Everything You Need to Know About HOMS

HOMS (Helicopter Operations Management System) is a software platform built specifically for helicopter companies. Think of it as the "brain" of your entire operation — a single place where every department works together: flight planning, maintenance engineering, regulatory compliance, inventory, and more.

HOMS is built on two powerful ideas that make it fundamentally different from a spreadsheet:

Every person in HOMS has a Role. Your role determines exactly what you can see and do. Below is a plain-English explanation of each role.

Step 1 — Company Settings

Navigate to Settings → Company Settings. This is typically done once, on day one. Your logo will appear on every PDF the system generates — flight manifests, work orders, and clearance documents.

Step 2 — Bases

Navigate to Administration → Bases. A "Base" is any physical location your helicopters operate from — an international airport, a remote helipad, a hospital rooftop, a mountain landing zone. Every flight starts and ends at a Base.

1.4 Helipads

What it is: A database of standard and emergency alternate landing sites.

Why it matters: When dispatching a flight, dispatchers need to assign alternate landing sites in case of bad weather or emergencies. Helipads marked as "Emergency" will be distinctly flagged during dispatch so pilots know they are only for forced landings.

Step 3 — Routes

Navigate to Administration → Routes. A Route is a pre-approved flight path between two bases. When a coordinator creates a flight request, the system only shows destinations that have a valid Route from the chosen origin. This prevents unauthorized or unplanned flight paths.

Step 4 — Aircraft Types

Navigate to Settings → Aircraft Types. An Aircraft Type is the blueprint for a helicopter model — it stores all the performance and structural data that is the same for every helicopter of that model. For example, every Airbus AS350 B3e has the same Maximum Takeoff Weight regardless of which specific tail number you're looking at.

Step 5 — Aircraft (Your Physical Fleet)

Navigate to Administration → Aircraft. Now that you have a Type blueprint, register each physical helicopter you own. Each aircraft gets its own registration (tail number) and unique identifiers, but inherits all the performance limits from its Type automatically.

Step 6 — Users

Navigate to Administration → Users. Create a login account for every person who needs access to HOMS. Each account is assigned a Role which controls what they can see and do.

Step 7 — Pilot Profiles

Navigate to Administration → Pilots. If a user is a Pilot, they also need a Pilot Profile — this stores their aviation licenses, medical certificates, and most importantly, which helicopter models they are legally type-rated to fly.

Step 8 — Duty Logs & FTL

What it is: A tracking system for Flight Time Limitations (FTL) to manage pilot fatigue risks.

Why it matters: Aviation regulations strictly limit how many hours a pilot can fly within rolling windows (e.g., 28 days and 365 days). As pilots complete flights, HOMS automatically updates their duty logs.

Every flight in HOMS must pass through a mandatory, sequential safety pipeline. No single person has the authority to put a flight in the air alone. This is by design.

Step A — Creating a Flight Request

Who does this: Flight Coordinator. Navigate to Flight Requests → New Request.

When you select the Origin Base, the Destination dropdown automatically filters to only show bases that have a Route from that origin. When you select an Aircraft, the Pilot dropdown automatically filters to only pilots who are type-rated for that aircraft model.

Step B — ATC Clearance

Who does this: ATC Operator. Navigate to ATC Operations → ATC Documents.

The ATC Operator contacts the national civil aviation authority (e.g., CAAN in Nepal, FAA in the USA), obtains the official airspace clearance, and uploads it to HOMS. They then formally approve or reject the flight.

Step C — Dispatch & Weight/Balance

Who does this: Dispatcher. Navigate to Dispatch → Dispatch Center.

The Dispatcher is the last human check before the flight enters the pilot's hands. They verify two critical things: 1) the weather is safe, and 2) the helicopter won't be too heavy or unbalanced.

Step D — Pilot Execution

Who does this: Pilot. Navigate to My Flights on the Pilot Dashboard (or mobile).

Once released, the flight appears on the pilot's dashboard. The pilot must complete two actions on the ground before the flight can start.

The FRAT — Flight Risk Assessment Tool

The FRAT is a standardized self-assessment that pilots must complete before every flight. It scores several risk factors. If the cumulative score exceeds the threshold, the pilot cannot start the flight without supervisor override.

Parts Master — The Catalog

Navigate to Inventory → Parts Master. The Parts Master is a catalog of every type of component your company uses. It's the blueprint — it defines what a part is and what its regulatory life limits are. It does not represent a physical item on your shelf.

Part Instances — Physical Stock

Navigate to Inventory → Part Instances. A Part Instance is a real, physical object you own — a specific blade with its own serial number, sitting on a shelf or installed in a helicopter. Every instance is linked to a Parts Master entry and inherits its life limits.

Installations — Attaching Parts to Aircraft

Navigate to Engineering → Installations. Installing a Part Instance links it to a specific aircraft. From this moment, every flight hour logged by that aircraft is automatically deducted from the installed part's remaining life.

To remove a part (e.g., for overhaul), engineers use the Remove action — this records the removal date, the hours at removal, and sets the part back to "Available" or "Unserviceable".

Alerts — Automatic Life Limit Warnings

Navigate to Engineering → Alerts. When any installed part's remaining life (hours, cycles, or calendar days) falls within its warning threshold (defined in the Parts Master), the system automatically generates an alert and triggers a real-time in-app notification visible to Engineers and Admins.

Tech Logs / Squawks — Defect Reporting

A "Squawk" is the aviation term for a defect or issue discovered on an aircraft. Any pilot can log a squawk from their mobile device. The moment a squawk is logged, the aircraft is automatically grounded and cannot be assigned to any new flights until an engineer resolves it.

Airworthiness Directives (ADs)

Navigate to Engineering → ADs & SBs. Airworthiness Directives are mandatory safety notices issued by aviation authorities (like EASA or FAA). If an AD applies to one of your helicopter models, you must comply with it within the specified timeframe or the aircraft cannot legally fly. HOMS tracks AD compliance across your entire fleet.

Work Orders

Navigate to Engineering → Work Orders. Work Orders are formal documents for planned, scheduled maintenance events — like a 100-hour inspection, a scheduled overhaul, or a major component replacement. They differ from squawks (which are unplanned defects).

Work Orders can contain checklists of tasks and require the use of specific calibrated tools from the Tool Crib. Critical work orders require dual-signature: an Engineer signs first, then an Auditor provides a second, independent sign-off before the aircraft is returned to service.

Checklist Templates

Navigate to Engineering → Checklist Templates. Maintenance often involves standardized, recurring checks (e.g., "100-Hour Inspection", "Pre-Flight Check"). Instead of typing these steps manually every time, you can create a reusable Template.

Purchase Orders

Navigate to Inventory → Purchase Orders. When you need to buy a new part, create a Purchase Order. When the part arrives and is received, it automatically creates a Part Instance in your stock, ready to be installed on an aircraft.

Vendors & Suppliers

Navigate to Inventory → Vendors. You must maintain a database of approved vendors and suppliers where you procure parts, fuel, and maintenance services.

Tool Crib — Calibrated Tools

Navigate to Engineering → Tools. Aviation maintenance requires calibrated tools (torque wrenches, pressure gauges, etc.) that must be re-calibrated periodically. HOMS tracks each tool and its calibration expiry. When a Work Order is created, engineers can only link tools whose calibration is currently valid.