Learn the Program

1Welcome #

Joker Solo is a complete A&P shop platform — work orders, FAA-compliant logbook entries, invoicing with online payments, parts inventory, and contractor payouts — all in one place. This guide walks you through every workflow in the order you'll actually use them.

If you're brand new, jump to Quick start for a 30-minute end-to-end run. If you already know your way around, use the search box at the top of the sidebar — it filters both the navigation and the content as you type.

2Quick start: end-to-end in 30 minutes #

The fastest path from "blank account" to "money in the bank." Each step links to the detailed section if you want to go deeper.

1. Finish onboarding — set your shop name, A&P / IA cert info, default labor rate, and signature. Details →
2. Connect Stripe so customers can pay you online. Without this, you can still send invoices but the customer has to mail a check. Details →
3. Add a customer on the Customers page. Details →
4. Add their aircraft using the FAA tail lookup — autofills make/model/year. Details →
5. Create a work order when they bring the plane in. Details →
6. Add discrepancies, log parts, log time, and write a resolution for each squawk. Details →
7. Sign off the WO — pick FAR 43.9 or 43.11, confirm tach/Hobbs, re-enter your password. Details →
8. Generate the RTS package from the WO Documents section if your customer wants the bundled paperwork. Details →
9. Create an invoice from the WO — line items pull in automatically from the discrepancies and parts. Details →
10. Send the invoice by email. The customer clicks Pay Now and Stripe handles the rest. Details →

3The full workflow at a glance #

Joker Solo follows the same lifecycle as any well-run A&P shop. Here's what every record looks like as it moves through the system.

Work order lifecycle

You can move freely between open, in progress, waiting parts, and complete on the WO settings card. Only sign-off transitions to RTS, which locks the WO.

Invoice lifecycle

Drafts are fully editable. Once sent, line items lock; only payment status, due date, and notes can change.

Document lifecycle

Every document tied to a WO appears in two places: the WO's Documents section AND the global Documents library. The same row, two views — edit it from either place. RTS-tagged docs ship in the customer's RTS package.

4First-time onboarding #

When you sign up, the app walks you through three steps before letting you near a work order. This is required because every LBE you sign needs a real cert number and a real signature on file.

1. Personal info — your legal name, A&P or IA cert type, and cert number. The cert number is what gets printed under your signature on every logbook entry.
2. Shop info — shop name, address, default labor rate, default RTS statement (you can override this per-WO and per-customer later). Master accounts only.
3. Signature — draw your signature on the canvas. This image is what shows up on every signed LBE PDF.

Bonus A&Ps get a shorter version: just personal info + signature. The shop info already exists from the master account.

5Your signature & cert info #

Each user has their own signature, cert type, and cert number. Edit them on the Account page.

What's stored where

• Master account: signature mirrors to both the tenant record AND the master's tenant_users row, so it persists if you ever transfer ownership.
• Bonus A&Ps: stored only on their tenant_users row. Each bonus tech signs LBEs with their own credentials, never the master's.

Updating your signature

1. Go to Account.
2. Find the My Signature card.
3. Clear the canvas and re-draw, or upload a PNG.
4. Click Save Signature.

6Shop defaults & RTS statement #

Your shop has a few sensible defaults that ride along on every WO unless overridden. Master accounts only.

Defaults you can set

• Labor rate — applied to new discrepancies. Override per-disc by editing it.
• Default RTS statement — the boilerplate text that appears at the bottom of every LBE unless the customer or WO has its own override.
• Wire / check payment instructions — printed on invoices for customers who pay offline.
• Parts markup % — automatic markup on parts pulled from inventory.

The RTS hierarchy

1. WO override (set on the WO settings card)
2. Customer default (set on the customer profile)
3. Shop default (set on Account)

The most specific override wins. Most shops set a shop default and never touch the others.

7Change your password #

On the Account page, find the Change Password card. Enter your current password, then a new one (min 10 chars).

8Add a customer #

Customers are the owners of the aircraft. One customer can own many aircraft. Add them on the Customers page.

1. Click + Add Customer.
2. Enter at minimum a company name OR a contact name. Email and phone are optional but helpful for invoice delivery.
3. Optionally set a custom labor rate (overrides shop default for this customer's WOs) and RTS statement.
4. Save.

What you get on save

• Customer profile page at /customer-profile.html?id=… — shows aircraft, WOs, invoices, and account balance.
• Searchable from the global search bar (⌘K).

9Add an aircraft #

Aircraft are owned by customers and are the subject of WOs and LBEs. Add them on the Aircraft page.

1. Click + Add Aircraft.
2. Type the tail number — the FAA lookup autofills make, model, year, and engine count.
3. Pick the customer (owner) from the dropdown.
4. Save.

Single-engine vs multi-engine

The aircraft's engine count drives whether the WO sign-off prompts for separate engine LBEs. Single-engine aircraft sign one LBE that covers airframe + engine; multi-engine aircraft can sign separate LBEs per engine if the work was distinct.

10FAA tail-number lookup #

When you type a tail number into the new-aircraft form, Joker Solo queries the FAA registry and pre-fills make, model, year, serial number, and engine specs.

11Customer profile page #

Click any customer to land on their profile, which surfaces:

• Account balance (sum of unpaid invoices).
• Their aircraft.
• Their open + closed WOs.
• Their invoice history.
• Per-customer RTS statement and labor rate overrides.

Use this view when a customer calls asking about a specific job — it's the fastest way to pull up everything tied to them.

12Create a work order #

A work order is the central object in the app. Discrepancies, parts, time, and the eventual LBE all hang off it.

1. Go to Work Orders.
2. Click + New Work Order.
3. Pick the aircraft (customer auto-fills from the aircraft's owner).
4. Pick a maintenance type: unscheduled, annual, 100-hr, progressive, or pre-buy.
5. Enter arrival times — TTAF, landings, engine TSN/TSO/cycles. These freeze on the LBE so they reflect the airframe state at the moment work began.
6. Save.

The WO opens in open status. Move it to in progress when you start touching the aircraft.

13Add discrepancies (squawks) #

A discrepancy is a single squawk — one defect or task. Most WOs have several. Each one rolls up its own labor + parts cost.

1. On the WO detail page, click + Add Squawk.
2. Pick the section: airframe, engine 1, engine 2, or APU.
3. Write the description (the squawk as the customer wrote it: "Left main tire worn below wear indicators").
4. Once you've done the work, fill in the resolution — what was actually done, IAW which manual reference, with what part numbers and serial numbers.
5. Optionally enter an ATA code, estimated hours, and a labor rate override.
6. Save.

14Add parts & serial numbers #

Each discrepancy can have any number of parts. Pull from inventory or enter free-text parts the shop doesn't stock.

1. On a discrepancy, click + Add Part.
2. Start typing the part number — the typeahead matches your inventory. Pick from the dropdown to autofill description, unit cost, and stock count.
3. For serialized parts, the serial-number field also typeaheads from your serialized inventory. Picking a serial decrements that specific unit from stock.
4. Set the quantity and labor rate, save.

Stock decrement

Pulling a part from inventory automatically decrements the on-shelf count. Removing the part from the disc reverses the decrement.

Free-text parts

Just type a part number that doesn't match anything in inventory. No inventory_id is captured, so stock isn't decremented.

15Log time against a WO #

Hours go on each individual discrepancy in the Actual Hours field — that's what shows up on the LBE and the invoice. For shop-wide time tracking that aggregates payroll, use the Time Clock instead.

See Time clock for the punch-in/out workflow.

16Status flow & lifecycle #

Set status from the WO Settings card. Available transitions:

• Open — WO created, work hasn't started.
• In Progress — actively being worked.
• Waiting Parts — paused pending a back-ordered part.
• Complete — all squawks resolved, ready to sign.
• RTS — sign-off complete, WO is locked. Set automatically on sign-off; cannot be set manually.

RTS WOs surface on the Invoicing Pipeline as Ready to Invoice → Sent → Paid.

17Audit log (FAA history) #

Every change to a WO is logged in an append-only audit trail. Click 📜 History on the WO page to see it.

The log captures: who made the change, when, what fields changed (before / after), and structured data for sign-offs and voids. It's intentionally append-only — you can't edit or delete entries — to satisfy FAA record-keeping requirements.

18Sign off a work order #

Sign-off creates a logbook entry (LBE), locks the WO, and produces a tamper-evident PDF that's ready to hand to the customer or paste into the airframe logbook.

1. Make sure every discrepancy has a resolution (the Sign Off button is greyed until they all do).
2. Click ✓ Sign Off & Create LBE on the WO page.
3. Pick the section (airframe / engine 1 / engine 2 / APU). The first eligible section is pre-selected.
4. Pick the FAR citation: 43.9 (maintenance/alteration) or 43.11 (inspection).
5. If 43.11, pick inspection type: annual / 100-hour / progressive / pre-purchase.
6. Confirm TTAF / Tach / Hobbs — these freeze on the LBE.
7. Optionally override the RTS statement.
8. Re-enter your password to authorize the e-signature.
9. Click Sign & Create LBE.

19FAR 43.9 vs 43.11 #

FAR 43.9 — Maintenance / Alteration

Use for any maintenance or alteration work: R&R, troubleshooting, AD compliance, repairs, modifications. The vast majority of work orders.

FAR 43.11 — Inspection

Use for the airworthiness inspection itself: annuals, 100-hour, progressive, pre-purchase. The inspection record cites 43.11 and includes the inspection type. If your annual also includes a list of items repaired, you can sign one 43.11 (the inspection) and one 43.9 (the work that fell out of the inspection) — that's standard practice.

20Multi-section LBEs #

When you've worked on more than one logbook (airframe + engine 1 + engine 2 + APU), each gets its own LBE. The WO sign-off flow lets you sign each section separately.

The WO doesn't transition to RTS until every eligible section is signed. The signed-banner at the top of the WO links to the airframe LBE by default; the others are accessible from the LBE list.

21Void & revise an LBE #

Made a typo or need to correct an LBE after sign-off? Use Void & Revise. Available from the WO detail page (when status=RTS) or the LBE detail page itself.

1. Click Void & Revise in the signed-banner.
2. Enter a reason (required for the audit trail).
3. Re-enter your password.
4. Submit.

22Hash verification #

Every signed LBE includes a SHA-256 hash computed over the canonical record at sign time. The hash is printed on the LBE PDF and stored in the database.

Click Verify Hash on the LBE detail page to recompute the hash from the current record and compare. If they match, the record is intact. If they don't, the record has been modified since sign time — flag immediately.

Per AC 120-78B, this is the tamper-evidence mechanism that lets you defend the LBE in any FAA audit.

23Documents library #

The Documents library is your shop's complete paperwork archive — 8130-3s, signed LBE PDFs, training records, manuals, photos, customer-supplied PDFs. Pro tier and trial.

Each document can be tied to a customer, an aircraft, a WO, or none of those (general shop docs). Filter by type, search by name / part number / serial number.

24Upload to a WO #

From any WO detail page, click 📎 Documents in the action row. The tile-grid uploader opens.

1. Pick the document type — 8130-3, Logbook Entry, CAMP Card, MSP Card, Service Record, Parts Release, Work Auth, or Other.
2. For 8130-3s and Parts Releases, enter the part number for traceability.
3. Add optional notes.
4. Toggle Include in RTS Package — auto-checked for airworthiness types, force-disabled for Work Auth.
5. Drop one or more PDFs. Multi-file is supported; you'll see a per-file progress strip.

Each upload creates one row in customer_documents tied to the WO, which appears in BOTH the WO Documents widget AND the global library — single source of truth.

25RTS package generator #

Once you've signed off a WO, the green 📦 Generate RTS Package button appears in the WO Documents header. Click it to produce a single merged PDF with everything the customer needs.

What's in the package

1. The signed Logbook Entry (auto-attached on sign-off).
2. Every 8130-3 tagged for RTS.
3. Parts Releases (EASA Form 1, TC, DER).
4. EASA Form 1s.
5. Service Records.
6. CAMP / MSP cards.
7. Training records, manuals, invoices, photos — anything else with the RTS toggle on.

The merged PDF downloads with archival metadata (Title: "RTS Package — WO-XXX", Author: shop name).

26Document types explained #

Airworthiness evidence (auto-RTS)

• 8130-3 — FAA Authorized Release Certificate. Required for any new/overhauled part installed under FAR 43.
• Logbook Entry — signed LBE PDF. Auto-generated on sign-off; auto-removed on void.
• Parts Release — EASA Form 1 / TC / DER for foreign parts.

Customer-tracking

• CAMP Card — Continuous Aircraft Maintenance Program tracker.
• MSP Card — Manufacturer's Service Plan record.
• Service Record — generic maintenance docs.

Pre-work paperwork

• Work Auth — customer-signed authorization. Never goes in the RTS package by design (it's a contract, not airworthiness evidence).

Catch-all

• Other — anything else. RTS toggle is up to you.

27The Invoicing Pipeline #

The Invoicing Pipeline is a 3-column kanban board for every signed WO: Ready to Invoice → Sent → Paid.

• Ready to Invoice — WO is signed (status=RTS) but no invoice has been created yet. One-click to create.
• Sent — invoice exists and was emailed to the customer. Track outstanding amounts here.
• Paid — invoice marked paid (Stripe automatic, or manual mark-paid).

Pro tier and trial only. Most shops live in this view as their daily AR queue.

28Create an invoice from a WO #

After sign-off, click Create Invoice → on the WO page (or in the Invoicing Pipeline).

What gets pre-populated

• One labor line per discrepancy (using actual hours × labor rate).
• One parts line per part on each discrepancy (using frozen costs at sign time).
• Customer info from the WO.

The invoice opens as a draft — fully editable. Adjust line items, add tax, set due date, then move to sent.

29Edit invoice line items #

While the invoice is in draft, every line is editable.

• Edit any line's description, quantity, rate. Totals recompute automatically.
• Add a custom line for shop supplies, environmental fees, or anything not tied to a discrepancy.
• Set tax total — it adds to grand total without affecting individual lines.
• Add notes (printed on the customer's PDF).

30Send the invoice to the customer #

From the invoice detail page, click Send Invoice. We email the customer a link to a public payment page.

What the customer gets

• An email with the invoice number, total, and a Pay Now button.
• The Pay Now button takes them to /pay?invoice=… — a public page where they can:
  • View the invoice as a PDF.
  • Pay with a card (if you've connected Stripe).
  • See your wire/check instructions if they prefer offline payment.

The invoice flips to sent and shows up in the Sent column of the pipeline.

31Print or PDF an invoice #

From the invoice detail page, click Download PDF. A clean printable PDF generates server-side with your shop letterhead.

For paper invoices, hit Print directly from the browser — same template renders cleanly on letter-size paper.

32Connect Stripe to accept payments #

Stripe Connect lets your customers pay invoices online. Money lands in YOUR Stripe account (we never touch it).

1. Go to Billing.
2. In the Stripe Connect card, click Connect Stripe.
3. You're redirected to Stripe. Sign in or create a Stripe account, fill in your business info (EIN, bank account, ID verification).
4. Stripe redirects you back to Joker Solo. The card now shows "Connected" with a link to your Stripe dashboard.

Fees

Stripe's standard processing fees apply to each payment (2.9% + $0.30 for card-present US transactions, as of writing). Joker Solo doesn't add platform fees.

Payouts

Stripe automatically pays out to your bank on a daily / weekly schedule (you choose in your Stripe dashboard). Use the Stripe dashboard for refunds, chargebacks, and tax reporting.

33Customer pays online #

When a customer hits Pay Now from the invoice email, Stripe collects their card and processes the charge. As soon as Stripe confirms the payment, the invoice flips to paid automatically.

You'll see the payment in the Stripe dashboard within seconds and on the Invoicing Pipeline as Paid.

34Mark paid manually (check / wire / cash) #

If the customer pays you offline, mark the invoice paid by hand.

1. Open the invoice detail page.
2. Click Mark Paid.
3. Pick the payment method (check / wire / cash / other) and enter the date and reference number (check #, wire confirmation, etc.).
4. Save.

The invoice flips to paid. The reference number is saved on the invoice for your records.

35Refund & void #

Refund a card payment

Issue refunds in the Stripe dashboard — full or partial. The Joker Solo invoice updates to reflect the refunded amount.

Void an invoice (return to draft)

From a sent invoice, click Void. The invoice returns to draft state for editing. Don't void a paid invoice without first issuing a refund — the customer's card has been charged and your books will go out of sync.

36Create a quote #

Quotes are estimates you send before work begins. The customer signs off (in writing or by replying to the email), and you convert the quote to a WO.

1. Go to Quotes.
2. Click + New Quote.
3. Pick the customer + aircraft.
4. Add labor and parts line items.
5. Set the validity period (default 30 days).
6. Save and send.

37Convert a quote to a WO #

From the quote detail page, click Convert to Work Order. A new WO is created with the quote's discrepancies and parts pre-populated. The quote is marked accepted.

38Add parts to inventory #

The Inventory page is your parts shelf. Each row is a part number with a description, on-shelf quantity, unit cost, sale price, and optional reorder threshold.

1. Click + Add Part.
2. Enter part number, description, unit cost, and either a sale price or a markup %.
3. Set the on-shelf quantity (you can adjust this any time).
4. Optionally set a reorder point — the dashboard surfaces parts at or below this number.

Parts in inventory are searchable from the WO Add-Part typeahead, which makes adding them to discrepancies a one-click affair.

39Receive a shipment #

When a PO arrives, use the Parts Receiving flow to bump inventory + capture the 8130-3.

1. Open the PO.
2. Click Receive Items.
3. Confirm the quantity received against each line.
4. Optionally upload the 8130-3 PDF (it auto-attaches to the PO and to the eventual WO if the PO has a WO target).

40Serial-number tracking #

For parts that need serial-number traceability (life-limited engine components, avionics, etc.), enable serialized tracking on the part. Each individual unit gets its own serial number stored alongside the inventory row.

When you add the part to a discrepancy, the serial-number field becomes a typeahead of in-stock serials. Pick one; that specific unit gets pulled from inventory and stamped onto the LBE.

41Cores (return-for-credit) #

When you swap a unit and the old one goes back to the vendor for core credit, log it on the Cores page. The system tracks expected return dates, credit amounts, and which WO/PO the core came from.

42White / red / green tags #

The Tags page tracks the status of parts on the shelf or in process.

• White tag — serviceable, available for use.
• Red tag — unserviceable, do not install. Common for cores awaiting overhaul.
• Green tag — repaired/overhauled, awaiting return paperwork.

Tags can be tied to a specific part, WO, or aircraft. They're a useful audit trail when the FAA asks "where did this part live?"

43Add a vendor #

Vendors are anyone who sends you an invoice — parts suppliers, contract A&Ps, calibration labs, etc. Add them on the Vendors page.

1. Click + Add Vendor.
2. Enter name, contact info, default terms.
3. If they're a 1099 contractor, check the 1099 Contractor box and enter the last 4 of their tax ID.
4. Save.

44Create a purchase order #

POs track money you owe vendors. Create them on the Purchase Orders page.

1. Click + New PO.
2. Pick the vendor (or create one inline).
3. Pick an apply target: shop / WO / WO+item.
4. Add line items: part numbers, qty, unit cost.
5. Save.

45Apply targets: shop / WO / item #

Every PO has an apply target that tells the system how to flow costs through to the customer.

• Shop — general overhead. Cost stays on the PO; nothing flows to a customer invoice.
• WO — applied to a specific work order. The full PO cost rolls into that WO's parts total.
• WO + Item — applied to a specific discrepancy on a specific WO. Lets you trace exactly which job a part was bought for.

The 8130-3 from receiving auto-attaches to the right WO based on the apply target.

461099 contractor payouts #

If you bring in another A&P as a contractor (not employee), pay them via PO. Each contractor is a vendor with the 1099 flag set.

The flow

1. The contractor punches in/out on the time clock against specific WOs (their hours go into time_clock_entries).
2. You approve their hours weekly.
3. From the vendor profile, click Generate Labor PO — it sweeps every approved unpaid hour, creates a PO with a labor line per WO, and locks those time entries (paid_via_po_id).
4. You pay the PO via Stripe / wire / check, then mark paid.

At year-end, the vendor profile gives you a 1099 Summary with total paid for the calendar year — copy directly onto the 1099-NEC.

47Invite a bonus A&P or admin #

Pro tier supports up to 3 users on a single tenant. The master invites bonus users from the Users page.

1. Click + Invite User.
2. Enter their email, display name, and role (A&P or admin).
3. Send the invite. They get a magic-link email to set their password and finish onboarding.

48Roles: master / A&P / admin #

Master

Tenant owner. Full access to everything: shop settings, billing, Stripe Connect, RTS defaults, wire instructions, user management, reports, and sign-offs. One per tenant.

A&P (bonus)

Mechanic. Can do all maintenance work: WOs, sign-offs, LBEs, time clock, documents, parts, vendors. Cannot see or change billing, Stripe, RTS shop defaults, wire instructions, or reports. Each bonus A&P signs LBEs with their own cert and signature.

Admin

Front-office. Can manage WOs, customers, aircraft, invoices, payments, parts. Cannot save discrepancy resolutions, sign discrepancies, or generate / sign LBEs. Use this role for billing staff or shop managers who don't hold an A&P cert.

49Time clock #

Punch in/out against a specific WO and (optionally) a specific discrepancy. Hours roll up to weekly timesheets.

1. Go to Time Clock.
2. Pick a WO from the dropdown.
3. (Optional) Pick a discrepancy.
4. Click Punch In.
5. When you're done, click Punch Out.

Open punches show at the top of the page in real time so you don't forget to clock out.

50Approve hours #

Each tech submits their week. The master approves. Approved hours appear in Reports and (for 1099 contractors) feed the labor PO generator.

51Tool calibration #

The Tool Calibration page tracks every torque wrench, multimeter, and gauge in your shop with their cal date, due date, and certificate number. Pro tier.

The dashboard tile counts tools with cal due in the next 30 days, so you never get caught with an out-of-cal tool on a big job.

52Inspection templates #

Reusable inspection checklists keyed to aircraft make/model. Build a template once for the C172 annual; pull it into every C172 annual WO with one click.

Manage templates on the Inspection Library.

53Throughput & revenue #

The Reports page surfaces shop-wide metrics for any date range:

• Work orders opened / signed / closed.
• Hours by tech (approved only).
• Parts revenue.
• Average hours per WO, sign-off rate.
• LBEs signed.

Use the date pickers or the canned ranges (Last 7 / 30 / 90 days, MTD, YTD).

54Export CSV #

Each report card has a small Export CSV button. Hours by tech is the most-used — pipe it straight into payroll.

55Plans: Free / Starter / Pro #

Three tiers. Pick on first login or change anytime from Billing.

Free

• Unlimited customers, aircraft.
• Capped low-volume work orders + LBEs.
• 500 MB storage.
• No invoicing, no online payments, no parts inventory, no quotes, no documents library.

Starter

• Unlimited WOs + LBEs.
• Quotes.
• Invoicing locked behind upgrade.
• 5 GB storage.

Pro

• Everything: invoicing + Stripe payments, parts inventory + serial tracking, vendors + POs, contractor payouts, time clock, reports, documents library, RTS package, tool calibration, inspection templates.
• Up to 3 users.
• 250 GB storage.

Trial

Pro-equivalent for 14 days. No credit card required to start. Crew (multi-user) is paid-only — trial accounts stay single-user.

56Billing & cards #

Manage your subscription on Billing. Update payment method, change plan, view invoices, or cancel.

57Storage usage #

The Account page shows current storage used vs your plan cap. Big consumers: 8130-3 PDFs, customer-supplied logbook scans, photos of damaged parts.

If you're approaching the cap, archive or delete older docs from the Documents library. Deletion frees the bytes immediately.

58Cancel or downgrade #

Both happen on Billing. Cancellation is effective at the end of the current paid period — your data stays accessible until then. Downgrade to Free at any time.

59Why is the WO locked? #

If the WO status is RTS, it's locked because you signed it off. To make changes, use Void & Revise (button in the green signed-banner at the top of the WO).

60Why is the Sign Off button grey? #

Almost always: at least one discrepancy is missing a resolution. Open each disc, fill in the resolution, save. The button activates as soon as every unsigned disc has resolution text.

Other reasons: you're an admin (admins can't sign), or you don't have a signature/cert on file (Account → My Signature, Account → My Credentials).

61Bonus A&P account questions #

Why don't I see Reports / Users / Stripe?

Those are master / admin only. Talk to the master if you need access.

How do I edit the shop's RTS statement?

You can't — that's a master-only setting. You CAN override it per-WO on the WO settings card.

Will my LBEs be signed with my cert or the master's?

Yours. Each user has their own signature, cert type, and cert number stored on their tenant_users row. The master's cert never leaks onto your sign-offs.

62Send feedback #

Found a bug? Have a feature request? Email us at [email protected] — we read every message.

For urgent compliance / FAA audit issues, mark the email URGENT in the subject line.