In the heart of Montreal, Canada, lies Execaire, a leader in private aviation services. Patrick O’Brien, celebrating a decade with the company, oversees flight operations coordination. His role is pivotal, ensuring every flight plan and detail align seamlessly, maintaining Execaire’s reputation for excellence.
Execaire’s fleet, consisting of 50 aircraft, spans from the nimble Citation M2 to the luxurious Global 7500. Operating from bases across Canada’s major cities, Execaire’s reach is truly global, with flights extending to the United States, Africa, East Asia, and beyond. This international presence demands stringent adherence to various regulatory standards, making compliance a top priority.
Efficiency and Innovation in Air Documentation
Before adopting Web Manuals, Execaire used Aviation Docs by Bombardier. While functional, it presented challenges in maintaining regulatory compliance and effective document distribution. In 2019, Execaire embarked on a transformative journey with Web Manuals. The implementation was strategic and phased, avoiding the pitfalls of hastily adopted technology.
Patrick emphasized the importance of setting up the system correctly, training editors, and integrating APIs to ensure seamless functionality. The impact was significant. Web Manuals centralized document distribution, eliminating silos and ensuring a single source of information. This centralization was further enhanced by API integrations, linking various databases without duplicating documents. This passive distribution model allowed users to access documents as needed, streamlining operations and reducing the burden on those distributing the documents.
Web Manuals brought about a revolutionary change in how air documentation were approved and tracked. The self-contained approval workflow replaced the chaotic process of multiple Word document versions and tracked changes. Now, changes were transparent, tracked, and efficiently managed within the platform. This not only saved time but also enhanced accuracy and compliance.
Within the Web Manuals system, the Execaire team has linked the regulations to their manuals and they receive automated notifications whenever there are updates that affect their aviation manuals. This feature also called Compliance Libraries, provides an extensive repository of regulations from major standards, making compliance monitoring straightforward.
“Before Web Manuals, we didn’t have access to compliance libraries, and that’s been a super plus for us because it is very challenging to keep up with the amount of regulations, checklists, and items that we have to comply with are pretty exhaustive. So the compliance libraries have really helped. Before we’d have to create our own compliance library, so we’d have to look through the Canadian air regulations and make sure that our manuals were compliant. We’re a TCO operator, so we operate in Europe commercially and there are regulations that we have to follow there as well. By using the compliance libraries, it’s been a lot easier for us to make sure that our manuals are maintained.”
A Collaborative Journey Toward Compliance Excellence
For Patrick and Execaire, Web Manuals is not just a tool; it’s a journey of continuous improvement and innovation. Attending conferences and engaging with the Web Manuals community has opened up new possibilities for leveraging the platform’s capabilities. Features like change requests and collaborative tools are on the horizon, promising to further enhance user engagement and operational efficiency.
One of the most notable achievements with Web Manuals has been integrating Transport Canada into the process. Initially resistant, Transport Canada now benefits from the system’s efficiency, reviewing and approving documents directly within the portal.
Patrick explains: “One of the things that we’re most happy about is bringing a regulator into our Web Manuals relationship and allowing them to access and review documents through the Web Manuals’ portal. Transport Canada is an organization that needs to be efficient with their time they have a lot of operators to look over and by being able to quickly access the document review the changes very quickly and approve the document right in the platform. It saves them time, saves us time and it delivers actionable data to the regulator.”
This collaboration not only saves time but also ensures that regulatory changes are quickly and accurately implemented, enhancing safety and compliance. Patrick continues: “The Compliance Libraries are designed in such a way that we get advised when there are new regulations. It allows us to go in, review them, if we have to make manual adjustments, relink them, and carry on that way.”
The value of using Web Manuals has been visible both for Execaire and Transport Canada, elevating efficiency for aviation regulatory compliance: “It’s quick, you can go through and you know what has changed. You can see the previous, you can see the after, you can see why it was changed. That has huge value for us because it’s safer because you’re not going to miss anything, it’s there and it’s very efficient.”, comments Patrick.
Looking ahead at Execaire’s Promising Future
The future holds exciting prospects for Execaire and Web Manuals. Expanding API integrations, particularly linking risk identification with manuals, promises to enhance safety and operational efficiency. Digital documentation, while challenging to implement, offers immense potential. Patrick envisions a future where proactive risk mitigation and real-time access to crucial data become standard practice, driven by innovative technologies and a commitment to excellence.
Patrick reflects: “[In the aviation industry], we’re moving away from reactive SMSs and we’re starting to move a lot more towards understanding proactive risk identification and risk analysis, as a core, concentrating on building a proactive culture, which I think is where we are now in the industry, understanding how we can proactively mitigate risks.”
Patrick O’Brien’s leadership and vision have been instrumental in Execaire’s successful integration of Web Manuals. This partnership exemplifies how technology, when thoughtfully implemented, can transform operations, enhance compliance, and drive innovation. As Execaire continues to navigate the skies, its journey with Web Manuals stands as a testament to the power of strategic innovation in aviation.