American Airlines Virtual Pilot's Handbook

Version 1.9.1

1 Why A Handbook?

This handbook explains how American Airlines Virtual (AAV) operates, and how to join AAV.

• If you are thinking about joining AAV, the handbook will help you know what to expect here. Please review the entire manual before you submit an application.
• If you are a new pilot at AAV, the handbook will guide you through your first few flights.
• If you have been with us awhile, the handbook is a reference for our AAV operations.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us through our AAV Contact Page

DISCLAIMER: The sole purpose of AAV is to provide entertainment to the voluntary members of the virtual airline. Any operation or documentation that is similar to any actual airline is purely coincidental and is in no way intended to violate any copyright or other protection laws. This manual should not be used for any purpose other than flight simulation.

2 AAV Basics

AAV is a group of flight simulation pilots who enjoy simulating the operations of an airline. Members of the virtual airline select and fly routes from the AAV timetable, fly offline or online with VATSIM, accumulate flight hours in their log books, practice and fly check flights to build and demonstrate pilot proficiency, advance in rank, and engage in community discussion in our forums.

2.1 VA Flying

AAV pilots use a variety of simulators including Lockheed Martin Prepar3D, Microsoft FSX, Laminar Research X-Plane. A few also use the older Microsoft FS9. Flights emulate the real world American Airlines routes and their partner airline routes. Pilots also fly charters between airports they choose.

Flights are flown in any current or prior American Airlines aircraft.

2.2 Hubs

Like real airlines, AAV pilots are stationed at hubs where they begin and end groups of flights. Pilots are encouraged and allowed to change hubs periodically to experience the unique routes and characteristics of other regions. AAV’s hubs include Chicago O’Hare, Dallas Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami, New York JFK, Charlotte, Philadelphia, Phoenix, and Washington National.

Dallas Fort Worth serves as the training hub where all new AAV pilots start their career. After earning 50 flight hours and demonstrating proficient piloting skills on a check flight, pilots move to the hub of their choice.

2.3 FREQs, Current Bids, and FREPs

Pilots use the AAV timetable to select a series of 2 to 10 connecting flights that begin and end at their hub. These flights are submitted as a Flight Request (FREQ) to their Hub Manager. After the Hub Manager reviews and approves the FREQ, this group of flights becomes the pilot’s Current Bid.

Pilots then fly each flight of their bid in order. After each flight, pilots submit a Flight Report (FREP) documenting the date, time, equipment, and flight hours. After the Hub Manager reviews and approves the FREP, the flight and the flight hours are added to the pilot’s logbook. When the Current Bid is complete, the pilot’s Hub Manager will change the Current Bid section of the pilots profile to read "Awaiting Bid" and the pilot may submit a new FREQ.

2.4 Ranks & Check Flights

AAV uses a series of pilot ranks: 2nd Officer, 1st Officer, Captain, Senior Captain, and Commander. All new pilots start as 2nd Officers. Pilots who have accumulated 50, 150, 350, and 1000 flight hours are eligible to advance in rank by flying a check flight. The check flights specify navigation routes, altitudes, and procedures. The check flights are recorded by the pilot, submitted to the AAV website, and evaluated by AAV Check Pilots. Pilots who demonstrate proficient skills are then promoted to the next rank.

Each new rank provides the pilot with additional flexibility and privileges, such as access to a broader range of routes and destinations.

2.5 Forums

The AAV forums are the heart of our community. This is where our pilot’s share their enthusiasm for both real world and simulated aviation. There are forums for announcements, screenshots, training, technical questions, and online flying.

Our forums are public, and non-members can read the conversations to learn about our community and to help decide if this is the right virtual airline for them.

2.6 Forum Rules

Pilots MUST check the forums regularly as many important announcements are posted there. Many of your questions can be answered by merely reading the forums regularly. All members have posting privileges. The forums at AAV are grouped by subject. Please select the correct forum when posting.

Posting messages or content containing sexually explicit, obscene, vulgar, inflammatory, insulting, hateful, bullying, threatening, unlawful, or personal political views in the forums is prohibited. A member who posts a message or image in the forums which violates this rule will be terminated and will not be eligible to reapply to AAV.

3 Your First Flights With AAV

All new pilots start their AAV career at the Dallas Fort Worth Training Hub, where they will receive an initial introduction into AAV's tools and procedures, including how to file a FREQ and a FREP. At the training hub, pilots have the opportunity to ask our Training Hub Manager for help, training, and mentoring, including VATSIM tools and procedures if the pilot wants to fly online.

Pilots with no prior experience will be assigned their first Current Bid by the Training Hub Manager. This standard first bid consists of four flights and specifies the flight numbers and airports.

Pilots with prior VA hours and experience may choose their own first bid by submitting a FREQ consisting of AAV timetable flights that service the Dallas Fort Worth (KDFW) airport. Fill out the FREQ using the Submit FREQ form under Resources on the aavirtual.com website.

All 2nd Officers will stay at the Training Hub until they have completed 50 flight hours and demonstrated proficient piloting skill on the 1st Officer check flight. Pilots are then promoted to 1st Officer and transferred to their preferred AAV hub.

2nd Officers with no prior VA hours have an opportunity to accelerate their journey to 1st Officer. At any time, they may choose to fly the 2nd Officer check flight. Upon demonstrating proficient piloting skills on the 2nd Officer check flight, 25 hours will be added to the pilot’s AAV flight hours, thus giving the pilot a faster track to 50 hours and the 1st Officer check flight.

Online flying is NOT mandatory NOR a requirement for flying with AAV but we encourage our pilots to learn to fly online with VATSIM. Information is contained on our VATSIM forum. Additional help is available from our Training Hub Manager, our Check Pilots, and our line pilots. Questions and requests for information may be posted in the VATSIM forum or sent via Personal Message (PM).

4 FREQs

A new FREQ may be submitted when your pilot profile shows your Current Bid as "Awaiting Bid". If your Hub Manager does not update your bid status when approving the last FREP of your bid, please email or PM your Hub Manager to ask for your prior bid to be cleared.

Pilots may request between 2 and 10 flights per FREQ. The first flight of the FREQ MUST originate, and last flight MUST terminate, at the pilot's assigned Hub. Flights in between the first and last may be anywhere in the system but must connect with each other (i.e. the next flight chosen must depart from the same airport where the previous flight landed). Pilots ranked Commander are permitted to start and end their bids at any AAV hub.

Note for JFK: Pilots may consider any of the three major New York Airports (JFK, EWR, and LGA) to be equivalent. For example, they may terminate one flight at KLGA and originate the next at KJFK.

Fill out the FREQ using the Submit FREQ form under Resources on the aavirtual.com website.

Pilots can find available flights in the AAV online timetable under Resources on the aavirtual.com website. Additionally, pilots may use the real world American Airlines timetable, as long as flight numbers and destinations are verifiable by your Hub Manager. Please email or PM your Hub Manager if you submit a FREQ using real world flights.

Hub Managers review to ensure the FREQ flight types and destinations match the pilot's rank qualifications, and then approve or deny the FREQ. Pilots are notified via email when FREQs are approved or denied. If your FREQ is denied, look for comments in the email from your Hub Manager indicating the issue. You may submit a revised FREQ at any time.

AAV also provides One World and code share flights for our pilots subject to the following restrictions:

• 1. Pilots ranked 1st Officer and below may fly any code share flight which departs and lands within the United States.
• 2. Pilots ranked Captain and above may fly any code share flights.

You may fly a total of four (4) "Charter Flights" per bid. A Charter flight is a flight NOT on any posted AAV or American Airlines timetable. It must be flown in an American Airlines aircraft. Charter Flights are requested in your FREQ using the same notations as a regular flight. When requesting a charter, substitute the word "CHARTER" or "CHART" in place of the flight number and then list the departure and arrival airports as you would for a regular flight. Pilots ranked Commander are permitted an unlimited number of Charter flights.

5 FREPs

Fill out and submit a FREP immediately after you complete a flight for AAV. Fill out the FREP using the Submit FREP form under Resources on the aavirtual.com website. Alternatively, you may download and use the FSACARS utility to automate your FREP submission. See the pinned FSACARS for AAVirtual post in the Technical Forum for FSACARS instructions.

All departure and arrival times must be reported in Zulu time as the Submit FREP form states.

All flights should depart close to, but not before, the actual scheduled departure time shown in the timetable. This can be accomplished by changing the flight simulator time to match the approximate scheduled departure time. For example, if your flight is scheduled to depart at 08:00 ZULU, you should set your flight simulator time to 07:50 ZULU or earlier to give you time to prepare yourself and your aircraft for the flight. You would not push back from the gate prior to 08:00 ZULU. Use flight simulator times regardless of the real world time.

For the purpose of flight time reporting, the departure time is the time the aircraft begins pushback. The arrival time is the time the aircraft arrives at the gate and the brakes are set.

Multiple FREP's should not be saved up and filed in groups. File a FREP immediately at the completion of each flight.

Although the AAV logbook and pilot profile pages have records of pilot flight hours, pilots should keep their own records of accumulated flight time. This will become handy should there be an error in the AAV flight hours. If an error occurs, the pilot should notify their Hub Manager immediately and the situation will be investigated.

5.1 ACARS (Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System)

AAV supports the use of FSACARS to automatically log your flight data and automatically submit your FREP. FSACARS will log technical flight data in the FREP that is not supported with a manually submitted FREP such as flight distance, fuel used, touchdown rate, and touchdown speed. Use of FSACARS is required for some of the AAV contests.

See the pinned FSACARS for AAVirtual post in the Technical Forum for FSACARS instructions.

6 Flying

6.1 Time

All flights should be flown at the correct simulated time. This can be accomplished by changing the flight simulator time to match the approximate scheduled departure time. For example, if your flight is scheduled to depart at 08:00 ZULU, you should set your flight simulator time to 07:50 or earlier to give you time to prepare yourself and your aircraft for the flight. You would not push back from the gate prior to 08:00.

Use flight simulator times regardless of the real world time.

6.2 Weather

To add to the realism of simulated flights, it is suggested that pilots use real world weather. This allow pilots to fly in their simulator with actual weather situations occurring around the world, including winds aloft and turbulence. The use of real world weather will also create the potential for delayed flights.

6.3 Cruising Altitude

In the real world, airline flights operate at various altitudes during the cruising portion of the flight. However, these altitudes are not just randomly chosen. There are certain altitudes that are assigned to a flight, depending upon the direction of travel, and to some extent, weather.

In the U.S. and Europe , AAV flights use standard IFR RVSM altitudes. Therefore, westbound flights should be at even thousands (10,000, 12,000, 14,000, etc.). Eastbound flights should be at odd thousands (11,000, 13,000, 15,000, etc.). This rule applies to all cruise altitudes, even those above FL290.

6.4 Accelerated Time

Accelerated Time (Simulation rate) is NOT ALLOWED for 2nd Officer pilots.

Accelerated Time (Simulation rate) IS ALLOWED for other ranks while flying offline as long as the following criteria are met:

• 1. Departure phase ends once you reach cruising altitude and approach begins once you start your descent from cruising altitude.
• 2. Departure and approach MUST be flown at 1x.
• 3. While flying at cruising altitude, maximum allowed acceleration rate is 4x.
• 4. You must report the real time flown, not the simulated time logged. For instance, if you flew a flight which takes approximately 4 hours to complete when done in real time and it took you 1 hour to fly it in accelerated time, you MUST report 1 hour as the total logged hours for that particular flight and make a note in the COMMENTS section of the FREP stating this flight was done in accelerated time.

Accelerated Time (Simulation rate) IS ALLOWED while flying online on VATSIM as long as the following criteria are met:

• 1. Departure phase ends once you reach cruising altitude and approach begins once you start your descent from cruising altitude.
• 2. Departure and approach MUST be flown at 1x.
• 3. You MUST obtain CLEARANCE from ATC before going into accelerated time. Under no circumstances can a pilot go into accelerated time without clearance to do so.
• 4. While flying at cruising altitude, maximum allowed rate is determined by ATC.
• 5. You must report the real time flown, not the simulated time logged. For instance, if you flew a flight which takes approximately 4 hours to complete when done in real time and it took you 1 hour to fly it in accelerated time, you MUST report 1 hour as the total logged hours for that particular flight and make a note in the COMMENTS section of the FREP stating this flight was done in accelerated time.

6.5 Pausing

Pausing the simulator is acceptable while flying offline. The simulator clock will pause, so your arrival time and flight time for your FREP is unaffected, whether you use the system time or FSACARS.

VATSIM does not allow pausing the simulator while flying online.

7 Minimum Activity Level

We want a roster of active pilots at AAV, so we require a minimum level of activity from every pilot.

Pilots who fail to meet the minimum activity requirements and do not request, or are not granted a Leave of Absence (LOA), will be notified by email of their impending termination and given seven days to fulfill the activity requirements or be approved for LOA status. After seven days with no further change in status, they will be assumed to have resigned their position and may be removed from the roster. Pilots who are removed from the roster due to unexcused inactivity will be unable to reapply to AAV for a period of 6 months.

7.1 Currency

In order to remain on "active" status, Pilots must fly regularly, and file a FREP to record their activity. Higher ranks allow pilots more time to complete their flights.

2nd Officer pilots MUST fly at least ONE flight from their approved FREQ, or participate in an approved AAV Group Fly In (GFI), and submit a FREP every 35 days to remain on active status.

As pilots move up in the ranks, the currency limit is extended as follows:

• 2nd Officer - must file a FREP at least once every 35 days.
• 1st Officer - must file a FREP at least once every 40 days.
• Captain - must file a FREP at least once every 45 days.
• Senior Captain - must file a FREP at least once every 60 days.
• Commander - must file a FREP at least once every 90 days.
• AAV Staff - must file a FREP at least once every 90 days.

Pilots who do not maintain active status may be deleted from AAV.

If real world events make you unable to maintain your active status, please contact your Hub Manager about a Leave of Absence (LOA). See section 7.2.

7.2 Leave of Absence (LOA)

If it is necessary for you to be away for an extended time, you may take up to 4 months Leave of Absence. Please let your Hub Manager know how long you will be gone. After you receive confirmation from your Hub Manager, you will remain on the AAV pilot roster.

While on LOA, pilots may not submit a FREP, submit a check flight, or participate in AAV contests or GFIs.

If pilots on LOA with AAV are found to be flying regular flights with another virtual airline, they will be removed from the roster. We don't believe it is too much to ask that if you are flying for another VA, that you fly periodically for AAV.

7.3 Current Contact Information

AAV communicates with pilots primarily via email. Pilots are responsible for maintaining a valid email address at AAV. To check or change your email address, go to the Forums, click on the drop down by your user name, click on User Control Panel, click on the Profile tab (top row), and finally click on the Edit account settings tab (left column).

It is the pilot's responsibility to notify their Hub Manager of a change in email address and update their profile accordingly in order to receive Hub Manager messages.

Pilots who are unresponsive via email or do not maintain a valid email address at AAV may be deleted from AAV.

8 Ranks

Each rank provides the pilot with increased flexibility and privileges as shown in the table below. To advance in rank, pilots must have the required hours and demonstrate proficient piloting skills on a check flight.

8.1 Ranks, Qualification, and Benefits

9 Check Flights

AAV encourages pilot proficiency and learning new skills. A series of check flights provides increasingly challenging scenarios and routes for our pilots to fly. There are two types of check flights:

• Rank Check Flights: Required for promotion to the next rank.
• Endorsement Check Flights: Optional check flights for demonstrating proficiency in various aircraft and airspace.

Pilots may practice check flights as many times as they want before recording their flight and submitting the recording to the AAV Check Pilots for evaluation. There is no limit to the number of times a pilot may submit check flight recordings for evaluation.

9.1 Rank Check Flights

Once a pilot has logged the minimum required flight hours for their next rank, the pilot is qualified for the check flight for that rank. Ranks and rank check flights cannot be skipped. For example, a 2nd Officer with 150 flight hours cannot fly the Captain check flight. He must first demonstrate proficient piloting skills on the 1st Officer check flight. The pilot's Hub Manager will notify the pilot and the Training Department when each new level is reached, and the pilot will receive their new check flight instructions by email. If you have not received your check flight within 72 hours of logging the required flight hours, please email your Hub Manager to request the check flight.

9.2 Endorsement Check Flights

The endorsement check flights are completely optional, but they are a fun and challenging way to improve your piloting skill. When you demonstrate proficient piloting skills on an endorsement check flight, the endorsement will be noted in your pilot profile.

Your flight simulator may not have the aircraft required for an endorsement check flight. In this case, you may have to acquire and load free-ware or pay-ware add-ons to your flight simulator in order to fly the check flight.

Contact your Hub Manager to request the endorsement check flights.

10 Online Flying and VATSIM

Online flying is NOT mandatory NOR a requirement for flying with AAV but we encourage our pilots to fly online with VATSIM. Any flight from your Current Bid may be flown online. AAV occasionally holds Group Fly Ins (GFIs). These will be announced in the forums and are flown online with VATSIM.

All flights flown on VATSIM will earn 50% bonus flight hours. For example, a 4 hour flight on VATSIM will earn you 6 hours of flight time with AAV. The AAV flight report system handles this automatically when you file a flight report and the VATSIM FLIGHT block of your FREP says "Yes" indicating a VATSIM flight.

Pilots who want to fly online with VATSIM must download and install the required software. All of this information can be found on the VATSIM website. Pilots flying charters or participating in GFIs (Group Fly-Ins) should use their AAV pilot ID number as the flight number. Please check the AAV VATSIM forum for information and tips.

10.1 Call signs

When flying for American Airlines Virtual (AAV), the 3-letter designator is AAL and the call sign is "American".

When flying online with VATSIM, if upon logging on to VATSIM you find that your flight number is in use and not available, choose an alternate flight number for your trip. In order to receive VATSIM credit for the flight, you must notify your Hub Manager of the changed flight number when filing your FREP. Use the "Remarks" section of the FREP form for this purpose.

10.2 Comments

When flying online on VATSIM, include “aavirtual.com” in the Remarks section of your flight plan.

11 Specialty flights

11.1 Group Fly Ins (GFIs)

GFIs are an opportunity to fly online with your fellow AAV pilots. GFIs are flown online on VATSIM, usually with Air Traffic Control (ATC). GFIs are open to all AAV pilots. There are no rank or hour requirements to fly. GFIs are separate from FREQs and Current Bids. You may fly in a GFI even if you are in the middle of your bid.

GFIs dates, times, and routes are announced in the forums. Pilots gather online on VATSIM at the designated departure airport prior to the scheduled departure time to pre-flight their aircraft. Pilots then fly the routes together.

AAV pilots have an opportunity to talk using the VATSIM client private message features or using AAV TeamSpeak channels run by some of our members. Ask in the forums or during the preflight if there is a TeamSpeak channel available.

Group fly in procedures:

• 1. Fly an aircraft suitable for the GFI.
• 2. During a Group Fly-In fly use the AAxxxx call sign, where xxxx is your AAV pilot number.
  NOTE: When flying online with VATSIM, if upon logging on to VATSIM you find that your flight number is in use and not available, choose an alternate flight number for your trip. In order to receive VATSIM credit for the flight, you must notify your Hub Manager of the changed flight number when filing your FREP. Use the "Remarks" section of the FREP form for this purpose.
• 3. File a FREP with the appropriate ZULU start and stop time (no FREQ needed).
• 4. Make sure the VATSIM FLIGHT block of your FREP says "Yes".
• 5. Make sure the GFI or Theme Flight block of your FREP says "Yes".

11.2 Theme flights

Theme flights are an opportunity for several AAV pilots to fly the same route and share their experiences in the forums. Screenshots are encouraged. Theme flights are flown offline or online on VATSIM. Theme flights are open to all AAV pilots. There are no rank or hour requirements to fly. Theme flights are separate from FREQs and Current Bids. You may fly a Theme flight even if you are in the middle of your bid.

Theme flights dates, routes, and any other details are announced in the forums. Pilots fly the theme flight any time before the end date. Pilots may fly individually, or in groups on VATSIM.

Theme flight procedures:

• 1. Follow the Theme flight instructions.
• 2. File a FREP with the appropriate ZULU start and stop time (no FREQ needed).
• 3. Make sure the GFI or Theme Flight block of your FREP says "Yes".
• 4. Optional: Post comments and screenshots in the forums.

12 Hub Transfers

Pilots are encouraged and allowed to change hubs periodically to experience the unique characteristics of that region.

If you would like to apply for a hub transfer, you may do so after 30 days in your current hub. Contact your Hub Manager to request a transfer.

13 Contact and Help

Please contact your Hub Manager should you have any general questions. If you cannot get a qualified answer from your Hub Manager, then contact the CEO. You should make note of your hub manager’s email when he welcomes you to the hub so that you have a method of contacting your hub manager.

Do understand that staff have lives outside of this virtual airline and may not get back to you the same day. While your enthusiasm is appreciated and encouraged, please allow 72 hours for a response out of respect for our staff's "real lives".

If all else fails, you can always reach us through the AAV Contact Page

14 Resignation and Retirement

Every now and then, an AAV pilot may want to call it quits for good. In these situations, the pilot will need to notify the Hub Manager to request resignation. The Hub Manager will then remove the pilot from the AAV roster. If the pilot wishes to rejoin AAV, the pilot will need to submit an application and, like new applicants, re-start their career at the 2nd Officer rank.

Pilots who resign from AAV will be unable to reapply to AAV for a period of 6 months.

Pilots with a long and productive career at AAV may make a request to their Hub Managers to retire. Retired pilots remain on the roster and retain their forum access. They can keep in touch with, and give back to, pilots who have contributed significantly throughout their career. Retired pilots retain their rank and flight hours.

To be eligible for retirement, a pilot must:

• Have the rank of Captain or above.
• Be an AAV member for 3 or more years.
• Be recommended and approved by the management staff.

In fairness to the active duty pilots, there are also these restrictions for retired pilots:

• No check flights or promotions.
• No participation in contests.
• No participation in management forums.

Retired pilots may be re-instated to active duty at their request, at which point they will be transferred to an active duty hub.

15 Management and Staff Positions

Any pilot is eligible for a management position, provided they have the experience and meet the requirements for the position for which they are applying. Contact your Hub Manager or the CEO if you're interested in taking a roll in management. Although positions are not always available, it helps the management to know of your interest should an opening arise.

AAV is always looking to advance its pilot's virtual careers. If you have a talent that would benefit your airline and your co-workers, you are encouraged to volunteer your time to make AAV a better environment. There is always room for improvement.

16 Suggestions

As the Flight Simulation hobby advances technologically, those of us here at AAV strive to bring you the absolute best virtual airline we can. If there is anything that you would like to suggest or recommend to make AAV even better, please contact one of our staff members or drop by the forum and make yourself heard.

17 Joining

There are lots of virtual airlines, are we the right one for you? Here are our goals and values:

• Maintain a friendly, fun, and light atmosphere.
• Operate professionally.
• Promote aviation simulation skill through a training and check flights.
• Help each other out to get the most from our simulators and our hobby.
• Maintain a roster of active pilots.

17.1 Requirements

• 1. You must be at least 16 years of age to join AAV.
• 2. You must use your real name on the application.
• 3. You must read this handbook and then fill out our application.
• 4. You must agree to our AAV Privacy Policy.

17.2 Previous Virtual Airline Hours

If you have previous virtual airline experience, then we want to help you jump start your AAV career. Previous virtual airline hours, up to 25 hours, will be added to your AAV flight hours total, and will qualify you to plan your own routes for your first AAV flight request. AAV will also note all hours from other virtual airlines as "Prior VA Hours" in your pilot profile.

Any prior VA flight hours in your application must be verifiable on a previous VA's Roster page, where your name, pilot ID, and hours are visible and accessible to our Human Resources manager. If you have previous experience from multiple VAs and cannot fit all the data on the application, please contact our Human Resources manager through our AAV Contact Page for consideration of these hours

17.3 Submit Your Application

To join AAV, please click the following link to go to the sign up form on the AAV website.

Sign up form on the AAV site.

We will process your application ASAP and you should hear from us within 72 hours. By submitting an application, you agree to adhere to the AAV rules and regulations as noted above, as well as those on the application form itself.

Thank you for your interest in American Airlines Virtual.