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By following this guide, you will create maintenance work orders, assign them to technicians, track progress through status transitions, add line items and notes, manage costs, and close work orders with a proper return-to-service release.
Who should read this: Directors of maintenance, maintenance controllers, lead mechanics, and A&P technicians responsible for planning, executing, and documenting aircraft maintenance.Required permission: maintenance_ops — read to view, update to create and modify work orders. Return-to-service release requires IA or A&P certificate verification.Regulatory basis: 14 CFR 43.9 requires maintenance records to include a description of work performed, the date of completion, and the signature and certificate number of the person approving the aircraft for return to service. 14 CFR 135 Subpart J establishes maintenance requirements for Part 135 operators.

The Work Orders List

Navigate to Maintenance > Work Orders to see all work orders for your workspace. The page displays summary statistics across the top:

Status tabs

The tab bar filters work orders by lifecycle status: Each tab shows a count badge. The default sort is by creation date descending.

Table columns

Create a Work Order

Work Order Detail Page

Click any WO number in the list to open the detail page. The page is divided into:

Header toolbar

The toolbar displays the WO number, aircraft registration, status label, and priority badge. Action buttons change based on the current status (see Status Lifecycle below).

Line items

The items panel lists parts and materials used on this work order. Each line item includes:
  • Part ID — Internal part identifier or number
  • Description — What the part is
  • Quantity — Number of units used
  • Unit Cost — Cost per unit
  • Total Cost — Calculated line total
To add a line item, click Add Item and fill in the part details. Items are saved immediately.

Notes and attachments

The notes panel provides a chronological log of all activity on the work order. To add a note:
  1. Enter the note text in the content field
  2. Optionally attach a file (photos, inspection forms, vendor invoices)
  3. Click Add Note
Notes are timestamped and attributed to the author. They cannot be deleted — this preserves the audit trail required by 14 CFR 43.9.

Cost tracking

The cost summary panel shows:

Work Order Status Lifecycle

Work orders progress through a defined lifecycle. Each transition is validated and audit-logged.
Per 14 CFR 43.9(a), each person who maintains, performs preventive maintenance, rebuilds, or alters an aircraft shall make an entry in the maintenance record containing a description of work performed, the date of completion, the name of the person performing the work, and the signature, certificate number, and kind of certificate held by the person approving the work. The Verified status transition enforces these requirements.

Return-to-Service Release

When a work order reaches the Completed status, an authorized person must sign the return-to-service release before the aircraft may be returned to operations.
The return-to-service release creates an immutable record hash in the record integrity system. Once verified, the release cannot be modified — only supplemental notes can be added.

Edit a Work Order

Click Edit from the work order detail toolbar to modify any field. Editing is available for work orders in Draft, Open, In Progress, or Awaiting Parts status. Once a work order reaches Completed or Verified status, it becomes read-only to preserve the maintenance record. When creating or editing a work order that addresses a scheduled maintenance due item, link the two records. This updates the due item’s completion tracking and resets the next-due calculation for recurring items.

Manage Due Items

Track inspections, ADs, and recurring maintenance by aircraft.

Manage Discrepancies

Create and resolve aircraft squawks linked to work orders.

Work Order Templates

Create reusable templates for recurring maintenance tasks.

Maintenance Billing

Generate estimates and track billing for work orders.
Last modified on April 5, 2026