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