Logging a Flight

Steps to perform to start-logging an ACV flight

Start a flight / overview preparation steps

• The following steps must be executed before starting an ACV flight:
• Visit ACV-website and log in with your account
• ACV-website, go to Pilot-Center/Add a bid
• Select available/wished flight bid
• Start-up ACVacars
• ACVacars, load flight bid
• Start-up flight simulator
• Open menu to compose a new (free)flight inside flight simulator
• Select ACV-aircraft inside flight simulator (set similar to loaded flight bid)
  • Select correct aircraft type with correct registration number (e.g. N312LH), else, select any ACV aircraft type with sufficient range.
• Select departure airport inside flight simulator (set similar to loaded flight bid)
• Select departure UTC time inside flight simulator (set similar to loaded flight bid)
• (optional) select starting position (cargo parking, gate, etc.) inside flight simulator (set similar to loaded flight bid)
• Flight simulator, start (free)flight
• ACVacars, press button [Start Log]

Start a flight / add a bid and load it

• First, you have to reserve a new bid on the webVA. Login on the webVA and click “Add a Bid” on top of the website.
• Scroll down to the desired available flight. Choose a free bid on webVA by clicking “Add this Bid”.
• This cannot be done inside ACVacars.
• After reserving a new bid on your webVA, you are able to load the reserved bid into your ACVacars.
• Return to ACVacars.
• Press button [Choose Flight-Bid] and select the wished bid. If added as last bid, you can press button [Get latest Flight-Bid] for selecting the relevant bid directly.

Start a flight / bid parameters

• After loading the bid into ACVacars, its main parts “Aircraft” and “Flight” show the most important parameter of the selected bid (e.g. aircraft type, waypoints, needed fuelload, etc.).
• To start a flight, the following bid parameters are of special interest:
  • Aircraft type
  • Departure airport
  • Relevant gate, cargo position or parking at departure airport
  • Time at departure airport (in UTC)
  • Fuelload and payload

Start a flight / prepare flight simulator (P3Dv5, XP12, MSFS, etc.)

• Start up your flight simulator (e.g. Prepar3D). After, manually adjust the following parameters inside your flight simulator:
  • Choose the respective ACV aircraft type (e.g. “ACV L-1011-200F”) with matching registration number (e.g. “N312LH”).
  • Select the correct departure airport and the correct starting position (e.g. “Cargo Parking Gate W42” at airport KMIA). If the by ACVacars mentioned starting position is not available at the airport, please choose a starting position which is as close as possible and of the same type (e.g. gate, cargo, parking).
  • Set the correct departure time in UTC (“UTC” means world-wide time). As date set your current "real-world" date (day, month and year).

Required steps to connect PMDG-addon (P3D, MSFS) with ACVacars

(as example taken the PMDG 737-800BCF)

If using a PMDG add-on with ACVacars, you have to consider the following:

• Activate PMDG broadcast for the FSUIPC interface communication (else, not all relevant PMDG parameter can be read by FSUIPC)
• For more information, see ACV forum post: https://www.arrowcargovirtual.com/acvforum/index.php?topic=124.0

when using Prepar3D

Inside P3D after PMDG-addon has been loaded up and you are in the virtual cockpit view:

• FMS, set Fuel to 100%
• FMS, set Payload to 100%
• Set all light-switches to OFF
• Set Parking Brakes to ON
• Activate external power + activate electricity of cockpit/avionics (if B-737)
• Open Main Door [Shift-E]

when using MSFS

Inside P3D after PMDG-addon has been loaded up and you are in the virtual cockpit view:

• FMS, set Fuel to 0% or 1/3 (33.3%)
• FMS, set Payload to 0%
• Set all light-switches to OFF
• Set Parking Brakes to ON
• Activate external power + activate electricity of cockpit/avionics (if B-737)
• Open Main Door [Shift-E or other command]

ACVacars

• Load flight bid
• Start logging flight bid
• Change/Load fuelload and payload only with the PMDG FMS, neither by ACVacars load-manager nor by any FSim load-manager