Sound Module

From ACVacars Manual

Sound Module

Alice, AI voice avatar
Alice, AI voice avatar

General

The sound module of ACVacars contains the sections below. Each section fullfils a specific task.

The AI voices have been created with https://elevenlabs.io/. The avatars have been created with https://deepai.org/machine-learning-model/3d-character-generator.

Each pilot AI character can deal with all roles of a flight:

  • First Officer (FO)
  • Flight Engineer (FE)
  • Navigator (Nav)

Used AI Characters

More AI voices will be implemented with further releases.

Alice
  • The fairy godmother of the program ACVacars.
AI Voice Avatar Rey
Rey, AI voice avatar
Rey
  • A young guy, full of motivation and energy, a clear voice.
  • Recently married.
  • Father of a young boy.
  • Loves pilot jokes.
  • Special taste of humour.
  • Fast speaking, won't take long for a checklist.
  • Likes to talk about drinking & eating, hotel accommodations and private life.
Will, AI voice avatar
Will, AI voice avatar
Will (coming soon)
  • Senior attitude, clear and encouraging voice.
  • Married, father of two teenage girls.
  • Tells only seldom a joke, humour is less his business.
  • Calm speaking, giving more time to crosscheck any checklist reading.
  • Likes to talk about his family.
  • Talks sometimes about the advantages of a "nine to five" job, but he truly loves flying nevertheless.
Dennis, AI voice avatar
Dennis, AI voice avatar
Dennis (coming soon)
  • Very experienced, "never give up" attitude.
  • Family man, married, his two sons and his daughter keep him busy.
  • His wife must possess a strong and respectable personality, Dennis talks here and there about her.
  • Talks each flight about his passion: Fishing!
  • A fine taste of humour.
  • Embracing life.
George, AI voice avatar
George, AI voice avatar
George (coming soon)
  • Old freight dog, nothing to proof anymore.
  • Calm, serious voice.
  • Divorced, not talking much about private life stuff.
  • Flying is everything in his life.
  • The aircraft is breaking apart? George will land it anyway. Without a single drop of sweat.
  • Not in the mood to laugh about jokes.
  • Sometimes, sarcasm is flickering up.

First Officer, Flight Engineer, Navigator

In general, the indications, warnings and comments are being given by the first officer (FO).

But, if a flight engineer (FE) is on board, the FE will comment/talk on:

  • Cabin lights
  • Engines
  • Boarding/Deboarding and door indications
  • Fuel indications (not added yet)
  • Airport direction indications (not added yet)
  • Parking brake warnings
  • Reverser warnings
  • Engines warnings
  • Gross-weight/payload warnings
  • Punctuality warnings
  • Distance indications
  • Top of climb (TOC) and top of descent (TOD) indications (not added yet)
  • Approaching indications
  • Airport direction indications (not added yet)
  • TOC warning
  • Arrival airport location warning

If a navigator is even part of the cockpit crew (e.g. An-225), he will comment on:

  • Distance indications
  • Top of climb (TOC) and top of descent (TOD) indications (not added yet)
  • Approaching indications
  • Airport direction indications (not added yet)
  • TOC warning
  • Arrival airport location warning

Sounds - Program voices (Alice)

  • ACVacars startup, "Welcome" message
  • Instructions, how to deal with Fsuipc-interface limitations with certain flight simulations or addons. (not added yet)
  • Warnings about profit considerations at the beginning of an ACV flight. (not added yet)
  • Information about pre-given departure-delays and/or arrival delays. (not added yet)
  • Warning about a non-reasonable mismatch between scheduled pushback time and the selected flight-simulation beginning time. (not added yet)

Sounds - Crew voices - Systems

The interaction of the user (as pilot) with the following aircraft systems will be commented on by the cockpit crew.

  • Aileron full left/right
  • Autopilot master ON/OFF
  • Autothrottle ON/OFF
  • Elevator full up/down
  • Engine 1 to 6, running
  • First engine spooling up
  • Flaps 1 to 50 degrees, retracted, down, up, full
  • Landing-gear down/up
  • Last engine shutting down
  • Lights navigation, beacon, landing, strobe, taxi, logo ON/OFF
  • Main door open/closed & locked
  • Rudder full left/right
  • Spoilers retracted/released/fully extended

Sounds - Crew voices - Flight phases

The following flight phases are being mentioned (only once per flight) by the cockpit crew:

  • Boarding ongoing/interrupted
  • Pushback
  • Taxiing to takeoff, with loading-note hint
  • Takeoff (acceleration), taking off (leaving ground)
  • Climb phases (positive climb, main climb, climb further, initial TOC, passing FL100, FL180, FL270)
  • Distance phases (50% distance; 1000nm, 700nm, 500nm, 200nm to arrival airport; reaching top of distance TOD)
  • Descent phases (passing TOD, main descent, descending FL180, FL100, approaching arrival airport)
  • Taxiing to final position
  • Deboarding/Paperwork
  • Commenting on the touch-down vertical-speed
  • Commenting on the overall flight performance

Sounds - Crew voices - Warnings

The following warnings are (repeatedly) spoken out by the co-pilot or by other crew members in case of:

  • Bank angle excess small/NoGo
  • Baro setting mismatch
  • Door still open, on ground/taking off
  • Flaps not set
  • Fuel low/very low
  • Gross weight excess while taking off
  • Landing with baro mismatch
  • Landing with forgotten landing gear
  • Landing with not sufficient fuel reserve
  • Landing at the incorrect arrival airport
  • Lights forgotten to set or to switch it off (navigation, beacon, taxi, landing, strobe)
  • Loosing engine 1 to 6, all
  • Loosing all engines mid-air
  • Maximum service ceiling exceeded
  • Overspeed
  • Parking brake activated when not standing still
  • Parking brake still activated while increasing the engine thrust
  • Reversers activated mid-air
  • Reversers activated at low speed on the ground
  • Speeding below FL100 small/NoGo
  • Speeding with flaps not retracted small/NoGo
  • Speeding with landing gear not retracted small/NoGo
  • Spoilers not fully retracted while take-off or short before touch-down
  • Stalling
  • Taxiing with gross-weight excess
  • Top of descent (TOD) never reached
  • Touch-down with autopilot still ON but sufficient visibility
  • Touch-down with excessive pitch
  • Touch-down with too much tail wind
  • Unpunctual departure
  • Wearing the engines too much

Sounds - Crew voices - Checklists

Automized checklists, how the trigger-mechanism works

Each of the following automated checklists is activated after certain criteria (settings and flight situations) are met. The triggering criteria are confirmed by the co-pilot/flight crew with the word "Check" at the end of each line and are marked in bold style below. A line without the word "Check" at the end indicates that this checklist item is simply being spoken out but not being cross-checked with the actual settings inside the cockpit. Use the latter as an opportunity to cross-check your current settings with the stated ones. This simplification of concept must be taken into account due to interface limitations of FSUIPC/XPUIPC and/or the specific aircraft add-on.

Cockpit preparation checklist

Flight-situation: Aircraft stands still on the ground without any speed and engines running, 9min or less to pushback-time and no other flight phases have been triggered already.

  • Parking brakes ON - Check;
  • Landing gear DOWN, lights green - Check;
  • Engines OFF - Check;
  • Throttle lever IDLE - Check;
  • Flaps retracted - Check;
  • Spoilers retracted - Check;
  • Navigation lights ON - Check;
  • Logo lights - as desired;
  • Emergency exit - ARMED;
  • Autopilot master OFF - Check;
  • Walkaround - completed;
  • ATC flight clearance - WILCO;
  • Transponder - ON and SET;
  • Electricity - SET;
  • Fuel load - considered;
  • Payload completed - Check;
  • Pressurization - PRESET;
  • Warning-system-checks - completed;

Before pushback and startup checklist

Flight-situation: Aircraft stands still on the ground with no engines running, 6min or less to pushback-time and after passing the cockpit preparation checklist.

  • Chocks - considered;
  • Throttle lever IDLE - Check;
  • Baro reference - SET;
  • All Navigation systems - ALIGNED;
  • ATC pushback and startup clearance - WILCO;
  • Fuel tanks - SET;
  • Fuel pumps - SET;
  • APU master - ON;
  • APU generator - ON;
  • APU bleed air - ON;
  • Ignition mode - SET;
  • Packs - OFF;

After startup checklist

Flight-situation: Aircraft stands still on the ground with all engines running and after passing the cockpit preparation checklist.

  • Beacon lights ON - Check;
  • Engines up and running - Check;
  • Fuel flow values - Check;
  • Electricity generators ON - considered;
  • Hydraulic systems - activated;
  • Air condition system - SET;
  • Pressurization system - SET;
  • APU bleed air - OFF;
  • APU generator - OFF;
  • APU master - OFF;
  • Packs - SET;

Before taxi checklist

Flight-situation: Aircraft stands still on the ground ready to taxi, all engines are running and after passing the cockpit preparation checklist.

  • All three rudders - Check; (aileron, elevator, rudder)
  • Flaps set for takeoff - Check;
  • Taxi lights ON - Check;
  • Speed bugs - SET;
  • ATC taxi clearance - WILCO;

Before takeoff checklist

Flight-situation: Aircraft is on the ground with all engines runnind and has passed the foregoing checklists.

  • Landing lights ON - Check;
  • Strobe lights ON - Check;
  • Packs - OFF;
  • Flaps SET - Check;
  • Speedbrakes retracted - Check;
  • TCAS - ON;
  • Speedbugs - SET;
  • ATC departure clearance - WILCO;

After takeoff checklist

Flight-situation: Aircraft has taken off (leaving ground) and has passed the foregoing checklists.

  • Landing gear up - Check;
  • Flaps adjusted - Check;
  • Speed restriction - Check;
  • Packs - ON;

Passing 10'000 ft checklist

Flight-situation: Aircraft climbs and is passing FL100.

  • Speed restriction - passed;
  • Flaps - considered;
  • Landing lights - OFF;
  • Anti-ice - considered;
  • Pressurization system - verified;

Passing 18'000 ft checklist

Flight-situation: Aircraft climbs and is passing FL180.

  • Baro reference - set to STANDARD;
  • Anti-ice - considered;
  • Fuel temperature and heating - verified;
  • Cabin pressure - verified;

Cruise level checklist

Flight-situation: Aircraft climbs and is approaching the initial top of climb (TOC) point.

  • Anti-ice - verified;
  • Fuel temperature and heating - verified;
  • Cabin pressure - verified;
  • Air condition system - SET;
  • Logo lights - as desired;
  • Fuel status - verified;

Approaching top of descent (TOD) checklist

  • Fuel heating - considered;
  • Anti ice settings - considered;
  • Logo lights - as desired;
  • NAV ILS frequency - SET;
  • NAV ILS course - SET;
  • ATC descent clearance - WILCO;

Descending 18'000 ft checklist

  • Baro reference - SET;
  • Anti-ice - verified;

Descending 10'000 ft checklist

  • Landing lights ON - Check;
  • Speed restrictions - Speed below 250 knots - Check;
  • Speedbugs - adjusted;
  • Flaps setting - considered;
  • Auto brakes - considered;

Before landing checklist

  • Flaps for landing - Check;
  • Landing gear down - Check;
  • Speed brakes retracted and ARMED - verified;
  • Auto brakes - considered;
  • Speedbugs - adjusted;
  • Autopilot - considered;
  • TCAS - adjusted;
  • ATC landing clearance - WILCO;

After landing checklist

  • Taxi lights ON - Check;
  • Landing lights OFF - Check;
  • Strobe lights OFF - Check;
  • Logo lights - as desired;
  • Flaps retracted - Check;
  • Spoilers retracted - Check;
  • Autopilot master OFF - Check;
  • Autobrakes OFF - considered;
  • Radar OFF - verified;
  • TCAS OFF - considered;
  • ATC taxi clearance - WILCO.

Taxi checklist

  • Not exceeding taxi speed limit - Check;
  • Logo lights - as desired;
  • ATC, gate or parking position - WILCO.
  • APU master ON - considered;
  • APU generator and bleed air - considered;

After parking checklist

  • Parking brakes ON - Check;
  • Taxi lights OFF - Check;
  • Fuel flow switches - ALL CUTOFF - Check;
  • Navigation lights OFF - Check;
  • Beacon lights OFF - Check;
  • Logo lights - as desired;
  • Transponder - OFF;
  • External power - connected and activated;
  • Fuel pumps - OFF;
  • Wheel chocks - considered;
  • Main door open - Check;