Before an aircraft takes off, the crew must first complete a series of safety checks that are recorded in a technical logbook. The log includes departure and arrival airports and times, technical information like fuel consumption, any faults or defects and any maintenance that has taken place.
It’s a legal obligation – the aircraft literally cannot fly without it – but it has traditionally relied on a multi-copy paper technical logbook that is filled in by hand. The logbook uses carbon paper to create duplicates of each document, which must then be shared with teams on the ground – everyone from maintenance and operations to finance require a copy for every flight of every aircraft.
It’s an old-fashioned, time-consuming process that’s prone to human error, and teams have long complained about the fiddly forms and the poor quality copies they produce, which are frequently illegible.
Given the importance of the process, which is vital to ensure the safety of passengers and crew, a new system was clearly needed.
For Conduce, which specialises in developing mobile solutions for the aviation industry, a workflow controlled electronic system was the obvious solution.
So, it developed eTechLog8, a smart and intuitive all-electronic replacement for the multi-copy paper technical logbook, which has been approved by regulators and is now widely used in the aviation industry.
“It just works straightaway, every time you need it, no stress.”
Hayley Russell, Marketing Manager, Conduce
Using eTechLog8, the team on the aircraft complete the electronic log on a tablet, which then transmits a copy of the data to the teams on the ground before take-off.
However, sometimes an internet connection is not available, so Conduce needed to provide customers with a fool-proof backup for creating hard copies.
This wasn’t just a practical problem; the electronic solution could not be certified for legal use by aviation authorities around the world without proving there was an effective backup system.
Delays cost airline operators millions every year, so the solution had to be fast, mobile and most of all, reliable, or else planes could be left grounded.
The solution was to source a compact, lightweight printer capable of printing full size A4 pages with crisp text.
It also needed to be rugged enough to survive cockpit life and battery powered so it can be used anywhere, anytime.
Inkjet printers were ruled out because they were likely to be used infrequently, so there was the danger of them drying out.
And, under strict aviation rules, replacing the ink cartridge could count as a component change, requiring an authorised engineer to come out to the aircraft and change the part, with the potential for further delays.
Finally, the printer needed to come from a reputable supplier and meet global certification standards to give customers and authorities confidence in the product.
Conduce created a printer and charging kit, containing a Brother PJ-7 series A4 thermal printer, stored with the eTechLog8 tablet in a tough plastic case that lives in the aircraft cockpit.
The compact printer can be charged using the onboard AC power supply and can print approximately 100 pages of thermal paper from one charge, enough to last a month or more.
The Brother solution provided Conduce’s airline customers with the ultimate backup solution. They no longer need to hand-copy aircraft data out onto paper, costing them valuable time and creating the potential for error.
Now, they can simply switch on the printer, print, tear off the printout and fly away.
Find out more about Brother’s mobile print solutions.
The solution meets global certification standards, enabling professional, compliant documents to be printed quickly, any time, any place.
The PJ-7 series mobile printer can print approximately 100 pages of thermal paper from one charge, enough to last a month or more.
Brother's solution provided Conduce’s airline customers with the ultimate backup solution, reducing the potential for human error and improving safety.
