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

ZME FNO

Just posted a new event with multiple flights to Memphis and Nashville on December 3rd.

For more information see here

Frankfurt Overload 2010

AeroTexas Aviation International Online Event

In conjunction with VATSIM Germany and Langen FIR, AeroTexas has authorized flights from Austin (KAUS) to Frankfurt, Germany (EDDF) combined with a double-connecting flight to Nice, France (LFMN). Additionally you can also start in Frankfurt or Nice and return to Austin as your first leg. All members of AeroTexas can participate in this event and all aircraft equipment type restrictions have been lifted.

For More Information

Cabin and Crew

Cabin and crew sounds are returning to AeroTexas. Beta testing continues with this old feature now newly returned. The sounds are of course optional, as you can see here. Also notice the other new items in the Options menu.

Interested in beta testing? Just shoot me an e-mail.

Fly to ZID

This weekend Indianapolis Air Route Traffic Control Center is hosting two events: "Louisville After Dark", which is Friday evening starting at 5:PM CST- and "NFL Madness", which is Saturday at the same time.

AeroTexas members have three routes from which to choose: Dallas (KDFW) to Louisville (KSDF), Cincinnati (KCVG), and Indianapolis (KIND). All flights must first-leg originate in Dallas.

This is a great opportunity to fly out of DFW because it's not part of our regular route network, nor is SDF, IND or CVG. Flying on the VATSIM network from 2300-0300Z is encouraged, but not required. Flight reports for this event are valid through the weekend, and inbound legs to DFW will count as Return flights.

October Stats

Active Pilots: 17
Total Flights: 136 (Cargo 24)
Total Hours: 200.1
Total Miles: 59088 NM
On Time Performance: 85.3%
Average landing performance: -251

AJAX Flight Display

Logo by Greg Raiz.

---

The live flight display was recently updated to show active aircraft in a Google Map on the website, but this is only an intermediate step. Using the latest web technology, a new flight display map is being developed that will use Asynchronous JavaScript and XML (AJAX). The result? A live flight display that updates aircraft positions on the map with heading-oriented icons without page refreshes, and an intelligent backend that reduces server load to boot! I'm not aware of any other VA who has this kind of ACARS display. Stay tuned!

Route Verification Returns

Although not widely known, for the past year AeroTexas route verification was suspended in an effort to collect information about where our members preferred to fly. After carefully analyzing the data, the AeroTexas flight system was extensively revised, and route verification has now been re-instituted. With route verification now back in place, you should check the website to see what flights are available before you begin your flight, otherwise it may not count!

Now don't look so glum...it should be noted that 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 effective today, 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 (see below).
4. Special events flights, when specified.

Return Flights
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.

Special Event Flights
Occasionally AeroTexas will hold special events with flights to places that are not part of our regular flight table. These flights will be always announced in advance and will count towards promotions and awards unless otherwise specified.

Updated Airports

The airports database was updated today with some minor changes. Check In on the website as a member and click on ATAVS. The stationref.csv file should be downloaded in your ATAVS folder.

Top 20 Aircraft

Here are the top 20 aircraft flown by AeroTexas pilots from Oct 20, 2009 to Oct 20, 2010. These aircraft flew more than 88% of the flights in the last year. The Bombardier CRJ-200 was the leader with 225 flights. The Beech 1900, Boeing 737-700, Embraer Brasilia (E120), and Boeing 737-800 rounded out the top five aircraft. The biggest fuel guzzler was the Boeing 747-400, while the Convair 240 took top honors in fuel economy. The CRJ-700 had the most consistent fuel usage while the Beech 1900 had the most variable fuel usage. I'm not sure why that is, but I suspect it has something to do with mixed model usage (FS9 and FSX). Though not show here, there were five additional aircraft that flew 10 or more segments: King Air 350; Boeing 737-300; Pilatus PC-12, ATR-72, and Convair 580.

New ATAVS on the Horizon

A new version of the Alpha Tango Aircraft Validation System is now in development. This will likely be a major version change as it will incorporate a new way to validate aircraft. The idea is to validate aircraft by title line, but not require any changes by the user. This will allow our members to make use of more aircraft, and not be limited to only what we have in our stable. This change is due in part to the requests of our members. Thank you for your input!

Flying on VATSIM

AeroTexas has long been a supporter of the Virtual Air Traffic Simulation network.

The Virtual Air Traffic Simulation Network, known as VATSIM.net or "VATSIM" was created in 2001 by a group of individuals who came together with a goal of creating an organization which truly served the needs of the flight simulation and online air traffic control community. With an eye towards more than just providing a network of computers for users to log into, VATSIM is an online community where people can learn and, at the same time, enjoy the pastimes of flight simulation and air traffic control simulation all while making new friends from all over the world.

AeroTexas is currently recognized by VATSIM as a partner airline.

VATSIM is not just for individuals who have experience in online flight simulation and ATC. It is perfect for both the new user, and the long time "simmer". For pilots, you'll be able to fly with radar service by air traffic controllers who issue instruction and assistance in all phases of flight from getting your clearance to arriving at your destination airport.

One of the requirements for recognition as a partner airline is that at least ten pilots on our roster need to fly on VATSIM in the last 90 days. Unfortunately we do not currently meet that requirement. I would therefore encourage all of our members to log a flight on VATSIM using your ATX id as soon as possible.