Flight Operations

5.0 Flight Operations

American Virtual (AAVA) does not attempt to place any undue pressure on its members. We realizerecognize that membersindividuals can only commitdedicate a certainlimited numberamount of hours and time to this hobby;hobby. asTo such,support continued participation while maintaining organizational activity levels, we have established reasonable minimum flight requirements that must be adheredmet in order to remain an active pilotpilot.

for the organization. These requirements are designed to ensure that all pilots can remain active, regardless of their commitments elsewhere. The primary flight requirement states that each

Each pilot is required to flycomplete at a minimum of one flight every 30 days.days.

If you fail to meet this requirement, you will receive a system-generated warning will be sent to the email address on file. Once placed on termination warning, you will have a period of fourteen (14) days to filesubmit a reportflight report, which will be monitored by theyour hubHub manager.Manager. If after 45 days, no flight has been logged,logged after forty-five (45) days, your account will be autoautomatically retired. You will receive a system-generated email tonotification alertinforming you toof this factchange.

to the email address on file.

If you know in advance that you will not be ableunable to completemeet the flight timerequirement, requirement,you must request a Leave of Absence (LOA) inthrough your profile.

We want to work with our pilots to ensurehelp that theythem remain active.active; However,however, ourit pilotsis needthe pilot’s responsibility to maintain contactcommunication with hub management to determine the best waypath to remain active.forward.

The submission of fraudulent PIREPs will result in the immediate termination of your membership with AAVA.

5.1 Schedule

As our name suggests, weAmerican striveVirtual strives to mirror the American Airlines flight operations in as realistic a mannerrealistically as possible. This includes utilizing a real-world, current schedule of flights from American Airlines and its subsidiaries. For flight hours to count, pilots may only operate flights that are listed in the current AAVA schedule. The schedule (accessiblecan be accessed by selecting “Start a Flight” on the main Crew Center page or by choosing "Flight Operations -> Schedule Bid"“Schedules” or browsing“Live "GroundSchedules” Operations -> Advanced Schedules" withinfrom the Crewleft Center.)menu.

Quarterly,

Each quarter, we pullupdate our database by pulling live flight information from FlightAware for American Airlines and its direct subsidiariessubsidiaries. toWhile updatethe ourschedules database. The schedules, whileare accurate at the time ofthey pull,are obtained, they may lose their accuracy depending on what is happeningchanges in the real-world counterpartairline operations.

UtilizingUsing the "Schedule Bid" page provided to you throughin the Crew Center, you will be able tocan search for flights that depart from theyour current location (the last placeairport where you landed) and add them to your bids.bid list. Once you identify a flight, we highlystrongly recommend thatselecting you first click on "“Add to BidBid”" first to takereserve the flight out of the system andflight, then goreviewing through "“Pilot BriefBrief”" to receiveobtain accurate flight information about the flight and receive your dispatch paperworkpaperwork, (exactlyclosely likemirroring inreal-world real life).procedures. This briefing will provide you with specific details regarding your flight including route, fuel, departure time, maps, weather, etc.and more.

American Virtual isdoes not concernedrequire withyou to fly your scheduled flight at the actualreal-world timedeparture you fly a flight in your bid.time. You are free to choosecomplete whateverthe flight at any time of day or night based on your personal preference. However, American Virtual does keep track of your "On-Time" percentage. Regardless of the day/nightflight you preferbook, toensure completethat your simulator time coincides with the flight.time generated by SimBrief.

5.2 Jump Seat

To enhance the operation's realism, the system recognizes the last arrival and will only display flights from that airport. Pilots have the option of departing from the airport where they last arrived or purchasing a Jump Seat Ticket for a fee to move to another location.

Purchasing a Jump Seat Ticket allows pilots to leave their last arrived location and be able to bid on a flight leaving from a different airport. The employee rate for Jump Seat Tickets is $0.25/nautical mile, which will be automatically deducted from your earnings. The previous time to get to the new location was 1 second/nautical mile, with the launch of the new Crew Center, this is now instant.

Pilots will not be allowed to purchase a Jump Seat Ticket in the event they have not earned enough money although in our experience that is extremely unlikely.

If there are no flights available for the pilot's current rank at the arrival location, the pilot will be able to jump seat to a different location free of charge.

5.3 Livery Selection

As our name suggests, we strive to mirror the American Airlines flight operations in as realistic a manner as possible. This includes flying American Airlines branded aircraft (or one of the other Codeshare airlines currently in our schedule).

Pilots incur the risk of the flight report being rejected without warning if a report is found using a livery from an airline, not in our schedule, or one that does not correspond to the flight. There are many resources online as well as in our own downloads section to find and retrieve free American Airlines liveries (or subsidiaries and Codeshares), leaving truly little reason for an excuse.

5.4 Codeshares

American Airlines is parta member of the Oneoneworld World network of airlines.alliance. We partially simulate this relationship withthrough the inclusion of codeshare flights inwithin our schedule. All flight numbers in ourthe scheduleAAVA system will startbegin with AAL (American), CAR (American Cargo), HER (Heritage Schedule), or AAC (American Airlines Charters). however,However, decoding the flight number iswill howallow you canto determine whatwhich airline is actually operating the flight.

For your convenience, please refer to the table below:

AALx-2xxx - Mainline American	AAL77xx - GOL (Gol Transportes Aereos)
AAL3xxx-5xxx - American Regional Carriers	AAL84xx - Japan Airlines
AAL6xxx - British Airways	AAL85xx - Air Nostrum
AAL72xx - Royal Jordanian	AAL87xx-88xx - Iberia
AAL73xx - Qantas	AAL89xx - Cathay Pacific
AAL75xx - Alaska Airlines	AAL9xxx - Finnair

With that in mind, the table above is for reference only and there may always be schedule variations or different airline representations. For more information about any specific flight, we recommend checking either FlightAware or flightradar24. Schedules also change very rapidly, sometimes daily. If you happen to find a schedule that exists in the real world, but it is not present in our systems, please use the appropriate Discord channel.

Also, for programming convenience, we always use 9XXX numbers for our "Adventures" schedules.

5.5 Model Selection/Substitutions

All flights in our schedule specify which model is to be flown for the flight. While there are many resources online to download freeware aircraft, we will allow some substitutions to take place. For a model substitution to be valid, the substitution should be within the same family. For example:

• Flight calls for a Boeing 737-800 -- Valid substitutions in the 737 family would be (733, 34, 35, 36, etc.)
• Flight calls for Airbus 320 -- Valid substitutions in the A320 family would be (319, 320, 321)

Pilots run the risk of the flight report being rejected without warning if the model flown is outside the family of aircraft specified on the schedule. Examples could be:

• Flight schedule calls for a 737-800 -- Pilot uses a Boeing 767
• Flight schedule calls for an A319 -- Pilot uses a Boeing 737

For added convenience and easier understanding, please follow the substitution chart below:

The Charter Operations module provides its separate fleet; however, the substitution table above applies all the same. Please follow the same chart when creating a Charter flight and choosing your equipment to complete it.

5.6 Flight Routing

AAVA does not allow direct-to-GPS routing. All pilots are required to follow a published flight plan for flight reports to be approved. For added convenience, and to add realism to the experience, we have integrated the SimBrief Dispatch Module into our briefing process. The module provides different sources to access flight plans or an entirely automatic routing for your flight. To access the feature, click on the "Briefing" link after pacing the bid on the flight you selected. The route you elect to fly must always be posted in ourSmartCARS3 defaultor ACARS of choice.vmsACARS.

5.7 Flight Procedures

The following provisions will be appliedapply to ALLall flight operations:operations within American Virtual:

• Time Accelerationacceleration is NOTnot permitted.permitted under any circumstances. All flights must be flown at 1x simulation speed, regardless of the scheduled flight lengthlength.

• All flights must take offdepart from the published origin airport.

• Each pilot

  Pilots must adhere to proper FAA outlined cruising altitudes.altitude procedures. In the United States,States:

  eastbound

  • Eastbound IFR flights (heading 0-000–179 degrees) IFR flights must cruise at an "odd"odd flight level in 2000 feet2,000-foot increments startingbeginning at FL190 (i.e.,for example: FL190, FL210, FL230,FL230).

    etc.);
  westbound

  • Westbound IFR flights (heading 180-180–359 degrees) IFR flights must cruise at an "even"even flight level in 2000 feet2,000-foot increments startingbeginning at FL180 (i.e.,for example: FL180, FL200, FL220,FL220).

    etc.).
  However,

  • Air Traffic Control (ATC) may assign any flight level at any time ifbased on traffic situationsor meritoperational arequirements.

    change
  in
  altitude

• Landing performance standards

  • Flight reports with landing rates overgreater than -360 feet per minute (FPM) and 1.5G's,5 Gs will be rejected unless extraordinary circumstances are noted, documented,documented and commentedexplained on.in Allthe comments.

  • Hub Managers and Assistant Hub Managers have the authority to approve or reject a PIREP based solely on their discretion and the information provided.

• Maximum landing limits

  • The aircraft

    Any landing ratethat exceeds the maximum certified landing rate of -600 FPM or 2.2 G's.Gs will not be approved.

  Examples:

  • Examples: If a pilot has a landing

    Landing rate of -420 FPM,FPM but onlyand 1.3 G's,Gs: theapproved

    report
  will
  • be

    Landing approved. If a pilot lands atrate -400 FPM and 1.6 G's,Gs: theheld reportfor willreview

    be
  held.
  • If a pilot lands at a

    Landing rate of -610 FPM but onlyand 1.2 G's, the report will beGs: held for exceeding -600 FPM.

  FPM

Flight diversions due to weather andor emergencies are permitted.permitted, Whilealthough extremelythey are unlikely and will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis accordingbased toon the information provided duringin the pilot report. ThisDiversions ismust NOT tonot be abused and needs toshould remain veryrare.

limited in use.

Unlimited fuel is NEVERnever permitted. Furthermore, Pilots should always follow theOFP OFPfuel recommendations and should aim to never arrive at the destination airportwith withno less than 15001,500 LBSlbs. of fuel leftremaining in the tanks.

5.8 Breaks During Flight

AAVA defines a break as any simulator pause. Pilots are permitted to take a break(s) during flights and therefore are permitted to leave their computer during the break. The maximum length is 30 minutes. Only one break is authorized for flights of four hours or less. For flights exceeding four hours, breaks are at the discretion of the pilot after the fourth hour but never exceeding 30 minutes per break.

Pilots who fly online using VATSIM shall contact their ATC and request permission to vacate the flight deck before taking their break. If the controller does not grant permission, the pilot must wait for clearance to leave the cockpit from ATC.

Note: VATSIM also has a policy regarding being away from the computer during flight. Should a pilot be contacted by a VATSIM supervisor, and the pilot does not respond within 30 minutes, the pilot will be disconnected from their server and suspended for several days.

5.9 Online Flying

Although not required, every pilot is encouraged to join and fly with an online ATC network such as VATSIM or IVAO. Flying online with live ATC coverage will add a new dimension of realism to your experience at AAVA. With VATSIM, you will be working around other aircraft flown by real people from all over the world following a predefined set of rules extremely similar to the real world.

In addition, AAVA operates and participates in many events on VATSIM. For more information on VATSIM and online flying, consult the forums or contact a member of the corporate leadership team through one of the various communication channels provided.

Whenever you are flying online (and therefore representing AAVA), we require pilots to follow these set of guidelines:

• You will need to register for a free new pilot account if flying on VATSIM
• You must have an internet connection and a valid copy of FSX, P3D, X-Plane, FS2020, or FS2024
• To connect to VATSIM you will need to download the appropriate client software for your simulator. To do so just follow this link: VATSIM Clients
• To communicate with ATC via voice, you will need a working headset and microphone
• You must always professionally present yourself, recognizing that, when flying online, you are officially representing AAVA
• No foul, vulgar, or racially charged remarks will be tolerated on our platform or while operating on any online network (Compliance with the Code of Conduct is required on VATSIM as well). Any complaint received from anyone at VATSIM will be grounds for immediate termination.
• The flight prefix and call sign should be AAL followed by the number of the scheduled flight you have on your bid (i.e. AALXXXX). Your voice call sign is "American"

You do not need to be an aviation expert; However, it is important that:

• You are already familiar with your version of Flight Simulator
• You are comfortable and familiar with the aircraft you will use online
• You have a basic understanding of Air Traffic Control and have read the network manuals and documentation provided by VATSIM
• You can fly a SID/STAR properly and follow an IFR flight plan with airways and waypoints

5.9.1 Assistance to Pilots for Online Flying

Contrary to popular belief, online flying is not that difficult. It is meant to add another dimension to your flight simulator experience in terms of realism, but also in terms of your level of enjoyment. If you are still not comfortable flying online with ATC, the AAVA Discord is the best place to get assistance with VATSIM. AAVA is home to many pilots who regularly fly on VATSIM and are even controllers who are always ready to help.

Remember that the VATSIM community is very friendly and informative. Do not worry about making mistakes (because everyone does from time to time), sit at a busy airport for a while listening to the radios and immerse yourself in the ATC lingo and when you feel ready to join the action just remember to let the controller know that you are "kind of new to this" and they will assist you in every possible way.

5.10 Time Reporting

To maintain consistency with our timetable and route schedule, all reported departure and arrival times are listed and filed in the local time zone of the departing / arriving airport (e.g., If you depart an east coast airport at 7:00 am and arrive at a west coast airport at 8:00 am, your report times would be 07:00 departure and 08:00 arrival but will record your flight time as 4.0 hours).