Standard Operating Procedures

 

Introduction

This policy manual is the final decision on all matters, and the sole authority.  The policies contained in this manual may only be amended by consensus of the Senior Management.


Membership Requirements – Processing of new Pilots

  1. New members that want to join SPA must submit their application via the website application form.
  2. New members must be at least 15 years of age at the time of application.
  3. The application form is emailed to the President, Human Resources Manager, and the Website Manager.  Once the information is verified, the applicant will received a “welcome” email from the President or Human Resources Manager, and an official login ID and Password to the Website from the Website Manager, within 48 hours of receipt of the application.
  4. Hours flown at another Virtual Airline will be accepted up to 300 hours upon verification; and the appropriate rank issued.
  5. Members must maintain a valid Email address at all times.
  6. New members must have had contact, and, file at least one PIREP within 14 days of confirmation of membership.
  7. Members must file a minimum of one PIREP every 30 days to stay “active” with SPA. 


General Operations

  1. You must fly at least one [1] scheduled flight in each 30-day period. This can be a flight assigned by your Hub Manager or any flight on the master SPA schedule within your Rank/Category. If you have not logged a PIREP in more than 30 days, you are not meeting this requirement. You may fly aircraft one[1] category above your assigned rank when:
    1. Flying Training, Cargo and Charter flights
    2. You have Pre-approval from your Hub Manager
    3. You are testing aircraft as approved by the VP of Fleet Management
  1. Your Hub Manager is the final arbiter of any disputes involving these policies.  If your Hub Manager cannot perform this function, the VP of Operations has the final decision.
  1.  The Special Operations Division is in charge of providing Cargo, Charter and Training operations for SPA.  Any pilot may fly Training flights anytime you wish; and log time towards your career.  All training flights are worth double time.  Meaning, if you fly 1.5 hours on a training flight, you may claim 3 hours. 


Pilot Standard of Conduct

  1. Pilots will show courtesy and respect towards their fellow pilots, and other individuals, especially when representing SPA.  This includes, but is not limited to, SPA Forums, VATSIM, email, PMs and other types of communications.
  2. By posting in the forums - including Shoutbox, you agree to abide by them at all times.  Topics may be locked/deleted in the forums at any time without notice.
  3. During an email, PM, instant message, or online conversation, the following will be considered unacceptable:
    1. Bashing
    2. Name Calling
    3. Personal Attacks
    4. Threats of any kind
    5. Advertisements of any kind
    6. Links and/or other endorsement of competing virtual airline sites, groups or clubs
    7. Controversial political and social topics that cause, or are likely to cause discordant responses

If any unacceptable conduct is reported, the offender could face suspension or immediate termination, and, a Notice sent to VATSIM, etc; if deemed necessary.


Pilot Status Designation

 

ACTIVE DUTY. Indicates that the pilot is required to complete 1 PIREP per 30 calendar days. 
For Senior Captain and above, the Hub Manager need assign only one of these flights.

 

LOA (Leave of Absence):  Indicates that the pilot is on a requested Leave of Absence. 
Leaves cannot exceed 90 days without the approval of the VP of Operations.
 

INACTIVE:  The pilot has been put on Inactive status by the Hub Manager for failing to file a PIREP on time or
is on suspension for unacceptable conduct.
 

Military Leave:  Indicates that the pilot is on a requested Leave of Absence due to Military Deployment.
This status has no time limit.
 

Retired:  If the pilot has over 1000 of flight hours with SPA, this pilot can request for retirement
instead of termination.


Rank and Aircraft Categories

Rank and Aircraft Category is as follows:

0-30 Hours:  Commuter First Officer (CFO), can fly Category 1 Aircraft
31-60 Hours:  Commuter Captain (CC), can fly Category 2 and below Aircraft
61-100  Hours:  Second Officer (SO), can fly Category 3 and below Aircraft
101-200 Hours:  First Officer (FO), can fly Category 4 and below Aircraft
201-300 Hours:  Captain (C), can fly Category 5 and below Aircraft
301-500 Hours:  Senior Captain (SC), can fly Category 6 and below Aircraft
501+ Hours:  Fleet Captain (FC) can fly all aircraft


Chain of Command

  1. Pilots in management or leadership positions will maintain an Open-Door policy at all times.
  2. Pilots should direct all Operations Procedures questions to their Hub Managers.  Hub Managers may then decide to escalate the question as needed.
  3. Aviation, aircraft, or similar related questions should be directed to the Training Manager, VP of Fleet Management and/or the appropriate Chief Pilot, whenever possible.
  4. All questions concerning our Website Operation should be directed to the Webmaster.


Promotions

  1. A pilot is normally promoted to the next higher rank after logging the required hours for that rank, according to his selected Career Track.
  2. Pilots may, at their request, stay at the Commuter level, even when passing 99 hours.  The VP of Operations must approve this. 
  3. Outstanding pilots are eligible for a “Below –The – Zone” promotion after completing 85% of the hours required for their next rank.  BTZ promotions are limited to 3 per career track. 
  4. Pilots who achieve the rank of Fleet Captain (FC) will have a “run of the house” and be allowed to fly any passenger, cargo, charter, training, etc flight, and any aircraft they wish, and, will not receive monthly assignments unless they specifically request it from their Hub Manager.  FC’s are required to file at least one PIREP per month.

 
The Staff

The Staff of SPA is broken down into 3 levels which are the “Senior Management” that consists of the President, VP of Operations, and VP of Fleet Management; the “Management” which consist of the Senior Managers, Hub Managers, Training Manager, Special Operations Manager; and Non-Manager Staff that consists of the Webmaster, and Treasurer.  Candidates for a staff position are subject to review and confirmation by a majority of the Senior Staff.  ALL staff members must hold the rank of First Officer.  The staff positions are:

  1. President/CEO:  This person is responsible for everything the airline does, or fails to do.  The President sets airline policy with the advice and consent of the Management.
  1. Vice President of Operations:  The VP of Operations oversees the day-to-day operations of the airline, and reports directly to the President.  This person assumes airline leadership in the absence of the President; and acts as the Human Resources Manager if that position is vacant.
  1. Vice President of Fleet Management (VPFM):  The VPFM duties are to ensure that the SPA fleet is up-to-date with real world and SPA standards, and that meet our current needs of passengers, cargo, and training operations.  This person reports directly to the president and assumes airline leadership in the absence of the President and VP of Operations.
  1. Human Resources Manager: The Human Resources Manager reports directly to the President.  This position will handle the processing of new pilots, leave requests, promotions, and terminations.  This position will serve as an advocate to all new pilots until the pilot is established here at SPA.
  1. Hub Manager:  The Hub Manager is responsible for Hub Operations.  Their duties include, but are not limited to, updating the roster, providing assistance to their pilots, administrative tasks, Hub Schedule updating, and anything else that may come up that deals with their Hub.  This person will report directly to the VP of Operations.  Since the Hub Manager is the backbone of the SPA Management, the following criteria will be observed when considering a pilot for this position:
    1. Time with the airline:  The prospective candidate shall have at a minimum 90 days time in service with SPA.
    2. Assignment Record:  The prospective candidate shall have a record of on-time completion of flight assignments, as attested to by their current Hub Manager.
    3. Knowledge of Procedures:  The prospective candidate shall demonstrate, either through training or through testing, a thorough knowledge of SPA procedures and documented in this SOP.
  1. Special Operations Division Manager:  The Special Operations Manager develops, organizes, oversees, and manages everything concerning Special Operations. He/she will oversee the Bush and VFR Operations division, the Charter and Cargo flights, the Angel flights, the Taxi flights, Helicopter operations, specific multi-players online sessions, and all kind of events not related to the regular hubs operations. He/she will regularly provide new developments and constantly update the content of the Special Operations division. The Special Operations Manager is a member of the senior management and will report directly to the President.
  1. Training Manger:  Will oversee the training operations of SPA.  This person will ensure the Training portion of the website is kept up-to-date, and provide instruction to SPA pilots when requested.    This person will report directly to the VP of Operations.  This person will also be in charge of the Chief Pilot Program.  This program consists of:
    1. The development of a pilot to become an “expert” in specific aircraft types, as needed by this VA.
    2. Only one pilot may hold a Chief Pilot rating for a given aircraft family.  A family is defined as a major model number designation.  For example, The Boeing 767-200 and-300 is members of the same aircraft family, whereas the Airbus A320 and A340 are not.
    3. Chief Pilot rating core requirements are:
      1. Log 50 verifiable hours in aircraft type
      2. Submit research essay detailing the history of the aircraft type
      3. Pass a brief aviation knowledge exam administered by the Training Manager.
    1. If a pilot is terminated that holds a CP rating, this rating is lost.
  1. Webmaster:  The Webmaster is in charge of the day-to-day operations of SPA’s website.  This person will perform the daily/weekly maintenance of our site.  This person will work closely with the Managers to ensure our pilots have access to all required data, and that our online functions are working properly.  This person will work closely with the Treasurer to ensure our site is up-to-date on our billings.    The Webmaster will have a backup person entitled “Assistant Webmaster” to help aid in his functions, and, be a backup person in case the Webmaster becomes unavailable.  Webmasters report directly to the President.

  2. Treasurer:  This person is in charge of managing the funds generated by the Pay pal account for the purposes of keeping our web site current and operational on the Internet for all members to use.  Any software licenses required for our web site will also be purchased from our PayPal account.  This person and our funds will be audited at least twice a year by the Senior Management, and two months prior to renewal of the web hosting company.  Our Pay pal account will be accessed primarily by the Treasurer and the President of SPA as backup.  This person reports directly to the Senior Staff.


Termination Policy

  1. Pilots who have not filed a PIREP in the timeframe described by this SOP will be placed in Inactive Status.  Once this happens, the Hub Manager will attempt to contact the pilot twice before termination.  If the Pilot fails to contact the Hub Manager within 7 days of contact, the Hub Manager will send a Termination Request Email to the Human Resources Manager.  The Human Resources Manager will make a note on the Pilots Record, send an Email of Termination to the pilot, and cc this email to the VP of Operations and the Webmaster.  The Webmaster will then remove this person’s login from the site.
  2. Pilots who violate this SOP are subject to Termination without prior notice.
  3. Pilots who wish to re-join SPA will only be re-activated upon the express approval of the Senior Management.
  4. If a terminated pilot is to be re-activated, this person can only be re-activated after a 90 day time period.  This pilot may not hold a Management Position unless approved by the consensus of the Senior Management.


Policy Amendments

  1. Only “active” pilots may propose amendments to this policy.
  2. The pilot will Email the proposed amendment to their Hub Manager, who will verify it for clerical accuracy, and, submit it to the Senior Management. 
  3. The Senior Management will determine if the proposed amendment is to be approved.  If it is approved, the VP of Operations will announce the approval.
  4. If the proposed amendment is not approved, it may not be reconsidered for a period of 6 months.
  5. The Senior Management may, with a 2/3 vote of its members, temporarily suspend any provision of the SOP.  This paragraph shall not be construed to allow the Senior Management to act in any manner that would adversely affect any pilot.


Terms of Use

  1. All files and design of this site are property of Saint Paul Airlines and may not be distributed or copied without the consent of its Senior Management.
  2. The fleet is copyrighted to their respective owners, creators, etc, and may not be redistributed or sold without prior consent of their respective owners.
  3. You are using this site, and downloading files off of this site at your own risk.  SPA or its hosting company is not responsible for any damage done to your computer.


Legal

SPA is in no way affiliated with any real-world aviation company.  We are simply a group of flight simulation enthusiasts that share the love for aviation.  And all trademarks are copyrighted to their respective owners.