Key facts
| Agent stack | Chat completions, function calling and embeddings are live |
| Use cases | MRO document Q&A, compliance tracking summaries, training material drafts, parts research |
| Human sign-off | Only licensed personnel approve maintenance and airworthiness records |
| Retrieval | plugsky-embed plus RAG over manuals, procedures and service bulletins |
| Deployment | Plugsky cloud, your VPC, on-prem and air-gapped options |
| Models | 30+ models; small aliases for lookup, stronger ones for synthesis |
| Pricing model | Flat monthly self-serve plans with unlimited fair-use usage |
| Roadmap | Assistants and batch endpoints are coming soon |
TL;DR
- Ground every answer in current manuals and bulletins with citations.
- Summarise compliance status; keep approvals with licensed staff.
- Draft training material from approved sources for instructor review.
- Log model versions and sources so records stay reconstructable.
- Use air-gapped deployment where the operation requires isolation.
How it works, step by step
- Select a documentation-heavy workflow such as MRO Q&A or training support.
- Index current manuals, procedures and bulletins with revision dates and stable ids.
- Expose read-only tools for document search, parts lookup and compliance status.
- Require citations and revision references in every generated answer.
- Route findings to licensed staff for sign-off and record the reviewer identity.
- Log tool calls and model versions, then measure retrieval accuracy and review time.
Try it yourself
Open the MCP server config generator →
Aviation workflows suited to agents
Aviation runs on controlled documentation and auditable records:
- MRO documentation Q&A: find the correct procedure or limit with a citation to the current revision.
- Compliance tracking: summarise due tasks, ADs and inspection status for a planner to verify.
- Training material: draft lesson content and quizzes from approved technical sources for instructor review.
- Parts and logistics research: look up interchangeability and availability for a technician to confirm.
The agent prepares; licensed personnel approve and sign.
Architecture and revision control
Documentation revision is the central risk, so build for it:
- Index with metadata: store document id, revision and effective date with every chunk.
- Read-only tools: search, parts lookup and status queries only.
- Composer: answers that must cite document id and revision.
- Staleness check: compare the cited revision against the current index before returning an answer.
- Human sign-off: licensed staff approve any maintenance or airworthiness record.
Re-index on every controlled document update and fail closed when the revision cannot be verified.
Isolation, records and safety
Some operators and programmes require air-gapped environments where no traffic leaves the site. Plugsky supports cloud, VPC, on-prem and air-gapped deployment with the same compatible API, so the agent code does not change. Regardless of environment, log the prompt, retrieved sources, model version and reviewer for every output, and keep that record for the period your quality system requires. Treat any safety-critical discrepancy as an escalation, not an answer: stop the run and route it to a qualified engineer.
Piloting an aviation agent
Prototype on plugsky-micro or plugsky-lite with one document family, then use the 14-day full-access trial to test a stronger model on multi-document questions. Measure retrieval accuracy, citation correctness, stale-revision rate and planner review time. Self-serve plans are flat monthly with fair-use usage, which suits steady documentation workloads. Keep evaluation sets as revisions accumulate, and re-run them after every model or index change before widening the rollout.
Honest comparison
| Capability | Plugsky | Typical agent framework | Building in-house |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tool calling | Live function calling over read-only document and parts APIs | Framework-specific adapters | You build and maintain |
| Revision awareness | You index revision metadata and enforce stale checks | Not built in | You design the controls |
| Deployment | Cloud, VPC, on-prem and air-gapped | Usually cloud-only | You operate GPUs and serving |
| Pricing | Flat monthly self-serve, fair-use usage | Varies by framework and model | GPU plus operations cost |
| Model choice | 30+ models behind one API | Varies by provider | You host every model |
Frequently asked questions
Can the agent sign off maintenance work?
No. Only licensed personnel approve maintenance and airworthiness records; the agent prepares documentation and findings for their review.
Which endpoints do aviation agents use?
Chat completions, function calling, JSON mode and embeddings are live. Assistants and batch endpoints are coming soon.
How do we handle document revisions?
Store revision metadata with each indexed chunk, require citation of the revision, and check it against the current index before returning an answer.
Can we deploy air-gapped?
Yes. Air-gapped deployment is available, and because the API is OpenAI-compatible the same agent code runs without modification.
Is there a free plan?
Yes. The free plan includes plugsky-micro and plugsky-lite with no credit card, enough to prototype documentation Q&A.
How does pricing work?
Self-serve plans are flat monthly with unlimited fair-use usage. See the live pricing page for current plans and enterprise options.
How should we measure it?
Track retrieval accuracy, citation correctness, stale-revision rate and planner review time, with escalations reviewed as safety signals.