Hello Tuncas,
Thanks for your interest - if you have installed the 1.8.0 Public version, I would advise you to check out the new Beta of version 1.8.1 -
you can find links in this post. If you have 1.8.0 you can install the 1.8.1 Beta 1 Fixpack for all SimConnect 32-bit simulators directly over 1.8.0.
I wanted to make sure you're running the Beta 1 version since we have added some fixes in Beta 1 to allow better turnarounds for multi-leg flights. By that I mean something such as taking off from KONT to KRNO, parking, changing your payload (refueling perhaps?), and then fly to KOAK all without shutting down your simulator.
Since FSX is so memory-challenged, I find it difficult to make lots of such flights unless I turn down my graphics significantly.
But if you can make any given multi-leg flight today sans FSCaptain, then my intent is to see that you can make two legs of an FSCaptain multi-leg flight.
As part of Dutch's test flights for each build we release, he makes at least one multi-leg flight to see that no new bugs are evident. Dutch also has mostly default scenery, but with Orbx Global - that's fine with him!
If you find a bug, we'll work with you to attack it.
You can fly any of your aircraft as long as we can see what the aircraft is doing. Most aircraft use what we call "standard Microsoft Flight Simulator signals" that we query to know general things like where you are, how fast are you moving, what's your altitude, is engine #2 anti-ice on?
I used to joke that you could fly a Piper Cub from KLGA to KJFK, then switch to fly a Concorde to EGLL and we won't care.
Some highly-detailed aircraft do some things their own way. If we can get a peek at what they're doing using another standard system, we write an "interface" for FSCaptain to know more details about this aircraft. Etc.
You can enable a mode in FSCaptain we call "Economy Mode" that would allow you to limit your aircraft types to types you choose. Want an airline that only runs RJs? Or Airbuses? You can model that with a little work in text files.
But at its core, FSCaptain allows you to configure your installation to give you a sense of being a professional ATP pilot as you like:
You will be required to carry enough fuel to support ATC holding, to support "extra time in the air", and to take you to an alternate airport. (You don't have to purchase fuel in FSCaptain, but you should be able to account for its use.)
Other things you will have to do in FSCaptain - turn your Nav and Beacon lights on before you start engines. Have your landing lights on when you take off. (There are optional rules to govern when/if you turn your Landing Lights off during a flight.) Check in with Company Dispatch at TOC and TOD. Optionally include mandatory position reporting times for your flights. (I report my position every 15 minutes, although you can extend that out to 30
You can make Passenger, Cargo or Ferry (no-payload) flights. You can have a First Officer and a Chief Flight Attendant who will call out helpful (?) advice per flight. You can keep your PAX happy by not doing anything annoying with the aircraft, and to get them to where they want to go on time. Meeting your Block Time and / or your Scheduled Departure and / or Scheduled Arrival Requirements is one of the key requirements to a nice flight score. One other point - if you have Flight Attendants, please let them know when you're about to take off and when you're about to land or they'll complain and you'll lose points on your flight!
You can set the types of airports your airline normally visits. Limiting by runway type and size is basic. You can rule out flights to private airports, and even airports without Customs service if you're flying internationally. You can prefer or avoid military airports. You can set a "nodes list" of airports that your airline merely "prefers." Some Captains use that feature to give them more flights to their add-on scenery airports, instead of another flight to another dirt strip in another suburb.
Your airline can support its own flight schedule. When you use the Admin.exe to ask for a choice of flights, it will always note all scheduled flights from your airport, and it can give you the random choice of "charter flights". These are flights to non-scheduled airports at non-scheduled times.
You can even specify where you want to fly (within your airline's requirements) as well as your flight number, alternate airport, number of PAX / Cargo weight, and any PAX service requirements.
You can be as picky as you like in deciding where to park your aircraft. If your airport has parking codes that match your FSCaptain airline (or its codeshare on an individual flight) you optionally can assign parking spots. (But we're forgiving... if you simply can't find your parking spot you can always use the "Consider Me Parked" option to end your flight anywhere.
There's a section to FSCaptain which we call the "Hazard Pack". These are ways in which weather conditions inside your simulator can adversely affect your flight. Activate the "Contaminated Surfaces" feature and when we decide that too much rain or snow has fallen (and the airport can't keep the plows going) we can apply "Virtual Black Ice" to your simulator to the point where braking is not as effective as normal. Landing on a runway with "NIL Braking" will need a slow approach speed and some powerful reversers.
Other Hazard Pack items simulate engine icing, losing engines due to excessive turbulence, system damage from thunderstorms, brake damage due to improper parking brake use, and our favorite - ground icing. I'd offer that FSCaptain has the most detailed ground deicing process - just the least attractive one. LOL
There's enough detail that if you choose to enable optional Aircraft Inspections, and were on a multi-leg flight where something occurred that would cause a real-world aviation authority to ground your aircraft (land overweight - get hit by birds enroute - have a cabin smoke emergency) then you would not be able to complete the FSCaptain flight.
That's like most aspects of FSCaptain - completely optional. We want you to make FSCaptain into what suits you best.
(I'm the one who wants to Inspect your aircraft or to randomly freeze your elevator or ailerons if you take off with ground ice on your aircraft.)
But ignore the Hazard Packs and the frills and just make a test flight or two from any of our free-to-fly-from airports. (The bonus is, if you like them so much, you don't even need to purchase FSCaptain. )
Use the Administrator to select the aircraft you want, and find a destination. Want to make a direct flight with no procedures? That's okay. However if you have a PLN file of the flight you want to make, your Administrator can use your PLN along with some add-on weather engines to give you a better idea of your Block Time and your Fuel requirements.
We have a Tutorial - but it's very old. (It's the FSX B738 on a straight-line flight from KPDK to KRNO.) Its basic information is still sound, but one of us needs to update it.
In any event, you can make FSCaptain flights as often as you like... or not. Your Quality Points and your "Pay" will never go away.
FSCaptain is all about you flying your aircraft!...
Please remember as I noted earlier - FSCaptain isn't pretty. We're the "just a bunch of grey boxes" add-on for FS9 through P3D4.
When I'm making a 'just for fun - not for testing' flight, I use Pro-ATC. (It even does SIDs and STARs automatically if you like.)
And Peter's right, we can leave all ATC chatter for a topic when you're ready to talk about that.
Best regards,