The signature PAD

Published 10 March 2026, Updated 22 March 2026

This guide explains how front-end users use the shared Flight record Signature PAD for outbound flight-record acknowledgement. In practical terms, this page is the checkpoint used just before a record can continue through the normal workflow. It is not a planning screen and it is not a dispatch management page. Its purpose is narrower: show the activity that is waiting, let the right people review it, make sure important warnings are visible at the moment of acknowledgement, and capture the approval the organization requires.

The page is intentionally simple because it is usually used on a shared tablet or mobile device. The goal is speed without losing control. You are not expected to re-enter the whole record here. You are expected to confirm that the record, the aircraft or resource status, and the signers are correct before the record moves forward.

What This Page Is For

Use this page when a flight record or activity is waiting for PAD acknowledgement before departure or before the outbound part of the workflow is considered complete. Depending on the activity type and your organization settings, the PAD may collect:

• an Instructor and Student acknowledgement
• a Pilot in Command acknowledgement plus a Supervisor or delegate approval
• a single Member acknowledgement

The page also shows any configured agreement text, optional alert text, resource identification, and open squawks. Those elements are there for a reason. They make the user stop long enough to confirm the right activity is being acknowledged on the right device, with the right people, against the right aircraft or resource status.

Before You Start

Before opening an item, make sure the right people are physically at the device and that you know which record you are about to acknowledge. This matters because the PAD saves an approval on a live flight record, not on a draft copy.

As a quick check, you should normally be able to confirm:

• which activity needs acknowledgement
• who should sign on the PAD
• whether a second approval is expected
• whether the aircraft or resource has open squawks that must be reviewed first

If something already feels wrong before you open the item, do not use the PAD just to “clear” the record. The page is meant to confirm the real situation, not to bypass it.

First-Time Device Authorization

If the tablet or mobile device has not yet been authorized as a PAD, the list does not open normally. Instead, the page shows a message saying the device is not an authorized signature PAD and offers a Connect button.

Tap Connect to open the PAD sync page. On that page you will see:

• an Access code field
• a Device name field
• the device Fingerprint
• a Connect ! button

The access code must come from a flight record responsible. The device name helps staff recognize the PAD later. The fingerprint is the device identification value used during authorization. This step exists to prevent an unknown tablet or phone from acting like an approval device.

After a successful connection, the page returns to the waiting list. If authorization fails, ask flight records staff for a new access code or for help removing an old PAD registration.

Using the Waiting List

Once the device is authorized, the first page shows the company name and a Refresh button. The main area is a live list of activities waiting for PAD action.

The list is fed live by the system, so items can appear or disappear while the PAD is open. Use Refresh when:

• you are expecting a new item
• someone has just finished another action elsewhere
• the list looks outdated
• the connection was interrupted and you want to force a reload

Each list row is there to help you recognize the correct record before opening it. Depending on the record, the row can summarize the activity type, people involved, lesson or route information, or related resource information.

Tap the correct row to continue.

Why this matters: the PAD does not ask you to re-confirm every identity at the final save step. That is why the list exists as the first filter. It helps you avoid opening and signing the wrong activity.

Optional Agreement Page

Some organizations configure an agreement text before the signature page. If your setup uses it, tapping a waiting-list item opens an agreement page first. Read the text and then tap I agree and I’m ready to acknowledge.

This button does not save the record yet. It only confirms that you have read the agreement and are ready to move to the actual acknowledgement step. The purpose is legal and procedural: the organization can require users to read a specific statement before any signature or approval is accepted.

Optional Alert Page

After the agreement page, some activity types may show a separate alert page with a Continue button.

This alert is different from the agreement text. The agreement is a standing acknowledgement statement. The alert is a situational warning for the current activity type. Read it before continuing because it is meant to draw attention to something the signer should actively notice before approval.

What You See On The Signature Page

The signature page is built as a review-and-acknowledge screen. It is designed to show the essential facts without overwhelming the user.

Exercises section

If the activity includes exercises, they appear at the top of the page in a compact grid.

This section helps the signer confirm the training context. If no exercises are attached, the section is hidden. That keeps the page short and avoids showing empty placeholders.

Details section

The details cards summarize the record and can include:

Field	What it helps you confirm
Activity type	Whether you are acknowledging the right kind of activity
Lesson	Which lesson or training content the record belongs to
N. Pax	The passenger count when relevant
From / To	The route or local-flight context
Resource type	What kind of aircraft or resource is involved
Registration	Which specific aircraft or resource record is attached

This summary exists so the signer can catch a mismatch before approving. If the lesson, route, or registration is obviously wrong, stop there and return to the list instead of signing the record.

Resource status area

Below the details, the page can show a resource-status section. Depending on the activity, it may include:

• a resource QR code
• the actual total time value shown beside that code
• open squawks or maintenance warnings

The QR code and resource information help confirm that the right aircraft or resource is attached. The open squawks are more important operationally: they are shown at the exact moment of acknowledgement so the signer cannot miss active warnings, grounded conditions, postponements, or maintenance windows.

Each squawk card can show:

• a status such as Warning or Grounded
• how long the condition remains relevant
• the main description
• a postponed-until date when applicable
• a maintenance window value when applicable
• an additional expiry or follow-up note

Read these carefully. They are not decorative notices. They exist so the person giving acknowledgement can do it with awareness of the current resource condition.

Understanding The Signature Blocks

The lower part of the page contains one or two signature blocks. The labels change with the activity type.

Activity situation	Block labels normally shown
Training or ground activity	Instructor and Student
Renting, internal, or solo-style approval flow	Pilot in Command and Sup or delegate
Single-member activity	Member only

This role-based layout matters because the PAD is not just collecting “two signatures.” It is collecting the right acknowledgement from the right role. The labels tell users what the system expects from that specific record.

Photos, Saved Approvals, And PIN Status

Each signature block includes a photo area and a name area when the system can identify the person or role. If a signature or approval was already saved earlier, the PAD shows that saved result instead of an empty pad.

You may see:

• a handwritten signature image already displayed
• a person name with no need to sign again
• a PIN indicator instead of a handwritten supervisor signature

This is important because the page is designed to avoid duplicate approval. If the approval is already on file, the PAD shows it back to you instead of forcing a second entry.

In some cases the Agree and Register button does not appear at all once the required approvals are already present. When that happens, the page is acting as a review screen rather than an input screen.

Red Or Greyed Signature Cards

Sometimes a signature card is shown in a blocked style instead of the usual light card. When that happens, the card is clickable. Selecting it opens a Missing or Expired popup listing the blocking requirements.

This behavior exists to stop users from signing blindly when the related person has a missing or expired requirement. The PAD still shows the person, but it also makes the restriction obvious and lets the user read the exact blocking items without leaving the page.

How To Sign On The PAD

When a signature box is empty and active, sign directly inside the box with your finger or stylus.

Take a moment to sign cleanly inside the box. The page is meant to be quick, but it still stores an actual approval image. A clear signature is easier to verify later if the record is reviewed.

Good practice:

• verify the activity summary before signing
• read any alert or squawk information first
• sign once, clearly, rather than using very short marks

When A Supervisor Or Delegate Must Be Chosen

On some Pilot in Command / Sup or delegate workflows, the second block shows a search field instead of a pre-filled person. In that case, start typing the supervisor or delegate name.

The suggestion list starts only after enough text is entered. In practice, that means you usually need at least three characters before matches appear.

Tap the correct name from the suggestions. The page then fills the chosen name and updates the photo area.

This lookup step exists so the approval is attached to the correct person record instead of a typed free-text name. It reduces ambiguity and helps preserve traceability later.

When PIN Approval Is Used

Some organizations use a PIN-based supervisor flow instead of, or in addition to, a handwritten supervisor signature. When that option is active, the second approval area may show a PIN field such as Enter PIN or or PIN…

In other organizations, the PAD may hide the second handwritten approval area and let the system handle the supervisor PIN flow after the pilot in command signs and saves. If that is how your setup works, do not be surprised if the page only shows the pilot block even though a second approval exists in the workflow.

The reason for this design is operational control. A PIN approval is treated differently from a handwritten signature, so the interface adapts to the organization rule instead of forcing one method everywhere.

Saving The Acknowledgement

When the page is ready, tap Agree and Register.

What happens next depends on the record:

• the PAD saves the handwritten signature you entered
• the PAD keeps any already-saved signature or PIN approval visible in the record
• a supervisor PIN request may continue through the organization workflow when that rule is active
• the waiting list may refresh automatically after the record no longer needs PAD action

Why the save step matters: the signature box alone is not the final action. Drawing in the box prepares the approval. Agree and Register is the step that actually sends it into the live workflow.

What If You Try To Save With Nothing Entered?

On screens where the PAD is expecting a direct signature entry, leaving every approval blank can trigger the message:

That rule exists to prevent accidental empty submissions, such as tapping the save button before anyone has actually signed.

Back Buttons And Navigation

The Back buttons let you return to the previous step:

• from the agreement page back to the waiting list
• from the alert page back to the agreement page
• from the signature page back to the agreement page or waiting list, depending on how the item was opened

Use Back when you realize you opened the wrong item or need to re-check something before approval. Back is a review action only. It does not save the acknowledgement by itself.

Common Situations Users Should Understand

The list is empty

If no items are waiting, the list simply remains empty. That usually means there is nothing on hold for PAD acknowledgement right now.

The item disappears

Because the page is live, an item may disappear if another user or another process completes the required action first. Refresh the list and reopen only if the record is still waiting.

The page says the device is not allowed

This means the tablet or phone is not registered as an authorized PAD. Use the connection step with a valid access code from flight records staff.

The page shows a connection or server popup

The PAD relies on a live connection. If that connection drops, the page can show a connection or server error popup. In that case:

1. close the popup
2. use Refresh
3. if needed, reload the page
4. contact flight records staff if the problem continues

Quick Review Before You Tap Agree and Register

Before saving, make sure all of the following are true:

• you opened the correct record from the waiting list
• the people shown on the PAD are the right people
• the activity summary matches what is actually being acknowledged
• any alert or open squawk information has been read
• the required handwritten signature, selected supervisor, or PIN step has been completed for your setup

That final review is the whole reason this page exists. The PAD is the last controlled pause before the record continues, so it is meant to combine speed with deliberate confirmation rather than silent background processing.