Product Improvement, by popular request: Attach Documents to Work Order Discrepancies
A number of customers thought it might be helpful to upload external documents to individual Discrepancies in the Work Orders, to keep things in order, and we agreed.
What kind of documents?
You can upload whatever you need to accompany the record.
What formats are accepted?
*.jpg, *.jpeg, *.png and *.pdf ONLY. (No Word or Excel docs at this time).
Max file size: 4MB
Here’s how to upload:
1. View/Open the Profile you want to add the documents to:
2. Click on View to open an existing Discrepancy, OR click the +Add button to make a NEW Discrepancy line:
3. Click the +Add Document button:
4. Click the Choose File button, and select the File you want. Add a Name and a Date to the file, and click the Upload button:
You can also DELETE a Document if no longer needed.
Click on the file you want to delete:
Click the Delete button:
Choose Yes. This is permanent. Select Cancel if you’ve changed your mind:
Give it a try and let us know what you think. Your feedback is appreciated!
If you use Firefox as your browser, you may experience some issues viewing ADs and other PDF files.
Firefox, by default, automatically downloads any PDF files it encounters, and does not display them on the screen.
The good news is that there is a solution!
Depending on the version of your Firefox, you can either change the settings so it will display PDFs on screen, or you can activate an Add-on. Either way should help with viewing ADs and other PDF files.
Here’s one way to change the settings:
Open Firefox. In the menu bar, click Firefox, click Preferences. This will open the Settings page.
In the Search box, type “pdf“.
It will display a list that you may have to scroll through.
Locate Portable Document Format (PDF), and click the drop down on the right side.
Select Open in Firefox.
You’re all set. It should now display all PDFs on-screen.
By popular customer request, we’ve been making improvements to our Parts List tool.
The most recent improvement is Parts Inventory Tracking, giving you the option, and ability to record quantities for each Part in your list. This allows you to track what you have in stock.
If a current Part only lists a quantity of 1 (one), you can Edit that part, and now add the actual quantity you have on hand.
When that Part is added to an activity, such as an Invoice or Work Order, that number of purchased Parts is subtracted from your stock.
Parts Inventory Tracking is defaulted to “OFF”. You have the option to turn Parts inventory “On” if you’d like to use it, or leave it “Off” if you don’t want to track quantities. It’s up to you. Go to My Profile, and click the Inventory button to either “Off” or “On”, whichever you choose.
How to ACTIVATE INVENTORY TRACKING:
To Activate Tracking, go to:
My Profile
Click the Inventory Tracking button so it shows a green On button
Please NOTE the following:
By turning on Inventory Tracking, all quantities will begin at 1. For the best possible user experience, update your parts quantities in My Parts before you add parts to service invoices or work orders.
By turning off Inventory Tracking, all My Parts quantities will be lost. When turning off Inventory Tracking, please make certain that is what you would like to do.
When parts Inventory is turned ON, and you are viewing your Parts List, there is a column for Quantity. When you go to EDIT a part, the Quantity is available to be changed.
When parts Inventory is turned OFF, and you are viewing your Parts List, there is NO column for Quantity. When you go to EDIT a part, the Quantity is NOT available to be changed.
How to EDIT a PART:
Go to “My Parts”
Locate the item you want to change. Using the Filter Search can make locating a Part easier and faster.
Click “Edit”.
Make the changes and click Save.
When you Edit a Part, you will see a notation that states:
Warning: Changes made to this part will not affect parts already added to Work Orders or Service Invoices.
Use Parts in Work Orders & Invoices:
You can use Parts from your list, and apply quantities when using Work Orders and Invoices.
For Work Orders:
Open the Work Order
Either +ADD a new Discrepancy, or VIEW an existing one.
Either +ADD a new Part, or click on the Part name to EDIT it.
Make your changes and click SAVE.
An extra feature of Work Orders is that they be converted into an Invoice.
For Invoices:
Open the Invoice you want to Add or Edit a Part to.
Either +ADD a new Part, or click on the Part name to EDIT it.
Make your changes and click SAVE.
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Over time, more functions will be added to the “My Parts” tool, such as Reporting, to list the areas the parts were used, such as Work Orders and Invoices. Another ability in the future will be to add more Quantity from within an Invoice or Work Order, instead of having to go back the My Parts, and Edit the part, as you currently have to do. The Parts Inventory will slowly receive improvements over time.
Enjoy reading this very informative message from our good friend, Dean Showalter:
This oil was in the wrong part of the prop…
Good morning friends!
This container of oil came out of Aram’s propeller… it’s the propeller from podcast episode 177 and from the previous email I sent out. Check it out:
The reason this is a problem is because there should be an air cavity in the front of this Beech 278 propeller. If there is much oil in the front of the hub, it means the o-ring on the piston has allowed oil to leak past.
And when this happens, the prop becomes “hydrolocked.” In normal operation the piston compresses the air in the front of the prop as the piston moves forward to rotate the prop blades. But if there is oil in the front of the hub, the oil is not compressible, and prevents the piston from moving forward… and the blades can’t rotate, and the prop stays in the low-pitch / high RPM position.
At times, we’re asked if a Blank Airframe AD Report can be created and printed.
That is not possible within our system (for Airframe), if there are no ADs to be printed.
However, we have attached a sheet here, if you’d like to manually hand-write on this form. It is a Blank Airframe AD sheet.
Currently, it is not a digital fill-in style, it is just a blank sheet for you to fill out by hand. Perhaps sometime later, we will make it fill-able.
Simply click this BLANK AIRFRAME AD sheet to download, save and print.
Though BLANK AD Reports cannot be created for Airframe, they can be made for: Engine, Propeller and Appliances. Just run and AD Search for those categories, and you will see a “Create Blank AD Report” button in the Search screen:
LIMA – “It was the funnest time I ever had!” Steven Cotterman, 9, said after his plane ride.”He was a little nervous at first. The plane dipped and he grabbed the seat. It was worthwhile,” said Jim Moneer, who had brought Steven to the airport for his first airplane ride.
The plane rides Saturday at the Allen County Airport were worthwhile for the Northwest Ohio Food Bank, as well. Rides lasting about 15 minutes sold for $15 per person, with all the profits going to the food bank, said Dennis Perry, co-owner of the airport. Five planes flew people over Lima, while many more planes were on display.In addition to raising money for the food bank, Perry said he and co-owner Kim Henkener, who bought the airport eight months ago, hoped to introduce the airport to the public.”You’d be surprised at how many people don’t know where the airport is,” he said. Some people have lived in Lima their whole lives and never visited the airport.”He expected between 2,000 and 3,000 people to attend the airport’s open house. A raffle also was held for a Discovery Flight.”The best way to start is to take a Discovery Flight,” said Scott Keyes, the owner of the airport’s flight school. “It’s a short intro to flying an airplane.”Keyes said it’s one thing to go up as a passenger in a plane, but it’s something different to go up with an instructor.”Then you decide if you want to be a pilot,” Keyes said. “It’s not hard. You just have to enjoy it, do the homework, progress from lesson to lesson.”In addition to completing a training kit for ground school and learning to fly a plane, there are other important lessons related to the plane that need to be learned. One of the most important things an aspiring pilot needs to do early in the process is to pass a medical test, Keyes said. Other topics of study include how to care for the plane, navigation, and weather.”You almost become a weatherman when you become a pilot,” Keyes said.Richard Keller, who has flown since 1988, was piloting a 1979 Cessna 172N Saturday. He shouted, “Clear!” and shortly thereafter began taxiing down the runway with two passengers.”I just love flying,” he said. “I fly for the sport of it, the entertainment. It’s a quick way to get places.”
“Good News Gold” is a special section dedicated to sharing inspiring stories, that encourage each other in acts of kindness. Some articles are “old, but gold”. Please feel free to share these inspiring stories!
LOGBOOK Entries are one of the most popular tools within our service. A recent improvement is the addition of the option to include Company Name and Logo when printing.
Here at Zook Aviation, we tend to call the Logbook Entries by the shortcut of LSSR, meaning Logbook Service Sticker Record. Whatever you call your Logbook Entries, here’s how to create a new one:
1. Make sure your Company Name and Logo is turned ON, in your Profile. From the Member Dashboard, click “My Profile” in the upper right hand corner of your screen. Next, make sure the green ON button appears under Company Name and Logo. If it says “Off”, then click it again to turn it “On“:
4. Once you’ve created and filled out your new Logbook entry (or LSSR), be sure to click the green SAVE button before printing!
4. When you’re ready to Print, Be sure you are on the Full Page View, which allows your Company Name and Logo to print on the 8-1/2 x 11″ sheet.
*Please note: At this time, Company Name and Logo are only available for the full sheet 8.5″ x 11″, and is not yet available for the smaller 3.5″ x 5″ stickers.
As you can see in the sample below, the Company Name and Logo are included on the print outs:
Some folks cut off the blank portion of the paper and adhere it to the logbook by whatever means they choose, typically glue stick or tape.
Also, a number of our customers save two copies. One for the customer, and one for themselves. You can download and save the PDF to your computer, if you’d rather not have paper around. But, if you prefer paper, consider using a 3-ring binder. We’ve heard this is a popular method, as an alternative to the small logbooks.
Give it a try and let us know what you think. Your feedback is appreciated!
