Logging a Flight

Flight Simulations - flight preparation settings

ACVacars

After loading your ACV flight/bid (First Steps#Add a Bid / Flight) into ACVacars, consider the following flight parameters of ACVacars to be applied to the running flight simulation as flight preparation (PS, green marked airport ICAOs do indicate that the airport-addon is installed on user's local system):

Departure airport ICAO
Departure time UTC
Departure parking location (optional)
Arrival airport ICAO
Arrival time UTC

FS2020/MSFS

As date, select your own real-world date.
Select ACV aircraft type by the specific "ACV aircraft registration", else select an ACV aircraft with sufficient range.
Select departure airport by "name" or by "ICAO"
(Optional) Select matching beginning position "Parking 13" (be aware, the matching parking stand number may vary from FSim to FSim and/or from addon to addon)
Select arrival airport by "name" or by "ICAO"a
Select matching departure time UTC, e.g. "16:08 UTC" (sometimes, the UTC time severly differs from the local time; use the mouse-wheel to scroll the time indication, makes it easier and more precise)

XP11/12

As date, select your own real-world date.
Select ACV aircraft type by the specific "ACV aircraft registration", else select an ACV aircraft with sufficient range.
Select departure airport by "name" or by "ICAO"
(Optional) Select matching beginning position "Stand 40"
Select matching departure time UTC, e.g. "16:05 UTC"
Unselect "Start with engines running"

P3Dv4/v5

As date, select your own real-world date.
Select ACV aircraft type by the specific "ACV aircraft registration", else select an ACV aircraft with sufficient range.
Select departure airport by "name" or by "ICAO"
(Optional) Select matching beginning position "Stand 40"
Select matching departure time UTC, e.g. "16:05 UTC"

Steps to perform to start-logging an ACV flight

Main preparation steps in a brief

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]

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.

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 registration (or aircraft type of sufficient range)
- Departure airport
- (Optional) Relevant gate, cargo position or parking at departure airport
- Time at departure airport (in UTC)
- Fuelload and payload

Preparation inside flight simulator (P3Dv5, XP12, MSFS, etc.)

Start up your flight simulator (e.g. Prepar3D). Then, manually adjust the following parameters inside your flight simulator:
- Choose the respective ACV aircraft type (e.g. “ACV B-747-200CF”) with matching registration number (e.g. “N540LH”).
- 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 universal time world-wide). As date set your current "real-world" date (day, month, year).

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

(as example taken the PMDG B-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