Get pilots, mechanics and crew cleared to work, with every document on file
GettingDocs is aviation staffing onboarding software that gets pilots, A&P mechanics, flight attendants and ramp agents cleared to work before the start slips. Amy asks each candidate for what they still owe over WhatsApp or email, from the FAA certificate and medical to logbook pages and badge paperwork, checks every file as it arrives and files it on their record in your ATS, so the operator or airport receives a complete file.
Thanks, Amy · Crosswind Aviation Staffing
An AOG call needs two A&P mechanics on the ramp tomorrow. One file is still missing a certificate and a badge application.
An MRO client has an aircraft on the ground and wants two A&P mechanics on the ramp at 6 am. Both contractors say yes within the hour. The client wants each certificate, training record and badge application first. Here is the same afternoon, twice.
- Monday, 2 pm
The AOG call comes in. Two mechanics accept, and a recruiter emails each of them the document list.
- Monday, 4 pm
The first mechanic replies with everything from his truck. The second says he will sort it tonight.
- Monday evening
His A&P certificate goes to a recruiter’s cell phone, photographed with the ratings cut off. Nobody forwards it.
- Monday night
The badge application sits half finished in an email he opened on his phone and meant to come back to.
- Tuesday, 6 am
The client will not put him on the job without the paperwork. One mechanic works the aircraft alone.
The aircraft stays on the ground another shift. The client paid for half a crew and remembers which agency sent it.
- Monday, 2 pm
Same call, same two yeses. The placements show in your ATS and Amy messages both mechanics on WhatsApp with what each still owes.
- Monday, 3 pm
The first mechanic’s certificate, training records and tool list arrive and are filed on his record as they land.
- Monday, 5 pm
The second sends his certificate with the ratings cut off. Amy tells him why and asks again. A clear photo arrives ten minutes later.
- Monday evening
Amy’s next reminder asks for the badge application. The signed paperwork comes straight back to her, not to anyone’s phone.
- Monday night
Both files are complete in your ATS and go to the client before midnight.
Both mechanics report for the first shift with complete files. Nobody on your team sent a single reminder.
Three steps, and nobody chases anybody
When a captain, A&P mechanic, flight attendant or ramp agent is placed, Amy messages them on WhatsApp or by email from your own domain, wherever they are between trips. She lists only what their file is missing. No portal, no login, no app.
Every file is filed the moment it arrives, then Amy opens it. A certificate photographed with the ratings cut off, or a medical too blurry to read, goes back with a clear reason. Files she is unsure about go to a one-click review queue, and she keeps reminding on your schedule until everything is in.
Documents are attached to the candidate’s record in Zoho Recruit, Recruit CRM or Crelate, with Greenhouse coming soon, and to Google Drive if you want a copy there. Anything already on the record is not asked for again, and your team sees who is ready to start and who is stuck.
- FAA pilot certificate
- FAA medical certificate
- Logbook pages
- SIDA badge application
- Form I-9 documents
No portal, no login. Only what is still missing is ever asked for.
The aviation staffing compliance checklist Amy collects
Operators and airports set their own requirements, but most aviation files are built from the same four groups. Choose a placement type to see a typical packet, and Amy asks each pilot, mechanic or crew member for exactly those documents.
Pilot onboarding: certificates and records7 of 7 documents
- FAA pilot certificate (commercial or ATP)
- Type ratings (shown on the pilot certificate)
- FAA medical certificate (first or second class)
- Pilot logbook pages or flight time summary
- Recent training records and checkride results
- FCC restricted radiotelephone operator permit (where the operator requires it)
- Passport (for international flying)
A&P mechanic staffing documents5 of 5 documents
- FAA mechanic certificate with airframe and powerplant (A&P) ratings
- Inspection authorization (IA) (where relevant)
- Manufacturer or type training certificates
- Tool list or tool box inventory (where the client asks)
- Human factors or company training certificates
Airport badge and security screening5 of 5 documents
- Airport ID / SIDA badge application paperwork (as the airport’s badging office issues it)
- Fingerprint-based criminal history records check (CHRC) (appointment confirmation or results letter from the airport or employer)
- 10-year employment history
- DOT/FAA drug and alcohol testing consent and pre-employment result
- Previous employer safety records request consent
Onboarding and safety training7 of 7 documents
- Form I-9 and identity documents
- Form W-4
- Direct deposit form
- Crew safety training certificates
- Ramp safety and FOD awareness training certificates
- Hazmat awareness training certificate (cargo roles)
- Uniform and badge agreement
Form I-9, W-4, government-issued photo ID and drug test consent come built in. FAA certificates, medicals, logbook pages and badge paperwork are set up once as your own document types, named the way your operators and airports name them, and Amy learns the names pilots and mechanics give their files.
From contract pilots to aircraft maintenance staffing, every placement gets its own list
A charter captain and a ramp agent owe very different files. Chase rules in your ATS decide who is chased and for what, so each placement type is asked only for its own documents.
Contract pilots, Part 135 and charter
Captains and first officers flying for charter and Part 135 operators, often at short notice. Certificates, medicals, logbook pages and checkride results are gathered before the first trip.
Airline and Part 121 support
Pilots, mechanics and crew placed with scheduled carriers, where the airline’s own onboarding and badging process sets the list on top of yours.
Aircraft maintenance and MRO
A&P mechanics and inspectors for MRO shops and AOG calls, with type training and the tool list the client wants.
Flight attendants and cabin crew
Cabin crew for charter and airline work, with safety training certificates, badge paperwork and a passport for international trips.
Ground handling and ramp
Ramp agents and cargo handlers working airside, with badge paperwork and safety training on file before the first shift.
Documents land in the ATS you already use
Aviation staffing questions
What goes on an aviation staffing onboarding checklist?
Pilots usually owe their FAA certificates, medical, logbook pages and training records; mechanics owe the A&P certificate and training certificates. Anyone working airside adds badge paperwork and employment history, and most placements add drug test paperwork, the Form I-9, W-4 and safety training. Operators and airports add their own items.
What documents does an aircraft mechanic need?
Typically the FAA mechanic certificate with airframe and powerplant ratings, an inspection authorization where the work calls for one, manufacturer or type training certificates, human factors or company training, and a tool list if the client asks. For airside work, add the airport badge paperwork and DOT/FAA drug and alcohol testing records.
How can we onboard contract pilots faster?
Most of the wait is the pilot finding time to send things between trips. Asking for every missing item in one message, then reminding on a schedule until the file is complete, removes most of it. GettingDocs starts the moment the placement shows in your ATS.
Does GettingDocs verify FAA certificates or run background checks?
No. GettingDocs collects what the candidate provides and checks it is the right document and readable. The FAA Airmen Inquiry lookup stays with you or the operator, and the operator runs its own Pilot Records Database requests. GettingDocs does not run CHRC fingerprinting, TSA Security Threat Assessments or drug tests. It collects the signed consents, appointment confirmations and results letters.
What are the airport badge (SIDA) requirements for staffing agencies?
Each airport’s badging office sets its own process, usually an application, fingerprinting, a security threat assessment and training, all run by the airport or employer. GettingDocs gets the candidate’s part in quickly: the completed application, employment history and any appointment confirmation or results letter.
How do we chase FAA medical certificate renewals?
GettingDocs does not track expiry dates itself. Chase rules read your ATS, so if a candidate field or status in Zoho Recruit, Recruit CRM or Crelate shows a pilot’s medical is due for renewal, a rule asks that pilot for the new certificate and files it on their record when it arrives.
Get pilots, mechanics and crew cleared before the start date
See Amy collect an onboarding file from one of your own pilots or mechanics on a 15 minute call.
