Government to Finally Go Paperless

As recently as March 2020, all USA government agencies have been instructed to keep paperless records, switching to a completely digital format by the end of 2022.

The instruction comes from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), which has announced that after that date the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) – which stores data from across federal agencies – will no longer accept paper files.

According to a memo released by the OMB; millions of taxpayer dollars and thousands of hours are spent annually to create, use, and store federal papers each week: “The Federal Government stores thousands of records in analog[ue] (paper and other non-electronic) formats.
Maintaining large volumes of analog records requires dedicated resources, management attention, and security investments that should be applied to more effectively managing electronic records.”

What this most likely means for us in aviation is easy. Although COVID-19 may speed-up the process a bit, I think we can expect the FAA to go from “ we use paper, why do we want to change? ” in 2020, to “ we’re digital, why aren’t you? ” in 2022.

The question is … Are you ready?

See “Why We Should Be Scanning Aircraft Logbooks Now” in BAR Commentary for more information on electronically duplicating logbooks.