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Intercity Discussion Forums => ACARS => Topic started by: Chris Hulme on Jun 03, 2014 15:22

Title: Intercity ACARS User Manual
Post by: Chris Hulme on Jun 03, 2014 15:22
Intercity ACARS2 User Manual

If you have any issues using Intercity ACARS, please read this document. If it does not solve your problem or answer you question, please post your query in the ACARS section of the discussion forums and we shall assist you.

Requirements and Prerequisites

Before you can use Intercity ACARS you will need the following:


Download and install

Download the latest Intercity ACARS here (http://viaintercity.com/forums/index.php?action=downloads;sa=view;down=1)
Open the zip file and run the installer

Using Intercity ACARS

Starting

To start ACARS, open the Windows Start Menu and look for the Intercity ACARS folder. Click the bird wing icon to start ACARS

Updating and Logging in

Intercity ACARS automatically checks for updates when it is first started.

If an update is required ACARS will download and install it before continuing; during this time you will be presented with an update message for a few minutes and although the program may appear to hang/freeze or show as "Not Responding" this is perfectly normal. ACARS will restart itself when the update is complete

Once ACARS has confirmed it's up to date, it will show the login page. Here you must enter your Pilot ID and Password. It will then attempt to log you in. You can choose for ACARS to remember your login details and also automatically log you in on the next launch.

Flight Select

Once you have logged in successfully you will be presented with the main flight select screen.

At this point ACARS will check for any incomplete flights and if any are found it will allow you resume them. Flight Resume is covered later in this manual. If you do not want to resume your previously incomplete flight, you can proceed as normal and start a new flight, although this will erase all records of your previously incomplete flight and you will no longer be able to resume it.

The Flight Select screen has multiple tabs:

News Feed - Shows the latest airline news and forum posts pulled directly from the Intercity website.
Flight Select - Search the flight schedule and select a flight to fly.
My Awards - Shows available awards and how far off from achieving them you are.
My Logbook - Shows your personal logbook.
ChangeLog - Shows the ACARS changelog.

Flight Select Tab

All flights in the schedule will display. You can search by using the drop down menus at the top.

You can display any charters that are available by checking the charter box.

Once you have found a flight clicking on it will select it. You can then choose which aircraft registration you wish to fly, or let it choose one at random.

Once you have selected the flight you wish to fly the Begin flight and Flight Planning buttons will appear.

Flight Planning is covered at the end of this manual.

When you're ready to fly, click Begin Flight, you will then be asked to select an aircraft you wish to fly. You will be presented with a list of all aircraft currently located at your departure airport, if none are available then all airframes will be shown for you to select. At this point you should start Flight Simulator and set up your flight making sure that you are in an Intercity Airways aircraft and are loaded on the ground at your departure airport with the parking brake set and all engines shutdown before clicking OK and continuing.

Flight Logger

Once the phase is set to "Boarding" you can start your flight. If you selected manual off/on blocks you will need to press the "Off Blocks" button just before you start your engines and the "On Blocks" just after you shut them down. ACARS will automatically attempt to detect off/on blocks and the use of these buttons should be used if it does not automatically trigger.

The Pilot In Cockpit check is active liftoff to touchdown, if it detects an extended period of inactivity it will sound an alarm and you will need to press a button in the cockpit to let ACARS know you're still at the controls.

To make sure that ACARS transitions through its flight "phases" you need to ensure that during cruise your vertical speed is 0 fpm for 2 seconds, which will enable ACARS to register that you have reached cruise attitude.

You can track your flight in real time with a map here (http://viaintercity.com/live-flight-tracker/).

Submitting your flight report

Once you have landed and shutdown your engines (or pressed the "On Blocks" button) the Messages section will be replaced with Flight Report where  you can enter any comments would like to be recorded, such as your route or the weather. You should also select the network you have been flying on (Offline, VATSIM or IVAO). Clicking "Send report" which will transfer the flight log to your logbook for you to view along with a map of your route and altitude graph.

Diverting

In the event you have diverted to an alternate airfield you need to check the "Diverted" box. You will then need to select a reason and short explanation into the comments box. For example if diverting due to bad weather provide METARs for destination and also alternate aerodromes. If diverting for a technical issue provide details of what occurred.

Please note: In reality diverts are not a common occurrence and therefore pilots who divert will have their flight report reviewed by management.

Flight Resume

If you do not successfully complete a flight, ACARS will allow you to continue your flight from near your last known position. If your flight simulator has crashed, you should restart it and then ACARS, as it only checks for an incomplete flight when it is first started. If an incomplete flight found the "Flight Resume" button is displayed on the Flight Select screen and clicking it will enabled you to continue logging that flight:


You must then satisfy the criteria outlined on the Flight Resume page before you can resume logging. You can also click the map icon to display a map of your last known location to assist you in positioning your aircraft. Once all three items in the Aircraft Position box are green, the Continue Flight button will become available and clicking this will resume logging of your flight.

The Flight Resume feature is best used in conjunction with software that will automatically save your flight at regular intervals (typically 5 minutes) such as FSX Save or a registered copy of FSUIPC.

Flight Planning

After selecting a flight on the Flight Select screen or once you have begun logging your flight the Flight Planning button will be enabled.

Clicking it will open the Flight Planning section.

The Flight Planning window is a separate window to ACARS. This means you can keep it open whilst you fly so you can refer back to the OFP and also Performance figures.

Upon loading the Flight Planning section will be pre populated with the selected flights information. If you wish to select another flight then close the window and select the flight you require on the Flight Select screen and then reopen the Flight Planning window.

The planner is easy to use and utilises SimBrief. You will require a FREE SimBrief account (Register here (http://\"https://www.simbrief.com/home/%5C")).

You can specify your routing or can leave this blank for an auto generated route. You can also select the layout you would like and if you have selected an Airbus A32S flight you can switch between A319 and A320 models. Once your happy click Generate OFP.

You will be prompted to login to SimBrief in a pop up window, enter your SimBrief login details here and the flight plan will generate and load in ACARS. Once its complete you will be presented with your flight plan under the OFP tab.

If you wish to save or print the OFP can you do this directly from within the window, or you can click the Download OFP button, and it will open in Windows.

ACARS will read the OFP and extract the aircraft weights and planned fuel. ACARS will then take this data and calculate a passenger figure and baggage figure to help you when loading your aircraft.

The figures are based on the Aerosoft Airbus X, Majestic Q400 and the PMDG Jetstream 41.

If you are flying the Dash 8 Q400 then your Takeoff and Landing V Speeds will be shown. These are based on the speed charts that come with the Majestic Q400, and will update according to the weights which have been extracted from the OFP.

You can also export the flightplans to import into the Aerosoft Airbus X Extended and the Majestic Q400. These are saved in C:\Users\USER\Documents\Aerosoft\Airbus\FlightPlans for the Airbus and C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Games\Microsoft Flight Simulator X\SimObjects\Airplanes\mjc8q400\nav\routes for the Q400. A red message will appear advising of the filename of the exported flightplan.

You can also file your flightplan with VATSIM, so that it can be loaded quickly from within your VATSIM Client. The form will populate, and will just require you to select your Voice Capability and enter your VATSIM CID and Password.