How to Accurately Compare Electronic Document Storage

There seems to be no debate over the advantages of electronic document storage. Over the past 10 years technology has made quantum improvements in capturing hardcopy data and combining it with electronic data into one cohesive system…or has it.

Oftentimes at The Aircraft Group we see how a system that was meant to improve efficiencies does little more than create an electronic version of the same antiquated system that existed originally. The main reason is the lack of understanding of how the documents are captured, stored and retrieved. In many cases, more emphasis is placed on capturing the documents with little thought given to the search and retrieval methodology that will be used ongoing.

At The Aircraft Group we perform dozens of lease returns annually from all parts of the world. While many of the systems being employed today are good for archiving, retrieval is oftentimes cumbersome and intuitive search capabilities are lacking. Many systems in use by major US carriers today can search only through limited indexed fields, tail number, date work was accomplished, the station, etc. but cannot retrieve data contained within check packages. The result is considerable extra effort when the time comes to assemble FAR 91.417, 91.419 records at lease return or other needs outside of the designated search criteria. These tasks and more become just as labor intensive as they were originally!

The key is in identifying a system that can truly search through all documents and packages rather than only indexed fields. Over the years the Aircraft Group has learned that the only way to effectively compare prospective systems is to provide a sample with un-sanitized data, have it converted to the proposed product, and actually test it with your familiar data. For example, let’s say you need data on a certain stabilizer servo and all you have is a unit serial number but don’t know the aircraft it is installed on. Does the system find the servo? How long did it take? Can it search across multiple tail numbers or even fleet types? Were you taken to the exact page or did you have to scroll through sections of records packages? With The Aircraft Group’s DocuSearch, just select the fleet, enter the serial number and the results will be displayed immediately without the need for additional manual searching.

Damage Tolerance Assessment (DTA) is Easy for TAG Online Customers

As you know, the FAA has mandated that Damage Tolerance Assessment (DTA) be conducted on all repairs to primary structure. The problem is, since many of these repairs were not classified as major in the past, there was no need to maintain a separate record when documents were captured and classified. Therefore, to find the data, you have two primary choices, open up and physically inspect the airplane or check the records.

Customers using TAG Fleet Online are having no problems with the government mandate. Since The Aircraft Group’s DocuSearch provides search capabilities by any criteria rather than select fields, recovering repair documents takes only seconds. There is no need to manually search packages and review maintenance documents individually. What a savings in time and money!