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1<html>
2<head>
3 <title>MAVA Logger X User's Manual</title>
4 <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />
5</head>
6<body>
7 <div align="center"><h1>MAVA Logger X User's Manual</h1></div>
8
9 <h2><a name="overview">Overview</a></h2>
10
11 <p>
12 MAVA Logger X is an application that monitors the execution of a
13 Malév Virtual flight, and collects data that can be sent to
14 the <a href="http://virtualairlines.hu">MAVA website</a> for further
15 evaluation. This manual describes how to use this program. To be
16 able to use all features of the program, you need to have a working
17 Internet connection, even if you don't fly on-line on VATSIM or
18 IVAO. However, it is possible to perform a flight completely offline
19 as well.
20 </p>
21
22 <p><a name="flightRating"/>
23 While monitoring your flight, the program continuously checks if your
24 airplane's configuration is always within the parameters prescribed
25 by the airline's operating procedures. For example, you have to turn
26 on or off the various lights of your aircraft according to rules,
27 you cannot exceed certain weight or speed limits, and so on. Any
28 deviation from the expected parameters, also known as a fault, can
29 result in points subtracted from the initial 100 points (or
30 percentage). The result is your <i>flight rating</i>. Some
31 deviations are so serious, that they are deemed <i>NO GO</i> faults
32 and result in the rejection of your flight.
33 </p>
34
35 <p>
36 Besides the faults the program also monitors many other parameters,
37 which are recorded in a textual <a href="#logTab"><i>log</i></a>.
38 This log is sent as a part of your PIREP
39 (<b>PI</b>lot's <b>REP</b>ort), and will be analyzed, and possibly
40 commented on by more experienced pilots of Malév Virtual. This way
41 you can perfect the way you execute your flights.
42 </p>
43
44 <p><a name="flightStages"/>
45 The application breaks up your flight into
46 several <i>stage</i>s. The advancement from one stage to another is
47 detected automatically. These stages and the conditions under which
48 they are entered are as follows:
49 <ol>
50 <li><b>boarding</b>: This is the initial stage when you start the
51 flight.</li>
52 <li><b>push-back and taxi</b>: If you release the parking brakes
53 or your ground speed becomes 5 knots or greater during the
54 boarding stage, your flight enters this stage.</li>
55 <li><b>takeoff</b>: If your ground speed exceeds 50 knots
56 during taxi or after a rejected takeoff (RTO), and then you lift-off in at
57 most 60 second, your flight enters the takeoff stage. The takeoff
58 configuration, however is saved at the time of exceeding 50 knots GS, but
59 will be checked and logged when leaving the ground. If you do not lift-off
60 within 60 seconds of exceeding 50 knots GS, a fault will be logged. If,
61 however, you check the <i>Rejected takeoff</i> checkbox on
62 the <a href="#takeOffPage"><i>Takeoff</i></a> page, the fault will
63 disappear and your flight will enter the <b>RTO</b> (rejected takeoff)
64 stage.</li>
65 <li><b>climb</b>: When you retract the gears or you reach 3000
66 feet altitude AGL with a positive climb rate after takeoff.</li>
67 <li><b>cruise</b>: When the aircraft's altitude is within 2000
68 feet of the cruise altitude and you are climbing either after takeoff or an
69 aborted approach or landing.</li>
70 <li><b>descent</b>: If the altitude decreases to more than 2000
71 feet below the cruise altitude during cruise.</li>
72 <li><b>landing</b>: If the gears are lowered and the altitude is
73 less than 2000 feet AGL during descent or go-around. Also when you start
74 to descend during a climb and the previous conditions also hold.</li>
75 <li><b>go-around</b>: If you retract the gears during landing.</li>
76 <li><b>taxi after landing</b>: When the aircraft is in the
77 ground and its ground speed is below 25 knots after landing.</li>
78 <li><b>end</b>: If the N<sub>1</sub> of the turbines becomes
79 less than 0.5, or the RPM of the piston engines becomes 0 during
80 the parking brakes are set. This is the final stage.</li>
81 </ol>
82
83 <p>
84 To enhance the simulation, the program can play various
85 <a href="#prefsSounds">sound</a> files
86 during the various stages of your flight, such as the announcements
87 made by the flight attendants. These files are supplied with the
88 application, and they can be played automatically, or when you press
89 a certain hotkey in the flight simulator. You can also organize
90 pre-recorded sound files
91 into <a href="#checklistEditor">checklists</a> for the each aircraft
92 type, and these files can also be played back one-by-one when you
93 repeatedly press a key combination in the simulator. See
94 <a href="#prefsSounds">below</a> for more information on this.
95 </p>
96
97 <p><a name="onlineACARSSystem"/>
98 Malév Virtual have implemented an <i>Online ACARS System</i>, which
99 displays the status of the flights in progress. The data appears on
100 the front page of the <a href="http://virtualairlines.hu">MAVA
101 website</a> and also on a
102 <a href="http://virtualairlines.hu/acars2/show.html">map</a>.
103 </p>
104
105 <p><a name="onlineGateSystem"/>
106 Malév Virtual have also implemented an <i>Online Gate System</i>
107 which maintains a database of the aircraft in the airline's fleet
108 and their location. An aircraft may be parked at the Budapest
109 Ferihegy Airport, in which case the number of the gate or stand it
110 is located at is recorded in the database. If so, this number is
111 <a href="#connectPage">displayed</a> to you when starting your
112 flight from Ferihegy, and you are recommended to place your aircraft
113 at the indicated gate or stand in the simulator. If your flight
114 begins at Ferihegy and the aircraft is away (usually due to someone
115 else's flight), you can <a href="#gateSelectionPage">select</a>
116 from which gate or stand you start your flight. The database of the
117 Online Gate System can also be <a href="#gatesTab">displayed</a>
118 by using the application.
119 </p>
120
121 <p>
122 These online systems can only be used when flying online.
123 </p>
124
125 <p>
126 The program can automatically update itself. When it starts up, it
127 checks if there is a newer version available. If so, it downloads
128 its files and replaces the program's current files with the new
129 ones. Then the program is restarted so that you can use the new
130 version. Besides acquiring bug fixes, updating is also important,
131 because the program can be extended with new checks or more refined
132 checks, and if you are using too old a version, the PIREP reviewers
133 may refuse your flight.
134 </p>
135
136 <p>
137 The program also includes a built-in <a href="#bugReportWindow">bug
138 reporting</a> facility, which can be used to report any trouble
139 encountered while using it.
140 </p>
141
142 <h3><a name="gui">Graphical User Interface</a></h3>
143
144 <p>
145 The GUI of the application is made up of traditional building blocks
146 (buttons, checkboxes, lists, text entry boxes, etc.) found in other
147 applications as well. Many such controls have informative tooltips
148 that supplement the contents of this User's Guide in helping you
149 using the application. Many controls are also accessible by pressing
150 the <b>Alt</b> plus the underlined letter in the control's label.
151 </p>
152
153 <p>
154 The most often used part of the program is the main window, to be
155 described in detail below. When you minimize or close the window, it
156 disappears by default, but the program continues to run. You can
157 redisplay the window by clicking on the tray icon of the program,
158 which looks like the one on the picture below.
159 </p>
160
161 <div align="center">
162 <table>
163 <tr>
164 <td>
165 <img src="statusIcon1.png" alt="The status icon" hspace="20"/>
166 </td>
167 <td>
168 <img src="statusIcon2.png" alt="The status icon menu" hspace="20"/>
169 </td>
170 </table>
171 </div>
172
173 <p>
174 If you click on the tray icon when the program's window is hidden,
175 the window will be displayed. If you hover the mouse pointer over
176 the icon, the flight stage and the current rating will be
177 displayed. The tray icon has a right-button menu as well with the
178 following items:
179 <ul>
180 <li><b>Show main window</b>: displays or hides the main window.</li>
181 <li><b>Show monitor window</b>: displays or hides the
182 <a href="#monitorWindow">monitor window</a>.</li>
183 <li><b>Quit</b>: quit the application. A confirmation window will
184 be displayed.</li>
185 </ul>
186 </p>
187
188 <p>
189 You can also quit the application by selecting the <b>File/Quit</b>
190 menu item, or by pressing <b>Ctrl+Q</b>.
191 </p>
192
193 <p>
194 If you start the application, when it is already running, the main
195 window of the already running instance will be displayed instead of
196 starting a new instance of the program.
197 </p>
198
199 <h2><a name="mainWindow">The Main Window</a></h2>
200
201 <p>
202 The figure below depicts the main window of the application. The top
203 of it contains the usual menu bar, which will be described in more
204 detail later. The content area consists of several tabs the use of
205 which is described below.
206 </p>
207
208 <a name="mainWindowShot"/>
209 <div align="center"><img src="mainWindow.png" alt="The main window"/></div>
210
211 <p>
212 The bottom of the window is a status bar. Its left side contains the
213 icon indicating the status of the connection to the simulator. Since
214 the application continuously monitors the parameters of your
215 aircraft, it needs to communicate with the simulator. The icon's
216 colour indicates the health of this communication channel.
217 </p>
218
219 <p>
220 If it is grey, the program is not connected. This is normal before
221 and after the flight. If it is green, the connection is alive and
222 working properly. If it is red, the connection is broken. In this
223 case a dialog window is displayed. The most likely cause for such a
224 disruption is the crash of the simulator. If this is the case,
225 restart the simulator and try to restore the flight to a state as
226 close to the one before the crash as possible. Then click
227 the <b>Reconnect</b> button, and the program will try to
228 re-establish the connection to the simulator. It preserves all data
229 of your flight, so you can continue where you left off easily.
230 </p>
231
232 <p>
233 If the reason for the failure of the connection is something else,
234 do whatever is needed to be done to restore it. Of course, it is
235 possible that the logger application itself fails, in which case
236 you, unfortunately, have to restart the flight. Do not forget to
237 notify the author if this happens. In this case, try to copy and
238 save the <a href="#debugLog">debug log</a> and send it with your bug
239 report. You can use the <a href="#bugReportWindow">bug
240 reporting</a> facility as well for this purpose.
241 </p>
242
243 <p>
244 If you click the <b>Cancel</b> button in the reconnection dialog,
245 the logger will be reset as if it were stopped and restarted.
246 </p>
247
248 <p>
249 To the right of the connection status icon, you can see the current
250 <a href="#flightStages">stage</a> of the flight, if the monitoring
251 has begun. Otherwise it is a single dash. It is followed by the
252 simulator time, if the program is already connected to the
253 simulator. Then comes the current <a href="#flightRating">flight rating</a>.
254 </p>
255
256 <p>
257 The right of the status bar is normally empty, but if there is some
258 potentially long operation going on (typically communicating with
259 the MAVA servers), information about the operation is displayed
260 here. This is accompanied by the cursor becoming that of signaling
261 a busy state and most parts of the main window becoming
262 unresponsive.
263 </p>
264
265 <h3><a name="tabFlight">The Flight Tab</a></h3>
266
267 <p>
268 The flight tab is the most important tab. It consists of a sequence of
269 pages similar to wizards found in many programs. The first several of
270 these pages guide you through the various steps of the preparations
271 for your flight, while the last pages allow you to enter some
272 information about your flight necessary for its evaluation and to
273 send the PIREP (Pilot's Report) assembled by the program to the MAVA
274 server.
275 </p>
276
277 <p>
278 Each page has a title at the top indicating the purpose of the
279 page. There is a short text below this, which describes what the
280 page contains and/or what is expected from you to do with the page.
281 Below the text you can find the main information and possibly data
282 entry areas for the page. Finally, you can find the button row at
283 the bottom.
284 </p>
285
286 <p>
287 Most of the pages contain two buttons: <b>Next</b> and
288 <b>Previous</b>. These help in navigating between the pages. In most
289 cases you can go back to previously visited pages by using
290 the <b>Previous</b> button, although you cannot edit the contents of
291 some of the pages once finalized by moving to the next page using
292 the <b>Next</b> button. There are a few exceptions though, as
293 detailed below.
294 </p>
295
296 <p>
297 Many of the pages also contain a <b>Cancel flight</b>
298 button. Clicking this button will allow you to cancel the flight and
299 go back to the <a href="#flightSelectionPage">flight selection</a>
300 if you have logged in to the MAVA server, or to the login page, after
301 a confirmation of your intent.
302 </p>
303
304 <h4><a name="loginPage">The <i>Login</i> Page</a></h4>
305
306 <p>
307 The program starts with the Login page (see the
308 <a href="#mainWindowShot">picture</a> above) where you can enter the
309 your pilot's ID and password for the MAVA website. Both data are
310 given to you when joining Malév Virtual. The pilot's ID usually
311 starts with the letter <q>P</q> followed by three digits.
312 </p>
313
314 <p>
315 If you check <b>Remember password</b>, the password will be saved by
316 the program, so you don't have to enter it all the time. Note,
317 however, that the password is saved in a readable form into a
318 configuration file, so use this possibility only if your home
319 directory can be accessed only by people you trust. The pilot's ID
320 is saved anyway.
321 </p>
322
323 <p>
324 If you are about to perform the entrance flight, check
325 <b>Entrance exam</b>. In this case you don't have to (and cannot)
326 enter the password, as that is not needed for the entrance exam.
327 </p>
328
329 <p>
330 The login to the MAVA server, and proceed to the next page, press
331 the <b>Login</b> button.
332 </p>
333
334 <p>
335 If you would like to fly without an Internet connection, use
336 the <b>Fly offline</b> button. This immediately takes you to the
337 next page, without trying to log in to the MAVA server.
338 </p>
339
340 <h4><a name="flightSelectionPage">The <i>Flight selection</i> Page</a></h4>
341
342 <img src="flightSelection.png" alt="The Flight selection page"/>
343
344 <p>
345 This page displays the list of the flight you have booked previously
346 on the MAVA website, if you have <a href="#loginPage">logged in</a>
347 properly. If you chose to fly offline, the list is empty.
348 </p>
349
350 <p>
351 If you have selected a flight, you can also save it by using
352 the <b>Save flight</b> button. This is useful when planning to fly
353 offline at some later time. When preparing for that flight, you can
354 properly log in to the MAVA server, and acquire the list of your
355 booked flights. Then you can save the flight you wish to perform
356 later offline, on which occasion, you can load the saved flight.
357 </p>
358
359 <p>
360 You may need to refresh the list of flights. For example, you notice
361 that you have forgotten to book the flight you want to perform. Then
362 you can book the flight on the MAVA website, and press
363 the <b>Refresh flights</b> button to update the list.
364 </p>
365
366 <p>
367 You can also load a flight from a file by pressing the <b>Load
368 flight from file</b> button. This displays a file selection dialog
369 where you select the flight file (usually with a suffix
370 of <code>.vaflight</code>). This is mostly useful when flying
371 offline, or during the entrance exam.
372 </p>
373
374 <p>
375 Select a flight from the list, and press the <b>Next</b> button to
376 proceed with that flight.
377 </p>
378
379 <h4><a name="gateSelectionPage">The <i>LHBP gate selection</i> Page</a></h4>
380
381 <img src="gateSelection.png" alt="The LHBP gate selection page"/>
382
383 <p>
384 This page is displayed after the flight selection page only if your
385 flight starts at the Budapest Ferihegy Airport and the number of the
386 gate or stand at which your aircraft is located cannot be
387 determined.
388 </p>
389
390 <p>
391 Select a number from the list presented, and press <b>Next</b>.
392 </p>
393
394 <h4><a name="connectPage">The <i>Connect to the simulator</i> Page</a></h4>
395
396 <img src="connect.png" alt="The Connect to the simulator page"/>
397
398 <p>
399 This page displays some important information about your flight,
400 such as the type and tail number of the aircraft to use, the
401 departure airport and possibly the gate.
402 </p>
403
404 <p>
405 Select the aircraft indicated and park it at the departure airport
406 in the simulator,
407 then press <b>Connect</b> to establish the connection with the
408 simulator. If the connection cannot be established, a dialog will be
409 displayed about it, and you can <b>Try again</b> the connection
410 or <b>Cancel</b> to go back to the flight selection or to the login page.
411 </p>
412
413 <p>
414 Note, that after a successful connection, the monitoring of your
415 flight does not begin immediately, but some data can be queried by
416 the logger at this stage.
417 </p>
418
419 <h4><a name="payloadPage">The <i>Payload</i> Page</a></h4>
420
421 <img src="payload.png" alt="The Payload page"/>
422
423 <p>
424 This page displays the components of the flight's payload and the
425 calculated Zero-Fuel Weight (ZFW). You can modify all input data,
426 but generally it is needed to enter the cargo weight you determined
427 for the flight, if it is different from 0. You can also press the <b>ZFW
428 from FS</b> button, which queries the ZFW from the simulator and
429 displays the retrieved value. If the ZFW calculated from the payload
430 data differs too much from the queried one, the calculated value is
431 displayed in red. This the right time to set up the payload in the
432 simulator. If you forget about it, it will be a NO GO fault.
433 </p>
434
435 <p>
436 If you have finished with this page, press the <b>Next</b>
437 button. At this point, the <a href="#helpTab"><i>Help</i> tab</a>
438 becomes available, which you can use if you have failed to set up
439 the correct payload in the simulator. See a more detailed
440 description of it <a href="#helpTab">below</a>.
441 </p>
442
443 <h4><a name="timePage">The <i>Time</i> Page</a></h4>
444
445 <img src="time.png" alt="The Time page"/>
446
447 <p>
448 This page displays the departure and arrival times of your
449 flight in UTC. Press the <b>Time from FS</b> button to query the
450 current UTC time of the simulator. To be able to simulate the real
451 lighting circumstances of the flight, the simulator's time should match
452 the time of the flight according to the schedule. Therefore you are
453 expected to set the simulator's time properly. It is recommended to
454 set it to about 15 minutes before the departure at this stage so
455 that you have enough time to set up your flight.
456 </p>
457
458 <p>
459 When you have set the time of the simulator properly, press
460 the <b>Next</b> button.
461 </p>
462
463 <h4><a name="fuelPage">The <i>Fuel</i> Page</a></h4>
464
465 <img src="fuel.png" alt="The Fuel page"/>
466
467 <p>
468 This page contains a graphical representation of the fuel tanks of
469 your aircraft. The yellowish colour represents the current level of
470 the fuel in the tank, and turquoise slider is the expected level,
471 which is also displayed numerically (in kilograms) below each graph.
472 </p>
473
474 <p>
475 You can enter the requested amount of fuel numerically, or you can
476 set it by the turquoise sliders, though this method is less accurate. The
477 lever can be moved by clicking withinin the fuel tank's representation,
478 and you can drag it if you keep the button pressed. If your mouse
479 has a wheel, that can also be used to modify the expected level. To
480 use the wheel, keep the mouse pointer within the fuel tank's
481 graphic. Each click of the wheel increment or decrements the amount
482 by 10 kilograms. If you hold down the <b>Shift</b> key, the
483 increment will be 100, if you hold down the <b>Ctrl</b> key, the
484 increment will be 1.
485 </p>
486
487 <p>
488 When all tanks have the correct amount of fuel set, press
489 the <b>Next</b> button. This causes the pumping of the fuel to
490 start. The progress is represented by the yellowish fuel bars
491 growing or shrinking (fuel may be pumped out of a tank as
492 well). This is a relatively quick process and should finish within a
493 few seconds.
494 </p>
495
496 <h4><a name="routePage">The <i>Route</i> Page</a></h4>
497
498 <img src="route.png" alt="The Route page"/>
499
500 <p>
501 This page displays the cruise level and the flight plan route. The
502 cruise level starts out at FL240, but the route comes from the
503 booked flight. Set the cruise level to the one you have calculated
504 with, and modify the flight plan if needed. For example, if you will
505 enter some airspace that will require you to change the flight
506 level, you should add that here.
507 </p>
508
509 <p>
510 When satisfied with the information on the page, press
511 the <b>Next</b> button to advance. Note, that these data can be
512 edited later as well if you come back to this page.
513 </p>
514
515 <h4><a name="briefingPage">The <i>Briefing</i> Pages</a></h4>
516
517 <img src="briefing.png" alt="The Briefing page"/>
518
519 <p>
520 These pages display the NOTAMs and the METAR for the departure and
521 the arrival airports. You can edit the METAR if your network
522 provides a different weather, or you do not fly with real
523 weather. The METAR of the arrival airport will be updated when
524 entering the landing stage, unless you have edited it before. The
525 METARs can be edited during the whole duration of the flight. If you
526 do so, please, comment on it in the <i>Comments</i> section of
527 the <a href="#flightInfoTab"><i>Flight info</i> tab</a>.
528 </p>
529
530 <p>
531 On the second briefing page (that of the arrival airport), confirm
532 that you have read the briefing and are ready to start the flight by
533 clicking the button. This begins the monitoring of your flight with
534 the boarding stage.
535 </p>
536
537 <h4><a name="takeoffPage">The <i>Takeoff</i> Page</a></h4>
538
539 <img src="takeoff.png" alt="The Takeoff page"/>
540
541 <p>
542 On this page you have to enter the name of the departure runway, the
543 name of the Standard Instrument Departure procedure you follow after
544 takeoff and the takeoff V-speeds. While you can edit these data
545 anytime, it is recommended to do so before takeoff.
546 <p>
547
548 <p>
549 Note that if you are flying one of the Tupolev or Yak aircraft, the
550 page will look different, as speeds will have to be entered in
551 kilometres per hour.
552 </p>
553
554 <p>
555 For most aircraft in the fleet you should also enter the takeoff
556 derate setting. Its exact format and value depends on the type.
557 </p>
558
559 <p>
560 You can also select here whether you have turned on any anti-ice
561 systems (apart from the pitot heat). However, for most aircraft, the
562 logger can detect the setting, and if anti-icing is turned on, the
563 check box will be checked automatically. If you have checked it
564 yourself, it will not be unchecked by the program (unless it gains
565 self-awareness sometime in the future).
566 </p>
567
568 <p>
569 You can proceed to the next page after takeoff, and if all data has
570 been entered, by pressing the <b>Next</b> button.
571 </p>
572
573 <h4><a name="cruisePage">The <i>Cruise</i> Page</a></h4>
574
575 <img src="cruise.png" alt="The Cruise page"/>
576
577 <p>
578 This page displays your cruise altitude as set on the
579 <a href="#routePage">Route page</a>. If you need to modify your
580 cruise level due to airspace requirements, step climb or any other
581 justified reason, you can set the new level here and then press
582 the <b>Update</b> button when you have reached the specified level.
583 </p>
584
585 <p>
586 If you are preparing for landing, you can press the <b>Next</b>
587 button to go to the next page.
588 </p>
589
590 <h4><a name="landingPage">The <i>Landing</i> Page</a></h4>
591
592 <img src="landing.png" alt="The Landing page"/>
593
594 <p>
595 On this page you have to enter the name of the STAR and/or
596 transition you planned to follow (even if you get a different one,
597 or simply vectors from ATC, in which case add a
598 <a href="#flightInfoTab">comment</a> about it),
599 the approach type (e.g. <q>ILS</q>, <q>VOR</q>, <q>VISUAL</q>,
600 etc.), the name of the landing runway, and the landing reference speed,
601 V<sub>ref</sub>. You can enter this data during the flight, or after
602 you have landed, at your discretion. Note, that if you fly one of
603 the Tupolev or Yak aircraft, the speed will have to be entered in km/h.
604 </p>
605
606 <p>
607 This page also contains a checkbox for the anti-ice system, which is
608 handled the same way as the one on
609 the <a href="#takeoffPage">Takeoff page</a>.
610
611 <p>
612 When you have entered all data, press the <b>Next</b> button. It is
613 active only, if the flight has ended.
614 </p>
615
616 <h4><a name="finishPage">The <i>Finish</i> Page</a></h4>
617
618 <img src="finish.png" alt="The Finish page"/>
619
620 <p>
621 This is the final page of the flight wizard. It contains a summary
622 of your flight: the rating, the flight and block times, the distance
623 flown and the amount of fuel burnt.
624 </p>
625
626 <p>
627 You also have to provide a few pieces of information. You have to
628 select the type of the flight from the list provided (scheduled,
629 old-timer, VIP, charter) and whether it was an online flight or
630 not. If you arrive at the Budapest Ferihegy Airport, and are using
631 the Online Gate System, you also need to specify the number of the
632 gate or stand you have parked you aircraft at.
633 </p>
634
635 <p>
636 If all necessary data has been entered, and the program is so
637 <a href="#prefsGeneral">configured<a>, it will automatically save
638 the PIREP.
639 </p>
640
641 <p>
642 With all data entered, you may want it review your flight (i.e. the
643 earlier pages or some of the other tabs), then save or send the
644 PIREP created from it. These can be accomplished by pressing one of
645 the buttons at the bottom. A saved PIREP can be loaded later and
646 sent, if the sending fails for some reason. When a PIREP is sent, it
647 becomes available for review by the designated PIREP reviewers of
648 Malév Virtual.
649 </p>
650
651 <p>
652 You can also start a new flight using the <b>New flight</b>
653 button. If you have not saved or sent the PIREP, you will be asked
654 to confirm your intention. When starting a new flight you are taken
655 to the <a href="#flightSelectionPage">flight selection page</a>, if
656 you have logged in to the MAVA server, or to
657 the <a href="#loginPage">login page</a>, if your flight has been an
658 offline flight.
659 </p>
660
661 <h3><a name="flightInfoTab">The Flight info Tab</a></h3>
662
663 <img src="flightInfoTab.png" alt="The Flight info tab"/>
664
665 <p>
666 This tab allows one to enter some additional information about the
667 flight, if necessary.
668 </p>
669
670 <p>
671 The <i>Comments</i> text area should contain any general information
672 that you would like the PIREP reviewer to know about. For example,
673 why you changed the METAR, why you lowered the gears accidentally
674 (i.e. pressed the wrong key on the keyboard), etc.
675 </p>
676
677 <p>
678 The <i>Flight defects</i> text area should contain information about
679 any problems you encountered with the plane during the flight. For
680 example an engine stopped and why (if known), that flaps could not
681 be extended or retracted, etc.
682 </p>
683
684 <p>
685 In the <i>Delay codes</i> table you can mark one or more reasons why
686 the flight was delayed, if it was. This table is available only if you
687 have already selected the flight, since its contents depend on the
688 type of the aircraft being flown.
689 </p>
690
691 <h3><a name="helpTab">The Help Tab</a></h3>
692
693 <img src="helpTab.png" alt="The Help tab"/>
694
695 <p>
696 This tab provides some help for calculating and setting the payload
697 weight of the aircraft. It can be used once the
698 <a href="#payloadPage"><i>Payload</i></a>
699 (i.e. the cargo weight) is finalized. To use this tab, check
700 the <b>Using help</b> checkbox. It causes the page to become
701 sensitive and filled with data. Note, that the fact of using the
702 help is <a href="#logTab">logged</a>, so the PIREP reviewers will
703 know about it.
704 </p>
705
706 <p>
707 The most important information is after the <i>Payload:</i> label,
708 which is the payload weight of the aircraft. This value should be
709 set in the simulator as the airplane's payload weight. By pressing
710 the <b>Simulator data</b> button, the data coming from the simulator
711 can be queried and displayed. If the data is out of the tolerances,
712 it is displayed in red, otherwise in green.
713 </p>
714
715 <p>
716 The gross weight is also displayed with some maximum weights of the
717 aircraft, so it can be checked or estimated if you will remain within
718 those maximums during the flight.
719 </p>
720
721 <h3><a name="logTab">The Log Tab</a></h3>
722
723 <img src="logTab.png" alt="The Log tab"/>
724
725 <p>
726 This is the main log of your flight that will be analyzed by the
727 PIREP reviewers. Its contents is generated automatically by the
728 program, and most lines are prefixed by the simulator times the
729 information in the given line belongs to.
730 </p>
731
732 <p>
733 While the log's contents is mainly useful for PIREP reviewers, it
734 can come handy when things start to happen very fast, and you have
735 no time check each fault message passing by (if you have enabled
736 such messages at all). Later, when things calm down, you can check
737 the log to see what happened exactly, so that you know why so many
738 fault points have been awarded. For example, you may even decide to
739 abort the flight, if you think some of the faults are too
740 embarrassing :) For quick identification, the lines containing the
741 fault messages are highlighted.
742 </p>
743
744 <h3><a name="gatesTab">The Gates Tab</a></h3>
745
746 <img src="gatesTab.png" alt="The Gates tab"/>
747
748 <p>
749 This tab displays information retrieved from
750 the MAVA <a href="#onlineGateSystem">Online Gate System</a>.
751 If the program needs to retrieve data, this tab's contents
752 are refreshed automatically, but you can also refresh them manually
753 anytime using the <b>Refresh data</b> button.
754 </p>
755
756 <p>
757 The left side of the tab contains the fleet information. The tail
758 number of each aircraft is listed with the plane's status, as known
759 by the Online Gate System. The two major statuses are <i>LHBP-nn</i>
760 and <i>AWAY</i>. The former indicates that the aircraft is parked at
761 the Budapest Ferihegy Airport at gate or stand <i>nn</i>, while the
762 latter one denotes that the airplane is parked at another
763 airport. Another possible status is <i>PARKED</i>, which means that
764 the airplane is parked somewhere at the Ferihegy Airport, but we
765 (or at least the Gate System) don't know where. It may happen that
766 several aircraft are parked at the same gate or stand at
767 Ferihegy. In this case the tail numbers and the statuses of those
768 airplanes are displayed in red.
769 </p>
770
771 <p>
772 The right side contains the list of the numbers of the gates and
773 parking positions. A number is black if no aircraft is positioned at
774 the corresponding gate or stand, and it is orange, if the location
775 is occupied.
776 </p>
777
778 <h3><a name="debugLog">The Debug log</a></h3>
779
780 <img src="debugLogTab.png" alt="The Debug log tab"/>
781
782 <p>
783 This tab is not visible by default, but can be displayed by
784 selecting <b>View/Show debug log</b> or by
785 pressing <b>Ctrl+D</b>. It is another kind of log, which is mainly
786 useful for debugging. If you experience some problem with the
787 program, please, include the contents of this log with your bug
788 report. It can help a lot with finding a solution to the problem.
789 </p>
790
791 <h2><a name="loadingPIREPs">Loading PIREPs</a></h2>
792
793 <p>
794 Saved PIREPs can be loaded and sent by the program. This can
795 become necessary, for example, if you cannot send a PIREP due to
796 some network problem right after your flight, or when you
797 deliberately performed a flight without connecting to the Internet.
798 </p>
799
800 <p>
801 To load a PIREP select the <b>File/Load PIREP...</b> menu option or
802 press the <b>Ctrl+L</b> key. A file selection dialog appears, from
803 which you can select the PIREP to load. If you select a valid PIREP
804 file, it will be loaded and a new window will be displayed with the
805 most important data of your flight. By clicking <b>Send
806 PIREP...</b>, the PIREP will be sent (or at least an attempt will be
807 made at sending it). A dialog window will be displayed about the
808 results of the attempt.
809 </p>
810
811 <div align="center">
812 <img src="pirepLoaded.png" alt="The loaded PIREP window"/>
813 </div>
814
815 <p>
816 You may also want to view a saved PIREP, for example, if it is a
817 PIREP about an entrance exam flight. To do so, click the <b>View
818 PIREP...</b> button. This displays the PIREP viewer window, which
819 groups the data into three tabs. The <i>Data</i> tab contains the
820 itemized data of the flight. The <i>Comments & defects</i> tab
821 displays the comments and or flight defects entered by the
822 user. The <i>Log</i> tab contains the flight log.
823 </p>
824
825 <div align="center">
826 <img src="pirepViewer.png" alt="The PIREP Viewer"/>
827 </div>
828
829 <h2><a name="checklistEditor">Editing checklists</a></h2>
830
831 <img src="checklistEditor.png" alt="The Checklist Editor"/>
832
833 <p>
834 The checklists are lists of audio files. When checklist playback is
835 enabled (see the <a href="#prefsSounds">description</a> of
836 the <i>Preferences</i> window below), and there is a checklist for
837 the type of the aircraft used for the flight, the files constituting
838 the checklist can be played one-by-one by pressing the checklist
839 hotkey repeatedly.
840 </p>
841
842 <p>
843 The checklist editor window allows for editing the checklists. It
844 can be displayed by selecting <b>Tools/Checklist Editor...</b> or
845 pressing <b>Ctrl+C</b>. The top of the window contains an aircraft
846 type selector.
847 </p>
848
849 <p>
850 The files making up the checklist for the currently selected aircraft
851 are displayed on the right. You can move a file up or down by
852 dragging it with the mouse. You can also select one or more files
853 from the list. Then you can remove them with the <b>Remove</b>
854 button, or move them up or down by pressing <b>Move up</b>
855 and <b>Move down</b>.
856 </p>
857
858 <p>
859 To add new files to the checklist, select them in the file selector
860 on the left, and press <b>Add to checklist</b>. The file(s) will be
861 appended to the end of the checklist.
862 </p>
863
864 <p>
865 Note, that any changes you make are effective only if you press
866 the <b>OK</b> button when having finished the modifications. If the
867 flight has already started, no changes made to the corresponding
868 checklist have any effect during the flight (i.e. you will still use
869 the old checklist, or no checklist if there was none).
870 </p>
871
872 <h2><a name="calloutsEditor">Editing approach callouts</a></h2>
873
874 <img src="calloutsEditor.png" alt="The Approach callouts Editor"/>
875
876 <p>
877 The approach callouts are audio files specific to aircraft types, that are
878 played back during approach when passing certain altitudes. The
879 approach callouts editor window allows editing the list of these
880 callout files for each aircraft. The window can be displayed by
881 selecting <b>Tools/Approach Callouts Editor...</b> or by pressing
882 <b>Ctrl+E</b>.
883 </p>
884
885 <p>
886 The top part of the window displays the selector of the aircraft
887 type. Below it, you can find two buttons on the left, and the list
888 of the callouts with the altitudes they belong to on the right. The
889 list displays only the filename portion, but the if you hover the
890 cursor above an item, the full path will be displayed. The list is
891 always sorted according to the altitude, but you change the order
892 from descending to ascending.
893 </p>
894
895 <p>
896 The <b>Add new callout</b> button shows a file selection dialog
897 window. After selecting a file, it will be added to a list with some
898 altitude, which can be edited immediately. If the name of the file
899 contains a number that is possible as an altitude, that will be used
900 as the altitude given to the file, otherwise some meaningful default
901 is selected based on the lowest or highest altitude.
902 There can be no two files with the same altitude. If you set an
903 altitude, which is already present in the list, a dialog box will be
904 displayed, and you can choose to replace the old file or to continue
905 editing. To edit an altitude already in the list, select that row,
906 and click on the altitude again.
907 </p>
908
909 <p>
910 If you select one or more items in the list, the <b>Remove</b>
911 button becomes available, and pressing it will remove the selected items.
912 </p>
913
914 <p>
915 Note, that any changes you make are effective only if you press
916 the <b>OK</b> button when having finished the modifications. If the
917 flight has already started, no changes made to the corresponding
918 list of callouts have any effect during the flight.
919 </p>
920
921 <h2><a name="prefs">The Preferences Window</a></h2>
922
923 </p>
924 The Preferences window can be displayed by
925 selecting <b>Tools/Preferences</b> or by
926 pressing <b>Ctrl+P</b>. Here you can set options that you usually
927 don't have to change for every flight. This window consists of
928 tabs grouping the options logically.
929 </p>
930
931 <h3><a name="prefsGeneral">The <i>General</i> Tab<a></h3>
932
933 <img src="prefsGeneral.png" alt="The General Tab of Preferences"/>
934
935 <p>
936 These are some general settings for various parts of the
937 program. The <i>GUI</i> frame contains options regarding the
938 behaviour of the graphical user interface. The <i>Language</i> combo
939 box can be used to selected what language the program should
940 use. Currently English and Hungarian are supported. The value
941 of <i>system default</i> means that the operating system's default
942 language is used if it is one of the supported ones or English
943 otherwise. Note, that the program must be restarted for the change
944 to take effect if you modify this setting. If the <b>Hide main window
945 when minimized</b> checkbox is checked, and you minimize the window,
946 it will actually disappear completely (i.e. not appear among the
947 other minimized windows). You can make it appear by using the tray
948 icon. If the <b>Quit when the window close button is clicked</b>
949 checkbox is checked, the program will quit, after you have confirmed
950 it. Otherwise it will just disappear, and you can use the tray icon
951 to display it again.
952 </p>
953
954 <p>
955 The <i>MAVA Online Systems</i> frame contains settings related to
956 the online systems of MAVA, the <a href="#onlineGateSystem">gate</a>
957 and the <a href="#onlineACARSSystem">ACARS</a> systems mentioned
958 above. It is recommended to enable these for normal operations.
959 </p>
960
961 <p>
962 The <i>Simulator</i> frame contains settings for how the program
963 interacts with the simulator. Most options are self-explanatory, but
964 the ones related to smoothing requires some discussion. Flight
965 Simulator is known to produce wind speed changes that are not
966 entirely realistic and can result in the simulated aircraft
967 experiencing some very high indicated airspeeds, which in turn can
968 also cause the autopilot to suddenly increase the climb rate to
969 counter the high speeds or other erratic behaviour. Since these
970 phenomena are difficult to protect oneself against without buying
971 extra products, like FSUIPC, the logger provides the possibility to
972 average the IAS and/or the VS over a few seconds so that spikes in
973 these values are smoothed. The <b>Enable the smoothing of IAS/VS
974 over N sec.</b> options allow controlling this feature. The number
975 of seconds may need experimenting with, but note that every change
976 for which you press the <b>OK</b> button is taken into account
977 immediately.
978 </p>
979
980 <p>
981 If the <b>Save PIREP automatically</b> check box is checked, and you
982 have finished your flight and entered all required data, the PIREP
983 will be saved automatically into the directory given above.
984 </p>
985
986 <h3><a name="prefsMessages">The <i>Messages</i> Tab</a></h3>
987
988 <img src="prefsMessages.png" alt="The Messages Tab of Preferences"/>
989
990 <p>
991 The program can display messages about certain events in the
992 simulator and/or it can play a warning sound when those events
993 occur. The tab allows configuring this.
994 <p>
995
996 <p>
997 The categories of the message are listed on the left. These are the
998 following:
999 </p>
1000
1001 <ul>
1002 <li><b>Logger Error Messages</b>: error messages about the
1003 internal working of the logger.</li>
1004 <li><b>Information Messages</b>: informational messages about,
1005 e.g., the flight stage, the end of an audio checklist, etc.</li>
1006 <li><b>In-flight Stage Message</b>: messages about the flight stage for those stage when the plane is not on the ground</li>
1007 <li><b>Fault Messages</b>: messages about the non-NO GO faults the program detects.</li>
1008 <li><b>NO GO Fault Messages</b>: messages about the NO GO faults the program detects</li>
1009 <li><b>Gate System Messages</b>: messages related to the
1010 <a href="#onlineGateSystem">Online Gate System</a>. For example,
1011 when you have landed at Ferihegy, it can display the list of the
1012 available gates so that you can choose where to park, if there is
1013 no ATC available.</li>
1014 <li><b>Environment Messages</b>: other messages, e.g. the welcome
1015 message when the flight has ended.</li>
1016 <li><b>Help Messages</b>: help messages, e.g. warning about
1017 entering the V-speeds into the Takeoff page before takeoff.</li>
1018 <li><b>Visibility Messages</b>: messages about the visibility
1019 during descent and landing.</li>
1020 </ul>
1021
1022 <p>
1023 There are two checkboxes associated with each messages category. If the
1024 left one (<i>Displayed in FS</i>) is checked, the messages of the
1025 category will be displayed in the simulator. If the right one
1026 (<i>Sound alert</i>) is checked, and a message of the given category
1027 is about to be displayed, a warning sound will be played. It is
1028 mainly intended to accompany the text messages, but the two options
1029 can be controlled separately, so you can select the sound alert, but
1030 not the displaying of the messages. This may be useful if you don't
1031 want these messages to clutter up the windscreen of your aircraft,
1032 but still get some notification that some problem occurred.
1033 </p>
1034
1035 <h3><a name="prefsSounds">The <i>Sounds</i> Tab</a></h3>
1036
1037 <img src="prefsSounds.png" alt="The Sounds Tab of Preferences"/>
1038
1039 <p>
1040 This tab controls how the sounds are played by the application.
1041 </p>
1042
1043 <p>
1044 The top part is for the background sounds. These are pre-recorded
1045 sound files that are played when certain conditions hold during the
1046 flight. Typical examples are the various announcements the flight
1047 attendants make during the flight. The <b>Enable background
1048 sounds</b> checkbox controls whether such sounds are enabled at
1049 all. If the <b>Pilot controls sounds</b> checkbox is enabled, the
1050 pilot should start the playback of these sound files by pressing a
1051 hotkey in the simulator. Note, that you should still be in the right
1052 flight stage (and sometimes fulfill other conditions) to be able to
1053 play the sound files. Also, one file can be played only once. If you
1054 enable this option, the hotkey to press in the simulator can be
1055 selected below. You can choose one of the alphanumeric keys (0-9,
1056 A-Z) optionally combined with one or both of the <i>Ctrl</i>
1057 and <i>Shift</i> modifiers. If this checkbox is not checked, the
1058 sound files will be played automatically.
1059 </p>
1060
1061 <p>
1062 If the <b>Enable approach callouts</b> checkbox is
1063 checked, and you have also <a href="#calloutsEditor">set up</a>
1064 approach callouts for the aircraft being used, you will hear those
1065 callouts during approach.
1066 </p>
1067
1068 <p>
1069 If the <b>Enable speedbrake sound at touchdown</b> checkbox is
1070 checked, you will hear a distinctive sound when the spoilers deploy
1071 automatically after touchdown.
1072 </p>
1073
1074 <p>
1075 The lower part, named <i>Checklists</i> contains some settings
1076 related to the audio checklists belonging to the aircraft. They are
1077 available only if the <b>Enable aircraft-specific checklist</b>
1078 checkbox is selected. In this case another hotkey should be
1079 specified. If you press this hotkey, the next file from the
1080 checklist will be played.
1081 </p>
1082
1083 <h3><a name="prefsAdvanced">The <i>Advanced</i> Tab</a></h3>
1084
1085 <img src="prefsAdvanced.png" alt="The Advanced Tab of Preferences"/>
1086
1087 <p>
1088 This tab contains some settings that you normally should not
1089 change. Currently, these settings are related to the automatic
1090 update. If the <b>Update the program automatically</b> checkbox is
1091 not checked, the automatic update at program start-up will be
1092 omitted. The <i>Update URL</i> text entry field contains the URL
1093 from which to download the updates. Occasionally the developers of
1094 the application may tell you to change this something else, e.g. to
1095 test some development version. Or it may need to be changed due to
1096 organizational reasons, such as moving to a new server, etc.
1097 </p>
1098
1099 <h2><a name="bugReportWindow">The Bug Report Window</a></h2>
1100
1101 <img src="bugreport.png" alt="The Bug Report Window"/>
1102
1103 <p>
1104 The bug reporting window can be used to report any non-fatal bugs
1105 that occur during using the program. Bugs can be reported to
1106 appropriate topic in the MAVA forum, via e-mail or tickets created
1107 by hand on the project's website. However, utilizing this window not
1108 only creates the ticket, it also includes automatically the texts of
1109 the log and the debug log, making the life of the developers
1110 easier. Of course, it might happen that the program crashes in a way
1111 which makes this window inaccessible or to work incorrectly, in
1112 which case you must resort to the other possibilities.
1113 </p>
1114
1115 <p>
1116 The bug report window can be displayed by selecting <b>Tools/Report
1117 bug</b> or by pressing <b>Ctrl+B</b>. The summary must be entered
1118 and it should be a short, one-sentence description or title of the
1119 problem. The <i>Description</i> part is not mandatory, but if you
1120 can think of any useful additional information, you might give it
1121 here. As the program automatically appends the log and the debug to
1122 the description, you should not copy them here. You can also give
1123 your e-mail address to receive automatic notifications of the status
1124 of your bug report, but consider that your e-mail address will then
1125 appear on the project's website in the bug report.
1126 </p>
1127
1128 <p>
1129 By pressing <i>Send...</i>, you can create the bug report. If it is
1130 successful, you will receive a message telling so and including the
1131 ticket's ID that you may refer to later.
1132 </p>
1133
1134 <h2><a name="monitorWindow">The Monitor Window</a></h2>
1135
1136 <img src="monitorWindow.png" alt="The Monitor Window"/>
1137
1138 <p>
1139 The monitor window can be used when debugging the program. You can
1140 display it by selecting <b>View/Show monitor window</b> or by
1141 pressing <b>Ctrl+M</b>. It displays the various parameters from the
1142 aircraft as read from the flight simulator. During flight, it is
1143 updated once per second. If something is not detected properly by
1144 the logger, this window can be used to determine if the problem is
1145 in interpreting and translating the data read from the simulator, or
1146 when the translated data is being evaluated by other parts of the
1147 program.
1148 </p>
1149
1150</html>
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