Integrated web-based Air Charter quoting app

# Developer Needed: update a MS Access Charter Quote Database into a Production Web App ## Overview I run a small aviation business (flight training + charter). 15 years ago we built an internal tool that generates charter flight quotes — it calculates distance, flight time, and full cost breakdowns from fleet, airport, and crew data, and produces client quotes. The MS Access db works, but it's locally hosted on each PC and is struggling to operate with successive updates of the MS Office suite — that's where I need you. ## What Exists Today - MS Access db with tabs for New Quote, Quote history, Fleet, Airports, Crew, and Settings - manually entered Great-circle distance calculation between airports (lat/long based) - Cost engine: hourly aircraft rate + fuel (burn rate × price) + landing/handling fees + pilot day rate + itemised expenses + configurable margin (20–30%) - Editable data tables for aircraft, airports, and crew - Quote lifecycle: Draft → Sent → Confirmed, with auto-generated (but not auto-sent) notification text for the client, accounts, and assigned crew member - Data currently on a MS Access database back end which we can no longer... access. I'll share the existing database or just screenshots as a starting reference — you are not building from a blank page, but you should expect to restructure/rebuild parts of it ## What I Need Built 1. **Real hosting & deployment** — a live, secure web app I (and my team) can log into and use day to day 2. **Proper database** — persistent storage for aircraft, airports, crew, and quote history (with reporting/search over past quotes) 3. **Email sending** — quotes, confirmations, and accounts/crew notifications should send automatically (not just generate text for manual copy/paste), via a service like SendGrid, Postmark, or similar 4. **Basic user accounts/permissions** — at minimum, a login for staff; ideally separate access levels for admin vs. broker 5. **Client-facing quote view** — a shareable link where a client can view (and ideally accept) their quote online 6. **Notifications on confirmation** — automatic email (and optionally SMS) to client, accounts, and crew when a quote is confirmed Possible Integrations: Xero, Vellox Air Maestro, MS Office suite ## Nice to Have - PDF export/generation of quotes - Simple dashboard/reporting (quotes sent vs. confirmed, revenue by month, etc.) - Calendar integration for crew scheduling - Audit trail / activity log on quotes ## Required Skills - Full-stack web development - Database design (PostgreSQL, MySQL, or similar) - Experience integrating transactional email services - Comfortable owning deployment/hosting decisions (e.g. Vercel, Render, AWS) and explaining trade-offs to a non-technical client - Clear communicator — I'm not a developer, so I'll need things explained in plain terms ## Nice to Have (Experience) - Prior work on small business operations/booking tools - Aviation, logistics, or quoting/CRM tool experience ## Scope & Engagement - Fixed price / Hourly — specify your preference - Estimated timeline,. 3–6 weeks for core build - Ongoing maintenance/support may be discussed after initial delivery ## How to Apply Please include: - Relevant examples of similar apps you've built (booking tools, quoting systems, internal ops tools) - Your recommended tech stack for this project and why - Rough timeline and cost estimate based on the scope above