US ACARS Pilot Guide For US ACARS version 2.2

18 December, 2009

Original Author: Tyler Hoppe, Phoenix Personnel Edited and Released By: Marcus Smallegan, Vice President of Public Relations

US Airways Virtual Airlines is in no way affiliated with US Airways Group, its subsidiaries or affiliates. We are a group of Flight Simulator enthusiasts.

1. Legal Information and Disclosure

1.1. Real World Affiliation and Copyrights

The US Airways logos and trademarks on this site remain the property of US Airways.

USAVA is in no way affiliated with the real world US Airways. There is no trade channel

for USAVA. The web-site is for entertainment and education and not for a commercial

purpose.

No part of the USAVA website design or layout, documents, or software may be

reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any other means electronic or mechanical

to include photocopying, recording, reproducing, or electronic storage. Any such act

represents a copyright violation and theft of intellectual property solely owned by US

Airways Virtual Airways.

2. Introduction

2.1. Welcome to US Airways Virtual Airlines. The purpose of this manual is to familiarize you

with our pilot reporting software, ACARS (Aircraft Communications Addressing and

Reporting System). This program is offered at no cost to every USAVA pilot, and is a tool

for you to easily keep track of your flight and file all necessary information for you

when submitting a report for approval. Additionally, we are able to review all of the

details of your flight (fuel, airspeed, landing rates, route taken, etc.) that your Vice

President of Operations or our Training Department will be able to use to assist you in

your development as a pilot. As is outlined in our policies (accessible from the Airline

Operations Handbook), the use of ACARS is required (manual reporting is not accepted

unless you provide the required documentation) every time you fly. Additionally, you

can purchase FS Passengers or FS Flight Keeper, two comprehensive flight tracking and

simulation programs, which will submit to us the same information. Please let your VP

of Operations know if you need any assistance with ACARS or post in the ACARS Help

board on our Forums.

2.2. Note from the Author

Hello Everyone! My name is Tyler Hoppe, and I have created this guide to help

enrich the experience of the new pilot. The intent of this guide is to help make

your first few flights and all after that very successful. For those who don’t know,

this is my second version of this document, but this time I am doing it differently.

Some of the changes are that I am not the only editor; this version should be

more descriptive, and more helpful. Hope you enjoy your first flight here at

USAVA!

Sincerely,

Tyler Hoppe

3. About ACARS

3.1. What is ACARS?

ACARS stands for Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System. Our ACARS does

just that, it reports a lot of information from your flight simulator program and puts it in a

specified format and upon completion of your flight, files it for approval. Examples of data it

reports are landing gear use, flap use, crash detection, simulation rate, fuel stats, altitude,

heading, speed, position, autopilot use, and lots more. Our ACARS is one of the best developed

throughout the entire virtual airline community. Because of the information that ACARS

records, we require that you use ACARS for all of your flight here at USAVA, this is also why we

have restrictions on when you can file a manual report.

3.2. The Rules of ACARS

As with almost anything, ACARS has rules that apply to its usage and reports. Here is a brief

listing of the rules and the consequences that may arise should you fail to operate within these

rules. For full ACARS and operations policies, please refer to the Airline Operations Handbook.

Mid-­-air Refueling :: Rejected Flight

Sandbagging* :: Rejected Flight (At minimum, additional discipline may arise)

Landing at a rate of over -­-750 feet/minute :: Rejected Flight

*Sandbagging is when you leave the cockpit beyond the allowed break periods to do

something other than monitoring the aircraft. (i.e. mowing the lawn, going out to eat,

sleeping, going to see a movie at the mall, etc.)

3.3. ACARS and You

You may or may not think these rules are strict, personally I think they are fair. These rules

were put in place to make sure your flight is as realistic as can be while still allowing you break

time (see AOH) during longer flights. Our mission here at USAVA is to make your virtual flying as

real and enjoyable as possible, so just follow those basic rules and your ACARS experience will

be a blast.

4. Installation

To install ACARS you must first go to the USAVA homepage (www.usairwaysva.org) and login to your

crew center using your pilot ID number and password. Once you’re logged on, look for “US ACARS”

in the pilot menu on the right hand side of your screen (Below “Pilot Locations”: (See picture for

location).

Upon opening the US ACARS section, you will see the following screen:

Follow the directions to install the software. Once you run the .exe file that you download, you will be able to utilize the US ACARS software. Please make sure that you meet all of the system

requirements listed on the page. (ACARS will require an updated .NET Framework and FSUIPC, both of which are free and will be easy to install)

5. Before your Flight

Before you can fly, you must book a flight utilizing the “Itinerary” section of your Crew Center. You will see the following screen when you click “Itinerary” :

Select the Departure or Arrival Airport, a specific aircraft, or your category based on your rank and click “Search Timetable”. (Pictured Example: Philadelphia to London). Remember, less is more. Fewer selections at first may yield more choices.

Once you have found a flight you would like to operate, click on the blue flight number in the far--‐left column. This will book your flight and take you back to your itinerary, which will now list the flight you selected.

Once you are ready to fly, click on the “Dispatch” button next to the flight on your Itinerary Page.

6. Dispatching your Flight

Once you click the “Dispatch” link, you will be taken to a screen like this:

The page will display all of the information you need for your flight including the departure and arrival times, aircraft you must fly, weather, recommended altitudes and routes. Once you have reached this page, you must get the information loaded into flight simulator. To do this, you can: 1. Do it manually (Using FS Create a Flight) 2. Use the link at the bottom of the dispatch page (And load into FS) 3. Or use www.simroutes.com to get your route information. Once loaded into Flight Simulator, you are ready to begin your flight. Make sure that you are departing from the airport at which you last arrived to avoid receiving a jumpseat fee. If this is your first flight with us, please depart from your hub airport. 4.2 Beginning your Flight To begin your flight, you have to login to the ACARS system. Simply open up your ACARS software by opening the shortcut that looks like this:

After ACARS loads, you will see the login screen. Enter your Pilot ID (USAXXXX) and password (same as the website password) and click “OK”.

Once you have logged on (this may take a few moments while the software loads), you will have access to your personal ACARS system information. Not only can you manage your flight, but you can chat with other pilots, monitor their flight status, or simply allow the program to do its work. (I don’t recommend the last choice, it is boring.) Your customized ACARS screen will look like this (just substitute your personal information where you see mine):

In order to begin your flight you must follow the steps (these are the same steps I was given on my first flight):

1. Open ACARS 2. Enter the route you will fly from the information on our website or Simroutes. 3. Start Flight Simulator 4. Go to “Create a Flight” enter you departure time, airport, fuel, and weather. 5. Load your flight 6. When your flight has loaded, ensure your parking brake is set, engines are shutdown, and

you are ready to begin your flight. 7. Click on the “Preflight” button in your ACARS window (this will allow ACARS to connect with

Flight Simulator) and proceed to receive your ATC clearance. 8. Click on “Begin Flight” in ACARS once you have received taxi clearance and are ready to push

back from the gate.

ACARS will now begin recording your flight for you. You will hear our safety announcements and simulated flight attendants; simply push back, and taxi to the runway you are assigned to. Take off, cruise, land, taxi, and you’ll be set to file your report!

It is important to follow these steps because they ensure your Flight Simulator and ACARS client are working in sync prior to the beginning of your flight. Failure to go from step to step may result in an ACARS error.

During your flight, utilize the ACARS chat to communicate with your fellow pilots. Better yet, login to our TeamSpeak client and begin talking in real time with colleagues from around the world that are pilots here at USAVA. You should receive TeamSpeak information from your VP of Operations upon joining. If not, just ask a staff member.

7. Ending your flight

It is important not to exit FS or end your flight before you have shut down your engines and are parked at your gate with parking brakes set properly. Before you exit FS, make sure you open your ACARS window and click “End Flight”. This will prompt you twice: “Are you sure you wish to end this flight?” and “Do you wish to file a PIREP?” Make sure you select “Yes” on both; failure to do this will result in your flight NOT being reported (and you not receiving credit), so be sure you complete these steps BEFORE you exit FS.

8. Quick Reference Checklist for ACARS

Before You Enter ACARS:

1. Book Flight 2. Get Flight Information 3. Load Flight Plan to Your Flight Simulator

Beginning Your Flight:

1. Open ACARS and login with ID and Password 2. Enter Route information 3. Enter any comments 4. Open Flight Simulator

5. Set All Information In Flight Simulator to that of your flight. 6. Load Flight 7. Load Flight Plan and click “Preflight” 8. Receive ATC Clearance 9. Wait for Scheduled Departure Time 10. Obtain Taxi Clearance 11. Hit “Begin Flight” and Pushback

Taxi / Departure/ Cruise / Arrival:

Enter any comments you need to input into the “Comments” box in ACARS.

Landing / End of Flight: 1. Check your landing rate in the ACARS chat section 2. Receive clearance and taxi to your gate 3. Shutdown your engines and set your parking brake 4. In the ACARS window, click “End Flight” 5. Click “Yes” on both popup windows 6. Close Flight Simulator

9. Conclusion

We hope that this document has cleared up any confusion you may have had about using the US ACARS software that we provide you. You should now understand every step of using ACARS, and can apply this to every flight you complete here at US Airways Virtual Airlines. From time-­-to-­-time, things may pop up that you don’t understand or may need clarification about. If you need assistance, please contact your Vice President of Operations.