Feedback on a GA software idea

[bravomikebravo]

I’m looking for some feedback. I’ve been working on an idea for maintenance and cost analysis software for general aviation. The software/app would have the following features:

• Free digitization of aircraft maintenance records and invoices
• Alerts when there are fleetwide service difficulties
• Predictive analysis of parts reliability/failures
• Alerts to keep you legal on required times/inspections
• Repair cost estimates and fleet average parts prices
• The ability to research repairs
• Repair shop directory with reviews
• Automated per hour and per mile cost calculations
• Comparison of your aircraft operating costs to others of the same type

Would you find this information valuable ? Would you use the software yourself? The thought is to makethe digitization of your logs/records/invoices free with access to these in theapp and available for download. Theother features would be available on a subscription basis. If these other features are of interest, how much would you be willing to pay on a monthly/yearly basis for these features?

I have a relationship with a software developerthat designed a software system with similar features for several airlines, and they would be doing the development work on this software. I really believe GA could benefit from something like this, but it would take active participation fromthe community and users would have to agree to share their data.

I am private pilot, an EAA member, and have attended Oshkosh the past 5 years. I started thinking about this idea when I was looking to partner with some co-workers on a plane, and I couldn't get reliable answers from anyone about realistic maintenance costs. I love aviation, and I'm not some Silicon Valley whiz kid looking to make a billion dollars. Visit my LinkedIn profile (https://www.linkedin.com/in/aviationservices/) if you want to learn more about my experience.

Thanks in advance for your input! I’m looking forward to reading the feedback(good, bad, & ugly).

[dougbush]

I already digitize all my maintenance records and invoices without paying any subscription price.
My type club alerts me to fleet-wide service difficulties. I do pay a subscription to them.
What use is predictive analysis of parts reliability to an owner?
I can use a spreadsheet to track required times/inspections, no subscription.
Repair cost estimates come from AMTs who have examined the machine. It's rarely practical to take the machine elsewhere for another estimate. What use is knowing average parts prices?
Type clubs and forums help with researching repairs and locating suppliers and repair shops.
I could calculate per hour and per mile costs, but never have, since I don't charge for flying. I do calculate total cost of ownership per year, with a subscription-free general-use bookkeeping software.
What use is comparing operating costs with owners with different missions and preferences and localities?
It sounds like you'd need a large number of owners doing enormous amounts of data entry.

[CarlOrton]

As Doug mentions, it would take a lot of data. And pilots are notoriously cheap. Mike Busch already offers this type of service. I would think, in ignorance based on his stories, that most of his clientele own expensive aircraft like high dollar twins that would benefit from this type of support.

[Frank Giger]

The problem is scalability. The software itself sound great, but for a person that owns one aircraft that they fly for recreation, it's overkill.

[marktrav]

Brandon, see my article in the April/May issue of AMT. https://www.aviationpros.com/magazine/31596

If you base your idea within Blockchain, it will be in the market. I can't guarantee success, but I can practically guarantee obsolescence of your idea in the next few years if you don't.

Good luck!

[Paulie123]

[QUOTE=bravomikebravo;76082]I’m looking for some feedback. I’ve been working on an idea for maintenance and cost analysis software for general aviation. The software/app would have the following features:

• Free digitization of aircraft maintenance records and invoices
• Alerts when there are fleetwide service difficulties
• Predictive analysis of parts reliability/failures
• Alerts to keep you legal on required times/inspections
• Repair cost estimates and fleet average parts prices
• The ability to research repairs
• Repair shop directory with reviews
• Automated per hour and per mile cost calculations
• Comparison of your aircraft operating costs to others of the same type

You have a solution for a non existent problem. Unless you have a fleet this is unnecessary. That software already exists, and amazingly, airlines have operated for decades before computers were common.
Many have gone from hard time parts replacement to trend analysis. I actually know someone that does that at FedEx.

[bigdog]

I echo Doug's comments with some additions. I spent a few years as a reliability engineer at a major airline in the 80's. Our thrust even back then was to move everything we could to the Condition Monitoring program, i.e. replace it when it fails. There were very few items that had wear out patterns warranting time limits. Anything in GA that has predictable failure is already known. I also don't want to know my costs. I started calculating them for my Navion and when I got to $160/hr I quit and destroyed all the evidence. There's such a thing as too much information.