[IMPORTANT] User-Defined flight numbering Change

Pilots,

On Saturday 1-9-2021 I will be implementing the new user-defined flight numbering format that will be required to standardize how we record flight numbers here at SPA.

Failing to properly format your user-defined flights will result in a failed upload of your PIREP.

First, there is a new version of SPAACARS (version 10.12) that will provide error messages regarding your flight number if it's incorrect, allowing you to make the suggested correctlons.  Using this latest version will ease any frustration with this latest change, so download and install that ASAP.

Here's what to expect:

Regularly scheduled flights will work as they always have, so no worries.

If you have been regularly creating your own user-defined flight numbers, then you will have to follow these easy rules:

1.  The user-defined flight number must have the following format: 7PPPH#####.  Where the first digit must be "7" the following three digits must be your pilot ID (such as 534, or 028, or 005).  The "H" designates your Hub, where MSP=1, MIA=2 and EGL=5.  The remaining half the the 10-digit flight number is your choice.  Therefore, my user-defined number will always start with "75341"  and the remaining part is anything I want.

2.  User-Defined flights cannot have the same origin and destination as an existing offical flight with the same Origin and Destination.  In that case we want you to fly one of the existing officially scheduled flights using that number.  No worries though - you will be prompted with the first available official flight number in the database that matches your user-defined number.
Note:  You may want to turn off Econ-Mode in SPAACARS, at least until you become comfortable with the new numbering system.  Econ-Mode has the auto-send of PIREP upon landing and it will not let you resend a failed PIREP send attempt, but it will still give you the error message if you're using the latest SPAACARS version.

So....here is an example of what would happen if I flew an incorrect user-defined flight without Econ-Mode set.  Let's say I'm flying from KMSP to KDLH and I don't bother checking the pilots office under Schedules.  There I could have found by typing "KDLH" in the Destination search that there was a valid official flight (1231) that matches that route.  But - if I didn't check, and just entered a user-defined flight number like "charter", I would get an error message when I push the "send PIREP" button.  The message would say there is no official flight named CHARTER and it's not a properly defined user flight number.  So I change it to 75342test.  I push the send button again and this time it says I have the wrong hub ID.  That's because I'm assigned to MSP hub which is "1" and I've put a "2" in my flight number, which is MIA hub.  So I change the user flight number again to 75341test.  Now I have the correctly formatted flight number, but there is still that existing official flight I should have taken.  I push Send PIREP button and again get a message saying "Scheduled flight exists with that origin and destination - suggest 1231".  Now it's actually instructed me as to what flight number I can use to log my flight, so finally - I go back and change the flight number to 1231 and push "send PIREP" again  and I get the usual "successful PIREP upload" message.

Of course most of you aren't likely to make every possible mistake as in my example above, but I wanted to show you how the error messages will help guide you to a correct user-defined flight number (or even provide you with an acceptable officially scheduled flight number if it exists).

To prevent all of the problems listed above, just follow these easy steps:
1.  Check the flight origin and destination in the Pilot's Office ->Schedules for a flight matching your desired origin and destination.  If one exists, just use that flight number.
2. If there is no official flight matching both your origin AND your destination, then you can create a user-defined flight for it.
3.  Ensure that the first 5 digits of the flight number match the format.  You'll quickly get used to the unique numeric signature of your user-defined flights (7+pilotID+HubNum).

If you have any problems or questions, the management team will work with you to help get you up and flying again in no time.

Thanks for your cooperation,

John

That's a good idea Robert,

Not currently, but I can certainly add that to avoid searching through long lists.

John

Added as requested (under schedules with the others)

John