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Post by Patrick - BFL on Oct 27, 2015 10:11:44 GMT -5
Thanks Travis and Pete, I replied to your email aswell, we are also under going alot of changes at Buffalo over the next several weeks, so no rush, but atleast the communication lines are now open between us.
Patrick
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Post by alaskanflyboy on Dec 16, 2017 13:33:38 GMT -5
I have a rather tall order of things I know my VA would love in a program. Some of these would require active reporting simulating ACARS reporting. Some I expect would require a separate program and creation of server scripts to communicate, hence the "tall order".
- OOOI times: Currently, FSCaptain just reports departure and arrival time. What would be more realistic for us is reporting of "Out of the Gate", "Off the ground", "On the ground", and "Into the Gate" times. From my understanding of at least the 737 ACARS systems, Out is recorded and reported when the doors are closed and the parking brake is released. Off is when the weight on wheel (WOW) switch deactivates on takeoff. On when the WOW switch reactivates on landing. In when the parking brake is set and a door is opened. I know fuel is reported as well, but I believe it is only reported with the OUT and IN times.
- Position Reporting: This feature is already an internal feature of FSCaptain, but it would be nice if position reports could be sent out to an external server for our dispatch to track Oceanic flights.
- Delay Coding: Submission of IATA delay codes.
- Fit for Duty Acknowledgement: Fairly self-explanatory, just check box indicating that the crew claims they're fit for duty. For added flair, perhaps a way to customize the message (In our case, it would be something to the effect of "YOU ARE ACKNOWLEDGING FIT FOR DUTY
BASED ON FAR 117.5 REQUIREMENTS." - CAT III Autoland: A check box reporting that a CATIII Autoland was successfully performed on this flight.
- ACARS Messaging: Some method to allow our live dispatchers to send ACARS messages to crew in flight through the FCDU.
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Post by peter on Dec 16, 2017 17:49:04 GMT -5
Hi John,
wow, your VA really takes things seriously. May I ask for its name? You couls PM me if you don't want to post it in a public forum.
As for your ideas, some of it would be straightforward to implement, other things may need some work.
1. OOOI times are already reported in a flight's log file. It would be straightforward to send it to a VA as well. 2. Same as 1. 3. Very interesting, I never heard about this before. I am sure Dutch and Travis will have a look at this. 4. Should be no problem, but it is up to Dutch to decide. 5. I am not sure if that can be done. 6. This could be more difficult to implement, but not impossible. We have already played around with two-way communication, so that may be something to consider for FSCaptain 2.0
Thanks for all these great ideas. Peter
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Post by alaskanflyboy on Dec 16, 2017 23:50:41 GMT -5
Hi John, wow, your VA really takes things seriously. May I ask for its name? You couls PM me if you don't want to post it in a public forum. As for your ideas, some of it would be straightforward to implement, other things may need some work. 1. OOOI times are already reported in a flight's log file. It would be straightforward to send it to a VA as well. 2. Same as 1. 3. Very interesting, I never heard about this before. I am sure Dutch and Travis will have a look at this. 4. Should be no problem, but it is up to Dutch to decide. 5. I am not sure if that can be done. 6. This could be more difficult to implement, but not impossible. We have already played around with two-way communication, so that may be something to consider for FSCaptain 2.0 Thanks for all these great ideas. Peter That we do. The VA is operated by an airline dispatcher and is run as close to real-world Part 121 ops as practical in a sim environment. It was originally America West Virtual when it started, but was preemptively renamed MidContinent Airlines in the early 2000s when all the cease-and-desist letters were going around. We operate the 737-800, 757-200, 767-300, and 777-200. And like reality, you only fly one. I'm in the 737 line at our KMCI hub. I'd have to clarify more on item 5, but if I'm understanding it correctly, it would just be something crew would check off before sending the final report to the VA. To keep aircraft certified for autoland, one must be completed every 60 days, so they're tracked.
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Post by peter on Dec 17, 2017 4:50:02 GMT -5
Hi John,
I just had a look at MidContinent, very impressive. Thanks for clarifying point 5, that would of course be easy to implement.
Cheers, Peter
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