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What is FSCaptain?
FSCaptain is a new approach to the concept of building a professional career in Microsoft Flight Simulator. Far more than just a log, the program provides a realistic flight environment in which to fly while it tracks your performance; measuring passenger satisfaction, professional competence, on-time performance and adherence to company policy. The results will improve your flying skills -- because it isn't easy to sit in the left seat of an airliner and measure up to the demanding expectations of the job!
The philosophy of FSCaptain is summed up in the phrase "no-nonsense professionalism". In other words, less like a game and more like reality. Every design feature of the program, and even those things the system doesn't do, are devoted to fulfilling this philosophy.
There are many examples. In the real world, captains for scheduled airlines (or charter outfits for that matter) don't get to sit down and choose where they fly each day over their morning coffee. They are assigned revenue flights by the company scheduling office. Perhaps they have a choice but that choice is limited. Often those flights are multiple legs. And when a captain commits to a flight, he or she is obligated to complete that assignment. This is the way FSCaptain does things.
Another example. In the real world, the airline's dispatch office is something the captain must interact with often, for better or for worse (from the captain's point of view!). The dispatcher for a flight is involved in flight planning, fuel planning, and much more. Furthermore, dispatch monitors each flight and advises about weather conditions, accepts position reports, and needs to issue approval for critical phases of flight. If a captain must deviate from a flight plan, dispatch must be informed and grant approval. FSCaptain simulates all these functions of the dispatch office, and more.
One final example. In the real world, presidents and CEOs of airlines are not working pilots. They don't have the time if they are doing their jobs as executives. FSCaptain focuses on tracking the career of an airline pilot, not an airline CEO or CFO. In FSCaptain you do not buy and sell airplanes or manage your company's maintenance operation, nor set prices for tickets or cabin service items. The financial health of the company you work for is not your concern -- you are there to do your job: delivering your payload (passengers or cargo or both) on-time and safely to your destination with consummate professionalism. That's a difficult enough job.
Beyond its commitment to realism, FSCaptain is comprehensive and flexible. You can take on any role you feel up to -- from a newbie cargo captain for a small outfit in a remote area of the world to the prestige of commanding a huge widebody passenger airliner with its substantial cabin crew. You are not limited in the type or size of the aircraft you can start your career with. You can choose to fly for cargo or passenger airlines, or those that do both. Your airline can have easy policies to adhere to, or they can be difficult. You are in control.
You can create your own airlines or download configured ones from the website, including realistic or fantasy schedules. You can even import AI schedules from inside Flight Simulator (any schedules, even those that you may have added from third parties) and make them into FSCaptain airline schedules.
FSCaptain is easy to install and use, but it is not a cakewalk to climb the ladder of success. Each flight you make is graded, and to advance up the pay steps for your airline requires a minimum time in hours flown for each advancement along with a minimum average flight score for the level you are currently on. Much of your flight score is based on your on-time performance -- just like in the real world. But also, passenger satisfaction and adherence to company policies as well as safe operating practices are all factored in.
You will feel the pressure real pilots feel to meet schedules and be on-time, but not to cut corners with safety. Your flying skills will mostly determine your ability to keep the customers happy while they are riding with you, but your timing and communication skills are important too!
If you want more realism and a more professional approach to the job of being a virtual airline pilot (cargo or passenger) FSCaptain might be the career simulator for you!
Features
- Two versions for the price of one - FSCaptain works in FS2004 and FSX!
- Support for multiple installations on the same computer, and you can even have the same career in all your installations even across versions!
Unequaled Realism:
- Accept (or decline) assignments from your employer -- just like the real world.
- Be assigned to scheduled flights, charter flights, or choose non-revenue ferries where you select the destination.
- Fly passenger or cargo flights, sometimes with special requirements such as priority delivery or fragile cargo.
- You're not alone: you fly with a first officer, cabin crew, and passengers who react and whose satisfaction is your major concern after safety.
- The loading and unloading of passengers and/or cargo are automatically handled by gate staff and ground crew.
- Cabin service is handled realistically by your cabin crew -- you set parameters but do not micromanage.
- You'll interact with the dispatch office to plan and monitor your flight.
- An ACARS-like gauge is provided for easy and efficient communications with your dispatch office.
- You face the real-world hazards of aviation: FSCaptain includes a wide array of potential mechanical failures, bird strikes, blown tires, and other hazards even medical emergencies and smoke in the passenger cabin.
- Your career is tracked and evaluated and your professional skills will be rewarded as you move up the ladder of success. But watch out: your flaws are tracked closely too!
- The financial side of your airline is handled by the bean counters and executives -- you are a captain and your concern is delivering your payload safely to your destination on time with consummate professionalism.
Unsurpassed Flexibility:
- You aren't limited in the size or type of aircraft based on your career position. Fly your favorite airplanes right off the bat.
- Work for any of the default airlines provided out of the box, or create your own, including those that match real-world companies. Passenger or cargo airlines (or both), Charter or scheduled operations (or a mixture.)
- Create your own schedules or import them from the AI schedules inside Flight Simulator.
- The risk factors for failures are fully under your control, but by default they are very realistically implemented, quite rare and completely random.
- Airline policies are configurable in detail from the simplest to the most complex -- even down to how effective their maintenance operations are!
- Aircraft characteristics are configurable, including detailed fuel and payload charts.
- Support for reporting your flights automatically over the internet to your Virtual Airline using the already established FSPassengers reporting format.
A safe product to evaluate and use:
- The free version of FSCaptain is fully functional and not limited in any way except for operations must be conducted from three airports located in the pacific northwest of the USA. The registration code which you purchase simply removes this restriction. You can evaluate the program at no expense risk-free for as long as you like.
- FSCaptain is carefully designed to be safe to install -- it does not modify your flight simulator or your Windows in any way except to add its own separate database folder and two gauges to your gauges folder. The Windows registry is not touched in any way, shape, or form.
- The gauge installed in your aircraft (the FCOM) is easily installed or removed by a program with no tweaking needed. It is unobtrusive and not seen unless called up, and it does not affect the appearance of your panels in any way.
- Your flight logs are carefully stored and backed up automatically to eliminate the risk of loss of your valuable career data.
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