Software for Part 145 repair stations
For independent FAA Part 145 component repair stations with limited ratings and about 15 to 80 people (accessories, instruments, wheels and brakes, avionics) that run on paper travelers, a capability list in a spreadsheet, rosters and training dates in another, and an 8130-3 typed into a fillable PDF. We build a web system around your own manual: travelers built from your component manuals, a capability check at receiving, and every signature checked against your rosters, training and calibrated tools. The system drafts and checks; your certificated people sign. A typical build costs $8,000 to $25,000 at a fixed price, and hosting and support start at $350 a month, with no per-user fee.
Last reviewed: November 11, 2026
What repair stations need that paper and spreadsheets handle badly
- "Is this part on our capability list?" Checked when the unit arrives, not after the work is done.
- "Was the manual current?" The revision each traveler was built from, and a warning when a newer one has been logged and not yet reviewed.
- "Was that tool in calibration?" A tool past its date that can't be picked for a measured step.
- "Were they authorized to sign that?" The rosters, authorizations and recurrent training tied to the signature itself, not checked from memory afterwards.
- "Was the roster updated in time?" The 5-business-day clock on every hire, departure and change of duty.
- An 8130-3 retyped from the work order, with Block 12 written from memory and nothing checking its part numbers against the record.
The rules behind the work
Every workflow produces a record an FAA inspector can ask for by name (14 CFR part 145):
- Capability list (145.215): a limited-rated station works only on articles on its current capability list, and adding one needs a documented self-evaluation.
- Current data and calibrated tools (145.109): current maintenance data when the work is done, and tools calibrated to a standard.
- Rosters (145.161): three rosters, updated within 5 business days of a change.
- Training (145.163): initial and recurrent training, with records kept at least two years.
- Records (145.219): kept at least two years from the return to service, available to the FAA.
- Release (145.157): the 8130-3 signed by a person your station authorizes.
Each rule is shown on the screen where it applies. Your station's manual governs; the system is built to follow it.
What we build for a repair station
The demo shows each piece working for a fictional component shop, Corvane Aero Components. The traveler steps, forms, ratings and roles are your own, laid out the way your manual sets them.
- Receiving, with the capability check: the AI reads the customer's PO and the removal tag into a draft work order, and your receiving clerk checks every field beside the documents. The system then checks the part number against the capability list: a listed part gets its traveler, an unlisted dash number opens a self-evaluation and the unit waits, and a tag with no reason for removal puts the unit on a paperwork hold that stops the release.
- A traveler, not a form: the steps from the component manual, each with Tech and Insp boxes, naming the manual revision it was built from. Each measured step asks which calibrated tool was used, and a tool past its date can't be picked. Only tools whose range fits the measurement are offered.
- A tool found out of tolerance: when the calibration lab reports a tool out of tolerance, the system lists every step it measured since its last good calibration, with each reading and how many of those units have already been released, and opens a finding to review them.
- Signatures your records allow, and no others: a step outside someone's authorization, or after their recurrent training lapsed, is refused with the reason in plain words: the record that stops it, the rule behind it, who can sign it today, and what lets them sign again. Nobody inspects their own work. Every refusal is kept, as your evidence that the rules hold.
- The 8130-3, drafted for your inspector: the system drafts the form block by block from the work order, and the AI drafts Block 12 (Remarks) from the recorded work. The system then checks every part number, bulletin and revision in the text against the record and highlights anything that isn't there. Your inspector edits it and signs it. Nothing is released on the system's word.
- The quality manager's view: the three rosters with the 5-day clock running, training due in the next 60 days and what each lapse would suspend, tools coming due, open findings, revisions and self-evaluations waiting, refused signatures, and every record with its keep-until date.
- Excel everywhere: the rosters, training, the tool register, the capability list and the work orders all export to Excel for an audit.
The AI reads and drafts; the system checks; your certificated people decide and sign. You own all of it: the code, the data and the address.
What it costs, and how long it takes
A repair station system is a fixed-price build, typically $8,000 to $25,000, then hosting and support from $350 a month, with no per-user fee. The price depends on your ratings, how many component manuals your travelers come from, and how your records are kept today, and you see it in writing before anything starts.
| Blueprint | From $1,500: the written plan and the fixed price for the build, credited in full to it |
|---|---|
| Build | Fixed price per phase; most projects $8,000 to $25,000 |
| Included | The first 3 months of Standard support |
| After that | Support plans from $350 a month, hosting included, month to month |
Moving to a new records system usually means a revision to your repair station manual, which you submit to your Flight Standards office. We plan the build around that, and your paper system keeps running until the day you switch.
How it compares with the alternatives
| Option | Cost | Fits best when |
|---|---|---|
| Paper travelers and spreadsheets | Paper and staff time | A small shop where the quality manager knows every signature |
| Aircraft maintenance tracking software (Quantum MX and others) | A monthly subscription | A very small shop, or one built around aircraft rather than components |
| Off-the-shelf MRO software | Quoted per shop, per user or per year | Your work fits its forms as they come |
| An MRO ERP | Quoted per shop, plus setup | A large station with staff to run an ERP |
| Rowhouse Systems | $8,000 to $25,000 once, then from $350 a month | You want your own traveler, forms and rules, and every signature checked against your records, in one system you own |
Prices change, so check each vendor's own quote.
See it working
The demo is Corvane Aero Components, a fictional component repair station. Sign in with one click as the receiving clerk, a technician, the inspector or the quality manager. Receive a unit from a PO and a removal tag, reach for a step you're not authorized to sign, and draft an 8130-3 to see which numbers the system checks. Every 8130-3 the demo prints is marked SAMPLE. The data resets every night, so you can't break anything.
A guide for this trade
Every signature against the roster: authorizations, training and calibrated tools: Part 145 sign-offs rest on a part 65 certificated signer, rosters updated within 5 business days, current training and FAA-acceptable tool calibration.
Questions
Does the system approve anything for return to service?
No. It drafts the 8130-3 and checks it against the record; a person your station authorizes signs it. Nothing is released on the system's word.
Is it FAA accepted?
We don't claim that. Your records procedures are described in your repair station manual, and moving to a new system usually means a manual revision you submit to your Flight Standards office. We build the system to match your manual, not the other way around.
What stops someone signing a step they shouldn't?
The system holds your authorizations and training records and checks them on every signature. A step outside someone's authorization, or after a recurrent course lapsed, is refused with the reason, and the refusal is recorded.
Can it use our forms and our traveler steps?
Yes. The traveler is built from the steps you lay out for each manual, and the forms follow your manual. That fit is the point of a build.
How does it handle calibrated tools?
Each measured step asks which tool was used, and offers only tools whose range fits the measurement. A tool past its calibration date can't be picked, the quality view lists what comes due in the next 30 days, and when the lab finds a tool out of tolerance, the system lists every unit it measured since its last good calibration.
What does the AI do, and what does it never do?
It reads incoming POs and removal tags into a draft, and drafts Block 12 from the recorded work. A person confirms every draft, and the system flags any number in Block 12 that isn't in the record. It never signs, approves or decides airworthiness.
What happens to our spreadsheets and paper records?
Rosters, training dates, the tool register and the capability list are imported as part of the build. Paper-era work orders can be listed as records pointing to the paper file, kept for their two years.
Do you handle EASA dual release or SMS?
Not in the demo. Either can be part of a build for a station that needs it.
What does it cost, and who owns it?
A fixed-price build, typically $8,000 to $25,000, then from $350 a month for hosting and support, with no per-user fee. The system, the code and the data are yours, with an export to Excel at any time.