Delta Virtual Airlines Water Cooler - when to "start flight" acars

Delta Virtual Airlines Water Cooler | Airline Operations | when to "start flight" acars

DVA8153
Captain, B737-800

Joined on January 02 2010

Southeastern United States

78 legs, 129.6 hours
47 legs, 73.8 hours online
76 legs, 126.4 hours ACARS

Posted onPost created on January 05 2010 16:21 ET by Peter Salzano

when am I supposed to hit the start flight button? It seems acars know when I push back but it appears I'm being credited with my sitting around at the gate time. With the pmdg full start up and fmc that can take a little bit of time. Should I hit start flight right before I push? Also, any rules on accelerated flight?

Peter Salzano

Captain, B737-800

DVA7373
Captain, B757-200
OLP

Joined on May 31 2009

"Howdy"
Southeastern United States

72 legs, 187.6 hours
32 legs, 85.4 hours online
67 legs, 153.2 hours ACARS
2 legs, 3.1 hours event

Posted onPost created on January 05 2010 16:25 ET by Nicholas Taylor

You can use accelerated time, but only up to 4x. I generally start the flight as soon as I load up.

Nicholas Taylor

Captain, B757-200

DVA6920
Senior Captain, MD-11
E-MAIL

Joined on January 24 2009
Century Club

"Another day in the office..."
Parker, CO USA

163 legs, 828.1 hours
28 legs, 44.1 hours online
162 legs, 816.9 hours ACARS
5 legs, 9.0 hours event

Posted onPost created on January 05 2010 16:41 ET by Tom Sanders

I hit start after I have my fuel calculated. You don't want to hit start and then add fuel or it will detect that as far as I know, or maybe it won't flag you since you are on the ground. Does anyone know the answer to that?

Tom Sanders

Senior Captain, MD-11

DVA5929
Senior Captain, B747-400
OLP

Joined on May 10 2008
Million Mile Club
Online Quadruple Century Club
Everett 500 Club
Globetrotter
Six Century Club
50 State Club
DVA Ten-Year Anniversary

"It's buried under a big W!"
TX USA

651 legs, 3,806.1 hours
472 legs, 2,922.9 hours online
565 legs, 3,319.5 hours ACARS
8 legs, 18.9 hours event

Posted onPost created on January 05 2010 19:33 ET by Nicholas Carpenter

I've added fuel after I've hit start flight because I forgot but I wasn't flagged for that. But if you have already added fuel you can't add any more because the fuel planner is grayed out. I usually hit start flight as soon as my fuel is in (first thing I do on the ground) and then do all of my preflight with ACARS recording.

Nicholas Carpenter

Senior Captain, B747-400

DVA3931
Senior Captain, L-1011-100
OLP, COMM

Joined on January 19 2007
50 State Club
Tri-Jet Triumph
Million Mile Club
Online Quadruple Century Club
Flying Colonel
Globetrotter
Burbank 500 Club
Eurocap Club
DVA Fifteen-Year Anniversary

"De oppresso liber"
Surry, ME

1,882 legs, 3,806.7 hours
478 legs, 767.8 hours online
1,107 legs, 1,674.5 hours ACARS
55 legs, 114.8 hours event
195 legs dispatched, 134.4 hours

Posted onPost created on January 05 2010 19:43 ET by Andrew Kaufmann

Read the ACARS Manual

Andrew Kaufmann (DVA3931)

Posted onPost created on January 05 2010 19:46 ET by Nicholas Carpenter

That always helps, but Andrew, how many men read instruction manuals??? rolleyes

Nicholas Carpenter

Senior Captain, B747-400

Posted onPost created on January 05 2010 20:22 ET by Andrew Kaufmann

I do...saved my life several times knowing how to read -10 and other manuals.

Andrew Kaufmann (DVA3931)

DVA7343
Captain, B777-200
OLP

Joined on May 16 2009
50 State Club
Globetrotter
Triple Century Club

"It's not a job but an adventure "
Lugoff, SC USA

368 legs, 798.4 hours
39 legs, 73.8 hours online
358 legs, 777.7 hours ACARS
1 legs, 2.9 hours event

Posted onPost created on January 05 2010 20:38 ET by John Morris

Have to second what Andrew said

John Morris

Captain, B777-200

DVA8178
Captain, B767-300

Joined on January 09 2010

"Living large and loving life"
Grand Prairie, TX USA

29 legs, 76.4 hours
28 legs, 74.9 hours ACARS

Posted onPost created on January 17 2010 18:14 ET by Neal Stark

I have found that the parking brake needs to be engaged, fuel loaded, equipment, flight plan and route entered, and connected to the server

Neal Stark

Captain, B767-300

Posted onPost created on January 17 2010 19:42 ET by Andrew Kaufmann

The bottom line is - read the ACARS manual...pretty much all the questions folks ask about ACARS is in there

Andrew Kaufmann (DVA3931)

DVA7956
Captain, A320
OLP

Joined on November 05 2009
50 State Club
Event Half Century Club
Online Double Century Club
Everett 250 Club
Quatercentenary Club
DVA Ten-Year Anniversary

"Swing on a star"
Manassas, VA USA

478 legs, 905.6 hours
259 legs, 494.7 hours online
473 legs, 893.0 hours ACARS
70 legs, 123.9 hours event

Posted onPost created on January 17 2010 20:01 ET by Scott Bradley

Yep - bottom of page 15 tells you when to start flight. ACARS time is what you put in your log book, but as soon as I step foot in the cockpit I'm on the clock. lol

Scott Bradley

Captain, A320

DVA8153
Captain, B737-800

Joined on January 02 2010

Southeastern United States

78 legs, 129.6 hours
47 legs, 73.8 hours online
76 legs, 126.4 hours ACARS

Posted onPost created on January 17 2010 20:16 ET by Peter Salzano

looks to me like its on page 2, says "when you are ready to start" my guess is that means pushback. They tell me the RW pilots dont start getting paid until pushback, which is why they will push and have you sit on the ramp for hours if theres a delay.

Peter Salzano

Captain, B737-800

DVA7338
Captain, B747-400
E-MAIL

Joined on May 17 2009

"Thou shalt maintain thy airspeed."
Faridabad, Haryana India

60 legs, 151.3 hours
49 legs, 135.1 hours online
58 legs, 145.2 hours ACARS

Posted onPost created on January 18 2010 08:00 ET by Gurmeet Arora

I recommend doing it pretty much when you are 'ready to start'.
To me 'ready to start' is when you are ready to start the flight i.e. just before pushback and taxi and not when you are ready to start entering the cockpit.

Everything that goes before it, wind direction lookup, gate assignment, route planning, FMC setup etc. comes in the category of pre-flight and cannot be a part of 'flight' and thus is not credited for. If you do flight planning also when you have pressed 'start flight', the flight report shows 'exceeded schedule guidelines'. Pretty simple to understand, if you agree to the point above.

I also am told that real world pilots are also credited from the time they release the parking brake to the time they engage it again at the destination, but you can always check with some real world pilots to be sure. Same is the case here.

The issue with us is that we have to do everything that a planner will otherwise do in real world. To ease out your work, you can also engage the services of DVA dispatcher.

Gurmeet

DVA7176
Captain, B747-400
E-MAIL

Joined on February 16 2009
50 State Club
Millennium Club
Two Million Mile Club
Everett Millennium Club
DVA Ten-Year Anniversary

Wasilla, AK USA

1,291 legs, 5,878.5 hours
90 legs, 370.7 hours online
1,261 legs, 5,676.9 hours ACARS

Posted onPost created on January 19 2010 03:48 ET by Jerry Friz

Yes, real pilot pay starts at the release of the parking brake, this time is entered into the logbook, time is stopped when the parking brake is set at the distination.
And no real world pilots don't release the brakes and go park somewhere.[someone mentioned this] But you do have to go get in line at some point.
Cheers,
Jerry

Jerry Friz

Captain, B747-400

DVA8153
Captain, B737-800

Joined on January 02 2010

Southeastern United States

78 legs, 129.6 hours
47 legs, 73.8 hours online
76 legs, 126.4 hours ACARS

Posted onPost created on January 19 2010 08:23 ET by Peter Salzano

RW pilots do release the brake and park if they are under a hold time, ground stop, flow control, etc.. theres plenty of news articles of passengers being stuck on planes for hours. they dont sit at the gate and use up the airlines gate.

Peter Salzano

Captain, B737-800

DVA4290
Senior Captain, CRJ-200

Joined on April 04 2007
50 State Club
Online Triple Century Club
Quincentenary Club

"Lightning coming out of that one"
Houston, TX USA

502 legs, 829.4 hours
340 legs, 575.5 hours online
421 legs, 683.7 hours ACARS
41 legs, 81.2 hours event

Posted onPost created on January 26 2010 19:34 ET by Andrew Lynn

Those are very rare occasions Peter; and you're making it sound like the flight crew are doing this as a way to circumvent the system. Company ACARS on jets RW is started when the parking break is released. No, not all pilots are paid by release of the breaks. Most regionl airlines, including my brother's, only pays for actual flight time. I.E. wheels up to wheels down. Stuck on the ramp? Sorry. Long taxi to the active? Sorry about that too.

Andrew Lynn

Senior Captain, CRJ-200

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