source: doc/manual/en/index.html@ 851:b98050aeebf9

Last change on this file since 851:b98050aeebf9 was 774:3891bf84376d, checked in by István Váradi <ivaradi@…>, 9 years ago

Updated the documentation to reflect the changes related to the registration (re #285)
File size: 54.0 KB
Line 
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 speed fault will be
61 logged. The same occurs, if your GS decreases to or below 50 knots after
62 having exceeded it earllier. If, however, you check the
63 <i>Rejected takeoff</i> checkbox on the
64 <a href="#takeOffPage"><i>Takeoff</i></a> page, the fault will
65 disappear and your flight will enter the <b>RTO</b> (rejected takeoff)
66 stage.</li>
67 <li><b>climb</b>: When you retract the gears or you reach 3000
68 feet altitude AGL with a positive climb rate after takeoff.</li>
69 <li><b>cruise</b>: When the aircraft's altitude is within 2000
70 feet of the cruise altitude and you are climbing either after takeoff or an
71 aborted approach or landing.</li>
72 <li><b>descent</b>: If the altitude decreases to more than 2000
73 feet below the cruise altitude during cruise.</li>
74 <li><b>landing</b>: If the gears are lowered and the altitude is
75 less than 2000 feet AGL during descent or go-around. Also when you start
76 to descend during a climb and the previous conditions also hold.</li>
77 <li><b>go-around</b>: If you retract the gears during landing.</li>
78 <li><b>taxi after landing</b>: When the aircraft is on the
79 ground and its ground speed is below 25 knots after landing.</li>
80 <li><b>end</b>: If the N<sub>1</sub> of the turbines becomes
81 less than 0.5, or the RPM of the piston engines becomes 0 during
82 the parking brakes are set. This is the final stage.</li>
83 </ol>
84
85 <p>
86 To enhance the simulation, the program can play various
87 <a href="#prefsSounds">sound</a> files
88 during the various stages of your flight, such as the announcements
89 made by the flight attendants. These files are supplied with the
90 application, and they can be played automatically, or when you press
91 a certain hotkey in the flight simulator. You can also organize
92 pre-recorded sound files
93 into <a href="#checklistEditor">checklists</a> for the each aircraft
94 type, and these files can also be played back one-by-one when you
95 repeatedly press a key combination in the simulator. See
96 <a href="#prefsSounds">below</a> for more information on this.
97 </p>
98
99 <p><a name="onlineACARSSystem"/>
100 Malév Virtual have implemented an <i>Online ACARS System</i>, which
101 displays the status of the flights in progress. The data appears on
102 the front page of the <a href="http://virtualairlines.hu">MAVA
103 website</a> and also on a
104 <a href="http://virtualairlines.hu/acars2/show.html">map</a>. This map is
105 also <a href="#acarsTab">displayed</a> by the program.
106 </p>
107
108 <p><a name="onlineGateSystem"/>
109 Malév Virtual have also implemented an <i>Online Gate System</i>
110 which maintains a database of the aircraft in the airline's fleet
111 and their location. An aircraft may be parked at the Budapest
112 Ferihegy Airport, in which case the number of the gate or stand it
113 is located at is recorded in the database. If so, this number is
114 <a href="#connectPage">displayed</a> to you when starting your
115 flight from Ferihegy, and you are recommended to place your aircraft
116 at the indicated gate or stand in the simulator. If your flight
117 begins at Ferihegy and the aircraft is away (usually due to someone
118 else's flight), you can <a href="#gateSelectionPage">select</a>
119 from which gate or stand you start your flight. The database of the
120 Online Gate System can also be <a href="#gatesTab">displayed</a>
121 by using the application.
122 </p>
123
124 <p>
125 These online systems can only be used when flying online.
126 </p>
127
128 <p>
129 The program can automatically update itself. When it starts up, it
130 checks if there is a newer version available. If so, it downloads
131 its files and replaces the program's current files with the new
132 ones. Then the program is restarted so that you can use the new
133 version. Besides acquiring bug fixes, updating is also important,
134 because the program can be extended with new checks or more refined
135 checks, and if you are using too old a version, the PIREP reviewers
136 may refuse your flight.
137 </p>
138
139 <p>
140 The program also includes a built-in <a href="#bugReportWindow">bug
141 reporting</a> facility, which can be used to report any trouble
142 encountered while using it.
143 </p>
144
145 <h3><a name="gui">Graphical User Interface</a></h3>
146
147 <p>
148 The GUI of the application is made up of traditional building blocks
149 (buttons, checkboxes, lists, text entry boxes, etc.) found in other
150 applications as well. Many such controls have informative tooltips
151 that supplement the contents of this User's Guide in helping you
152 using the application. Many controls are also accessible by pressing
153 the <b>Alt</b> plus the underlined letter in the control's label.
154 </p>
155
156 <p>
157 The most often used part of the program is the main window, to be
158 described in detail below. When you minimize or close the window, it
159 disappears by default, but the program continues to run. You can
160 redisplay the window by clicking on the tray icon of the program,
161 which looks like the one on the picture below.
162 </p>
163
164 <div align="center">
165 <table>
166 <tr>
167 <td>
168 <img src="statusIcon1.png" alt="The status icon" hspace="20"/>
169 </td>
170 <td>
171 <img src="statusIcon2.png" alt="The status icon menu" hspace="20"/>
172 </td>
173 </table>
174 </div>
175
176 <p>
177 If you click on the tray icon when the program's window is hidden,
178 the window will be displayed. If you hover the mouse pointer over
179 the icon, the flight stage and the current rating will be
180 displayed. The tray icon has a right-button menu as well with the
181 following items:
182 <ul>
183 <li><b>Show main window</b>: displays or hides the main window.</li>
184 <li><b>Show monitor window</b>: displays or hides the
185 <a href="#monitorWindow">monitor window</a>.</li>
186 <li><b>Quit</b>: quit the application. A confirmation window will
187 be displayed.</li>
188 </ul>
189 </p>
190
191 <p>
192 You can also quit the application by selecting the <b>File/Quit</b>
193 menu item, or by pressing <b>Ctrl+Q</b>.
194 </p>
195
196 <p>
197 If you start the application, when it is already running, the main
198 window of the already running instance will be displayed instead of
199 starting a new instance of the program.
200 </p>
201
202 <p>
203 When the program is first started on your computer, you will be presented
204 with the dialog below:
205 </p>
206 <div align="center">
207 <img src="registrationDialog.png" alt="The registration query dialog"/>
208 </div>
209
210 <p>
211 If you have not registered with MAVA yet, click on <b>Register</b>. The
212 registration process is described <a href="#registration">here</a>.
213 If you have a pilot ID and a password already, click <b>Cancel</b> and
214 continue as below.
215 </p>
216
217 <h2><a name="mainWindow">The Main Window</a></h2>
218
219 <p>
220 The figure below depicts the main window of the application. The top
221 of it contains the usual menu bar, which will be described in more
222 detail later. The content area consists of several tabs the use of
223 which is described below.
224 </p>
225
226 <a name="mainWindowShot"/>
227 <div align="center"><img src="mainWindow.png" alt="The main window"/></div>
228
229 <p>
230 The bottom of the window is a status bar. Its left side contains the
231 icon indicating the status of the connection to the simulator. Since
232 the application continuously monitors the parameters of your
233 aircraft, it needs to communicate with the simulator. The icon's
234 colour indicates the health of this communication channel.
235 </p>
236
237 <p>
238 If it is grey, the program is not connected. This is normal before
239 and after the flight. If it is green, the connection is alive and
240 working properly. If it is red, the connection is broken. In this
241 case a dialog window is displayed. The most likely cause for such a
242 disruption is the crash of the simulator. If this is the case,
243 restart the simulator and try to restore the flight to a state as
244 close to the one before the crash as possible. Then click
245 the <b>Reconnect</b> button, and the program will try to
246 re-establish the connection to the simulator. It preserves all data
247 of your flight, so you can continue where you left off easily.
248 </p>
249
250 <p>
251 If the reason for the failure of the connection is something else,
252 do whatever is needed to be done to restore it. Of course, it is
253 possible that the logger application itself fails, in which case
254 you, unfortunately, have to restart the flight. Do not forget to
255 notify the author if this happens. In this case, try to copy and
256 save the <a href="#debugLog">debug log</a> and send it with your bug
257 report. You can use the <a href="#bugReportWindow">bug
258 reporting</a> facility as well for this purpose.
259 </p>
260
261 <p>
262 If you click the <b>Cancel</b> button in the reconnection dialog,
263 the logger will be reset as if it were stopped and restarted.
264 </p>
265
266 <p>
267 To the right of the connection status icon, you can see the current
268 <a href="#flightStages">stage</a> of the flight, if the monitoring
269 has begun. Otherwise it is a single dash. It is followed by the
270 simulator time, if the program is already connected to the
271 simulator. Then comes the current <a href="#flightRating">flight rating</a>.
272 </p>
273
274 <p>
275 The right of the status bar is normally empty, but if there is some
276 potentially long operation going on (typically communicating with
277 the MAVA servers), information about the operation is displayed
278 here. This is accompanied by the cursor becoming that of signaling
279 a busy state and most parts of the main window becoming
280 unresponsive.
281 </p>
282
283 <h3><a name="tabFlight">The Flight Tab</a></h3>
284
285 <p>
286 The flight tab is the most important tab. It consists of a sequence of
287 pages similar to wizards found in many programs. The first several of
288 these pages guide you through the various steps of the preparations
289 for your flight, while the last pages allow you to enter some
290 information about your flight necessary for its evaluation and to
291 send the PIREP (Pilot's Report) assembled by the program to the MAVA
292 server.
293 </p>
294
295 <p>
296 Each page has a title at the top indicating the purpose of the
297 page. There is a short text below this, which describes what the
298 page contains and/or what is expected from you to do with the page.
299 Below the text you can find the main information and possibly data
300 entry areas for the page. Finally, you can find the button row at
301 the bottom.
302 </p>
303
304 <p>
305 Most of the pages contain two buttons: <b>Next</b> and
306 <b>Previous</b>. These help in navigating between the pages. In most
307 cases you can go back to previously visited pages by using
308 the <b>Previous</b> button, although you cannot edit the contents of
309 some of the pages once finalized by moving to the next page using
310 the <b>Next</b> button. There are a few exceptions though, as
311 detailed below.
312 </p>
313
314 <p>
315 Many of the pages also contain a <b>Cancel flight</b>
316 button. Clicking this button will allow you to cancel the flight and
317 go back to the <a href="#flightSelectionPage">flight selection</a>
318 if you have logged in to the MAVA server, or to the login page, after
319 a confirmation of your intent.
320 </p>
321
322 <h4><a name="loginPage">The <i>Login</i> Page</a></h4>
323
324 <p>
325 The program starts with the Login page (see the
326 <a href="#mainWindowShot">picture</a> above) where you can enter the
327 your pilot's ID and password for the MAVA website. Both data are
328 given to you when joining Malév Virtual. The pilot's ID usually
329 starts with the letter <q>P</q> followed by three digits.
330 </p>
331
332 <p>
333 If you check <b>Remember password</b>, the password will be saved by
334 the program, so you don't have to enter it all the time. Note,
335 however, that the password is saved in a readable form into a
336 configuration file, so use this possibility only if your home
337 directory can be accessed only by people you trust. The pilot's ID
338 is saved anyway.
339 </p>
340
341 <p>
342 If you are about to perform the entrance flight, check
343 <b>Entrance exam</b>. In this case you don't have to (and cannot)
344 enter the password, as that is not needed for the entrance exam.
345 </p>
346
347 <p>
348 The login to the MAVA server, and proceed to the next page, press
349 the <b>Login</b> button.
350 </p>
351
352 <p>
353 If you would like to fly without an Internet connection, use
354 the <b>Fly offline</b> button. This immediately takes you to the
355 next page, without trying to log in to the MAVA server.
356 </p>
357
358 <h4><a name="flightSelectionPage">The <i>Flight selection</i> Page</a></h4>
359
360 <img src="flightSelection.png" alt="The Flight selection page"/>
361
362 <p>
363 This page displays the list of the flight you have booked previously
364 on the MAVA website, if you have <a href="#loginPage">logged in</a>
365 properly. If you chose to fly offline, the list is empty.
366 </p>
367
368 <p>
369 If you have selected a flight, you can also save it by using
370 the <b>Save flight</b> button. This is useful when planning to fly
371 offline at some later time. When preparing for that flight, you can
372 properly log in to the MAVA server, and acquire the list of your
373 booked flights. Then you can save the flight you wish to perform
374 later offline, on which occasion, you can load the saved flight.
375 </p>
376
377 <p>
378 You may need to refresh the list of flights. For example, you notice
379 that you have forgotten to book the flight you want to perform. Then
380 you can book the flight on the MAVA website, and press
381 the <b>Refresh flights</b> button to update the list.
382 </p>
383
384 <p>
385 You can also load a flight from a file by pressing the <b>Load
386 flight from file</b> button. This displays a file selection dialog
387 where you select the flight file (usually with a suffix
388 of <code>.vaflight</code>). This is mostly useful when flying
389 offline, or during the entrance exam.
390 </p>
391
392 <p>
393 Select a flight from the list, and press the <b>Next</b> button to
394 proceed with that flight.
395 </p>
396
397 <h4><a name="gateSelectionPage">The <i>LHBP gate selection</i> Page</a></h4>
398
399 <img src="gateSelection.png" alt="The LHBP gate selection page"/>
400
401 <p>
402 This page is displayed after the flight selection page only if your
403 flight starts at the Budapest Ferihegy Airport and the number of the
404 gate or stand at which your aircraft is located cannot be
405 determined.
406 </p>
407
408 <p>
409 Select a number from the list presented, and press <b>Next</b>.
410 </p>
411
412 <h4><a name="connectPage">The <i>Connect to the simulator</i> Page</a></h4>
413
414 <img src="connect.png" alt="The Connect to the simulator page"/>
415
416 <p>
417 This page displays some important information about your flight,
418 such as the type and tail number of the aircraft to use, the
419 departure airport and possibly the gate. You can also select whether you
420 would like to connect to a variant of Microsoft Flight Simulator or
421 X-Plane. The choice is remembered by the program and the selected one will be
422 the default next time. (<i>Support for X-Plane is currently experimental. The
423 logger is used by the author on Linux with good results. Volunteers are
424 wanted to test X-Plane support on Windows.</i>)
425 </p>
426
427 <p>
428 Select the aircraft indicated and park it at the departure airport
429 in the simulator,
430 then press <b>Connect</b> to establish the connection with the
431 simulator. If the connection cannot be established, a dialog will be
432 displayed about it, and you can <b>Try again</b> the connection
433 or <b>Cancel</b> to go back to the flight selection or to the login page.
434 </p>
435
436 <p>
437 Note, that after a successful connection, the monitoring of your
438 flight does not begin immediately, but some data can be queried by
439 the logger at this stage.
440 </p>
441
442 <h4><a name="payloadPage">The <i>Payload</i> Page</a></h4>
443
444 <img src="payload.png" alt="The Payload page"/>
445
446 <p>
447 This page displays the components of the flight's payload and the
448 calculated Zero-Fuel Weight (ZFW). You can modify all input data,
449 but generally it is needed to enter the cargo weight you determined
450 for the flight, if it is different from 0. You can also press the <b>ZFW
451 from FS</b> button, which queries the ZFW from the simulator and
452 displays the retrieved value. If the ZFW calculated from the payload
453 data differs too much from the queried one, the calculated value is
454 displayed in red. This the right time to set up the payload in the
455 simulator. If you forget about it, it will be a NO GO fault.
456 </p>
457
458 <p>
459 If you have finished with this page, press the <b>Next</b>
460 button. At this point, the <a href="#helpTab"><i>Help</i> tab</a>
461 becomes available, which you can use if you have failed to set up
462 the correct payload in the simulator. See a more detailed
463 description of it <a href="#helpTab">below</a>.
464 </p>
465
466 <h4><a name="timePage">The <i>Time</i> Page</a></h4>
467
468 <img src="time.png" alt="The Time page"/>
469
470 <p>
471 This page displays the departure and arrival times of your
472 flight in UTC. Press the <b>Time from FS</b> button to query the
473 current UTC time of the simulator. To be able to simulate the real
474 lighting circumstances of the flight, the simulator's time should match
475 the time of the flight according to the schedule. Therefore you are
476 expected to set the simulator's time properly. It is recommended to
477 set it to about 15 minutes before the departure at this stage so
478 that you have enough time to set up your flight.
479 </p>
480
481 <p>
482 When you have set the time of the simulator properly, press
483 the <b>Next</b> button.
484 </p>
485
486 <h4><a name="routePage">The <i>Route</i> Page</a></h4>
487
488 <img src="route.png" alt="The Route page"/>
489
490 <p>
491 This page displays the flight plan route taken from the booked flight. This
492 can be edited if necessary (e.g. when you will enter some airspace that will
493 require you to change the flight level during flight.) You should also
494 specify the cruise level and the ICAO code of the alternate airport.
495 </p>
496
497 <p>
498 When satisfied with the information on the page, press
499 the <b>Next</b> button to advance. Note, that these data can be
500 edited later as well if you come back to this page.
501 </p>
502
503 <h4><a name="simbriefSetupPage">The <i>SimBrief setup</i> page</a></h4>
504
505 <img src="simbriefSetup.png" alt="The SimBrief setup page"/>
506
507 <p>
508 If using the <a href="http://simbrief.com">SimBrief</a> flight planning
509 service has been enabled in the <a href="#prefsGeneral">Preferences</a>
510 window, this page is displayed following the
511 <a href="#routePage"><i>Route</i></a> page.
512 </p>
513
514 <p>
515 Enter your SimBrief user name and password. The former one is always saved
516 and offered as the default entry, but the latter one only when the checkbox
517 below is checked. Some further data should also be entered.
518 </p>
519
520 <p>
521 Press the <b>Next</b> button to start generating the flight plan. The program
522 then contacts the SimBrief website, sends the data and downloads the
523 result. This can take a relatively long time, during which the lower right
524 corner of the Logger window displays some progress information. If there is
525 some error, a popup window is displayed. If the login attempt is
526 unsuccessful, the user name and/or the password can be entered again, but you
527 can decide to abort using SimBrief.
528 </p>
529
530 <p>
531 If the result is successfully produced, it can be studied on page
532 <a href="#simbriefResultPage"><i>SimBrief flight plan</i></a>. In case of a
533 failure, the flight setup continues with
534 the <a href="#fuelPage"><i>Fuel</i></a> page.
535 </p>
536
537 <h4><a name="simbriefResultPage">The <i>SimBrief flight plan</i> page</a></h4>
538
539 <img src="simbriefResult.png" alt="The SimBrief flight plan page"/>
540
541 <p>
542 This page displays the SimBrief flight plan created. When carefully read and
543 understood, press the button at the bottom to the right to continue. Of
544 course, you can come back to this page later.
545 </p>
546
547 <h4><a name="fuelPage">The <i>Fuel</i> Page</a></h4>
548
549 <img src="fuel.png" alt="The Fuel page"/>
550
551 <p>
552 This page contains a graphical representation of the fuel tanks of
553 your aircraft. The yellowish colour represents the current level of
554 the fuel in the tank, and turquoise slider is the expected level,
555 which is also displayed numerically (in kilograms) below each graph.
556 </p>
557
558 <p>
559 You can enter the requested amount of fuel numerically, or you can
560 set it by the turquoise sliders, though this method is less accurate. The
561 lever can be moved by clicking withinin the fuel tank's representation,
562 and you can drag it if you keep the button pressed. If your mouse
563 has a wheel, that can also be used to modify the expected level. To
564 use the wheel, keep the mouse pointer within the fuel tank's
565 graphic. Each click of the wheel increment or decrements the amount
566 by 10 kilograms. If you hold down the <b>Shift</b> key, the
567 increment will be 100, if you hold down the <b>Ctrl</b> key, the
568 increment will be 1.
569 </p>
570
571 <p>
572 When all tanks have the correct amount of fuel set, press
573 the <b>Next</b> button. This causes the pumping of the fuel to
574 start. The progress is represented by the yellowish fuel bars
575 growing or shrinking (fuel may be pumped out of a tank as
576 well). This is a relatively quick process and should finish within a
577 few seconds.
578 </p>
579
580 <p>
581 When fuel pumping has completed, and the SimBrief service is used, and the
582 generation of the flight plan has been successful, the program jumps to the
583 <a href="#takeoffPage"><i>Takeoff</i></a> page. Otherwise the
584 <a href="#briefingPage"><i>Briefing</i></a> pages come next.
585
586 <h4><a name="briefingPage">The <i>Briefing</i> Pages</a></h4>
587
588 <img src="briefing.png" alt="The Briefing page"/>
589
590 <p>
591 These pages display the NOTAMs and the METAR for the departure and
592 the arrival airports unless we have used SimBrief for flight planning.
593 You can edit the METAR if your network
594 provides a different weather, or you do not fly with real
595 weather. The METAR of the arrival airport will be updated when
596 entering the landing stage, unless you have edited it before. The
597 METARs can be edited during the whole duration of the flight. If you
598 do so, please, comment on it in the <i>Comments</i> section of
599 the <a href="#flightInfoTab"><i>Flight info</i> tab</a>.
600 </p>
601
602 <p>
603 On the second briefing page (that of the arrival airport), confirm
604 that you have read the briefing and are ready to start the flight by
605 clicking the button. This begins the monitoring of your flight with
606 the boarding stage.
607 </p>
608
609 <h4><a name="takeoffPage">The <i>Takeoff</i> Page</a></h4>
610
611 <img src="takeoff.png" alt="The Takeoff page"/>
612
613 <p>
614 This page displays the current METAR of the departure airport. It can be
615 modified if necessary, e.g. when the weather in the simulator is different
616 from it. Below you have to enter the name of the departure runway, the
617 name of the Standard Instrument Departure procedure you follow after
618 takeoff and the takeoff V-speeds. In case of the SID you can select
619 the <i>VECTORS</i> "procedure" if, for some reason, no SID is flown.
620 While you can edit these data anytime, it is recommended to do so before
621 takeoff.
622 <p>
623
624 <p>
625 Note that if you are flying one of the Tupolev or Yak aircraft, the
626 page will look different, as speeds will have to be entered in
627 kilometres per hour.
628 </p>
629
630 <p>
631 For most aircraft in the fleet you should also enter the takeoff
632 derate setting. Its exact format and value depends on the type.
633 </p>
634
635 <p>
636 You can also select here whether you have turned on any anti-ice
637 systems (apart from the pitot heat). However, for most aircraft, the
638 logger can detect the setting, and if anti-icing is turned on, the
639 check box will be checked automatically. If you have checked it
640 yourself, it will not be unchecked by the program (unless it gains
641 self-awareness sometime in the future).
642 </p>
643
644 <p>
645 You can proceed to the next page after takeoff, and if all data has
646 been entered, by pressing the <b>Next</b> button.
647 </p>
648
649 <h4><a name="cruisePage">The <i>Cruise</i> Page</a></h4>
650
651 <img src="cruise.png" alt="The Cruise page"/>
652
653 <p>
654 This page displays your cruise altitude as set in the
655 <a href="#routePage"><i>Route</i> page</a>. If you need to modify your
656 cruise level due to airspace requirements, step climb or any other
657 justified reason, you can set the new level here and then press
658 the <b>Update</b> button.
659 </p>
660
661 <p>
662 If you are preparing for landing, you can press the <b>Next</b>
663 button to go to the next page.
664 </p>
665
666 <h4><a name="landingPage">The <i>Landing</i> Page</a></h4>
667
668 <img src="landing.png" alt="The Landing page"/>
669
670 <p>
671 The upper part of this page displays the METAR of the landing airport, which
672 can be edited, if necessary. Below you have to enter the name of the STAR
673 and/or transition you planned to follow or have followed,
674 the approach type (e.g. <q>ILS</q>, <q>VOR</q>, <q>VISUAL</q>,
675 etc.), the name of the landing runway, and the landing reference speed,
676 V<sub>ref</sub>. In case of the procedures you can select <i>VECTORS</i>
677 from the drop-down list if you have received vectors from ATC.
678 You can enter this data during the flight, or after
679 you have landed, at your discretion. Note, that if you fly one of
680 the Tupolev or Yak aircraft, the speed will have to be entered in km/h.
681 </p>
682
683 <p>
684 This page also contains a checkbox for the anti-ice system, which is
685 handled the same way as the one on
686 the <a href="#takeoffPage">Takeoff page</a>.
687
688 <p>
689 When you have entered all data, press the <b>Next</b> button. It is
690 active only, if the flight has ended.
691 </p>
692
693 <h4><a name="finishPage">The <i>Finish</i> Page</a></h4>
694
695 <img src="finish.png" alt="The Finish page"/>
696
697 <p>
698 This is the final page of the flight wizard. It contains a summary
699 of your flight: the rating, the deptarture, arrival, flight and block times,
700 the distance flown and the amount of fuel burnt. If the departure or the
701 arrival time is too off of the schedule, they are displayed in orange or red
702 depending on the difference. In case of a red colour, comment on the
703 difference in the <a href="#flightInfoTab"><i>Flight info</i> tab</a>.
704 </p>
705
706 <p>
707 You also have to provide a few pieces of information. You have to
708 select the type of the flight from the list provided (scheduled,
709 old-timer, VIP, charter) and whether it was an online flight or
710 not. If you arrive at the Budapest Ferihegy Airport, and are using
711 the Online Gate System, you also need to specify the number of the
712 gate or stand you have parked you aircraft at.
713 </p>
714
715 <p>
716 If all necessary data has been entered, and the program is so
717 <a href="#prefsGeneral">configured<a>, it will automatically save
718 the PIREP.
719 </p>
720
721 <p>
722 With all data entered, you may want it review your flight (i.e. the
723 earlier pages or some of the other tabs), then save or send the
724 PIREP created from it. These can be accomplished by pressing one of
725 the buttons at the bottom. A saved PIREP can be loaded later and
726 sent, if the sending fails for some reason. When a PIREP is sent, it
727 becomes available for review by the designated PIREP reviewers of
728 Malév Virtual.
729 </p>
730
731 <p>
732 You can also start a new flight using the <b>New flight</b>
733 button. If you have not saved or sent the PIREP yet, you will be asked
734 to confirm your intention. When starting a new flight you are taken
735 to the <a href="#flightSelectionPage">flight selection page</a>, if
736 you have logged in to the MAVA server, or to
737 the <a href="#loginPage">login page</a>, if your flight has been an
738 offline flight.
739 </p>
740
741 <h3><a name="flightInfoTab">The Flight info Tab</a></h3>
742
743 <img src="flightInfoTab.png" alt="The Flight info tab"/>
744
745 <p>
746 This tab allows one to enter some additional information about the
747 flight, if necessary.
748 </p>
749
750 <p>
751 The <i>Comments</i> text area should contain any general information
752 that you would like the PIREP reviewer to know about. For example,
753 why you changed the METAR, why you lowered the gears accidentally
754 (i.e. pressed the wrong key on the keyboard), etc.
755 </p>
756
757 <p>
758 The <i>Faults, observations</i> area contains the faults logged with a small
759 field below each of them. The PIREP cannot be sent until an explanation has
760 been provided in these fields for each fault. The thick frame around the area
761 appears as long as there is at least one unexplained fault. A warning is also
762 presented in the upper part of the <a href="#finishPage"<i>Finish</i></a>
763 page, if something is missing from here.
764 </p>
765
766 <p>
767 In the <i>Delay codes</i> table you can mark one or more reasons why
768 the flight was delayed, if it was. This table is available only if you
769 have already selected the flight, since its contents depend on the
770 type of the aircraft being flown.
771 </p>
772
773 <h3><a name="helpTab">The Help Tab</a></h3>
774
775 <img src="helpTab.png" alt="The Help tab"/>
776
777 <p>
778 This tab provides some help for calculating and setting the payload
779 weight of the aircraft. It can be used once the
780 <a href="#payloadPage"><i>Payload</i></a>
781 (i.e. the cargo weight) is finalized. To use this tab, check
782 the <b>Using help</b> checkbox. It causes the page to become
783 sensitive and filled with data. Note, that the fact of using the
784 help is <a href="#logTab">logged</a>, so the PIREP reviewers will
785 know about it.
786 </p>
787
788 <p>
789 The most important information is after the <i>Payload:</i> label,
790 which is the payload weight of the aircraft. This value should be
791 set in the simulator as the airplane's payload weight. By pressing
792 the <b>Simulator data</b> button, the data coming from the simulator
793 can be queried and displayed. If the data is out of the tolerances,
794 it is displayed in red, otherwise in green.
795 </p>
796
797 <p>
798 The gross weight is also displayed with some maximum weights of the
799 aircraft, so it can be checked or estimated if you will remain within
800 those maximums during the flight.
801 </p>
802
803 <h3><a name="logTab">The Log Tab</a></h3>
804
805 <img src="logTab.png" alt="The Log tab"/>
806
807 <p>
808 This is the main log of your flight that will be analyzed by the
809 PIREP reviewers. Its contents is generated automatically by the
810 program, and most lines are prefixed by the simulator times the
811 information in the given line belongs to.
812 </p>
813
814 <p>
815 While the log's contents is mainly useful for PIREP reviewers, it
816 can come handy when things start to happen very fast, and you have
817 no time check each fault message passing by (if you have enabled
818 such messages at all). Later, when things calm down, you can check
819 the log to see what happened exactly, so that you know why so many
820 fault points have been awarded. For example, you may even decide to
821 abort the flight, if you think some of the faults are too
822 embarrassing :) For quick identification, the lines containing the
823 fault messages are highlighted.
824 </p>
825
826 <h3><a name="gatesTab">The Gates Tab</a></h3>
827
828 <img src="gatesTab.png" alt="The Gates tab"/>
829
830 <p>
831 This tab displays information retrieved from
832 the MAVA <a href="#onlineGateSystem">Online Gate System</a>.
833 If the program needs to retrieve data, this tab's contents
834 are refreshed automatically, but you can also refresh them manually
835 anytime using the <b>Refresh data</b> button.
836 </p>
837
838 <p>
839 The left side of the tab contains the fleet information. The tail
840 number of each aircraft is listed with the plane's status, as known
841 by the Online Gate System. The two major statuses are <i>LHBP-nn</i>
842 and <i>AWAY</i>. The former indicates that the aircraft is parked at
843 the Budapest Ferihegy Airport at gate or stand <i>nn</i>, while the
844 latter one denotes that the airplane is parked at another
845 airport. Another possible status is <i>PARKED</i>, which means that
846 the airplane is parked somewhere at the Ferihegy Airport, but we
847 (or at least the Gate System) don't know where. It may happen that
848 several aircraft are parked at the same gate or stand at
849 Ferihegy. In this case the tail numbers and the statuses of those
850 airplanes are displayed in red.
851 </p>
852
853 <p>
854 The right side contains the list of the numbers of the gates and
855 parking positions. A number is black if no aircraft is positioned at
856 the corresponding gate or stand, and it is orange, if the location
857 is occupied.
858 </p>
859
860 <h3><a name="acarsTab">The ACARS tab</a></h3>
861
862 <img src="acarsTab.png" alt="The ACARS tab"/>
863
864 <p>
865 This tab displays the MAVA ACARS system, which is a map with aircraft symbols
866 representing the flights in progress with icons denoting the departure and
867 landing airports. Clicking on an airplane displays information on the
868 corresponding flight.
869 </p>
870
871 <p>
872 The map is actually displayed by a web browser integrated into the
873 program. Therefore you can, for example, zoom in or out the map using the
874 mouse wheel and perform other operations known in case of browsers.
875 </p>
876
877 <h3><a name="debugLog">The Debug log</a></h3>
878
879 <img src="debugLogTab.png" alt="The Debug log tab"/>
880
881 <p>
882 This tab is not visible by default, but can be displayed by
883 selecting <b>View/Show debug log</b> or by
884 pressing <b>Ctrl+D</b>. It is another kind of log, which is mainly
885 useful for debugging. If you experience some problem with the
886 program, please, include the contents of this log with your bug
887 report. It can help a lot with finding a solution to the problem.
888 </p>
889
890 <h2><a name="loadingPIREPs">Loading PIREPs</a></h2>
891
892 <p>
893 Saved PIREPs can be loaded and sent by the program. This can
894 become necessary, for example, if you cannot send a PIREP due to
895 some network problem right after your flight, or when you
896 deliberately performed a flight without connecting to the Internet.
897 </p>
898
899 <p>
900 To load a PIREP select the <b>File/Load PIREP...</b> menu option or
901 press the <b>Ctrl+L</b> key. A file selection dialog appears, from
902 which you can select the PIREP to load. If you select a valid PIREP
903 file, it will be loaded and a new window will be displayed with the
904 most important data of your flight. By clicking <b>Send
905 PIREP...</b>, the PIREP will be sent (or at least an attempt will be
906 made at sending it). A dialog window will be displayed about the
907 results of the attempt.
908 </p>
909
910 <div align="center">
911 <img src="pirepLoaded.png" alt="The loaded PIREP window"/>
912 </div>
913
914 <p>
915 You may also want to view a saved PIREP, for example, if it is a
916 PIREP about an entrance exam flight. To do so, click the <b>View
917 PIREP...</b> button. This displays the PIREP viewer window, which
918 groups the data into three tabs. The <i>Data</i> tab contains the
919 itemized data of the flight. The <i>Comments & defects</i> tab
920 displays the comments and or flight defects entered by the
921 user. The <i>Log</i> tab contains the flight log.
922 </p>
923
924 <div align="center">
925 <img src="pirepViewer.png" alt="The PIREP Viewer"/>
926 </div>
927
928 <h2><a name="checklistEditor">Editing checklists</a></h2>
929
930 <img src="checklistEditor.png" alt="The Checklist Editor"/>
931
932 <p>
933 The checklists are lists of audio files. When checklist playback is
934 enabled (see the <a href="#prefsSounds">description</a> of
935 the <i>Preferences</i> window below), and there is a checklist for
936 the type of the aircraft used for the flight, the files constituting
937 the checklist can be played one-by-one by pressing the checklist
938 hotkey repeatedly.
939 </p>
940
941 <p>
942 The checklist editor window allows for editing the checklists. It
943 can be displayed by selecting <b>Tools/Checklist Editor...</b> or
944 pressing <b>Ctrl+C</b>. The top of the window contains an aircraft
945 type selector.
946 </p>
947
948 <p>
949 The files making up the checklist for the currently selected aircraft
950 are displayed on the right. You can move a file up or down by
951 dragging it with the mouse. You can also select one or more files
952 from the list. Then you can remove them with the <b>Remove</b>
953 button, or move them up or down by pressing <b>Move up</b>
954 and <b>Move down</b>.
955 </p>
956
957 <p>
958 To add new files to the checklist, select them in the file selector
959 on the left, and press <b>Add to checklist</b>. The file(s) will be
960 appended to the end of the checklist.
961 </p>
962
963 <p>
964 Note, that any changes you make are effective only if you press
965 the <b>OK</b> button when having finished the modifications. If the
966 flight has already started, no changes made to the corresponding
967 checklist have any effect during the flight (i.e. you will still use
968 the old checklist, or no checklist if there was none).
969 </p>
970
971 <h2><a name="calloutsEditor">Editing approach callouts</a></h2>
972
973 <img src="calloutsEditor.png" alt="The Approach callouts Editor"/>
974
975 <p>
976 The approach callouts are audio files specific to aircraft types, that are
977 played back during approach when passing certain altitudes. The
978 approach callouts editor window allows editing the list of these
979 callout files for each aircraft. The window can be displayed by
980 selecting <b>Tools/Approach Callouts Editor...</b> or by pressing
981 <b>Ctrl+E</b>.
982 </p>
983
984 <p>
985 The top part of the window displays the selector of the aircraft
986 type. Below it, you can find two buttons on the left, and the list
987 of the callouts with the altitudes they belong to on the right. The
988 list displays only the filename portion, but the if you hover the
989 cursor above an item, the full path will be displayed. The list is
990 always sorted according to the altitude, but you change the order
991 from descending to ascending.
992 </p>
993
994 <p>
995 The <b>Add new callout</b> button shows a file selection dialog
996 window. After selecting a file, it will be added to a list with some
997 altitude, which can be edited immediately. If the name of the file
998 contains a number that is possible as an altitude, that will be used
999 as the altitude given to the file, otherwise some meaningful default
1000 is selected based on the lowest or highest altitude.
1001 There can be no two files with the same altitude. If you set an
1002 altitude, which is already present in the list, a dialog box will be
1003 displayed, and you can choose to replace the old file or to continue
1004 editing. To edit an altitude already in the list, select that row,
1005 and click on the altitude again.
1006 </p>
1007
1008 <p>
1009 If you select one or more items in the list, the <b>Remove</b>
1010 button becomes available, and pressing it will remove the selected items.
1011 </p>
1012
1013 <p>
1014 Note, that any changes you make are effective only if you press
1015 the <b>OK</b> button when having finished the modifications. If the
1016 flight has already started, no changes made to the corresponding
1017 list of callouts have any effect during the flight.
1018 </p>
1019
1020 <h2><a name="prefs">The Preferences Window</a></h2>
1021
1022 </p>
1023 The Preferences window can be displayed by
1024 selecting <b>Tools/Preferences</b> or by
1025 pressing <b>Ctrl+P</b>. Here you can set options that you usually
1026 don't have to change for every flight. This window consists of
1027 tabs grouping the options logically.
1028 </p>
1029
1030 <h3><a name="prefsGeneral">The <i>General</i> Tab<a></h3>
1031
1032 <img src="prefsGeneral.png" alt="The General Tab of Preferences"/>
1033
1034 <p>
1035 These are some general settings for various parts of the
1036 program. The <i>GUI</i> frame contains options regarding the
1037 behaviour of the graphical user interface. The <i>Language</i> combo
1038 box can be used to select what language the program should
1039 use. Currently English and Hungarian are supported. The value
1040 of <i>system default</i> means that the operating system's default
1041 language is used if it is one of the supported ones or English
1042 otherwise. Note, that the program must be restarted for the change
1043 to take effect if you modify this setting. If the <b>Hide main window
1044 when minimized</b> checkbox is checked, and you minimize the window,
1045 it will actually disappear completely (i.e. not appear among the
1046 other minimized windows). You can make it appear by using the tray
1047 icon. If the <b>Quit when the window close button is clicked</b>
1048 checkbox is checked, the program will quit, after you have confirmed
1049 it. Otherwise it will just disappear, and you can use the tray icon
1050 to display it again.
1051 </p>
1052
1053 <p>
1054 The <i>MAVA Online Systems</i> frame contains settings related to
1055 the online systems of MAVA, the <a href="#onlineGateSystem">gate</a>
1056 and the <a href="#onlineACARSSystem">ACARS</a> systems mentioned
1057 above. It is recommended to enable these for normal operations.
1058 </p>
1059
1060 <p>
1061 The <i>Simulator</i> frame contains settings for how the program
1062 interacts with the simulator. Most options are self-explanatory, but
1063 the ones related to smoothing require some discussion. Flight
1064 Simulator is known to produce wind speed changes that are not
1065 entirely realistic and can result in the simulated aircraft
1066 experiencing some very high indicated airspeeds, which in turn can
1067 also cause the autopilot to suddenly increase the climb rate to
1068 counter the high speeds or other erratic behaviour. Since these
1069 phenomena are difficult to protect oneself against without buying
1070 extra products, like FSUIPC, the logger provides the possibility to
1071 average the IAS and/or the VS over a few seconds so that spikes in
1072 these values are smoothed. The <b>Enable the smoothing of IAS/VS
1073 over N sec.</b> options allow controlling this feature. The number
1074 of seconds may need experimenting with, but note that every change
1075 for which you press the <b>OK</b> button is taken into account
1076 immediately.
1077 </p>
1078
1079 <p>
1080 If the <b>Use SimBrief</b> checkbox is checked, the program will try to
1081 <a href="#simbriefSetupPage">create</a> a flight plan using the SimBrief
1082 service during the flight preparation.
1083 </p>
1084
1085 <p>
1086 If the <b>Save PIREP automatically</b> check box is checked, and you
1087 have finished your flight and entered all required data, the PIREP
1088 will be saved automatically into the directory given above.
1089 </p>
1090
1091 <h3><a name="prefsMessages">The <i>Messages</i> Tab</a></h3>
1092
1093 <img src="prefsMessages.png" alt="The Messages Tab of Preferences"/>
1094
1095 <p>
1096 The program can display messages about certain events in the
1097 simulator and/or it can play a warning sound when those events
1098 occur. The tab allows configuring this.
1099 <p>
1100
1101 <p>
1102 The categories of the message are listed on the left. These are the
1103 following:
1104 </p>
1105
1106 <ul>
1107 <li><b>Logger Error Messages</b>: error messages about the
1108 internal working of the logger.</li>
1109 <li><b>Information Messages</b>: informational messages about,
1110 e.g., the flight stage, the end of an audio checklist, etc.</li>
1111 <li><b>In-flight Stage Message</b>: messages about the flight stage for those stage when the plane is not on the ground</li>
1112 <li><b>Fault Messages</b>: messages about the non-NO GO faults the program detects.</li>
1113 <li><b>NO GO Fault Messages</b>: messages about the NO GO faults the program detects</li>
1114 <li><b>Gate System Messages</b>: messages related to the
1115 <a href="#onlineGateSystem">Online Gate System</a>. For example,
1116 when you have landed at Ferihegy, it can display the list of the
1117 available gates so that you can choose where to park, if there is
1118 no ATC available.</li>
1119 <li><b>Environment Messages</b>: other messages, e.g. the welcome
1120 message when the flight has ended.</li>
1121 <li><b>Help Messages</b>: help messages, e.g. warning about
1122 entering the V-speeds into the Takeoff page before takeoff.</li>
1123 <li><b>Visibility Messages</b>: messages about the visibility
1124 during descent and landing.</li>
1125 </ul>
1126
1127 <p>
1128 There are two checkboxes associated with each messages category. If the
1129 left one (<i>Displayed in FS</i>) is checked, the messages of the
1130 category will be displayed in the simulator. If the right one
1131 (<i>Sound alert</i>) is checked, and a message of the given category
1132 is about to be displayed, a warning sound will be played. It is
1133 mainly intended to accompany the text messages, but the two options
1134 can be controlled separately, so you can select the sound alert, but
1135 not the displaying of the messages. This may be useful if you don't
1136 want these messages to clutter up the windscreen of your aircraft,
1137 but still get some notification that some problem occurred.
1138 </p>
1139
1140 <h3><a name="prefsSounds">The <i>Sounds</i> Tab</a></h3>
1141
1142 <img src="prefsSounds.png" alt="The Sounds Tab of Preferences"/>
1143
1144 <p>
1145 This tab controls how the sounds are played by the application.
1146 </p>
1147
1148 <p>
1149 The top part is for the background sounds. These are pre-recorded
1150 sound files that are played when certain conditions hold during the
1151 flight. Typical examples are the various announcements the flight
1152 attendants make during the flight. The <b>Enable background
1153 sounds</b> checkbox controls whether such sounds are enabled at
1154 all. If the <b>Pilot controls sounds</b> checkbox is enabled, the
1155 pilot should start the playback of these sound files by pressing a
1156 hotkey in the simulator. Note, that you should still be in the right
1157 flight stage (and sometimes fulfill other conditions) to be able to
1158 play the sound files. Also, one file can be played only once. If you
1159 enable this option, the hotkey to press in the simulator can be
1160 selected below. You can choose one of the alphanumeric keys (0-9,
1161 A-Z) optionally combined with one or both of the <i>Ctrl</i>
1162 and <i>Shift</i> modifiers. If this checkbox is not checked, the
1163 sound files will be played automatically.
1164 </p>
1165
1166 <p>
1167 If the <b>Enable approach callouts</b> checkbox is
1168 checked, and you have also <a href="#calloutsEditor">set up</a>
1169 approach callouts for the aircraft being used, you will hear those
1170 callouts during approach.
1171 </p>
1172
1173 <p>
1174 If the <b>Enable speedbrake sound at touchdown</b> checkbox is
1175 checked, you will hear a distinctive sound when the spoilers deploy
1176 automatically after touchdown.
1177 </p>
1178
1179 <p>
1180 The lower part, named <i>Checklists</i> contains some settings
1181 related to the audio checklists belonging to the aircraft. They are
1182 available only if the <b>Enable aircraft-specific checklist</b>
1183 checkbox is selected. In this case another hotkey should be
1184 specified. If you press this hotkey, the next file from the
1185 checklist will be played.
1186 </p>
1187
1188 <h3><a name="prefsAdvanced">The <i>Advanced</i> Tab</a></h3>
1189
1190 <img src="prefsAdvanced.png" alt="The Advanced Tab of Preferences"/>
1191
1192 <p>
1193 This tab contains some settings that you normally should not
1194 change. Currently, these settings are related to the automatic
1195 update. If the <b>Update the program automatically</b> checkbox is
1196 not checked, the automatic update at program start-up will be
1197 omitted. The <i>Update URL</i> text entry field contains the URL
1198 from which to download the updates. Occasionally the developers of
1199 the application may tell you to change this something else, e.g. to
1200 test some development version. Or it may need to be changed due to
1201 organizational reasons, such as moving to a new server, etc.
1202 </p>
1203
1204 <h2><a name="bugReportWindow">The Bug Report Window</a></h2>
1205
1206 <img src="bugreport.png" alt="The Bug Report Window"/>
1207
1208 <p>
1209 The bug reporting window can be used to report any non-fatal bugs
1210 that occur during using the program. Bugs can be reported to
1211 appropriate topic in the MAVA forum, via e-mail or tickets created
1212 by hand on the project's website. However, utilizing this window not
1213 only creates the ticket, it also includes automatically the texts of
1214 the log and the debug log, making the life of the developers
1215 easier. Of course, it might happen that the program crashes in a way
1216 which makes this window inaccessible or to work incorrectly, in
1217 which case you must resort to the other possibilities.
1218 </p>
1219
1220 <p>
1221 The bug report window can be displayed by selecting <b>Tools/Report
1222 bug</b> or by pressing <b>Ctrl+B</b>. The summary must be entered
1223 and it should be a short, one-sentence description or title of the
1224 problem. The <i>Description</i> part is not mandatory, but if you
1225 can think of any useful additional information, you might give it
1226 here. As the program automatically appends the log and the debug to
1227 the description, you should not copy them here. You can also give
1228 your e-mail address to receive automatic notifications of the status
1229 of your bug report, but consider that your e-mail address will then
1230 appear on the project's website in the bug report.
1231 </p>
1232
1233 <p>
1234 By pressing <i>Send...</i>, you can create the bug report. If it is
1235 successful, you will receive a message telling so and including the
1236 ticket's ID that you may refer to later.
1237 </p>
1238
1239 <h2><a name="monitorWindow">The Monitor Window</a></h2>
1240
1241 <img src="monitorWindow.png" alt="The Monitor Window"/>
1242
1243 <p>
1244 The monitor window can be used when debugging the program. You can
1245 display it by selecting <b>View/Show monitor window</b> or by
1246 pressing <b>Ctrl+M</b>. It displays the various parameters from the
1247 aircraft as read from the flight simulator. During flight, it is
1248 updated once per second. If something is not detected properly by
1249 the logger, this window can be used to determine if the problem is
1250 in interpreting and translating the data read from the simulator, or
1251 when the translated data is being evaluated by other parts of the
1252 program.
1253 </p>
1254
1255 <h2><a name="registration">Registration</a></h2>
1256
1257 <img src="registration.png" alt="The Registration page"/>
1258
1259 <p>
1260 When you choose to register, the <i>Registraton</i> page is displayed. Enter
1261 the data requested. The data items in italics (phone number and nationality)
1262 are not mandatory. One of VATSIM or an IVAO ID are mandatory, so register
1263 with one of these on-line networks first. The password should be at least 5
1264 characters long. It is recommended to use one that consists of a mix of
1265 upper- and lower-case letters, numbers and possibly special characters.
1266 </p>
1267
1268 <p>
1269 When all necessary data has been entered, click <b>Register</b>. Your data
1270 will be recored in the MAVA database, and if all goes well, a dialog is
1271 displayed containing your <i>Pilot ID</i>, which is in the
1272 format <i>Pnnn</i>, where <i>nnn</i> is a 3-digit number (e.g. <i>P210</i>).
1273 Note it down for further reference along with your password. These data can
1274 be used to log in to the MAVA website, forums and education centre.
1275 </p>
1276
1277 <p>
1278 When you click <b>OK</b> in the dialog, you will be taken to the <i>Student</i>
1279 page:
1280 </p>
1281
1282 <img src="student.png" alt="The Student page"/>
1283
1284 <p>
1285 This page displays the status of you entry exam and check flight and you can
1286 also initiate these from here.
1287 </p>
1288
1289 <p>
1290 The entry exam is an online theoretical exam, taken in the
1291 <a href="http://mavasystems.hu/moodle">MAVA Education Centre</a>. Clicking
1292 the <b>Take the entry exam</b> button takes you to the login page, where you
1293 should enter your pilot ID and password to get access to the exam. If you
1294 have successfully completed the test the status in the <i>Student</i> page
1295 will update. However, this might take a few minutes until the website will
1296 update itself and the logger will also notice it.
1297 </p>
1298
1299 <p>
1300 The check flight is a simple flight, during which you take off from the
1301 Budapest Ferihegy Airport (LHBP), fly a SID, fly to the entry point of an
1302 approach transition, fly the transition and land. (If you are not familiar
1303 with these ideas, please, learn about them as you will need to know them
1304 perform your regular flights for MAVA.) You can select the type of the
1305 aircraft you wish to fly (currently the Boeing 737NG family and the Bomardier
1306 Dash-8 Q400 are available), and then click on <b>Perform the check
1307 flight</b>. You will be then <a href="#tabFlight">taken through</a> the steps
1308 of the flight almost as in case of a regular flight starting with the
1309 <a href="#connectPage"><i>Connect</i></a> page.
1310 </p>
1311
1312 <p>
1313 Your flight is successful, if you commit no NO-GO mistakes, otherwise you
1314 need to try it again. In both cases you can save the PIREP into a file and
1315 send it to your mentor at MAVA for further advice.
1316 </p>
1317
1318 <p>
1319 If you start the program later, it will check your rank. If it is STU
1320 (student), you will always be taken to this page. If you have passed both the
1321 entry exam and the check flight, your rank will become FO (First Officer) and
1322 which case you select flights via the MAVA website and fly them with the
1323 logger. In this case, you will be taken to
1324 the <a href="#flightSelectionPage">Flight selection</a> page after a
1325 successful login.
1326 </p>
1327
1328</html>
Note: See TracBrowser for help on using the repository browser.