Seasons Greetings

ATAVS 7.6 was released today, on December 18th, 2010. This new version incorporates a lot of changes and is the de facto flight reporting software at AeroTexas beginning January 1st, 2011, but you can download it and use it today!

One of the features of the this version will be a new way to validate aircraft. In the past aircraft validation has required modifying aircraft.cfg files. No longer! Now members can make use of more aircraft through an aircraft verification system that has much more flexibility - during beta testing we catalogued more than 300 different aircraft. You can view the current list of approved aircraft at http://aerotexas.com/aircraftlist.html Requests for additons to this list are made only through the "Verify Aircraft" option in ATAVS.

Additional features of the new ATAVS include a customizable pre-flight function that will set the autopilots and heading indicator as well as the flaps and trim. Optional cabin and crew sounds, including pushbacks, checklists, and cabin announcements are also included. This requires some Realplayer components, which are included, but some users have reported they also needed to install Realplayer to get it to work. Finally, this new version of ATAVS includes an option to sync your FS clock to the real world clock. It has been tested pretty thoroughly in FS9 - not so sure about FSX. If you have any questions about the new version of ATAVS you can always send me or any of the Partners an e-mail. However, I have also created an ATAVS Support forum on the website that you may find helpful. Members of the beta team will be watching the Members Only forum over the next few weeks to answer general questions.Please note: after January 1st, 2011, flight reports sent using older versions of ATAVS will not be accepted.

WHERE WE FLY - YOU RETURN

This year the AeroTexas flight system was extensively revised, and route verification was reinstated. With route verification now back in place, you should check the website to see what flights are available before you begin your flight. Even with route verification you should still be able to log most, if not all, of your flights - no matter where you go or what aircraft you use. So cross-logging, exploration flights, and personal non-system flights can still be logged as long as you use ATAVS. However, and this is critical, Non System Flights (NSF) will not count toward official promotions, achievements, or awards.

What flights are valid?
1. All flights on the routes page, including flights for Trans Texas Airways.
2. All cargo flights.
3. Return flights.
4. Special Events

Return flights include any flight that when completed would result in the return of an aircraft to its original point of departure. Basically it's flying a stranded aircraft back where it belongs. Credit for these flights is granted only when flown with the specified aircraft equipment type. For example, if you flew a 737-400 from Austin to Houston, and then to Cancun, the return flight from Cancun to Austin would be considered a valid flight, even though it is not published on the website. Another example would be the return leg of a cargo flight, just remember to use the same type of aircraft to get credit. You may only fly your own return flights and you view the status of these flights from your Members Only page. Remember - return flights are your flights and can not be viewed or flown by anyone else.

FOR MEMBERS ONLY

Now when you login at aerotexas.com you'll find even more features and tools to help you move ahead with your career at AeroTexas. Included are two separate logbooks (more on this later), your own personal awards page with ribbons for various achievments, statistics on aircraft you've flown, a list of authorized return flights (more on this later too), special member's only routefinder, and of course links to our own fuel planning tools, dispatcher loadsheets, and more.

LIVE FLIGHT DISPLAY

inFlight has now been updated with Ajax! No that's not a cleaning solution, but it certainly has improved our live flight display. inFlight is our own flight tracker and it uses the latest web technology to display and update enroute aircraft without even refreshing the page. (Note: we're also working on a mobile browser version!) http://aerotexas.com/inFlight

TWO ROUTEFINDERS

That's right! One for us and another for all the rest. Seriously, though - the routefinder in the Members Only is capable of generating flight paths along airways, including Victor and Jet airways, Q routes, Atlantic routes and others. The one available to everyone else, which is on the home page, is for VOR and INS navigation only.

NORTH ATLANTIC TRACKS

AeroTexas Aviation International now keeps an updated map of the North Atlantic Tracks (NATs). NATs are heavily-traveled routes that connect North America to Europe across the Atlantic Ocean. There are west bound and east bound routes. These routes change daily. AeroTexas maps the NATs and updates track listings daily. http://aerotexas.com/natmap.html

SPECIAL EVENTS

Our new events page is your gateway to international routes, online fly-ins, and other special flights. Event flights, especially online events, are open to all members, and usually come with no equipment restrictions. WEecurrently have several events set up to support international service, including a tour of Austria.

MUCKY METEOROLOGY MADE MUCKIER

Mango Air Cargo is still delivering an hourly dose of the worst weather on the map. The dispatcher was tweaked recently to take advantage of all the rain and snow we've had, and it's been good!

NEW FLIGHT VERIFICATION PAGE

Use the flight verification page to see if your next flight is approved for corporate flight reporting, or to find connecting flights. Can also be used to explore hundrds of available flights that may no longer be on the website, yet are still valid. For example, cargo flights are issued hourly, adding literally hundreds of new flights to the system every month, but persist in the system indefinitely. Note that you do not need to use this if your flight is currently published on the website - those will always be valid flights.

ANNUAL FLIGHT CHECK

There was no annual flight check this year. Please note that beginning early next year members who have not logged a flight in more than three months will be removed from the roster. Also, members who have been on leave, or are still on leave and have not reported a flight in the previous year will also be removed from the roster.

TEN YEAR ANNIVERSARY

Next year AeroTexas will celebrate 10 years as a virtual airline. I welcome any ideas you might have about how we can celebrate this anniversary. There is a topic on the forum dedicated to this as well.

Well that's it folks! I wish you a very happy and safe holiday season. I look forward to next year as we bring Lone Star Service to the World!

Short Trip Cruise Altitude

Though Texas is a big place, there are still a lot of flights that could be considered short trips, which are roughly less than 200 nautical miles. The chart above is the Short Trip Cruise Altitude diagram taken from the Boeing 737-300 Flight Planning and Performance Manual. For the example shown, a trip distance of 150 nautical miles for an aircraft and a brake release weight of 55000 kilograms, equates to a cruise pressure altitude of 25500 feet.

Using data based on the reference weight of 45000 kg I created an estimator that is very simple to use, and could be helpful when planning short trips for the 737-300 and other large jet aircraft:

ALT = 2428.6 + 174.52 * NM

where ALT is the estimated short trip cruise altitude and NM is nautical miles.

Comparing the simple formula to the example shown, the estimated altitude using the formula is 28607 feet while the charted result was about 12% lower. Probably a negligible difference for a short flight in a large jet.

System Flight Query

Members can now query the system to verify that planned flights will be eligible for pireps. Use the flight verification system to see if your next flight is approved for corporate flight reporting, or to find connecting flights. Can also be used to explore hundrds of available flights that may no longer be on the website, yet are still valid. For example, cargo flights are issued hourly, adding literally hundreds of new flights to the system every month, but persist in the system indefinitely. Note that you do not need to use this if your flight is currently published on the website - those will always be valid flights.

Here and as a link in your Toolbox when you login.
http://aerotexas.com/flightcheck.php

Bad Weather Ahead

Low IFR is the norm for our cargo pilots, but at least it's usually been calm winds accompanying all that fog and mist. Our cargo system is now finding plenty of rain and snow to complement your low visibility adventures.

Cargo Flights Updated Hourly

Ottawa Added to Regular Schedule

This afternoon, AeroTexas authorized flights between Austin and Ottawa as well as flights between Detroit and Ottawa. That ought to be some interesting flying this winter. Have fun!

North Atlantic Tracks

AeroTexas Aviation International now has a map of North Atlantic Tracks (NATs). NATs are heavily-traveled routes that change daily connecting North America to Europe across the Atlantic Ocean. AeroTexas unique map of the tracks and the track listing are updated daily. Click here to view the current NATs