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Introduction

Welcome to vSWR! Just like most Virtual Airlines, we at vSWR have our own set of rules, which we have compiled in this Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) document.

This SOP establishes the rules, procedures, and standards for the safe, realistic, and professional operation of our Virtual Airline. All pilots and staff must adhere to these procedures to ensure our simulated operations mirror real-world standards while remaining accessible and enjoyable.

Organization and Responsibilities (OM-A)

2.1 Chain of Command

Role

Description

Duties

Accountable Manager

The accountable manager is a role within the VA.

  • Responsible for the overall management of the company

  • Is responsible to define and maintain a company culture, philosophy and safety culture

  • Ensures/monitors/checks that each Postholder is fulfilling his duties and responsibilities including in regards to quality

Postholder
Flight Operations

  • Ensures and is responsible that the operation is carried out according to the valid

    legal rules and regulations.

  • Ensures and is responsible for the safe operation of aeroplanes

  • Manages, supports and is in charge of the pilots as superior and is responsible for

    their standard of performance

Postholder

Schedule Management

  • Establish and maintain the schedule

  • Responsible for schedule updates in vAMSYS according to the actual AIRAC

  • Responsible for maintaining the fleet vAMSYS

Postholder
Ground Operations

  • Organizes Events

  • Responsible for internal & external communication

Safety Review Board

The Safety review board is a high level committee that considers strategic safety functions. It is chaired by the accountable manager and be composed of the nominated Post holders.

  • Review of Safety Reports

  • Review of PIREP Appeals

Commander

Pilots duty whilst engaged in an active flight.

  • Full authority over a flight, the aeroplane according to the SOP.

  • Responsibility starts with the flight planning and ends with sending the PIREP.

vSWR member

  • You accept the privacy policy and provisions and the website's terms and conditions.

  • You own and submit a valid e-mail address, and you keep your records up to date.

  • Your name within your vAMSYS profile must reflect your real identity.

  • You are at least 16 years old.

  • You own a supported flight simulator.

  • You are able to safely and efficiently operate an aircraft from its parking position at the departure airport to the parking position at the destination airport.

  • By reproducing, republishing or redistributing parts of our resources without permission, you are violating our rights under the Copyright Act.

3. Flight Operations (OM-B)

3.1 Minimum Flight Requirements & Activity

  • New Pilot Requirement: Complete your first flight and submit an approved PIREP within 14 days of joining.

  • Active Status: Pilots must log at least one (1) flight every 60 days. (Off Days can be entered in your settings)

  • Whitelist Provision: Activity requirements may be waived for Senior Captains or upon management discretion.

  • Registration Compliance: Repeated pilot registrations submitted without a corresponding, approved PIREP are non-compliant. A pilot may submit a maximum of four (4) subsequent registrations without an approved PIREP; any additional attempts will result in application rejection.

3.2 Flight Dispatch, PIREP Submission, Fuel Planning & Diversions

  • Dispatch: All flights must be booked via the dispatch system, with simulator time synchronized to the booked departure time.

  • PIREP Submission: Pilots must submit flight reports immediately after landing using the ACARS system—known as Pegasus.

  • Manual PIREPs (Claims): Manual submissions are accepted only when accompanied by verifiable proof. Pilots must attach screenshots from their tracking tool that clearly display the relevant flight data. Links to external trackers (e.g., Volanta, IVAO, or VATSIM) are not acceptable.

  • Fuel Planning: Use approved tools (e.g., SimBrief) to ensure accurate fuel calculations; please check the output against our sop before fuelling your aircraft. any deviation beyond approved limits will incur penalties.

  • Diversions & Abnormalities: Any diversions, non-normal events, or deviations must be thoroughly documented in the PIREP comments.

3.3 No-Fly Areas

  • Definition: Specific airspaces, restricted for security or operational reasons, are strictly off-limits.

  • Procedure: Always consult the current no-fly list before flight planning. Unauthorized entries will invalidate your PIREP and result in penalty points. This also includes directs offered by ATC which enter No-Fly Areas!

A full list of No-Fly Areas is further below in the respective Appendix.

3.4 Duty Time Limits

  • Maximum Duty Times: All flights must conform to EASA duty time limits. Major violations (e.g., exceeding daily limits) will be sanctioned according to airline policy.

3.5 Approach & Landing Standards

  • Stabilized Approaches: Approaches must be stabilized at 1000 ft AGL; failure to stabilize by this altitude requires a go-around.

  • Senior Captain Exception: Pilots holding the Senior Captain rank (or higher) may, under VMC conditions only, execute an approach that stabilizes latest at 500 ft AGL. In such cases, a detailed PIREP comment explaining the deviation is mandatory.

  • General Requirement: All approaches must adhere to these stability requirements to ensure safe and controlled landings.

4. Aircraft Operations & Substitution Rules (OM-C)

4.1 Approved Aircraft, Livery & Add-On Standards

  • Fleet Consistency: Only aircraft from the approved fleet may be used - You have to fly the aircraft you've booked.

  • Livery Requirements: The aircraft must display the correct livery corresponding to the operator. Fictional liveries are not accepted.

  • Add-On Standards: Modified or customized add-ons that violate the End User License Agreement (EULA) of the respective developer are strictly prohibited.

    For example, the use of the Toliss A320ceo mod that contravenes the developer’s EULA will not be accepted.

4.2 Aircraft Substitution Guidelines

  • General Rule: No aircraft substitutions are allowed unless prior management approval is obtained.
    A general Substitution List is available within the respective Appendix below - Any substitutions listed there, does not require a PIREP Comment.

Procedure:

  1. Pilots must book the designated aircraft.

  2. If the designated aircraft is unavailable, contact management for approval before substituting.

  3. Any unapproved substitution will result in PIREP invalidation.

  4. Documentation: If an adhoc substitution is approved, include a brief explanation in your PIREP (e.g., “Substituted A330-300 for A330-200 with prior management approval due to simulator limitations”).

5. General Rules and Industry Standards

5.1 Operational Conduct, Standard Behavior & Netiquette

  • Company Language: Our company Language is english. This allows the participation of a wider community. Specific Areas are in German and marked as such.

  • Professionalism: All pilots and staff must exhibit professional, respectful, and courteous behavior at all times.

  • Netiquette: All online communications (Discord, online networks, etc.) must follow proper netiquette standards. Disruptive, inflammatory, or offensive language is strictly prohibited and will result in disciplinary action. Rule of thumb: What ever you wouldn't do at the dinnertable with your parents, is a nogo here too.

5.2 Safety, Speed, Weight & Simulation Parameters

  • No simulation rate adjustments are allowed. All flights must be conducted at a 1× simulation rate.

  • No excessive pausing is permitted during any phase of flight. If a pause is unavoidable, it must be pre-approved and documented in the PIREP.

  • The maximum taxi speed is 30 knots during all taxi operations.

  • Ensure aircraft loading is within certified limits.

  • Follow all operational procedures without resorting to non-standard practices such as slew mode or accelerated simulation rates.

5.3 Penalties and PIREP Scoring

  • Points System: PIREPs are automatically scored based on factors such as fuel planning, landing rates, proper aircraft and livery usage, and adherence to no-fly zones.

  • Infractions: Violations—including unauthorized simulation rate adjustments, excessive pausing, unapproved aircraft substitutions, use of incorrect liveries, unstable approaches, or exceeding taxi speed limits—will incur point deductions/invalidation as detailed in the vAMSYS Points Manual and the appendix below.

  • Review Process: Repeated or significant violations may result in suspension or termination from the virtual airline.

Appendix 1 - No-Fly Areas

Country

FIR/UIR

Description (if needed)

Lybia

  • HLLL

Sudan

  • HSSS

Mainly affected South-Sudan. Specific Routings may route through North-Sudan - In doubt: Avoid all HSSS

Yemen

  • OYSC

Syria

  • OSTT

Ukraine

  • all FIR/UIRs

Excemption if operating under the historic schedules to/from Ukrainian Airports.

Belarus

  • all FIR/UIRs

EASA Ops asks you to avoid this Airspace

Russia

  • all FIR/UIRs

EASA Ops asks you to avoid this Airsapce. Exception: Historic Ops to/from Russian Airports.

North Korea

  • all FIR/UIRs

https://safeairspace.net/

Be advised: entering or crossing one of the red marked LEVEL 1 areas leads to an immediate flight invalidation!

Appendix 2 - Fuel Planning

Minimum Company Landing Fuel

For all flights, make sure your minimum landing fuel is not below the following values - If you are below, please leave a PIREP Comment.

To view the values for all available aircraft, check the points manual on vamsys.

Takeoff Fuel calculation

Besides the minimum landing fuel, there is also something called "Minimum Takeoff Fuel", "Takeoff Fuel" and "Total Fuel"

Minimum Takeoff Fuel:

Final Reserve + ALTN Fuel + Contingency (3% from Trip) + Trip Fuel + Additional Fuel (ETOPS requirements).

Takeoff Fuel:

Minimum Takeoff Fuel + Pilots Extra Fuel and Company Extra fuel

Total Fuel:

Takeoff Fuel + Taxi fuel

Appendix 3 - A32x | Flap Settings at parking (OAT >30°C)

The policy requiring the Flaps to be set at position 1 upon arrival when the Outside Air Temperature (OAT) exceeds 30°C has been discontinued. Maintaining the Flaps at position 1 under these conditions will result in a penalty applied to your PIREP.

Slat Extension Guidance in Case of “AIR L(R) WING LEAK” Warnings:

In hot weather conditions, the detection of overheating around the bleed ducts in the wings may trigger “AIR L(R) WING LEAK” warnings. In the event of such a warning, consider deploying Flaps 1 (Slats only) in accordance with the following Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), after ensuring a safe distance from refueling vehicles, ground handling equipment, and other hazards.

Procedure:

  1. Ensure the wing area is clear of any obstructions.

  2. Set the BLUE PUMP OVRD to ON (located on the Overhead Maintenance Panel).

  3. Select FLAPS 1 (this will extend the Slats only).

  4. Once the Slats are fully extended, set the BLUE PUMP OVRD to OFF.

  5. Move the Flaps Lever to the UP position to prevent inadvertent Flaps extension if hydraulic power is applied before the Slats are retracted.

If this procedure is performed in response to a 'Wing Leak' warning, please submit a ticket via Discord, including your PIREP ID and a screenshot of the ECAM warning.
We will manually remove any penalties associated with this action.

Appendix 4 - SOP Requirements

SOP Requirements (Operational Stuff)

Unreported Deviations

-50

See list above

Diversion without suitable reason provided

-200

Flap movements before startup procedure completed

-50

If there's a reason for it, it needs to be reported

Unstable Approach: All Flights need to be fully stable at 1000ft AGL

-50/-100

Taxi Speed Violations (Max. 30 Knots GS)

-50/-100

Lack of airmenship

-100

Any unreported violations of good airmenship

Incorrect Single Engine Taxi

-50

Adhere to AOM

Appendix 5 - Aircraft Substitutions

The following list shows the approved Substitutions, which do not require a comment - Any deviation from this list, is not allowed and requires an expressive management approval.

Type available for Booking

Allowed Substitution

Remarks

A330-200

A330-300

MD81/82/83

MD88 (Rotate; XPlane)

BAe 146-200/300

RJ85/RJ100

RJ85/RJ100

BAe 146-200/-300

SOP Changelog/Revisions
  • 28.02.2024 - General Update - Alignment to all Group-VAs

  • 01.09.2024 - General Update, Reformatting, Addition of Appendix 3

  • 27.10.2022 - Added Syria to the noflyzone

  • 26.10.2022 - Initial Version