Aircraft Logbook Automation Tool

The Challenge

In aviation, accurate logbook maintenance is essential. Flight hours, landings, and component lifecycles must be meticulously recorded to ensure safety, compliance, and timely inspections. Traditionally, these records were updated manually—leaving room for errors, redundancy, and delays in inspection scheduling.

During my internship at Goma Airlines, I worked closely with the engineering and maintenance planning teams to develop a more efficient solution.

The Solution: Logbook Automation Tool

To improve reliability and reduce administrative burden, I developed a tool that automated logbook calculations and inspection scheduling by leveraging data from the Aircraft Flight Log (AFL) and Maintenance Job Orders (MJO).

Key Features:

• Automated Flight Hour & Landing Calculation
  Parsed AFL entries and calculated cumulative hours, landings, and cycles per aircraft.

• Component Inspection Scheduler
  Cross-referenced flight data with predefined maintenance intervals to flag upcoming inspections.

• Digital Recordkeeping
  Reduced reliance on paper logs by integrating essential data into a digital tracking sheet—improving access and audit readiness.

• Error Reduction
  Built-in logic checks ensured consistency between AFL and logbook entries.

Tools & Technologies Used

• Excel Macros (VBA) for automation

• Lookup tables for maintenance scheduling

• Manual integration with maintenance job order forms

Results & Impact

Faster Log Updates
Engineers could generate up-to-date flight summaries in seconds, rather than manually adding entries.

Improved Inspection Planning
Maintenance tasks were scheduled proactively, reducing last-minute groundings.

Greater Accuracy & Compliance
The automated checks significantly reduced inconsistencies between flight logs and technical documents.

Ease of Use
The tool was designed for operational staff, requiring no technical background to operate effectively.

What I Learned

This was my first real-world experience translating engineering knowledge into automation tools that solved operational challenges. I learned how even a small script or formula—when deployed in a high-stakes environment like aviation—can contribute to safety, efficiency, and regulatory compliance.

It also introduced me to the broader concept of data-driven maintenance, a field that continues to evolve with predictive analytics and AI.