Skip to main content
By the end of this tutorial, you will have created a maintenance work order, added line items, tracked it through status changes, and verified it with an inspector sign-off — the complete lifecycle of a maintenance record in PlaneConnection.
Who should do this tutorial? Directors of Maintenance, A&P mechanics, maintenance managers, and anyone responsible for creating or approving aircraft maintenance records. You will need maintenance module access with at least “update” permission on maintenance operations.

Before you start

Make sure you have:
  • An active PlaneConnection account with access to the Maintenance module
  • At least one aircraft in your fleet
  • Logged in to your workspace (see the Quickstart if you need help)
  • Completed the Getting Started with Maintenance tutorial (recommended)
Work orders in PlaneConnection are designed to satisfy the recordkeeping requirements of 14 CFR 43.9 (content, form, and disposition of maintenance records) and 14 CFR 43.11 (content, form, and disposition of records for inspections). Every work order captures the who, what, when, and how of maintenance actions — creating an auditable trail from work initiation through return to service.

Creating and completing a work order

What you accomplished

In this tutorial, you:
  • Created a new maintenance work order with aircraft, title, description, type, and priority
  • Added line items to document parts and labor
  • Assigned the work order to a technician
  • Tracked the work order through its full lifecycle: Draft, Open, In Progress, Completed, Verified
  • Completed the work order with actual hours and cost data
  • Performed inspector verification with the four-point checklist and return-to-service sign-off
  • Confirmed the results on the Maintenance Dashboard
Regulatory summary. The work order you just completed satisfies the maintenance record requirements of: - 14 CFR 43.9 — Content, form, and disposition of maintenance records (description of work, date, person performing work, approval for return to service) - 14 CFR 43.11 — Content, form, and disposition of records for inspections conducted under Part 43 (type and extent of inspection, reference to approved data) - 14 CFR 43.3 — Persons authorized to approve aircraft for return to service (verification checklist and sign-off)

Next steps

Manage Work Orders

Learn advanced work order management: filtering, bulk actions, editing, and deletion.

Track Due Items

Set up recurring due items so your next inspection or AD compliance date is automatically tracked.

Manage Discrepancies

Report squawks and link them to work orders for full defect-to-resolution traceability.

Use Fleet Health

Monitor fleet-wide maintenance health scores and identify aircraft that need attention.
Last modified on April 5, 2026