CMMS for dropzones
Maintenance software for dropzones & skydiving operations
Snippath started life as the maintenance tracker for a working drop zone — it exists because squawks kept dying in the group text. It's a flat-rate CMMS: anyone on the DZ scans a QR code to report a problem in about thirty seconds, the work lands on a shared board, and every tug, fuel trailer, packing mat, and student rig keeps its own history. Free for 2 users and 25 active issues; paid plans run $19–$99 a month per workspace — the same price whether three people use it or thirty.
Built at a drop zone, not adapted to one
Snippath's first deployment was a skydiving operation. The product grew out of actually running maintenance at a DZ, where a dead golf cart, a weeping hydraulic line on the tug, and a torn packing mat all compete for the attention of the same two people. That's why the reporting loop is so short — scan, one line, photo, done — and why nothing in the product assumes you have a facilities department. The place it was built for didn't have one either.
The gear a DZ actually breaks
Tugs, mules, and golf carts. The fuel trailer and its pump. Ground power units, air compressors, mowers, the hangar door that only closes if you lift it just right. Manifest computers, the PA, landing-area radios. On the training side: student rigs, helmets, altimeters, and radios that need to be pulled from rotation the moment something's off, plus packing mats and creepers in the loft. Each one gets its own record in Snippath, so 'is the red student rig still grounded?' has an answer that isn't 'ask Dave.'
Not an aviation compliance tool — on purpose
Snippath deliberately does not do regulated aviation maintenance. Aircraft logbooks, ADs, 100-hour and annual sign-offs stay with your A&P/IA and the FAA-required records — regulated-industry compliance workflows are explicitly out of scope for the product. What Snippath adds is the operational layer around all that: the squawk a packer noticed actually gets written down, triaged, and closed instead of being relayed through manifest and forgotten by the third load.
Seasonal staffing is the whole problem
A DZ runs on people who cycle through: packers for a season, weekend instructors, a pilot who's gone by October. Per-seat CMMS pricing punishes exactly that shape of team. Snippath's QR report form needs no login and no account, so a first-weekend packer can file a squawk as easily as the DZO — and flat workspace pricing means you never do seat math when someone new shows up in April.
Free through the season, useful through the winter
The free tier — 2 users, 25 active issues, equipment and location records, QR reporting — fits a small DZ where the DZO and one fix-it person handle everything. Starter ($19/mo) adds parts inventory for the shelf of filters, belts, and batteries; Pro ($49/mo) adds recurring schedules for the stuff with a calendar, like monthly vehicle checks and loft inspections. Then winter becomes the backlog season: everything filed all summer is already listed, prioritized, and searchable, so opening day starts with an empty board instead of a page of sticky notes.
How it looks day-to-day
Saturday, second load. Marcus is packing when he notices the tug's brake pedal going most of the way to the floor. He scans the QR sticker on the roll bar, types one line, snaps a photo, and goes back to his rig. The DZO gets the push notification at manifest, marks it urgent, and the tug is parked before anyone drives it toward the taxiway. The fix — a brake line, logged with its cost against the tug — means next winter's work list already knows the other line is the same age.
Frequently asked questions
- Is there a free maintenance tracker for a small dropzone?
- Yes. Snippath's free tier gives you 2 users and 25 active issues with work orders, QR-code reporting, and equipment/location records — no time limit, no credit card. That fits a small DZ where the DZO plus one fix-it person handle everything. Paid plans are flat per workspace ($19–$99/month), not per user, so seasonal staff can report issues without ever affecting the bill.
- Can Snippath track FAA aircraft maintenance and logbooks?
- No, and that's deliberate. Snippath explicitly does not handle regulated aviation maintenance compliance — aircraft logbooks, ADs, and 100-hour/annual sign-offs belong with your A&P/IA and the official records. Dropzones use Snippath for the operational side around that: ground vehicles, fuel and support equipment, student gear, and facilities, plus making sure a squawk someone spots actually gets triaged instead of lost.
- How do dropzones keep track of squawks and broken gear?
- The reliable way is one shared board where anything anyone notices gets filed against a specific asset. In Snippath, a packer or instructor scans a QR sticker on the tug, mat, or student rig and files a report in about thirty seconds — no login. It's triaged, assigned, and closed with parts and cost logged, so each asset builds a searchable history instead of living in a group text.
- Do packers and instructors need accounts to report problems?
- No. Snippath's QR report form is public — scan the sticker with any phone camera, describe the problem, attach a photo, submit. No app install, no account, no password. Accounts are only for the people who triage and work the board (the DZO, a manager, whoever fixes things), which is why the 2-user free tier goes further than it sounds.
- What does Snippath cost for a dropzone?
- Flat pricing per workspace: free for 2 users and 25 active issues; Starter is $19/month (10 users, parts inventory); Pro is $49/month (unlimited users, recurring maintenance schedules, inspection checklists); Business is $99/month. There's no per-user fee at any tier, so a DZ's rotating seasonal cast never changes the price.
The features behind it
Snippath is a flat-rate CMMS — work orders, preventive maintenance, parts, and QR-code reporting, one fee per workspace. Free for 2 users.