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