How To Streamline Your Aviation Paperwork Process

Aviation is a document-intensive industry. All aircraft owners and operators must operate according to standards and procedures detailed in extensive manuals. These manuals must be up-to-date and accurate, reflecting procedural, technical, or regulatory changes.

Doing so is not always straightforward. It is a detailed, time-consuming process. Understanding the extent of documentation and how best to allocate resources will help with efficient document management.

Different Types of Documentation

It is essential to understand the level of documentation needed by aircraft owners and operators. Extensive documentation is required that covers aircraft operated, onboard aircraft equipment, organization and crew issues, route planning, and airport information.

The requirements differ significantly between non-commercial and commercial operators. For example, non-commercial operators generally only need the following:

A single operating manual for each aircraft type is based on manufacturer documentation but customized for operator specifics.
A Minimum Equipment List (MEL) describes the minimal level of aircraft equipment that must be operative for flight. 
An Electronic Flight Bag Manual details how the electronic flight bag should be used before and during a flight, the appropriate policies, and risk assessments.

Commercial operators need much more that includes:

More comprehensive operating manuals. These are particularly extensive and encompass many different manuals. Together, they contain all necessary instructions, information, and procedures for all aircraft operated and for operations personnel to perform their duties.
The Minimum Equipment List and Electronic Flight Bag Manual.
A Management System Manual covering all the policies and procedures related to safe operations.
An Emergency Response Plan (ERP) describing operational plans, actions, and roles that would be put in effect as a response to an emergency.

Internal Management of Documentation

With so much and varied documentation, proper management and storage are critical. Of course, this is sometimes still done physically (including onboard aircraft), but digital storage and management are more standard these days.

The process of keeping documentation updated needs to be well-defined and managed. There are strict regulations surrounding manuals and potential problems if an operator falls foul of these. Regardless of the system used for documentation management, security, version control, access control, and distribution are important considerations. These alone can improve company efficiency and reduce costs.

Continued Monitoring and Changes to Documentation

With continual updates required, the documentation ownership and management process is even more complex. Documentation management is about more than just the initial production of manuals. There is a continuous need to monitor changes required (including those related to regulators, aircraft manufacturers, or operating procedures), make required updates, and ensure continued proper storage, access, and distribution.

To ensure this happens, operators must have staff and skills in place. There needs to be a process to monitor and flag required changes and manage updates securely. Operators will also need in-house or ad-hoc access to the expertise necessary to understand and document the updates.

Outsourcing Aviation Paperwork Management

Outsourcing is common in many areas of the aviation industry and within airline operations. This can include the management, preparation, and upkeep of documentation and manuals.

Stansted-based Flightworx Flight Support offers a specialized documentation management service known as Aviadox. This is available for all operators and all aircraft types – including light aircraft, business jets, and commercial airliners. Aviadox is managed by industry veterans bringing extensive experience with all kinds of documentation.

Getting support makes sense in many ways. With specialized assistance, manual production and updates can be faster and more likely to be compliant the first time. Having others monitor required changes and updates can be cost-effective too.

Support is available at all stages of documentation preparation and management. Of course, every company is different and will need assistance in different areas. This is possible when outsourcing. For example, operators may need help to produce a new manual for the first time, update existing manuals following specific changes, or take on services for continual monitoring and upkeep.

Final Thoughts

As any aircraft owner or operator knows, documentation management, production, and upkeep is no easy task. As a result, there are extensive documentation requirements and tight regulatory control.

With the right systems and adequate internal skills, many operators successfully handle this. Outsourcing involves specialized skills and oversight. However, it is a popular choice with the potential to streamline operations and reduce total costs.

This article was produced and syndicated by Wealth of Geeks.