Question about the switch from paper logs to digital inspection forms

I started working on Cessnas back in 2008 at a small shop in Wichita, and we did everything on paper triplicate forms. You had to write legible or the lead mechanic would make you rewrite the whole page. Now I'm at a regional carrier where everything goes through an iPad app, and I honestly miss the feel of the old carbon copies. The digital stuff is faster sure, but I've had two database crashes in the last 6 months that wiped out a whole morning's work. Anyone else run into issues with these electronic systems losing data mid-shift?

2 comments

2 Comments

harper_gibson228d ago

Oh man, I have to jump in here and completely disagree with you on this one. I've been using digital forms for about four years now and I would never go back to paper, not for anything. The database crash thing is definitely annoying when it happens, but you're forgetting how easy it is to lose a paper form or have a ink smudge ruin your whole entry. Plus do you really miss having to find a flat surface to write on in a tight engine bay? I can type notes into my tablet way faster than I could ever write legibly by hand. The search function alone saves me hours every month when I need to find an old inspection record for a specific part number.

val22328d ago

The search function alone is a game changer, no doubt. Being able to pull up a specific inspection from three years ago in seconds beats flipping through a binder of wrinkled paper any day. And you're totally right about the handwriting thing - my shop notes used to look like chicken scratch after working in tight spots all day. Digital forms also mean I can add photos directly to the record, like a weird wear pattern on a belt or a cracked housing that's hard to describe in words. That visual proof has saved my tail more than once when a customer questioned a repair.