Ornge moves AW139 and PC-12 maintenance operations to paperless system
The air ambulance operator has introduced digital maintenance workflows across its bases as it targets faster aircraft turnaround and greater fleet visibility
Ontario air ambulance operator Ornge has moved maintenance operations for its Leonardo AW139 helicopters and Pilatus PC-12 fixed-wing aircraft to a paperless system across all of its maintenance bases.
The Canadian operator has introduced digital task cards, electronic sign-off, and mobile maintenance applications supplied by Ramco Systems, replacing paper-based processes used by technicians working across the two fleets.
The system allows aircraft maintenance engineers to access documentation, carry out maintenance tasks, and record sign-offs electronically while working on aircraft. Maintenance and quality teams can also monitor work progress, task completion, and sign-off status in near real time.
For an air medical operator, where aircraft availability can directly affect the ability to respond to missions, Ornge said the change was intended to support maintenance turnaround times and give engineering crews access to the information they need while working across its bases.
“In addition to helping us go paperless, Ramco’s Digital Task Card and Mechanic Anywhere app is well positioned to help us in our efforts to ensure timely maintenance turnaround times,” said Robert Zwanenburg, Technical Services Manager at Ornge. “We are working as a team to ensure our frontline maintenance crews (AMEs) have the tools they need wherever they’re working.”
Existing Ornge maintenance task cards were converted for electronic sign-off as part of the implementation, while work summary reports were introduced to support auditing and regulatory compliance.
The electronic sign-off system was also developed to meet Transport Canada maintenance sign-off requirements.