Learn the platform

Quick answers #

Short, practical answers to common how-to questions. These power the Ask AI help bubble.

Everything that's shipped recently, newest first. Check back here to see what's changed across the platform.

1Welcome #

Big Sky is the complete shop platform, work orders, FAA-compliant logbook entries, parts inventory and POs, quotes, invoicing with built-in Stripe payments, time tracking, accounting export, and a real-time shop floor view. This guide is the manual.

Use the search box at the top of the sidebar to find any topic in seconds. Every section has a #anchor link in the heading: copy it to share a deep link with another tech in the shop, or with us in support.

2The shop's daily workflow #

Big Sky is built around the lifecycle a job actually moves through. Knowing this map makes the rest of the platform self-explanatory.

Work order lifecycle

Status moves freely between the first four. Only sign-off transitions to released, which locks the WO and produces the LBE.

Invoice lifecycle

Drafts are fully editable. Once sent, line items lock; only payment status, due date, and notes can change.

Purchase order lifecycle

Receiving against a PO updates inventory and rolls cost into the linked WO automatically.

3Roles & what each one can do #

Big Sky has five roles. Permissions are layered, Owner can do everything, each role below has progressively narrower access.

Owner owner

Top-level admin. Created automatically for the first user on a fresh deploy. Can promote and demote any other role, including Admin. Only Owner can grant Owner. The shop's identity, billing, Stripe Connect, and outbound email routing are Owner-controlled.

Admin admin

Day-to-day shop management. Creates / edits / closes work orders, invoices, POs. Can manage users (create, edit role within Admin / Management / Tech, deactivate). Can sign off LBEs if they're an A&P. Cannot promote anyone to Owner.

Management management

Same operational rights as Admin minus user management. Useful for shop foremen and lead techs who need to coordinate work and read reports but shouldn't be moving people in and out of the system.

Tech tech

Default for new mechanics. Can punch in / out, view assigned WOs, log labor and parts on discrepancies, write resolutions, and sign off LBEs (when they hold an A&P or IA cert). Cannot edit invoices, POs, or shop settings.

Accountant accountant

Read-only access to the Accountant page (A/R aging, payments, vendor bills) plus QuickBooks CSV export. No access to maintenance records or sign-off. Use this for an outside bookkeeper.

4Customers list #

Customers are the owners of aircraft. One customer can own many aircraft. Manage them on the Customers page.

1. Click + Add Customer.
2. Enter at minimum a company name OR a contact name. Email and phone are optional but make invoice delivery painless.
3. Set a per-customer labor rate, default RTS statement, or payment terms if they differ from shop defaults.
4. Save.

What you get on save

• Customer profile at /customer-profile.html?id=… showing aircraft, WOs, invoices, and balance.
• Searchable from the global header search.

5Customer profile page #

Click any customer row to land on their profile, which surfaces:

• Account balance (sum of unpaid invoices).
• Their aircraft, click any tail to jump to the aircraft history.
• Open + closed work orders.
• Quote history.
• Invoice history with payment status.
• Per-customer overrides: labor rate, default RTS, payment terms, billing email.

Use this view when a customer calls, fastest way to pull up everything tied to them.

6Aircraft & tail-number lookup #

Aircraft are owned by customers. Manage them on the Aircraft page.

1. Click + Add Aircraft.
2. Type the tail number, the FAA registry lookup autofills make, model, year, serial number, engine count and engine identity.
3. Pick the customer (owner) from the dropdown.
4. Save.

Single-engine vs multi-engine vs APU

The aircraft's engine count drives whether the WO sign-off prompts for separate engine LBEs. Single-engine aircraft sign one airframe LBE that covers airframe + engine; multi-engine aircraft can sign separate LBEs per engine, plus APU if equipped. Tag has_apu on the aircraft to enable APU sign-off.

7Aircraft history #

Click any tail to land on the aircraft detail page. Shows:

• Identity (tail, make, model, serial, year), engine and APU info.
• Time-in-service: TTAF, Tach, Hobbs, landings, most recent values from the latest WO.
• Complete WO history for this aircraft, every LBE that's been signed against it.
• Tagged documents (8130-3s, training records) attached to this aircraft specifically.

This is your one-stop view when a customer asks "what was done last annual?", every LBE links to its source WO with the full discrepancy + parts breakdown.

8Create a work order #

A work order is the central object. Discrepancies, parts, time, the eventual LBE, the eventual invoice, all hang off it.

1. Go to Work Orders.
2. Click + New Work Order.
3. Pick the aircraft. Customer auto-fills from the aircraft's owner.
4. Pick a maintenance type: unscheduled, annual, 100-hr, progressive, or pre-buy.
5. Enter arrival times, TTAF, landings, engine TSN/TSO/cycles. These freeze on the LBE so they reflect the airframe state at the moment work began.
6. Save.

The WO opens in open status. Move it to in progress when you start touching the aircraft.

Cross-customer work orders (different payer than the aircraft owner)

Sometimes the customer paying for the work isn't the aircraft's registered owner - a management company, a lessee, or a buyer during a pre-purchase. Pick the billing customer first, then click 🔍 Search all aircraft… at the bottom of the tail dropdown and type the tail. Picking another owner's aircraft opens a deliberate acknowledgment step confirming that the selected customer takes on payment and the RTS handoff while the aircraft stays on its owner's profile.

9Add discrepancies (squawks) #

A discrepancy is a single squawk, one defect or task. Most WOs have several. Each one rolls up its own labor + parts cost.

1. On the WO detail page, click + Add Item.
2. Pick the section: airframe, engine 1, engine 2, or APU.
3. Write the squawk in the customer's own words: "Left main tire worn below wear indicators."
4. When you've done the work, fill in the resolution: what was actually done, IAW which manual reference, with what part and serial numbers.
5. Optionally enter ATA code, estimated hours, or a labor rate override.
6. Save.

10Add parts & serial numbers #

Each discrepancy can have any number of parts. Pull from inventory or enter free-text parts you don't stock.

1. On a discrepancy, click + Add Part.
2. Start typing the part number, the typeahead matches your inventory. Pick from the dropdown to autofill description, unit cost, markup, and stock count.
3. For serialized parts, the serial-number field also typeaheads from your serialized inventory. Picking a serial decrements that specific unit from stock and stamps it onto the LBE.
4. Set quantity, save.

Stock decrement

Pulling a part from inventory automatically decrements the on-shelf count. Removing the part from the disc reverses the decrement.

Free-text parts

Type a part number that doesn't match anything in inventory and the system saves it as-is. No inventory_id is captured: so stock isn't decremented. Useful for one-off parts.

Certs follow the part automatically

When a part is applied to a discrepancy (manual add, checkout, lot pull, customer-owned part, or scanner), any cert on file for that part - an 8130-3 PDF or a photographed cert uploaded to the part with document type Cert - is automatically copied into the WO's Documents as an 8130, tagged for the RTS package, with a note recording which discrepancy it was used on. Use the same part on a second discrepancy and the note gains an "also used on…" line instead of duplicating the document.

11Log labor hours #

Hours go on each individual discrepancy in the Actual Hours field: that's what shows up on the LBE and the invoice. For shop-wide time tracking that aggregates payroll, see the Time Clock.

Two ways to log:

• Direct entry: type hours into the disc's Actual Hours field. Use this when you tracked time off-system.
• Time Clock: punch in / out against a specific WO and disc. The aggregate hours roll up to weekly timesheets for payroll, and the per-disc hours show on the LBE / invoice. See Time Clock.

12Status & lifecycle #

Set status from the WO header. Available transitions:

• Open: created, work hasn't started.
• In Progress: actively being worked.
• Waiting Parts: paused pending a back-ordered part. The Status Board shows these in yellow so the front office sees them.
• Complete: all squawks resolved, ready to sign.
• Released: sign-off complete, WO is locked. Set automatically; cannot be set manually.

13Edit locks (multi-tech safety) #

Big Sky has soft edit locks, when a user opens a WO for editing, no one else can edit the same WO at the same time. Prevents two techs blowing away each other's changes.

If you see "Bob is currently editing this work order":

• Wait for Bob to finish, OR
• Ask Bob to release his lock, OR
• Admin / Owner only: override and take the lock anyway (Bob will get a notice that his edits are out of sync).

Locks expire automatically after 30 minutes of inactivity, so abandoned tabs don't permanently block anyone.

14Print the work order #

From the WO header, click 🖨 Print WO. A clean printable view loads with all discrepancies, parts, and totals laid out for paper. Customer-facing, no internal notes or labor rates by default.

This is what tech writeup, customer copy, and the work-on-the-aircraft printout all look like. Same template; toggle "Show internal notes" if you want it for shop floor use.

15Sign off a work order #

Sign-off creates a logbook entry (LBE), locks the WO, and produces a tamper-evident PDF that's ready to hand to the customer or paste into the airframe logbook.

1. Make sure every discrepancy has a resolution.
2. Click ✓ Release WO on the WO page.
3. Pick the section (airframe / engine 1 / engine 2 / APU). The first eligible section is preselected.
4. Pick the FAR citation: 43.9 (maintenance/alteration) or 43.11 (inspection).
5. If 43.11, pick inspection type: annual / 100-hour / progressive / pre-purchase.
6. Confirm TTAF / cycles / Tach / Hobbs at sign time. These freeze on the LBE.
7. Optionally override the RTS statement.
8. Re-enter your password to authorize the e-signature (per AC 120-78B).
9. Click Sign & Create LBE.

16FAR 43.9 vs 43.11 #

FAR 43.9: Maintenance / Alteration

Use for any maintenance or alteration work: R&R, troubleshooting, AD compliance, repairs, modifications. The vast majority of work orders.

FAR 43.11: Inspection

Use for the airworthiness inspection itself: annuals, 100-hour, progressive, pre-purchase. The inspection record cites 43.11 and includes the inspection type. If your annual also includes a list of items repaired, you can sign one 43.11 (the inspection) and one 43.9 (the work that fell out of the inspection), that's standard practice.

17Multi-section LBEs #

When you've worked on more than one logbook (airframe + engine 1 + engine 2 + APU), each gets its own LBE.

The WO sign-off flow lets you sign each section separately. The WO doesn't transition to released until every eligible section is signed. Engine LBEs surface engine make/model/serial in the meta grid (frozen at sign time). APU LBEs do the same for APU identity.

18Void & revise an LBE #

Made a typo or need to correct after sign-off? Use Void & Revise. Available from the WO detail page (when status=released) and the LBE detail page itself.

1. Click Void & Revise in the signed banner.
2. Enter a reason (required for the audit trail).
3. Re-enter your password.
4. Submit.

19Tamper-evident hash #

Every signed LBE includes a SHA-256 hash computed over the canonical record at sign time. The hash is printed on the LBE PDF and stored in the database.

Click Verify Hash on the LBE detail page to recompute and compare. Match → record intact. Mismatch → flag immediately, the record has been modified since sign time.

Per AC 120-78B, this is the tamper-evidence mechanism that lets you defend the LBE in any FAA audit.

20Documents library #

The Documents library is your shop's complete paperwork archive, 8130-3s, signed LBE PDFs, training records, manuals, photos, customer-supplied PDFs.

Each document can be tied to a customer, an aircraft, a WO, or none of those (general shop docs). Filter by type, search by name / part number / serial number.

21Upload to a WO #

From any WO detail page, click 📎 Documents. The upload modal opens with a tile-grid type picker.

1. Pick the document type, 8130-3, Logbook Entry, CAMP Card, MSP Card, Service Record, Parts Release, Work Auth, or Other.
2. For 8130-3s and Parts Releases, enter the part number for traceability.
3. Add optional notes.
4. Toggle Include in RTS Package: auto-checked for airworthiness types, force-disabled for Work Auth.
5. Drop one or more PDFs. Multi-file is supported with a per-file progress strip.

22RTS package generator #

After sign-off, the green 📦 Generate RTS Package button appears. Click it to produce a single merged PDF with everything the customer needs.

What's in the package

1. The signed Logbook Entry (auto-attached on sign-off).
2. Every 8130-3 tagged for RTS.
3. Parts Releases (EASA Form 1, TC, DER).
4. Service Records.
5. CAMP / MSP cards.
6. Training records, manuals, anything else with the RTS toggle on.

The merged PDF downloads with archival metadata. Hand it to the customer; they have a single document with every airworthiness record for this trip through the shop.

23Document types explained #

Airworthiness evidence (auto-RTS)

• 8130-3: FAA Authorized Release Certificate. Required for any new/overhauled part installed under FAR 43.
• Logbook Entry: signed LBE PDF. Auto-generated on sign-off; auto-removed on void.
• Parts Release: EASA Form 1 / TC / DER for foreign parts.

Customer-tracking

• CAMP Card: Continuous Aircraft Maintenance Program tracker.
• MSP Card: Manufacturer's Service Plan record.
• Service Record: generic maintenance docs.

Pre-work paperwork

• Work Auth: customer-signed authorization. Never goes in the RTS package by design.

24Create a quote #

Quotes are estimates you send before work begins. Build them on the Quotes page.

1. Click + New Quote.
2. Pick the customer + aircraft.
3. Add labor and parts line items. Apply tax if relevant.
4. Set the validity period (default 30 days).
5. Save.

25Send to customer #

From the quote detail page, click Send Quote. The customer receives an email with the quote attached as a clean PDF + an Accept link.

26Convert a quote to a work order #

Once the customer says yes, click Convert to Work Order. A new WO is created with the quote's items pre-populated as discrepancies and parts. The quote is marked accepted with a link back to the new WO.

27Create an invoice from a WO #

After sign-off, click Create Invoice on the WO page (or in the Accountant page's billing pipeline).

What gets pre-populated

• One labor line per discrepancy (actual hours × labor rate).
• One parts line per part on each disc (using frozen costs at sign time).
• Customer info from the WO.

The invoice opens as draft. Adjust line items, add tax, set due date, then move to sent.

28Edit invoice line items #

While the invoice is in draft, every line is editable.

• Edit description, quantity, rate. Totals recompute live.
• Add custom lines for shop supplies, environmental fees, hangar rental.
• Set tax, adds to grand total without affecting individual lines.
• Add notes (printed on the customer's PDF).

29Send to customer #

From the invoice detail page, click Send Invoice. We email the customer the invoice PDF + a Pay Now link.

The Pay Now link takes them to /pay?invoice=…: a public page where they can view the PDF, pay with a card, or read your wire/check instructions for offline payment. Invoice flips to sent.

30Print or PDF #

From the invoice detail page, click Download PDF. A clean printable PDF generates server-side with shop letterhead. For paper invoices, hit Print directly, same template renders cleanly on letter-size paper.

31Customer pays online (Stripe) #

When a customer hits Pay Now, Stripe collects their card and processes the charge. As soon as Stripe confirms, the invoice flips to paid automatically.

You'll see the payment in the Stripe dashboard within seconds and on the Accountant page's payments view immediately. Stripe pays out to your bank on whatever schedule you've configured (daily / weekly).

32Mark paid manually (check / wire / cash) #

If the customer pays you offline, mark the invoice paid by hand.

1. Open the invoice detail page.
2. Click Mark Paid.
3. Pick the payment method (check / wire / cash / other), enter the date and reference number (check #, wire confirmation, etc.).
4. Save.

Invoice flips to paid. The reference number is saved for your records.

33Refunds #

Issue refunds in the Stripe dashboard, full or partial. The Big Sky invoice updates to reflect the refunded amount automatically via webhook.

For check / wire payments that need to be reversed, void the manual payment record first, then issue the refund out-of-band and record it as a separate credit memo.

34Ledger & reconciliation #

The Payments page is the master ledger, every payment received (Stripe, check, wire, cash) with the invoice it applied to.

Use this when reconciling at month-end. Filter by date range, payment method, or customer. Export to CSV for the bookkeeper.

35Parts Manager #

The Parts Manager is your parts shelf. Each row is a part number with description, on-shelf count, unit cost, sale price (or markup %), and optional reorder threshold.

1. Click + Add Part.
2. Enter part number, description, unit cost, and either a sale price or markup %.
3. Set on-shelf quantity. You can adjust this any time.
4. Optionally set a reorder point: the dashboard surfaces parts at or below this number.

Parts are searchable from the WO Add-Part typeahead, which makes adding them to discrepancies a one-click affair.

36Parts Receiving #

When a PO arrives, use Parts Receiving to bump inventory + capture the 8130-3.

1. Open the page or click into the PO directly.
2. Click Receive Items.
3. Confirm the quantity received against each line. Partial receives are fine, the PO stays open for the rest.
4. Upload the 8130-3 PDF if there is one. It auto-attaches to the PO and to the linked WO.

Receiving updates inventory in real time and rolls cost into the linked WO if the PO has a WO target.

37Parts Scanner (QR) #

Big Sky generates QR codes for every part in inventory. The Parts Scanner page uses the device camera to scan them.

Scan workflow

• Open the scanner on a phone or iPad. Grant camera access.
• Point at the QR sticker on the part bin or 8130 envelope.
• The part loads instantly with current stock, location, and recent activity.
• From there, decrement count (consumed on a WO), receive (adding stock), or open the part's full record.

This is what changes parts from a spreadsheet into a real shop-floor system.

38QR Label Generator #

The QR Generator prints sticker labels for every part. Each label has the part number, description, and a QR code the scanner can read.

Print workflow

• Pick which parts to label (filter by location, type, or "missing labels").
• Pick a label format, Avery 5160, 5163, full-sheet, or your shop's specific stock.
• Print to a label printer or laser printer.
• Stick on the bin / part / 8130 envelope.

Tip: print labels in batches of ~30 when receiving a big shipment.

39Serial tracking #

For parts that need serial-number traceability (life-limited engine components, avionics, anything tagged), enable serialized tracking on the part. Each individual unit gets its own serial stored alongside inventory.

When you add the part to a discrepancy, the serial-number field becomes a typeahead of in-stock serials. Pick one; that specific unit gets pulled from inventory and stamped onto the LBE.

40Cores #

When you swap a unit and the old one goes back to the vendor for core credit, log it on the Cores page.

The system tracks expected return dates, credit amounts, and which WO/PO the core came from. The dashboard surfaces overdue cores so they don't fall off the radar.

41White / red / green tags #

The Tags page tracks the status of parts on the shelf or in process.

• White tag: serviceable, available for use.
• Red tag: unserviceable, do not install. Common for cores awaiting overhaul.
• Green tag: repaired/overhauled, awaiting return paperwork.

Tags can tie to a specific part, WO, or aircraft. When the FAA asks "where did this part live?", this is your audit trail.

42Create a purchase order #

POs track money you owe vendors. Create them on the Purchase Orders page.

1. Click + New PO.
2. Pick the vendor (or create one inline).
3. Pick an apply target: shop / WO / WO+item.
4. Add line items: part numbers, qty, unit cost.
5. Save.

Apply targets

• Shop: general overhead. Cost stays on the PO; nothing flows to a customer invoice.
• WO: applied to a specific work order. Full PO cost rolls into that WO's parts total.
• WO + Item: applied to a specific discrepancy on a specific WO. Full traceability.

43Receive against a PO #

From the PO detail page, click Receive. Same flow as Parts Receiving, confirm quantities, upload the 8130-3, save. Inventory updates and cost rolls to the WO.

44Close / unlock / reopen #

POs auto-close when fully received. To reopen a closed PO (received quantity wrong, vendor sent more, etc.), an Admin or Owner can Unlock or Reopen the PO from its detail page. Tech / Management cannot, preserves audit trail integrity.

45Status Board #

The Status Board is a live read of the shop floor. Cast it to a wall-mounted TV or a lobby monitor.

Shows every active WO grouped by status (Open / In Progress / Waiting Parts / Complete) with the tail number, customer, assigned tech, and time-in-shop. Auto-refreshes, no manual reload.

46Shop Manager #

The Shop Manager is the operational dashboard for whoever's running the day, usually a foreman or the owner.

• Every active WO with assigned tech, status, time-in-shop, and last activity.
• Workload by tech, who's overloaded, who can take the next intake.
• Waiting Parts WOs prominent at top so the parts room knows what's blocking who.
• Reassign WOs by drag or dropdown.

47Time Clock #

Punch in / out against a specific WO and (optionally) a specific discrepancy. Hours roll up to weekly timesheets.

1. Go to Time Clock.
2. Pick a WO from the dropdown.
3. (Optional) Pick a discrepancy.
4. Click Punch In.
5. When you're done, Punch Out.

Open punches show at the top of the page in real time so you don't forget to clock out. Each tech's weekly hours roll up; Management approves; payroll exports to CSV with FLSA-aware overtime calc.

48Work Authorization #

Work Authorization is the customer-signed pre-work contract. Generates a clean PDF the customer can sign on-screen (touchscreen or mouse), in person or remotely.

• Pulls customer + aircraft info from the WO.
• Includes your standard terms (editable in My Shop → Work Authorization template).
• Customer types name + signs on canvas.
• Saved as a PDF, attached to the WO Documents library with type=work_auth.

49Tool Calibration #

Tool Calibration tracks every torque wrench, multimeter, and gauge with their cal date, due date, and certificate number.

The dashboard surfaces tools with cal due in the next 30 days. Never get caught with an out-of-cal tool on a big job.

50Inspection Library #

Inspection Library holds reusable inspection checklists keyed to aircraft make/model.

Build a template once for the C172 annual; pull it into every C172 annual WO with one click. Templates are the difference between an annual taking 8 hours of paperwork prep and 30 seconds.

51Reports: throughput & revenue #

Reports surfaces shop-wide metrics for any date range:

• Work orders opened / signed / closed.
• Hours by tech (approved only).
• Parts revenue, labor revenue, total revenue.
• Average hours per WO, sign-off rate.
• LBEs signed by FAR citation.

Use the date pickers or canned ranges (Last 7 / 30 / 90 days, MTD, YTD). CSV export on every report.

52Accountant page #

The Accountant page is the bookkeeper's home base. Built for an outside accountant or in-house finance person who shouldn't have access to maintenance records.

• Billing pipeline: every released WO not yet invoiced. Click to invoice.
• Customer Invoices: every invoice with status, age, payment method.
• Payments & Reconciliation: full ledger. Reconcile bank deposits against Stripe + manual entries.
• Purchase Orders: vendor bills view with overdue highlighting.
• A/R Aging: current / 30 / 60 / 90+ buckets with totals.
• QuickBooks CSV Export: see below.

53QuickBooks CSV export #

From the Accountant page, the QB Export card produces a CSV in QuickBooks Desktop's import format.

Pick a date range, choose what to include (invoices / payments / vendor bills), download. Import into QB once a week or once a month, whatever your bookkeeper prefers.

The export includes customer names, invoice numbers, line-item GL codes (mapped on My Shop → Accounting), payment methods, and reference numbers. Bookkeeper-friendly.

54My Shop (identity & settings) #

My Shop is the shop's identity record. Owner-only.

• Legal & Certification: shop legal name, FAA Repair Station number (if applicable), insurance.
• Contact & Address: for invoices and email signatures.
• Outbound Email Routing: see below.
• Work Authorization: the boilerplate template that pre-fills every Work Auth.
• Default RTS statement, default labor rate, parts markup %, wire/check payment instructions.

55Admin: users & roles #

Admin is where Owner and Admin manage the user list. Add new users, change roles, deactivate.

1. Click + Add User.
2. Enter email, display name, and role (Tech / Management / Admin / Owner, Owner only available if you're already Owner).
3. For mechanics, enter their cert type (A&P, IA, repairman) and cert number. This is what shows up under their signature on every LBE they sign.
4. Save. They get an invite email.

Each user has their own signature, cert info, and password. LBEs are signed under the certifying mechanic's name + cert, not the shop's.

56My Account #

My Account is the personal settings page for the currently logged-in user.

• Update display name, email.
• Change password.
• Update or re-draw your signature (used on every LBE you sign going forward).
• Update your cert type and cert number if it ever changes.

57Outbound email setup #

Big Sky sends invoice emails, quote emails, and Work Auth links from a domain you control. Configured under My Shop → Outbound Email Routing.

• Default sender: [email protected] (you set this).
• Reply-to: the shop's main contact email so customer responses land where you read them.
• Domain must be verified in Resend (the email provider) before it can send. Owner runs the verification once at setup.

If you skip this, emails fall back to a generic [email protected] sender: which works but looks unprofessional.

62Bin Location (shelf label) #

Every part can have a free-text shelf label, "B-12, Bay 3" or "Rack 4, Avionics", separate from which warehouse it lives in. Set it in the Edit Part modal under Bin Location.

The label shows up as a 📍 chip on the Parts Manager row so a mechanic can find the bay without asking parts admin. This is per-part metadata, not per-warehouse, use Stock Locations (below) to track which warehouse a part is in.

63Parts Checkout system #

Mechanics can pull parts off the shelf before they've opened a work order. The system tracks every checked-out unit until it's either scanned onto a WO or returned to the shelf.

Why it exists

Stock_levels stay the single source of truth for what's physically on the shelf. Checkouts are an overlay: separate ledger that says "Jane has 2 of these in her toolbox right now." Nothing decrements stock until a part actually gets consumed on a WO.

Three ways to check out

• Parts Manager row: click 🔄 Check Out on any row. Pick location, qty, optional WO + notes. Lot-tracked parts also pick a specific lot.
• Scanner: scan a part QR, hit "🔄 Check Out to Me (no WO yet)" instead of Log Part Usage. Defaults to your home location automatically.
• Admin on behalf: coming soon. Today it's self-service only.

Auto-close

When you later scan the part onto a WO via the normal flow, the system FIFO-decrements your open checkouts for that part. Any leftover qty stays in your list until you return it. If you consume more than you checked out, the extra "falls through" as a normal consume, no harm.

The 🔄 N OUT chip

Parts Manager rows show how many units are currently checked out across all mechanics. Hover the chip to see who has what.

64My Checkouts page #

My Checkouts is the mechanic-facing list of every part currently in your possession. Tile is on the dashboard for everyone.

• Each row shows part number, qty remaining of qty checked out, when, from which location, optional WO, and any notes.
• Return form on every row, enter the qty you didn't use, hit Return. Closes the row when qty hits zero.
• Rows older than 7 days get an amber "Stale" tag, it's how admin spots forgotten checkouts.

65Stock Locations (multi-warehouse) #

Stock Locations tracks WHICH warehouse each unit of stock lives in. Big Sky uses three: PBI, MLB, GRANT.

Three types

• Warehouse: primary stock points (PBI, MLB, GRANT). Each part has its own per-warehouse qty.
• Location: sub-areas inside a warehouse (mostly informational).
• Van: mobile stock that travels with a tech.

Hidden locations

One location, WHOLESALE, is walled off from maintenance, it's the wholesale-only stock for BSAP. Only Owner and Grant parts users see it. See Wholesale & Hidden inventory.

66Transfers (warehouse & customer) #

Transfers moves stock between warehouses, and absorbs customer-supplied parts into BSA inventory.

Warehouse-to-warehouse

1. Source location ships N units of a part.
2. Destination receives, qty decrements at source, increments at destination.
3. Print a packing list from the transfer detail page if the parts are being trucked.

Customer → BSA transfer

When a customer brings a serviceable part to a WO and it gets used elsewhere, transfer it into BSA stock under a customer-credit. Recorded as a denial-reason if the customer later asks for it back.

67Wholesale & Hidden inventory #

Grant's wholesale-only stock is hidden from the maintenance side so a mechanic can't accidentally pull a wholesale part onto a customer aircraft.

Per-part Wholesale toggle

Edit a part → Wholesale toggle. Moves 1 unit at a time between GRANT and Wholesale. The 🔒 WHOLESALE pill shows on rows with hidden stock, visible only to Grant parts + Owner + Admin.

Who can see what

• Maintenance techs, customers, other warehouses, see only non-hidden stock totals.
• Owner + Grant parts users, see the full picture including hidden qty and the pill.
• Hidden parts can only be sold via Parts Sale WOs (see BSAP).

68Parts Requests (requisitions) #

Parts Requests is the tech-submitted requisition flow. Tech needs a part that isn't on the shelf, submits a request; parts admin approves and turns it into a PO.

1. Tech: "+ New Request", part #, qty, urgency, optional WO.
2. Lead signs off (electronic signature), gate that prevents random requisition spam.
3. Parts admin reviews, approves, denies, or marks ordered.
4. Approved requests auto-draft a PO so admin doesn't re-type.

The dashboard tile shows a count badge of requests awaiting your action.

69BSAP: Big Sky Aviation Parts #

BSAP is the wholesale parts arm. Separate Stripe account, separate invoice numbering (BSAP-YYYY-NNNN), separate dashboard.

How it works

• Create a Non-MX Parts Sale WO with Payee: bsap. The customer pays Big Sky Aviation Parts LLC, not Big Sky Aviation Maintenance.
• Hidden Wholesale stock can be pulled onto BSAP WOs (and only BSAP WOs).
• Invoices generate as BSAP-2026-0001… with the BSAP branding and bank details.
• Payments route to the BSAP Stripe account, not BSA's.

Parts Sales dashboard

Parts Sales is the BSAP-specific dashboard. Owner and Grant parts users only: admin is denied here, and the page returns 404 to make BSAP's existence private to anyone without access.

70Cycle Counts #

Cycle Counts runs spot inventory audits without shutting the shop. Pick N parts, count them, adjust, log the variance.

1. Start a session, manual (pick parts) or auto (random N, or a specific category).
2. Count each line. System shows expected qty next to the field you enter.
3. Finalize. Variances log to the inventory audit trail with reason "cycle count adjustment".

Best practice: 10-20 parts per cycle count, weekly. Catches shrinkage and miscount before the annual audit.

71RMAs (vendor returns) #

RMAs tracks parts you're returning to a vendor, wrong part shipped, defective, etc. The dashboard surfaces open RMAs so credits don't fall off the radar.

• Create from a PO line (most common) or standalone.
• Capture RMA number, return shipping tracking, expected credit amount.
• Close when the credit posts to your account.

72Core Search Requests #

Core Search Requests is where techs and parts admins can ask the system to scan for a sourceable core internally before going to an outside vendor.

The search includes Wholesale, so a needed core might already be sitting in wholesale stock waiting to be re-routed to maintenance. Saves the shop hundreds when it hits.

73Quality chips (stale prices, max qty, scrap fee) #

Parts Manager rows surface data-quality issues as small chips so admin can fix them in-line.

Chip types

• NEEDS INFO: part is missing required metadata (description, cost, threshold, vendor). Hover lists exactly which fields.
• STALE price: unit cost hasn't been confirmed in 6 months (or ever). Call the vendor, then hit Confirm Price in the Edit modal to clear.
• 📍 Bin Location: already covered, the shelf label.
• 🔒 WHOLESALE N: hidden Wholesale stock. Owner / Grant parts only.
• 🔄 N OUT: currently checked out across all mechanics.

Max Qty & Scrap Fee

Max Qty on a part caps reorder suggestions (so the dashboard doesn't auto-suggest 50 of a part you only need 5 of). Scrap fee auto-adds a per-WO disposal charge for hazmat / oil consumables, see My Shop → Default scrap fee.

74Inventory Audit Log #

Inventory Audit Log records every change to every stock_level in chronological order. Receive, consume, transfer, cycle-count, checkout, write-off, every event with who, when, before, after.

Filter by part, user, action type, or date range. CSV export for the annual audit binder.

75Receiving Log #

Receiving Log is the chronological view of every parts-receiving event. Cross-references every line received against the PO and the WO (if linked).

Cleaner for FAA "show me what came in on 4/15" questions than scrolling through PO detail pages.

76Signed notes & the clock-out gate #

When a tech saves a note on a WO discrepancy, they re-enter their password. The system stamps name + cert + timestamp onto the note so it can serve as evidence of work performed.

Clock-out gate

You can't clock out of a WO unless you've saved at least one note on that WO during the punch. Forces a habit of documenting findings before walking away. Bypass: clock to Shop (indirect) instead of a WO.

77Live labor sync #

When a tech clocks out of a WO, their labor hours push to the WO instantly. When admin later approves the time on the Time Clock Manager, the WO re-syncs with the approved (billable) hours.

• Open punch: WO shows nothing yet, just the active timer.
• Clocked out, not approved: WO shows the duration with a yellow "Pending approval" badge.
• Approved: WO shows approved hours with a green badge. Invoice calculations use the approved number.

If admin rejects (rare) or trims hours, the WO updates back to the trimmed total.

78Travel Flags (auto-detect overruns) #

Big Sky services aircraft at every airport in Florida. Travel Baselines defines the expected drive time + miles to each airport. When a tech logs travel that significantly exceeds the baseline, the system auto-flags it for admin review.

Workflow

1. Owner / Admin sets baselines for each airport (one-time setup; we seeded all FL airports).
2. Tech logs travel time on a WO. System compares actual vs. baseline.
3. If overrun > threshold, the punch is flagged automatically.
4. Admin reviews on Time Clock Manager → Travel Flags card: mark OK (legitimate reason), Stolen (follow up), or Follow-up (later).

79Non-MX Parts Sale + auto-COC #

A Parts Sale WO is a non-maintenance WO where Big Sky just sells parts (no labor, no airworthiness). Lower-touch than a full MX WO.

Auto-COC

When you close a Non-MX Parts Sale WO, the system auto-generates the BSA Certificate of Conformity form, the document the customer needs for their records. Attaches to the WO Documents library automatically. No more hand-filling COCs.

Hidden stock allowed

Parts Sale WOs are the only WO type that can pull from Wholesale. Combined with Payee: bsap, this is the BSAP wholesale flow.

80Time Clock Manager #

Time Clock Manager is the admin view for reviewing and approving time. Admin / Owner / Management only.

• Punches: every punch for the selected day, grouped by tech. Edit, split, approve.
• Travel Flags: auto-flagged travel overruns awaiting review (above).
• Stale Parts Checkouts: open checkouts older than your threshold (3/7/14/30 days). Ping the tech or write off lost parts.
• Login Locations: every login attempt with geo, IP, user agent. Failures-only filter for security review.

Approval workflow

Admin approves time → labor on the WO updates to the approved hours (see Live labor sync). Approved-only is the default; admin rarely rejects.

81Commercial invoice (international) #

For international customers, generating a standard invoice isn't enough, customs requires a commercial invoice with HTS codes, country of origin, and a value declaration.

• Mark the customer as international in their profile (sets the default for every invoice).
• Per-line: HTS code, country of origin, declared value.
• Print uses the commercial invoice template, customs-acceptable layout with shipper/consignee blocks and signature lines.

Standard invoice still generates in parallel for the customer's accounting.

82Tooling (checkout system) #

Tooling tracks every shared tool in the shop, calibrated and uncalibrated alike. Different from Tool Calibration: Cal tracks the gauge / wrench cal-due dates, Tooling tracks who has it right now.

Workflow

• Add each tool with name, serial / asset tag, photo, optional cal certificate.
• Print a QR sticker from the tool detail page; stick on the tool.
• Tech scans QR on the Scanner, page offers "Check Out to Me" or "Return".
• Dashboard tile shows overdue checkouts in red.

83Two-factor authentication (SMS) #

2FA is admin-enrolled, SMS-based, mandatory for Owner and Admin accounts. Users can't turn it on or off themselves, only Admin / Owner can enroll or disable.

Enrolling a user

1. Admin / Owner: Admin page → pick a user → 2FA section → enter their mobile in E.164 format (+15615550100).
2. User receives a 6-digit enrollment code. They read it back to admin.
3. Admin enters the code. 2FA flips on; the user gets a confirmation SMS welcoming them to the campaign.
4. Admin captures the 10 one-time recovery codes that appear, these are returned once. Save in a password manager.

Signing in with 2FA

Normal password sign-in → second screen prompts for the SMS code. Code is valid for 5 minutes. Recovery codes can be used in place of an SMS code if the phone is lost.

Disabling

Admin / Owner can disable 2FA on a user's account (e.g., phone lost permanently). They should re-enroll under a new number rather than leave it off long-term.

84Microsoft 365 SSO #

Users can sign in with their work Microsoft / Azure AD account instead of a JMGMT password. Alternative to (not replacement of) password sign-in.

Setup

• Owner registers the app in the company's Azure tenant (one-time, ~10 min).
• Each JMGMT user's account needs their work email set in Admin; SSO matches by email.
• Login page shows a "Sign in with Microsoft" button.

How it interacts with 2FA

SSO-signed users still hit the 2FA gate if they have 2FA enrolled. Most shops just rely on Microsoft's MFA at that point and turn off the JMGMT-side 2FA for SSO users, your call.

85Login locations & audit #

Every login attempt, success or failure, captures coarse geolocation (from the browser, with permission), IP address, and user agent. Visible on the Time Clock Manager → Login Locations card.

• Filter to failures-only to spot brute-force attempts.
• Filter by user to see where one specific person logs in from.
• Filter by time window: 24h, 3d, 7d (default), 30d.

The geo permission is requested at the login page so it's there before sign-in. If the user denies geolocation, login still works, just no map pin.

86Privacy & Terms (public pages) #

JMGMT publishes /privacy.html and /terms.html as public pages, reachable without sign-in. They're linked from the login page footer and used by Twilio for A2P 10DLC SMS campaign registration.

Update text in the HTML files. Both pages cover JMGMT operationally + the specific SMS data-sharing language Twilio carriers require. Don't edit the "We do not sell, share, transfer…" mobile-number paragraph without re-registering the SMS campaign.

90Multi View: your split-screen workspace #

Multi View turns one browser window into a workspace of up to four panes, each pane a full, live section of the platform. Keep a work order open next to Parts Manager, or watch the Status Board while receiving against a PO, without juggling tabs or bouncing through the dashboard.

Three ways to open it

1. Dashboard tile: click the Multi View tile. You'll land on an empty workspace with a section picker.
2. The ⊞ button in any page header: opens Multi View with the page you're on already loaded as the first pane. This is the fastest path, working a WO and need inventory beside it? Hit ⊞, then add a Parts Manager pane.
3. Global search: type "multi" in the dashboard search and jump straight there.

91Working with panes #

The workspace arranges itself automatically as you add panes: 1 pane fills the window, 2 sit side by side, 3 gives you two on top and one full-width below, 4 makes a 2×2 grid.

Adding a pane

1. Click ＋ Add pane in the Multi View header (up to 4).
2. The new pane shows a picker with every section your role can open, the same catalog as your dashboard tiles.
3. Click a section. It loads instantly, already signed in.

The pane title bar

Each pane has a slim title bar with five controls:

• ← Back: steps that pane back to where it was, this pane only. The other panes never move. Back buttons inside the page itself do the same thing.
• ⟳ Reload: refreshes just that pane.
• ⤢ Pop out: opens the pane's page in a full browser tab and closes the pane. Use it when a job outgrows the split view (e.g. printing).
• ⇄ Swap: empties the pane and brings back the picker so you can load a different section.
• ✕ Close: closes the pane. The rest re-arrange to fill the space.

Navigating inside a pane

Panes navigate like normal pages, click a row in Work Orders and that pane goes to the WO detail. The other panes don't move. Use the pane's ← Back (or the page's own Back button) to retrace your steps in that pane, or ⇄ Swap to jump straight back to the section picker. The browser's own Back button is deliberately kept out of pane navigation - it exits Multi View instead of moving panes around.

Your layout is remembered

Multi View saves your panes, including where you navigated inside them, on this browser. Close the tab, come back tomorrow, open Multi View: your layout is restored. Opening via the ⊞ button puts the current page first and restores the rest of your last session after it.

92Multi View: locks, tips & limits #

Edit locks work across panes

Panes count as separate "editors" for the edit-lock system. Two panes on different records: totally fine. Open the same WO in two panes and the second gets the normal "currently editing" prompt with a View-Only option, exactly as if a coworker had it open. That's intentional: it protects your own unsaved edits from yourself.

Signing out

Sign out from the Multi View header (or from inside any pane) and the whole window returns to the login page, panes are never left half-signed-in.

Good pane combos to try

• Front office: Work Orders + Invoices + Payments, quote a customer on the phone without losing your place.
• Parts desk: Parts Receiving + Purchase Orders, receive line-by-line against the PO beside it.
• Shop lead: Status Board + Shop Schedule + Time Clock Manager, one glance, whole floor.
• Working a WO: the WO (via ⊞ from its page) + Parts Manager, check stock and pull parts while writing resolutions.

Limits worth knowing

• 4 panes max. Pages are designed for ~840px of width; more than 4 makes everything unusably narrow.
• Printing from a pane prints the pane, not the whole workspace. For print jobs, use ⤢ Pop out first.
• Layouts are per-browser (like quick-link pins). A different computer starts fresh.
• Scanner in a pane: camera-based QR scanning works, but the scanner really wants a full window (or the tablet). Multi View won't stop you, just know it's cramped.

58Why is the WO locked? #

Two different "locked" states exist:

• Status = released: the WO has been signed off. To make changes, use Void & Revise on the LBE detail page.
• Edit lock: another user is currently editing it. Wait, ask them to release, or (Admin / Owner only) take the lock anyway.

59Sign Off button is grey #

Almost always: at least one discrepancy is missing a resolution. Open each disc, fill in the resolution text, save. The button activates as soon as every unsigned disc has resolution text.

Other reasons: you don't have a signature or cert number on file (My Account), or you're a role that can't sign (Tech without an A&P / IA cert, Accountant always).

60"Someone else is editing" message #

See Edit locks (multi-tech safety). Soft lock prevents two people overwriting each other's changes. Auto-expires after 30 minutes of inactivity.

61Keyboard shortcuts #

• Cmd / Ctrl + K: open global search anywhere in the app.
• Cmd / Ctrl + F on this guide: focus the search box at the top of the sidebar.
• Esc: close any open modal, or clear the guide search.
• Tab through any form: every input is keyboard-reachable.
• On the Status Board: F: fullscreen the board for wall-mount displays.

872FA: I'm not getting codes #

• Check the right number is enrolled. Admin → your user → 2FA section shows a masked version of the number on file.
• STOP'd accidentally? If you ever replied STOP to a JMGMT SMS, your carrier blocks all future ones. Reply START from the same phone to re-subscribe.
• Use a recovery code. Admin gave you 10 one-time codes at enrollment, any one of them substitutes for the SMS at the 2FA prompt.
• Lost phone permanently? Admin disables your 2FA: then re-enrolls under your new number.

88Why is my parts checkout flagged stale? #

Any checkout open longer than 7 days gets an amber "Stale" tag on My Checkouts and shows up on the admin's Time Clock Manager → Stale Parts Checkouts card.

If the parts are still in your toolbox waiting on a job: ignore, the tag is informational. If you used them but didn't scan onto a WO: scan now, the auto-close will clear it. If you don't know where they are: tell admin so they can write it off rather than leave it open.

89Why can't I see "wholesale" parts? #

Hidden Wholesale stock is only visible to Owner and Grant parts users, by design. If you're a maintenance tech, you shouldn't be pulling wholesale stock onto a customer aircraft.

If you genuinely need a part that's only in wholesale: file a Core Search Request. If the system finds it in hidden stock, parts admin can move 1 unit back to maintenance via the Wholesale toggle on the part's Edit modal.

93Where's Multi View on my tablet? #

Multi View is desktop-only by design, splitting a tablet screen into 2-4 panes leaves each pane too narrow to work in safely (think: fat-fingering a parts quantity in a 300px pane).

Below 900px of screen width, the dashboard tile and the ⊞ header button are hidden, and /workspace.html shows a notice instead of panes. On a desktop, if the tile seems missing, your browser window is probably snapped to a narrow half-screen: widen it. Full guide: Multi View: your split-screen workspace.