The Pros and Cons of Technology Advancements in Aviation Maintenance Documentation

Although writing in some form has been in existence since the mid-third millennium BC, mankind has been slow to make significant advances in how data is communicated in written form. Even getting the medium right has taken time, taking almost 3,800 years to move from the first clay tablets to papyrus, parchment, and finally the widespread use of paper in 300 AD. From this point, 1,150 years passed until the first printing press was created, making the production of books on a large scale a reality. Although there certainly have been many notable improvements to the production of books since that time (e.g., offset presses, computers, PDFs), the next significant portable medium change came a mere 570 years later, on April 3, 2010, when the first iPad was released.

Do the positives outweigh the negatives?

Maintenance, Flight Operations, and In Flight departments have all rushed to embrace tablet technology, but to what end? We have all heard the positives: manuals on a tablet weigh a lot less than paper, they are easier to revise, and they cost less than paper. But, do these positives really outweigh the negatives? With the average price of a mid-range iPad hovering between $399 and $499, the argument can be made that, over time, this cost will be recouped by savings on paper as well as a more efficient revision distribution process. What the proponents fail to mention, however, are the negative consequences of this transition. iPads are breakable, they require power, they require some level of connectivity, they require IT support, the technology changes over time resulting in replacement costs, and so on.

Unfortunately, with some of these positives, we have also created new negatives. For example, now that manuals are easy to revise, fewer end users are actually reading the revisions. In informal surveys over the last 12 months, the prevailing opinion at the Flight Operations level is that, when manuals were being revised on paper, approximately 60 percent of end users were taking the time to read the revised pages. Now that they are being revised electronically, that number has dropped to less than 10 percent. It is simply too easy in our fast paced society to hit that “Update All” button and fail to review what actually changed. This is just one example of a negative consequence created as a direct result of making the manuals easy to revise while saving paper. There are others. Does this really classify as an improvement or benefit?

With few exceptions, we as an industry have simply taken a paper book and put it on a tablet in electronic form. When you weigh the pros and cons and reflect on what we’ve really accomplished, you have to question what we have really gained so far. I have actually been told by several airlines that they were starting to use iPads “because everyone else is using them.”

Now, lest you think that I am an opponent of mobile technology, let me set the record straight and tell you that I am not. I am, however, skeptical of how this amazing technology is currently being used. Consider the following: Over the last 5,500 years, each significant improvement in producing documentation has taken less time to implement than its predecessor, but one thing has never changed. Although it takes far less time today to create and produce a book, report, or article, we are still shackled by the constraints of the manual as a delivery system for the transfer of knowledge. Certainly, we are able to access content on the internet quickly, easily, and concisely. If I want to know the lyrics to a song, what is playing at the local theater, or the current weather for McMurdo Station, I don’t have to read a book. I can find these answers in seconds.

And, as far as apps go, there are some real time savers out there. One of my favorites, by the way, is Plowz & Mowz, where I can schedule someone to mow my lawn within 10-15 seconds of opening the app. The best parts? It costs a fraction of what you would pay for a lawn service, you don’t have to talk to anyone, and you don’t have to commit to a schedule. It would be great if there were things like that for aviation content, but the industry as a whole has not adopted any similar methods of easily relaying relevant and meaningful content to their staff or intended audience at the exact moment that they need or request it. This is a problem that needs to be addressed.

Managing technical publications

Another element that bears mentioning is the creation, maintenance, revision, and as appropriate, approval of manuals (i.e., the technical publications department and all of the things that happen to a manual prior to distribution - whether on paper or a tablet). Even companies  that  have  transitioned  to  mobile  content  are  still  managing  their  technical publications in the same way they have been for decades. Most are doing it internally with poor results and, since digital content delivery is less forgiving than paper, the manuals have become more difficult for those departments to manage.

To correct this problem, several airlines have purchased expensive document management systems which increase costs dramatically and make life much more difficult for those staff managing and contributing to the manuals. If you really stop and think about this objectively, this “solution” makes no sense. It’s more expensive and it’s harder to use. To make matters worse, every airline is reinventing this wheel on their own.

At the other end of the spectrum, companies have opted for Microsoft Word and similar programs to manage their manuals. Although less expensive than their document management counterparts, these companies are also spending unnecessary dollars utilizing a piece of software that was never intended to manage manuals thereby creating higher than necessary costs and a lesser end product. Managing manuals internally is a giant money hole that, surprisingly, seems to go unnoticed in most departments who instead see the vast amount of work and resulting costs as a necessary evil. It’s not.

Transfer of knowledge remains a time-consuming process

Let’s look at maintenance task cards and associated documentation. Despite all these advances in technology and the transferring of knowledge, maintaining accurate and timely maintenance records remains a time-consuming and arduous process at the vast majority of maintenance facilities. As an example of my skepticism, even though the task cards and documentation are already electronic, mechanics are printing out paper copies, performing the work, and then duplicating their notes back into the same electronic system from which they obtained the task card in the first place. This is akin to me printing out a form from the Plowz & Mowz app, taking it out to the yard to fill it out, and then coming back inside to manually transfer the information back into the app.

Although the specifications of these improvements are largely unknown at the moment, company culture will have a big impact on when and how these improvements are implemented. We are rapidly reaching a point where the ability to manage content effectively may soon turn into a competitive advantage for those companies that are proactive in doing so. Those that fail to adapt and insist on sticking with the old ways, like internal technical publications departments, document management systems, and tablets that just display searchable PDFs will be left behind, unable to compete effectively.

The FAA’s Office of Aviation Safety (AVS) conducted a workshop in 2012 titled, “Technical Documentation Challenges in Aviation Maintenance.” In the final summary of their 41 page report, they stated, “Technical documentation is one of the most common problems in aviation, and the solutions are extremely difficult in today’s typical culture. Addressing  the  problem  will  require  significant  commitment  and  investment  by  all parties. Fixing it means changing a culture. The question remains: Is the aviation industry ready to tackle these challenges?” Good question. Are you ready … and willing?

Wally Hines is the Director of Standards for JETPUBS Inc. His background includes a B.S. in Aeronautical Studies from the University of North Dakota, followed by various flying positions ranging from flight instruction, traffic reports, aerial photography, and fire patrol for the Department of Natural Resources. He has flown for two regional airlines and, since 1996, has been a pilot for Sun Country Airlines (flying the B727, DC10, and currently, the B737NG). He has been at JETPUBS since 2001 and is one of its founders. JETPUBS provides manuals services and training materials to over 400 airlines and training centers worldwide. For more information or to learn how to more easily manage your manuals, please contact Wally at wghines@jetpubs.com or visit www.jetpubs.com.