SunAir Express Virtual Airlines
www.sunairexpress.com

Pilot Operations Center
User Manual

Updated: November 5, 2006
Copyright © 1992-2008 SunAir Express Virtual Airlines

This document will help to explain how to use the many features found on the SunAir Express Pilot Operations Center at www.sunairexpress.com/poc.

You will find that most text in blue on the Pilot Operations Center may be mouse clicked.

The Pilot Operations Center or “POC” is used by SunAir Express pilots to:

• Acquire information for flight schedules.

• Create a flight rotation.

• Manually enter a flight report (FLTREP).

• View pilot records and other company statistics.

Table of Contents

1. Log in Screen
2. Home Screen
3. Menu
4. Flights In Progress
5. Add FLTREP
6. Route Search
7. List Pilots
8. Pilot Stats
9. Pilot Log Book
10. List Airports
11. List Aircraft
12. Reports
13. Rotations

1. Log in Screen

The first screen you will see on the Pilot Operations Center is the log in screen.  The map you see displays the SunAir Express pilots currently flying.  This map will be explained later in this manual.  

At the left is the menu.  At the top of the menu is the company’s current On-time Performance average for all SunAir Express pilots.  Below this is where pilots log in using the username and password issued by SunAir Express management.

2. Home Screen

The Home screen is displayed after you log in.  Some company stats are displayed on this screen which are self-explanatory.  Only pilots that have flown in the last 30 days (active pilots) will appear on this list.

3. Menu

The menu consists of the following items:

• Add FLTREP – Manually add a flight report to the POC.
• Flights in Progress – Display a map of the SunAir Express pilots currently flying.
• Route Search – Perform a route search of SunAir Express scheduled flights.
• List Pilots – Display a list of all SunAir Express pilots.
• List Airports – Display all a list of all airports served by SunAir Express with a scheduled route.
• List Aircraft – Display all a list of all aircraft types flown by SunAir Express.
• Reports – Display a “Top 5 List” of SunAir Express flights, aircraft types and pilots.
• Home – Display some company stats.
• Rotations – A utility used to create a flight rotation.
• POC Manual – Display the manual you are reading now.
• Logout – Leave the POC which will then take you to the SunAir Express main web site.
• Contact WebMaster – Send an email to the POC WebMaster.

4. Flights In Progress

The Flights In Progress map shows all SunAir Express pilots currently flying.  Only pilots that are using FSACARS will appear on this map.  The map will auto-refresh about every 60 seconds.  Should you refresh the map manually the auto-refresh feature will be disabled.  

• The FLIGHT IATA column lists the Flight Number entered in the Flight IATA field on the FSACARS flight plan.
• The PILOT ID column lists the SAX Pilot’s ID number.
• The ORG column lists the airport origin or departure location.
• The ATL column lists the aircraft’s current altitude.
• The GS column lists the aircraft’s current ground speed.
• The NM Flown column lists the total nautical miles currently flown.
• The NM TO DES column lists the nautical miles left to fly to the destination airport.
• The DES column lists the airport destination location.
• The ETA column lists the estimated time remaining before landing.
• The STATUS column lists the aircraft’s current flight configuration.

5. Add FLTREP

Add FLTREP is used to manually enter flight report information from a completed flight.  If you use FSACARS your flight information will normally be automatically entered to the POC and you will not need to use this screen.  However, if something goes wrong and FSACARS does not send the flight information or you do not use FSACARS then you may enter the flight report information manually.  

Under Pilot Details, your name is automatically entered along with your pilot ID.  If you have a VATSIM ID then this is automatically entered as well.  

Under Route Details, you would enter the Route ID by clicking on the down arrow in the entry field.  After clicking the down arrow, type the first number of your route flown then scroll to find the correct Route ID number.  After selecting your Route ID, the Aircraft Type along with the Departure and Arrival airports will automatically be entered for you.  

Under Flight Details, you would enter the number of passengers (optional), the Date of Flight along with the Departure and Arrival times.  Select the Date of Flight by clicking on the text that reads “Click here to Select Date”.  This will open a calendar where you then click on the date you want.  If you do not use this calendar, the date format for manually entering the date is DAY/MONTH/YEAR (xx/xx/xxxx).  

Review all data carefully before clicking on the Submit FLTREP button.  Contact your Hub Chief or the POC WebMaster to correct any flight report errors.

6. Route Search

The Route Search page lets you find scheduled SunAir Express flights by entering information in any, all or none of the search fields.  Leave all fields blank to list all available SunAir Express scheduled flights.  

The following is the search results for current scheduled flights that depart from KJFK:

The Departure and Arrival times listed are scheduled pushback departure and gate arrival times (block times).  All times are UTC time (GMT or “Zulu”).  Each column’s title of the searched results may be clicked on to sort on that column.

You may then click on a route ID number IATA to view the flight plan form used to fly that route.  The time listed on the flight plan form is the takeoff time, not pushback time.

You may also click on each REGIST tail number, ORG airport Departure or DES airport destination field to display all flights for that aircraft tail number along with all flights that originate or depart from or to that airport.  This is helpful for planning a flight rotation.

7. List Pilots

The List Pilots page shows pilot information and statistics, which should be self-explanatory.  If a pilot has not flown in more than 30 days then that pilot will be “inactive” and will not appear on the Home or Reports pages.  However, inactive pilots will appear on the List Pilots screen.  The List Pilots page also has links to view individual pilot statistics by clicking on STATS and log book entries by clicking on LOGS.

8. Pilot Stats

The Pilot Stats page should be self-explanatory.  It displays personal and career information.  The Type Ratings information informs the pilot which aircraft types they are currently rated to fly.  There is also a link near the bottom of this page for the pilot’s Log Book information.

9. Pilot Log Book

The Pilot Log Book page will display flight information and the TIMING or on time grade for each flight.  If the field labeled BLK (Block Time) is not blue, this means that this flight report entry was manually entered (not entered automatically with FSACARS).  Click on Prev and Next to move between log book pages.

10. List Airports

The List Airports screen will display all airports currently served by SunAir Express with a scheduled route.  Each column may be sorted by clicking on the column’s title.

11. List Aircraft

The List Aircraft screen will display all aircraft types currently flown by SunAir Express.

12. Reports

The Reports page displays the Top 5 List.  This page is self-explanatory.  Only active pilots that have flown in the last 30 days will appear on this list.

13. Rotations

The Rotations page is the utility that will create your “flight rotation” or flight schedule for you.  A rotation will always begin at your assigned hub.  The pilot shown in this example is assigned to KSTL hub.  

The first screen will display only the aircraft types that you are currently rated to fly.  If you do not have a type rating for a certain aircraft type then that aircraft type will not be displayed on the list.  You would start by selecting an aircraft type that you wish to fly then click on Show Flights.

This pilot selected the B747 to begin the rotation.  Additional rotation flights may be flown using other aircraft types.

The next screen will display all available routes currently not selected by other pilots using the Rotations utility.

Most columns may be sorted by clicking on the column’s title.  This pilot selected IATA Flight Number 159 from KSTL to KTPA as the first flight of the rotation.  Now click on Next Flight.

The next screen will display information about your last flight or “hop” at the top in red text and list what aircraft are available to fly from your last hop’s destination.

This pilot selected the B747 for the next hop.  

The next screen will display all available routes using the aircraft type selected currently not selected by other pilots using the Rotations utility.

This pilot selected IATA Flight Number 132 from KTPA to KSTL as the next hop.

This pilot’s last hop returns to the home hub (KSTL) which completes a rotation.  If this were not a complete rotation, you would continue adding hops until it returned to the home hub completing the rotation.  Once a complete rotation is made, you review your rotation with the options to continue adding more flights, accept the rotation the way it is and activate the rotation, or reset and start over from the beginning.

The last screen displays the active rotation.  

Once a rotation is activated, you must complete each hop before the rotation is closed.  Once the rotation is closed you may then create a new rotation.

To cancel a rotation after accepting it or without completing all the hops you should contact the POC WebMaster.

It is possible to list a particular flight during a Route Search only to find that the same flight is not displayed while creating a rotation.  This means that a pilot already has that flight selected in their rotation.  That flight will not be available to other rotations until the pilot that has it selected in their rotation has completed it.  You may still fly this route, just not as part of a rotation.