singapore virtual airlines ops manual 31

8/11/2019 Singapore Virtual Airlines Ops Manual 31

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SINGAPORE VIRTUAL AIRLINES GROUP

Flight Operations Manual

Revision 3.1, September 29, 2012

Effective October 1, 2012

I n t r o d u c t i o n

The Singapore Virtual Airlines Group was established to bring together flight simulation

virtual pilots who are passionate about commercial aviation and Singapore Airlines. Since ourinception we have grown to cover the entire real-world SIA network and expanded operationsto replicate those of Tiger Airways Singapore, Tiger Airways Australia, SilkAir and Singapore

Airlines Cargo.

We are pleased to welcome you into our family, where everyone can enjoy and learn all aboutflying. We believe you want a greater purpose to your flight simulation pursuits, and we arehere to give you just that, a rich, fulfilling and immersive flying environment.

Welcome aboard, and we hope you enjoy your flight.

The Group has a Facebook page and a fully featured discussion forum, both of which can beaccessed from our website.

http://singaporevirtualairlines.org/

The website and forums should be your first destinations for affairs related to the VA. Thereyou can find the latest VA news staff contact information, flight information, pilot resources,aircraft downloads and navigational charts. Should you have any concerns, questions or faceany problems, please do not hesitate to seek advice through any of these channels, we wouldbe more than glad to help you.


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a s i c P i l o t R e q u i r e m e n t s

As a pilot your primary obligation is of course to fly. However we also understand that this isa hobby real world commitments sometimes prevent us from flying. If such a situation arises,

inform us of your situation either through the forums or directly contacting Management. Youwill be granted Leave of Absence until your return. New pilots must complete their trainingsorties within a month of their activation.

All pilots not on Leave of Absence are obligated to fly at least twice within a month.

Before you can begin flying, you will need the following:

a) Flight Simulator 9, Flight Simulator X, XPlane 9 or XPlane 10b) Variable input device such as controller, joy pad, joystick or yokec) FSUIPC interface app

d)

VAFS tracker

c) and d) can be downloaded from our website for free. If you need help acquiring flightsimulation software and/or a flight control device, get in touch with us.

You must know that the Group engages in flight simulation. This means we take ouroperations very seriously. Protocols, policies and procedures should be strictly obeyed toensure that flights are carried out in a safe and efficient manner. Dangerous and recklessflying resulting in injured passengers and damage to cargo and aircraft will not be tolerated asthey permanently affect the airlines ratings and reputation.

F l i g h t S c h o o l

This facility is provided free to all pilots new and existing. You can learn all about real worldflying and navigation, from flight- and fuel-planning to weather analysis, SIDs and STARs,inflight and emergency procedures. To arrange for a session, post on the forums, fill out thewebsite form or approach the Director of Flight Operations. No rush, your time, your target,

your pace. We are all here to learn and share.

T r a i n i n g F l i g h t s

All new pilots must complete a series of training flights to certify that they are fit and capableof handling all our revenue flights. Pilots with excessive Infractions also must be re-certifiedwith training flights. These are marked with the header SQT, and must not be flown byregular pilots as they are non-revenue, non-scheduled routes.

P i l o t R a n k s


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As with any airline, you will progressively move up the ranks over time.If you have flown with another virtual airline in the past, your hours and seniority can becarried over. In order to be accepted, these hours must be verified with a web link. With theexception of other SIA virtual airlines, a maximum of 200 hours can be carried over.

The salary earned can be used to purchase pilot bonuses, real estate, home furnishing, andeven financial stock in other virtual airlines. You should do this as it increases the Group's

ratings as a reflection of how well our pilots are doing.

http://www.vafinancials.com/v5/pcenter_login.php

You should log in and purchase, using your virtual pay, items to furnish your home that alsocontributes to ratings and pay bonuses. Think of them as multipliers.

Each flight also has a rating starting at 100. Inflight errors will deduct from that number.Outstanding airmanship will be awarded with extra rating. This rating will go on to reflect

your pilot account, as an average, and go on to affect the overall rating of the Group that is

compared against the performance of other virtual airlines.Management inspects the Roster and PIREPs on a regular basis. Pilots with an average ratingof less than 100 will be informed to take steps to improve their rating.

G e n e r a l G u i d e l in e s

Crashing your Aircraft

The first thing you have to understand about Flight Simulator is its a simulation. It is not a

video game. Therefore if you crash your aircraft, there will be no realistic damage modeling,flames or explosions. And why would you want that? If you were employed by a real worldairline would you go out and crash their planes too? A crash is defined as any contact withthe ground at a rate of -750 feet per minute (FPM) or more. A typical jet lands at a rate of -100 to -150 FPM. Basic airmanship and aircraft handling is taught in Flight School.

Fuel Usage and Optimization

A surprisingly big chunk of commercial aviation is centered about fuel usage. A pilots job isto get the passengers and cargo from A to B, and next, to do that using as little fuel aspossible. This is because jet fuel is expensive. While we do not condone going to potentiallydangerous measure to save fuel, it is highly encouraged that you carry out proper flight


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planning and fly in a manner that does not waste unnecessary fuel, making use of high-leveljet streams and step-climbing to appropriate cruise altitudes on longer flights for example.

You can learn more about flying efficiently in Flight School.

The Group is actively involved in fuel hedging operations, which is buying and storing large

amounts of jet fuel when it is cheap.

Flying

Time acceleration is not allowed in the Group. All flights should be done in real time. Ourcomprehensive schedules allow for flights of all duration, from a short half-hour regional hopto nonstop intercontinental 18-hour long hauls, there is something perfect for everyone.

GPS point-to-point routes are not allowed. This is very unrealistic and unprofessional. If youare having difficulty with flight-planning, approach the Chief Pilot or Director of Flight

Operations and they will be more than happy to assist you. Flight planning is also covered inFlight School.

Ratings system

VAFS has in place a ratings system to reflect the airmanship of each pilot. Generally speaking,flying properly and realistically contributes to this rating; accidents and mistakes detract fromit. The following is an exhaustive list of events that affect your rating.

i. Departure in inclement weather

ii.

Departure in poor visibilityiii. Arrival in inclement weatheriv. Arrival in poor visibilityv. Gentle touchdown (-150FPM or less)vi. Very gentle touchdown (-100FPM or less)vii. Landing gear damage (not retracted above 250kts)viii. Flaps damage (not retracted above 250kts)

ix. Severe flaps damage (not retracted above 300kts)x. Landing lights left on above 10000ftxi. Landing lights left off below 10000ft

xii.

Airspeed exceeding 300kts below 10000ftxiii. Passenger distress (bank angle more than 30 degrees)xiv. Passenger distress (pitch more than +-30 degrees)xv. Passenger distress (G-force more than 2.0Gs)xvi. Fragile or hazardous cargo damaged (bank angle more than 30 degrees)xvii. Fragile or hazardous cargo damaged (pitch more than +- 20 degrees)xviii. Fragile or hazardous cargo damaged (touchdown -300FPM or more)

Note that hard landings also can cause costly damage to your gear.


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Codeshares

The Group has existing codeshare agreements with various virtual airlines. This allows you tofly to many more destinations that are not currently on the Singapore Airlines schedule.However, the Group does not receive the full revenue from codeshare flights, even if we arethe ones operating it. Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, it is not advisable to fly acodeshare flight that duplicates an existing SQ route.

Cargo

Before every flight, you can and must choose what cargo to load your aircraft with. Apartfrom Singapore Airlines Cargo, regular passenger flights are also capable of carrying airfreightin the lower cargo holds. Cargo is a lucrative commodity and it is a prerequisite to any flight.

As you spend more time flying with us, you will eventually be offered cargo that is fragile orhazardous material such as glass, fuel or even nuclear waste. Revenue from these cargoes is

significantly higher, but extra care has to be taken to ensure that the cargo is not damaged.

Environment

Flight Simulator and XPlane have included a satisfactory representation of the whole world.However in many geographical regions and especially so with the older FS9 simulator, it willrequire scenery and airport add-ons and modifications in order to achieve a more realisticappearance. However all this is notnecessary in order to fly realistically. There are also hugeamounts of freeware add-ons to enhance your flying experience. These are listed below.


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The aircraft is the most important part of any flight simulation. Some flight simulationenthusiasts have gone to great lengths to recreate an exact replica of a real-world airlinerflight deck with fully functional systems. Of course this is not necessary, although it would be

very cool if you had one. However we do recommend that you invest in at least one payware

aircraft, perhaps the one you love most, or have always dreamed of. Payware aircraft not onlyoffer significantly greater visual detail and pleasantry, but most also come with realistic flightcomputers, autopilot systems, dynamics and handling. These would of course greatly increasethe realism in your operations. Beware though, there are some payware aircraft out there thatare complete and utter rubbish. You should always find reviews and feedback on any paywareproduct before buying, or feel free to approach any of the staff for an opinion.

While you are not required to, it is advisable to use an appropriate aircraft for each flight.The tracker will list the aircraft type used for each route. For example, a Silkair flight uses the

Airbus A319 while Singcargo uses the 747-400F. You may substitute, for example, a Tiger

Airways A320 with the Silkair A319, but you should not substitute it with, say, an A380.

For pilots who are flying with a flight computer (FMC/CDU) onboard, these are therecommended cost index and cruise speeds for the various aircraft types the Group operates.

Aircraft Cost Index Cruise Speed (Mach)

Airbus A319/320 50 0.77 to 0.78Airbus A333/345 60 0.82 to 0.84

Airbus A380 70 0.84 to 0.86Boeing B772/773/77E 80 0.83 to 0.85

Boeing B744/74Y 90 0.84 to 0.86

Of course, there are always many freeware options. Project OpenSkywas a group of freewaredevelopers known for their amazing commercial aircraft and textures. It has since shut down,but the aircraft remain free to download from their old website. Project Airbusis a similargroup with equally outstanding, free, aircraft and textures.VASFMCis a free realistic flightcomputer that can be integrated into most aircraft.


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The following are three of the biggest freeware repositories and communities.

http://www.flightsim.com/http://library.avsim.net/login.phphttp://www.simviation.com/simviation/index.php

And here are three of the biggest and most reliable flight simulation add-on marketplaces:

http://www.fspilotshop.com/http://secure.simmarket.com/default-en.htmlhttp://en.shop.aerosoft.com/eshop.php?shopfilter_category=Flight+Simulation

F l y i n g O n l i n e

The Group is a partner of the Virtual Air Traffic Simulation Network (VATSIM). This meansthat we often organize or receive invitations to events on the global VATSIM network. Suchevents take place at a predetermined date, time and location, so that everyone, pilots andcontrollers alike can congregate for a few hours of highly realistic operations. As a virtualpilot, this will be the closest you can get to a real world pilots experience. There will beother (real) people, most of them just like you flying around, and there will be certified airtraffic controllers guiding you around and about. You will communicate using real-worldICAO phonetics and phraseology. You may encounter congestion, be put into a holdingpattern, or perhaps be given a shortcut along your route while tuning your communicationradios and keeping track of other ATC directives and clearances, for example.

In order to connect to the VATSIM network you will need only one of the following

a) Squawkbox (for FS9)b) FSInn/FSCopilot (for FS9 and FSX)


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A decent microphone (aka, not the one on your stock Apple earphones) is recommended forfull realism, although you may also communicate with air traffic control using text.

Upcoming VATSIM events are announced on the websites News Feed and in the forums.Major events will be featured on the websites home page. You are strongly encouraged and

welcomed to join these events. Additionally, Groupflightsare also conducted on a regularbasis. These are VA-centric events where pilots from the Group and VAs fly together. ATCservices are always available thanks to our close partnership with the Singapore Virtual AirTraffic Control Center. ICAO phraseology and flying with air traffic control is covered inFlight School.

Use this nifty siteto view the VATSIM network and users who are online.Visit the officialVATSIMwebsite to register an account.

P i lo t R e w a r d s

Featured Flights, Groupflightsand regional events qualify for double hours.Major events qualify for triple hours and double pay.

We have to verify flights on the network before bonuses can be awarded. In order to trackyour VATSIM activity, you should register for free withVataware. In addition to automaticallykeeping a record of your online flights, it also generates detailed reports and analysis of eachflights performance. After each event, post in the Events sub forum a link to the Vataware

flight report. You should receive your bonuses within 24 hours.

With the exception of Featured Flights, all events should be flown on the VATSIM network. Itis also highly recommended that your flight at the event is also tracked by VAFS. Charterschedules or extra slots will be set up before the event so that everyone can fly.

Featured Flights do not need to be verified as they are already tracked by VAFS. Your hourswill be manually calculated at the end of the month and the hours credited. Of course youcould make my job much easier and have your hours much quicker by consolidating. Thenext page shows an example of Featured Flightsto Sydney and back.


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I n f r a c t i o n s

We have a zero-tolerance policy against dangerous or reckless flying and conduct that causesfinancial and reputational losses to the airline. Infractions are serious mishaps that causeaircraft and cargo damage and/or passenger injury. Errors such as exceeding speed limits anddisregarding landing lights regulations and negatively affect your rating.

Infractions:

Exceeding 300knots below 10,000ftInappropriate cruise levelInappropriate cruise speedFlying a direct GPS routeFlying without any cargo loadedFlying an aircraft without sufficient passenger capacityFlap damage due to over-speedGear damage due to over-speedGear damage due to hard landingRunning out of fuelCrashing your aircraftExcessive bank angle

Excessive pitch angleExcessive G-forces


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Each pilot, with effect from Jun 6, 2012, will be allowed 3 Infractions before he/she issubject to review and training flights. Repeat offenders will be dismissed from the airline.

These newer, stricter policies are in place to improve our flight standards and flight safety

record in view of recent astronomical maintenance and repair costs caused by careless orreckless pilots. It is in the interest of all members of the airline that all operations are carriedout to the highest of standards.

To help you prevent these mishaps from occurring, we provide Flight School, guidance andadvice that you can obtain at any time from the forums and staff email. In the event of anemergency or major technical issue, the tracker has a Cancel Flight function, whichimmediately terminates all flight tracking and erases record of the current flight.You arestrongly advised to utilize this feature should there be any serious event that could jeopardize

your flight.

S t a n d a r d O p e r a t i n g P r o c e d u r e s

1 Startup

Prior to starting the VAFS tracker, ensure that your aircraft is parked at anappropriate gate at your departure airport. Your simulator time and season should beset to replicate real world conditions. FS9 and FSX have built-in utilities to downloadreal-world weather and there are third-party solutions available as well.

Set up your aircrafts payload and fuel carried onboard. You should always fly with anappropriate amount of fuel. Some aircraft come with their own realistic fuel and loadcalculator. Use them. Fuel planning is covered in Flight School.

2 Fl ightplan

Plan your flight. This is an important step. While the built-in flight planner utility doesthe job of getting you from A to B just fine, it does so using a database that is morethan half a decade old. Online flight planning utilities rely on up-to-date navaiddatabases and you should use them. Proper flight planning is covered in FlightSchool. Reset your aircraft barometer by pressing B or obtain and set the current

QFE setting from VAFS, charts, METARs and terminal ATIS services.

3 Push and Start

Start the VAFS tracker, select your flight and load your cargo. At this point it isadvisable but not required to enter an alternate airport. Press the Start Flight button.If all goes well you should now see a message stating that VAFS has started tracking.Pushback, start your engines and taxi to the appropriate runway. Remember to set

your light switches. Taxi, Wing and Strobe lights should be on during taxi. Afterengines are started, extend flaps to takeoff setting. Typically, only one or two notchesare required. A misconception with using flaps is more flaps = more lift. This isnot true. After a certain point (usually 15~20 degrees) the flaps create more dragthan lift and you may have difficulty taking off.


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4 Taxi to Runway

Turn on your Navigation, Strobe and Taxi lights. Taxi to and hold short of therunway. Hold short means come to a full stop just before the runway at a holdingpoint. These are designated with alternating red flashing lights on both sides of the

taxiway and alternating yellow dotted and continuous lines across it. Check that theautopilot control panel (MCP) is already set to the desired values that you requireafter takeoff. For example, if you want to hold 250kts and 18,000ft after takeoff,ensure that 250 has been set in the auto-throttle knob and FL180 in the autopilotaltitude knob.

Arm the auto throttle, but do not engage the autopilot until passing the reductionaltitude, typically 1500ft. These are generic instructions. For detailed explanation onhow to operate a specific aircraft, read the manual that came with it, post on theforums or approach our staff.

Now turn on your Strobe and Landing lights, set your trim if not already done so by aflight computer, and line up your aircraft on the runway. Set your TCAS to TFCmode if available and your transponder to Mode Charlie if flying online.

5 Takeoff

Stop and apply the parking brakes, increase engine N1 to 50%. Check that allengines are stable and equal on the EICAS display, and then release the brakes.Once you reach V2 speed, gently pull back on the stick and rotate the aircraft to amaximum of 8 degrees pitch (to prevent tail strike especially when heavy), up to 12.5

degrees once airborne, keeping wings level and flying runway heading until reductionaltitude. Once you have confirmed positive rate (your aircraft is climbing safely awayfrom the ground) retract the landing gear without further delay.


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6 Climb

Now that you are airborne, watch your speed and heading. Systematically let theautopilot take over to reduce workload and concentrate on other things such astuning communication radios, flying the SID procedure or adhering to ATCinstructions. Retract your flaps incrementally as your pick up speed. Do not exceed

300kts. You are advised to maintain an optimal 275kts to accommodate winddirection changes and turbulence.

If you have not already done so, reset your barometer by pressing B, this will giveyou an accurate altimeter reading. On passing 10000ft, turn off your Landing, Taxi,Wing and Logo lights. You can now accelerate to cruising speed while continuing toclimb.

Quick physics lesson. As you climb higher, the air becomes thinner and lessdense. This concept is critical to your safe handling of aircraft. As you climb

higher your rate of ascent must be gradually reduced to account for thisdecreasing air density. At the same time, your groundspeed relative toairspeed will increase. It is therefore important to constantly monitor youraircraft if it does not have a VNAV or FLCH feature and decrease the rate ofclimb to maintain speed and sufficient lift. As you climb higher, the air is alsomuch colder and there is the possibility of a frozen pitot tube or ice on thewings. Turn on your pitot heat, window heat and de-icing systems.

On passing transition altitude (this can be obtained from SID charts), change youraltimeter to Standard Air Pressure (29.92inHg or 1013.25hPa QNH) and continue

climbing until your initial cruise altitude. Upon reaching cruise altitude you can nowrelax and watch the clouds. However, stay alert for situations that may arise such as asudden change in wind direction, frozen pitot tube (the airspeed reading drops to

zero) or wing icing. If ATC has given you a route deviation or if your weather radardetects major thunderstorm cloud formations you may need to fly around it to avoidpassenger discomfort, as such it is also necessary to be familiar with how to edit yourenroute waypoints with the built-in GPS500 and your aircraft's FMC if available.Emergency recovery procedures and autopilot systems are covered in Flight School.

7 Descent

As you approach your destination, you must prepare your decent and approach if notalready done so by a flight computers VNAV function. This is typically 100 to200nm out. A quick formula to calculate distance to start descent and rate of decentis as follows. These formulas used to be need to know and actually still are incommercial aviation. You should use them in lieu of an FMCs VNAV.

Top of Descent = 3 X altitude difference(eg. FL400 to 3,000ft MSL = 37 X 3 = 111NM prior)Rate of Descent = 6 X Groundspeed(eg. 500kts X 6 = 3000 FPM Descent Rate)

You should re-check your progress at regular intervals on the way down and readjustyour vertical speed if necessary. Descending too quickly and you have to waste fuel


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crawling to your destination at low altitude. Descending too slowly and you end uptoo high to make a safe approach.

On descending past the transition altitude, set your altimeter back to the prevailingair pressure by pressing B or setting your destinations QFE. This altimeter setting

can be obtained from VAFS, charts, METARs and terminal ATIS services. On nearing10000ft, around 11~12000ft based on your judgment, slow to less than 300kts.

Again, 275kts is recommended to account for wind direction changes. On passing10000ft, turn on your Landing, Taxi, Wing and Logo lights.

8 Approach

You must now prepare for final approach and landing. This involves slowing evenfurther and deploying flaps to maintain a maximum pitch of 5 degrees. Rememberthat beyond 20 degrees of flaps there will be more drag than lift being generated,these, in addition to the landing gear once you are on final approach, will be useful in

helping you slow down the aircraft.

9 Finals

Once you are on final approach and established on the localizer, arm yourspeedbrakes (aka spoilers) and autobrakes. Slow to your final approach speed, this

varies between different aircraft and also depends on aircraft weight at the point intime. Generally you want to maintain a pitch of 1~5 degrees with full flaps deployed.This will be in the range of 140kts to 160kts.

10 Landing

Upon nearing the runway and having the visual, you should disconnect theautothrottle, autopilot and take full control of the aircraft. Take note that in mostcases the PAPI/VASI lights become inaccurate as you near the runway threshold andshould no longer be used for vertical guidance. You should cross the runway

threshold (piano keys) at 50ft and touchdown before the end of the two white stripsstraddling the centerline. Maintain a steady descent rate until 20ft, at which point


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you should gently rotate and flare the aircraft. Overdoing this results in "ballooning",whereby the aircraft rises back up into the air. If the "ballooning" exceeds 30ft it isdangerous to attempt to land and you must immediately execute a go-around.

A go-around is essential to the safety of the entire aircraft and is necessary if you are

too high, too fast, unstable, not lined up or there is imminent danger such as a trafficrunway incursion. You will not be penalized for executing a go-around and it is amust, in the interest of safety, to be prepared to do so on every landing. Go-aroundprocedures are found in the approach plates of all airport charts.

11 Touchdown

After the main gear is firmly on the ground, immediately start reverse thrust to slowthe plane while continuing to track the centerline. Gently let the nose of the plane falland settle. Engines should be returned to idle when the plane slows below 60kts toprevent ingestion into the engines the dust or debris blown forward.

12 Exit Runway

Once the aircraft has slowed to a safe speed of around 25kts, exit the runway at thenext taxiway. It is inherent that you do not attempt to exit the runway at a high speed,this puts the aircraft at risk of running off the pavement as ground directional controlis diminished at speed. After exiting the runway, disarm the autobrakes, turn off theStrobe and Landing lights, retract the flaps and lower the spoilers. Start the APU ifapplicable and taxi to the gate.

13 Arrival

Once you have come to a complete stop at the gate, apply your parking brakes andshut down your engines. Turn off your Taxi and Beacon lights. Congratulations, youhave completed your flight. Verify that your flight has submitted correctly in VAFS. Itis not advisable to replay in the simulator before VAFS has shut down; it constantlytracks your aircraft position, even after landing, so replaying may cause problemswith your flight log.

A friendly tip: after shutting down, do not exit the simulator yet. Go to the File menu(press ALT key if not visible) and save the flight. Give it a title such as LastShutdown 777 and tick the default flight option. The next time you start the

simulator, simply load this flight to go back to the location where you last shut down.


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Thank you for taking the time to read this Operations Manual, and thank you for choosing tofly with Singapore Airlines, a member of Star Alliance.

Nicholas Ng SVAG9499Oct 1, 2012

singapore virtual airlines ops manual 31

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