> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.planeconnection.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# How to Manage the Trip Binder
> Assemble, review, share, and archive the digital trip binder that consolidates all trip-related documents — flight plan, weight and balance, weather briefing, passenger manifest, customs forms, NOTAMs, and approach plates.
By the end of this guide, you will have assembled the trip binder with all required documents, shared it with crew, and archived it for regulatory retention.
The Operations module must be enabled for your workspace. You also need the appropriate operations
permissions. Contact your workspace administrator if you cannot access these features.
You need the `dispatch.read` permission to view binders and `dispatch.update` to add or remove
documents.
## Prerequisites
* A trip must exist in **Draft**, **Confirmed**, or **Active**
status. The trip binder is created automatically when a trip is
created.
* Documents you plan to attach (PDFs, images) must be under 25 MB
each.
* For auto-populated documents (weather, NOTAMs), the trip must have
a route with valid ICAO airport codes.
## Open the trip binder
### Step 1: Navigate to the trip detail page
Open the **Operations** sidebar and click **All Trips** under the
**Trips** group. Locate the trip in the list and click its row to
open the trip detail page.
You can also reach a trip from the **Dispatch Board** by clicking
**View Detail** on the aircraft card, or from the **Schedule** page
by clicking a trip block.
### Step 2: Open the Binder tab
On the trip detail page, click the **Binder** tab in the tab bar.
The Trip Binder view loads with a document list organized by
category.
## Understand the binder layout
The Trip Binder page has a **document list** on the left (organized by category) and a **document preview** on the right. Categories include Flight Plan, Weight & Balance, Weather, NOTAMs, Approach Plates, Passenger Manifest, Customs & Immigration, Crew Documents, Catering, and Other.
Categories marked with a red "Missing" badge indicate documents that your organization's dispatch
policy requires but have not yet been uploaded. Resolve all missing items before releasing the
trip.
## Add documents to the binder
### Step 1: Click Add Document
From the Binder tab, click the **Add Document** button in the
toolbar above the document list.
### Step 2: Select the document category
In the upload dialog, choose the appropriate category from the
dropdown (Flight Plan, Weight & Balance, Weather, NOTAMs, Approach
Plates, Passenger Manifest, Customs, Crew Documents, Catering, or
Other).
### Step 3: Upload the file or use auto-populate
You have two options:
* **Upload a file** -- Drag and drop a PDF or image into the upload
area, or click **Browse** to select from your file system.
Accepted formats: PDF, PNG, JPG. Maximum file size: 25 MB.
* **Auto-populate** -- For Weather and NOTAM categories, click the
**Fetch Latest** button to pull current data based on the trip
route. The system retrieves METARs, TAFs, and NOTAMs for the
departure, destination, and alternate airports and generates a
formatted PDF.
### Step 4: Add a description (optional)
Enter an optional description or note in the **Description** field.
This is useful for version tracking (e.g., "Updated TAF as of
1400Z").
### Step 5: Save
Click **Save**. The document appears in the binder under the
selected category with a timestamp and the uploader's name.
## Auto-populated documents
PlaneConnection can automatically generate and attach certain
documents when the trip has a complete route:
| Document | Source | Trigger |
| ------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Weather briefing | Aviation weather services (METARs, TAFs, winds aloft, SIGMETs) | Click **Fetch Latest** in the Weather category, or enabled automatically at trip confirmation. |
| NOTAMs | FAA NOTAM system | Click **Fetch Latest** in the NOTAMs category. |
| Passenger manifest | Trip passenger list | Auto-generated from the Crew & Pax tab data. Regenerates when passengers change. |
| Weight & Balance | Aircraft profile + passenger/cargo weights | Generated from the W\&B calculator on the trip Legs tab. |
Auto-populated weather and NOTAMs reflect conditions at the time of retrieval. For regulatory
compliance under 14 CFR 135.213, the PIC must verify that the weather briefing is current before
departure. Click **Refresh** on any auto-populated document to pull updated data.
## Remove or replace a document
1. In the document list, hover over the document row and click the
**three-dot menu** icon.
2. Select **Replace** to upload a new version (the previous version
is moved to the document's version history), or select **Remove**
to delete the document from the binder.
3. Confirm the action in the dialog.
Replaced documents are retained in the version history accessible
from the document detail view. This preserves the audit trail
required for record retention.
## Share the binder with crew
### Step 1: Click Share
From the Binder tab toolbar, click the **Share** button.
### Step 2: Select recipients
The share dialog shows the crew assigned to the trip (PIC, SIC,
flight attendant) pre-selected. You can add additional recipients
by searching for crew members or entering an email address.
### Step 3: Choose the share format
* **Link** -- Sends a secure link that opens the binder in the
PlaneConnection app. Recipients must be authenticated.
* **PDF bundle** -- Generates a single PDF containing all binder
documents, merged in category order, and attaches it to the
notification email.
### Step 4: Send
Click **Send**. Recipients receive a notification (email and
in-app) with access to the binder.
Sharing the binder as a PDF bundle is useful for crews who need offline access during flight. The
bundle includes a table of contents with page numbers for each document category.
## Print the binder
Click the **Print** button in the Binder tab toolbar to generate a
print-ready PDF of the entire binder. The print version includes:
* A cover page with the trip number, route, date, aircraft, and
crew.
* A table of contents listing every document by category.
* All documents rendered sequentially.
The PDF opens in a new browser tab for printing or downloading.
Under 14 CFR 135.63, the certificate holder must retain completed trip records including the load
manifest, flight plan, and dispatch release for at least 30 days (and 12 months for some records).
Digital binders in PlaneConnection satisfy this requirement, but if you print a hard copy,
ensure it is stored according to your organization's records retention policy.
## Archive a completed trip binder
When a trip reaches **Completed** status, the binder is
automatically locked to prevent further edits. The locked binder
remains accessible from the trip detail page for the full retention
period.
To manually archive an active binder before trip completion:
1. Click the **three-dot menu** in the Binder tab toolbar.
2. Select **Archive Binder**.
3. Confirm the action. The binder is marked as archived and becomes
read-only.
Archived binders are searchable from the **Ops > Documents** page
using the trip number or date range filters.
## Binder completeness check
The trip detail header displays a **Binder** status badge:
| Badge | Meaning |
| ----------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Complete** (green) | All required document categories have at least one document. |
| **Incomplete** (yellow) | One or more required categories are missing documents. |
| **Empty** (gray) | No documents have been added to the binder. |
The release checklist references binder completeness as a required
item. A trip cannot be released for dispatch if required binder
documents are missing.
## Related
Build a trip and start populating the binder.
Verify binder completeness as part of the pre-departure release.
Passenger data feeds into the manifest document.
Detailed weather tools that feed auto-populated briefings.