps of
maintenance execution and planning,”
explains Schaeuffele. “The acceptance of e-
signature is a relatively simple process in
the US, whereas in countries like Germany
it is more complex.”
Records are managed in a structured
format in a CMS solution, usually in
standard generalised mark-up language
(SGML) or XML formats. “Any content in
the Vistair system can be exported in either
structured format as per the OEM source
data, or in unstructured PDF format as
required,” says Wayne Enis, product
strategy manager at Vistair Systems. “The
ability to render electronic records in
digital form has faced resistance in the
industry. Some of it originates to the lack
of qualified digital officers championing the
change and the lack of infrastructure to
deal with the change.”
Technical document formats, such as
S1000D, have been slowly adopted by the
civil aircraft OEMs. The interpretation of
the specification can also vary considerably
between them.
Digital maintenance IT systems ultimately
provide all information electronically and
digitally, completely avoiding the need for
paper.
“The specification for providing and
accepting aircraft transfer records (Spec
2500) has been in place for more than two
years and few M&E or records
management systems fully support it,”
concludes Enis. Airlines are usually based
in only one country, but lessors place their
fleet in many jurisdictions globally, and the
regulator in each country would have
different criteria for compliance.
Physical records can be tampered with
or can be damaged if they are not stored
properly. Cloud-based storage also entails
risks. “Cybersecurity has to be part of the
design, practices and operational
procedures. We are now in a world where
all processes are going electronic. Doing
electronic banking is part of ordinary life
for example, so the aviation industry has
no excuse to go backwards and do paper.
Technology is always moving forward,”
says Mark Schulz, founder of Digital
Aircraft operations.
There are ways to mitigate this risk.
“We store the data in a fully encrypted
database, with multiple layers of security to
get to the records in AWS,” says Nagalla.
The AWS technology is deployed over
server farms throughout the world, and
supported by Amazon Web Services in the
cloud.
“Both physical and electronic records
have their own potential disadvantages
that require mitigation,” adds Enis. “Loss
of data and integrity of physical
information has always been an issue when
storing records. The risk in terms of
security breaches and data corruption is
sometimes exaggerated. The techniques to
mitigate these are well known and well
executed in general.”
CMS vs M&E system
The document management module of
an M&E system will typically only support
content from the AMM, and only use that
data for the production of a work pack.
This choice does not give the end user all
the flexibility needed when handling large
amounts of information and processes.
“For example, the document module will
not support styled viewing of the
publication, and will also not support the
range of other technical data, such as the
IPC and other manual,” says Enis. A CMS
solution is able to support all document
types related to the airframe, alongside
engine and component data.
ISSUE NO. 129 • APRIL/MAY 2020

“M&E document systems have
evolved over several decades, but even if
they incorporate a document module they
lack proper functionality. They are still
under-developed, and contain immature
modules,” adds Nagalla.
CMS solutions complement the
functionality of M&E systems. CMS
solutions do not replace an M&E system,
and cannot operate on their own. The
main functions of a CMS are holding
maintenance manuals, authoring and
editing the manuals, making real-time
updates and revisions, and removing the
complexity of completing paper records.
“eMRO has a built-in CMS capability,”
adds Reed.
A few M&E systems have
sophisticated document and technical
manual management capabilities. “The
users that require a CMS solution are those
that need to edit, author and modify
manuals; create task cards and in-house
manuals; and customise their maintenance
practices,” says Schulz. “M&E systems can
provide this functionality on a small scale.
The ones that have these capabilities are
just basic, however. Only a small number
of vendors offer the full set of capabilities
that a CMS solution requires. The
capability to receive OEM revisions and
updates and perform the full level of
processing only properly done by a few
systems. The vendors that have systems
with this capability include Trax; and the
ISSUE NO. 129 • APRIL/MAY 2020
four CMS systems provided by Flatirons,
Aerosoft (DigiDOC), Boeing and Airbus.
There are other CMS systems that do not
yet have the full capability, but they are
developing that way. There is no M&E
system that it equally mature in document
and technical manual management in all
areas at the same level as a dedicated CMS.
“There is generally a trend and
development in this direction with a lot of
systems, but it will take a few more years
for it to be fully completed,” adds Schulz.
“Digital is required to start with when
using a CMS, and the CMS has to be fully
comprehensive for it to perform all the
functions. One prime example of what a
CMS is required for is when using a fully
interactive task card. This is a task card
where the mechanic can report findings
and send them to a supervisor, request and
order parts, take measurements or
calibrations, and take photographs and
have them stored digitally and attached to
the completed task card. This can only
work when two main parameters are in the
place. The first is that the data is in an
intelligent format. That is, SGML or better
still XML. The second is when the system
used together with a CMS.
“Another functionality that is required
for interactive task cards is an interactive
illustrated parts catalogue (IPC),”
continues Schulz. “An example of where a
service bulletin (SB) has been issued, and
applied to some of a fleet. The SB changes
49 I MAINTENANCE & ENGINEERING
the aircraft configuration and P/Ns used. A
CMS allows the operation and use of an
interactive IPC. That is, the applicable
configuration and P/Ns to a specific aircraft
are held in the CMS and IPC. An extreme
example is where Bombardier published a
configuration for every single aircraft
affected by SB, AD or EO. This cannot be
done manually, and has to be done by a
CMS and interactive IPC.”
Scope of CMS systems
“The largest market at the moment for
CMS systems is North America, but the
Middle East is growing and could
overcome North America,” says Nagalla.
Schulz adds that it is important to
understand the definition of a CMS,
because this can range from a file
repository, a SharePoint site, a solution like
Boeing’s ToolBox storage repository, a
technical authoring and illustration
management solution, to a full CMS like
Aerosoft.
“The industry has been slow at
adopting new technologies where there
may be a regulatory impact,” says Enis.
Current system vendors estimate that
only 10-15% of operators and MROs
worldwide have adopted CMS systems.
“Trax has more than 185 customers, but
only two of them have made the full
transition from paper to electronic
maintenance practices,” says Reed.
AIRCRAFT COMMERCE
50 I MAINTENANCE & ENGINEERING
OEM portals vs CMS systems
Boeing’s ToolBox is a portal-based
solution that allows operators and MROs
to access and download maintenance and
technical data and up-to-date fleet
maintenance information. Portal-based
systems, however, have constraints. They
are designed to provide a common
platform and capability to all of their
customers. “OEM tools do not generally
address the needs of a mixed fleet very
well,” explains Nagalla. “Updates take a
long time to get processed, and they are
often not customisable.”
The increasing interest by operators
and MROs in acquiring CMS systems
comes from the fact that each user has
unique needs. One key benefit of
implementing a solution created by an
independent CMS provider is that it has
the ability to be more responsive to
customers’ requirements in a timely
manner. “This characteristic is particularly
relevant in terms of integrating with other
corporate business or IT applications,”
adds Enis.
Independent CMS providers have the
ability to work alongside their users to
identify critical areas for improvement and
best practice in the maintenance function.
“Many CMS vendors will customise the
core product to support existing or desired
business processes. With OEM solutions
the airline will generally have to follow the
OEM’s way of working,” concludes Enis.
System sophistication
The first step in implementing an M&E
solution is to convert all physical records to
an electronic format. “A scanning system
and optical character recognition (OCR)
system would be the quickest way to get
paperless records rendered in PDF format.
A disadvantage of earlier M&E systems is
that they did not incorporate any graphic
functionality. In some cases graphics had to
be cut and pasted on to a job card,” says
Reed.
AIRCRAFT COMMERCE
“In the 1980s and early 1990s
Northwest Airlines started using
SPECTRE, a maintenance computer
system,” adds Schulz. This M&E system is
still in limited use after the merger with
Delta Airlines, an EmpowerMX user.
Aircraft logbook, time control items and
component changes are now the only
elements still recorded using SCEPTRE. It
operates together with more sophisticated
M&E and CMS solutions.
The next step of implementation
incorporates the introduction of software
packages capable of compiling all records
into single metafiles. This software requires
indexing and searching technology to
facilitate information-handling. This leads
to storage savings of up to 20 gigabites of
data per year for each narrowbody aircraft.
Time and cost savings depend on each
operator’s needs. “This is based on two
factors. The first is the type of operator
using the system. For example, this could
be a legacy carrier with a diverse fleet, or a
regional operator with a standardised fleet.
The second factor is the amount of editing
and customisation required,” adds Schulz.
M&E and CMS solutions have a set of
competitive advantages. “Every
maintenance solution started serving a
particular need. Every provider offers a key
set of features where they were the best, to
which they have added features over time.
There are very good vendors out in the
market, but all of them offer a core
competence and develop in other areas,”
says Schulz.
The introduction of electronic
logbooks (ELBs) is one of the main
developments in maintenance. “The
eLogbook application is part of Trax’s
eMobility range,” says Reed. There are
three components on this solution and two
of them are installed onboard. PilotLog is
an application in the cockpit that allows
pilots to record flight data, defects and
problems found. There is also an electronic
CabinLog that is used by cabin crew to
report any defects during the flight. These
logs are synchronised with the MRO. If the
aircraft has in-flight WiFi, the information
is recorded in real-time. The information
can also be sent back to the MRO on the
ground using the airport’s WiFi or cellular
signal. “This then pushes out to the
mechanic’s electronic logbook, which we
call the QuickTurn application. The
engineering team can respond to rectify or
defer these defects, and order parts. They
can execute any actions at the gate on the
aircraft,” says Reed.
M&E systems incorporating electronic
task cards (ETCs) are highly functional.
They are based on a client/server
application whose interface is a mobile
device. This device allows access to
relevant maintenance information related
to the task in the maintenance manual.
ETCs can undertake recurring and non-
recurring tasks, and make any updates on
the maintenance system accordingly. One
potential disadvantage of ETCs is that they
are not effective in eliminating authoring
and editing.
Levels of sophistication
The level of customisation of
maintenance solutions is specific to each
operator. There are several modules of
functionality that can be implemented by
operators. The maintenance solutions
offered by each provider are illustrated
below.
OASES
The Open Aviation Strategic
Engineering System M&E solution
(OASES) is offered by Commsoft. The
company focuses on customising its
product to increase business value. Its main
attributes are simplicity and flexibility that
are driven by customer requirements.
OASES is based on an Oracle Core
Module database to which other functional
modules can be linked. The Continuing
Airworthiness and Planning modules are
the CAMO-related components. These
modules allow the business to monitor the
aircraft, record techlogs, generate reliability
data, have an approved maintenance
programme, and also deal with any
applicable ADs and SBs.
The business can also implement the
materials functionality in the logistics,
inventory materials and quality modules.
The base maintenance module provides
capabilities for MRO activities. Because
the modules are completely independent,
they can be implemented separately.
The application program interface
(API) is an advanced module that allows
OASES to interact with the user’s internal
systems, and also with external systems.
“This facilitates communication with
systems, such as the accounting and
finance,” says Julian Beames, head of
customer accounts at Commsoft. “External
flight operations systems, for example, can
ISSUE NO. 129 • APRIL/MAY 2020

also interact with OASES via the API
interface. It allows OASES to capture flight
sectors, data and times. The API is a
standardised way of communicating
between different IT systems. It is based on
an industry standard called the RESTful
HTTPS API”.
The OASES modules are designed with
the required flexibility to interact with
CAMO/MRO internal systems. Customers
using OASES only add the modules they
need and can get value from, and so only
incur costs that are relevant to their
business. Depending on the size of the
operation, customers can add concurrent
users. There is only an incremental increase
in price when the number of users goes up.
TRAX
The second 2020 version of Trax’s
eMRO software will incorporate an
artificial intelligence (AI) module, which
will make the solution behave more
intuitively. “Technology is incorporated in
the solution because of functionality,” says
Reed. eMRO is provided as a whole
system, with no opt-in modules. One
benefit is that Trax is customised by
number of users. A small business will
benefit from a more economic solution,
and it will still have the same sophisticated
product as a large customer, such as
American Airlines, which has more than
20,000 users, but at a smaller cost.”
ISSUE NO. 129 • APRIL/MAY 2020
Legacy M&E systems are client-server
applications where a hardware device (the
client) requests information from the
server. This architecture is limited when
multiple clients make simultaneous
requests. The server can get overloaded
and so speed is reduced. If the server fails
or communication is interrupted then tasks
cannot be completed by clients.
The eMRO solution is based on an N-
tier architecture. This comprises logical
levels and physically separated tiers that
hold one or several levels. An N-tier
architecture has increased resiliency,
connectivity and is easily scalable. “eMRO
is a web-based application. It has a
database level, an application server level
and a presentation layout,” adds Reed.
Solutions provided by Trax have
always focused on connectivity. By using
the eMobility package a mechanic can
receive a task card on the ramp just created
by an engineer. Systems that do not have
this capability are limited. A mechanic
would typically have to go back to the
maintenance base to pick up a physical
task card, load an electronic card on the
device and return it to the hangar or
parking stand to execute it.
AMOS
AMOS was founded in 1989 for
Crossair. “Products like Maxi-Merlin and
SAP did not fill its maintenance
51 I MAINTENANCE & ENGINEERING
requirement, so Crossair developed its own
solution. This was a table-based network
database, and the key files were linked to
each table,” says Schaeuffele.
One of the key advantages of AMOS is
its rule-based automation, which is a
cornerstone of the solution’s development.
The system accomplishes tasks that were
previously done manually. AMOS has a
rule-based configuration tool for most of
the complex processes.
This automation leads to customisation
of each maintenance activity. Maintenance
on a leased aircraft operated by an airline
follows different philosophies to an owned
aircraft, for example. Thousands of rules
must be taken into account for the system
to make an economic decision on replacing
parts and undertaking certain maintenance
activities. AMOS is an off-the-shelf
maintenance software that can be tailored
to customers’ requirements. Hundreds of
parameter settings, user-definable tables,
individual access rights and a report
generator allow the user to customise its
maintenance reports.
The AMOS solution also allows
interfacing into the aviation ecosystem
through AMOScentral. Through its 187-
strong customer base, the potential for
connecting and exchanging information is
sizeable. AMOScentral is a cloud-based,
scalable message broker that enables
collaboration, exchange of data produced
by the solution and gives best-fit
AIRCRAFT COMMERCE
52 I MAINTENANCE & ENGINEERING
communication between different
customers. Users can open datasets in other
organisations to check stock availability at
certain locations, for example.
Vistair
Vistair’s document management
systems deliver content solutions, safety
and document quality solutions. There are
two core elements in the Vistair CMS
solution. The first is the management of the
technical data. The CMS provides the user
with a software solution for the OEM and
internally authored technical publications.
It also provides a solution for the EMM
and EIPC for engine OEMs.
The second core element of the system
is the maintenance execution processes for
the end user. This encompasses task card
creation, work pack production and
electronic execution via a mobile device.
The Vistair CMS solution supports the
technical data management aspects of a
CMS, flight operations, engineering, and
internal company document requirements.
Future developments include a solution
that supports the full engineering lifecycle.
EmpowerMX
The EmpowerMX solution is focused
on the Production Manager module. This
approach allows customers to optimise
manpower and adjust critical path to
AIRCRAFT COMMERCE
improve delivery schedules.
The company’s solution can work at a
basic level with any OEM and any other
third-party tool. The electronic records
conversion uses advanced OCR technology
to auto-generate digital records and
associate metadata with searchable and
indexed content. Moreover, the solution is
able to provide authoring capability
because of a growing need for this
capability from users. The module can also
incorporate a fully electronic task card
solution, with a variety of choices for
digital signature support, and the ePDF
solution is also offered. This module
provides as much as 80% of the benefits of
an electronic task card, and does not need
any set-up, unlike other solutions in the
market.
AerData
“Our STREAM aircraft records
solution has been progressively improved
over the past few years. The Secure
Technical Records for Electronic Asset
Management (STREAM) gives our clients
the flexibility to make their records
available on-line to the right users at the
right time,” says managing director for
AerData products, Stef Bijvoet.
STREAM has an OCR search tool for
fast access indexing that can be customised
per the client’s specifications.
The AerData solution includes Tech
Electronic maintenance records have several
advantages, and are one the ultimate aims of a
fully paperless system.
Log Batch management, Workpackage and
Workorder management, automated
recognition and filing of incoming
documents. Signature validation is enabled.
A comprehensive range of bi-directional
secured APIs for integration to other
systems is available.
“AerData also offers a solution that is
ISO 9001 certified for records scanning
services. These services include onsite or
offsite scanning, indexing and uploading of
records into STREAM. This service can be
implemented for ‘back-to-birth’
documentation archiving, or ongoing day-
to-day records management. This removes
the burden of scanning records and the
related administration tasks,” says Bijvoet.
“This solution solves the limitations of
PDF scanning, and integrates with M&E
systems like AMOS and TRAX. STREAM
serves as a complete lifecycle document
and data repository for an entire fleet.”
Future trends
One likely development is that
regulators will start certifying M&E and
CMS solutions in the same way that they
issue air operator, airworthiness and AMP
certificates. The industry is bound to
become paperless. “In the long term,
paperless will be the standard, but I do not
see that happening in the next few years
given the typical pace of adoption,” says
Enis. CMSs are engaging with regulators,
operators and authorities worldwide as a
standard. Electronic records can always be
rendered in physical format.
E-signature remains an obstacle in the
industry. “Now data, standards, software,
internet infrastructure and distribution
have all come together to allow the
maintenance function to become fully
digital as fast as it happened on the
flightdeck with electronic flight bags and
glass cockpits in a relatively short period of
time,” concludes Schulz.
All the resources are available to make
aviation fully electronic. A change of
mentality is needed from all players
involved in the maintenance function, so
that the industry adopts paperless as the
norm. The industry can take advantage of
the current challenging environment and
make it an opportunity to implement
overdue changes to the way it conducts its
maintenance activities.
To download more than 1,200
articles like this, visit:
www.aircraft-commerce.com
ISSUE NO. 129 • APRIL/MAY 2020