The End of the Pencil-and-Paper Era

FLIGHT OPERATION SYSTEM

Flight Operation System 2008 - the End of the Pencil-and-Paper Era

The software especially designed for flying clubs and flight schools, allowing for the easy management of an air fleet.

Despite the fact that aviation is one of the most interesting and ingenious areas into which mankind has ever ventured, most of today's flying clubs and small air carriers still use the most primitive of tools for the scheduling of flights and the management of their fleets - i.e. a pencil and a piece of paper. Although computers and the internet have become essential parts of a modern business - and even of our leisure activities - the use of such modern IT tools is far from common when it comes to civil aviation. Flights are still being tracked using paper notebooks; and, little pieces of paper with people's names on them are still being pinned onto boards hanging on walls. Despite the latest technological advancements, only a handful of flying clubs are making use of simple, spreadsheet-type computer applications.

Unfortunately, this is the case even with a price equivalent to several dozen flight minutes for a computerized solution. Any flying club, flight school or small air carrier can now have access to the Flight Operation System 2008 (FOS) - an online-based information system. This specialized software, which was developed by the Media Online software development firm, allows its users to fully manage all of their flight-associated administrative tasks over the internet - starting with the booking of an aircraft filled with the desired amount of fuel and ending with tasks such as flight tracking and billing.

Even though the software offers hundreds of different features and options, the actual use of the system is very straightforward and intuitive. After signing-in to the program using a username and password (a process that is similar to that used for accessing an internet-based email service), the user can work with the application as they would with any other Windows-based program. If the pilot already has an existing account with the respective club, they can proceed directly to the booking of the flight or add information to their flight's itinerary. This can all be done from the comfort of the user's home or office - without the need for picking up the phone or calling an operator or dispatcher to verify the availability of an aircraft at the given time.

The FOS system allows the pilot to immediately see which aircraft and what registration numbers (they may have a favorite aircraft that they would like to book or just the opposite) are available and which have already been booked by other pilots. Using a simple procedure, the pilot completes his or her booking, which is automatically entered by the system onto other databases. At the same time, the pilot chooses the amount of fuel that they want the operator to supply with the aircraft. They may also specify other requirements such as to book a flight with an instructor. Any booking submitted through this system can be modified, put-on-hold or cancelled using a similar procedure. If the user happens to forget to enter some of the required data into the system while making the booking, the system will automatically prompt the pilot to add the necessary information.

Another feature offered by Flight Operation System 2008 is the providing of up-to-date weather information. After the pilot enters their flight plan into the system, the software will provide them with information about the weather conditions in the area to which they intend to travel. This is done through a direct connection to and the harvesting of data from online weather servers. The system can also be used to maintain onboard log information for individual pilots and for individual aircraft. Most importantly, based on the data stored, the system allows for the easy monitoring of the fleet's operations, capacity availability and numbers of flight hours. In relation to the above features, the system will automatically prompt its users about scheduled aircraft inspections - in other words, the system will help to make sure that all of the permits required for the operation of a given aircraft remain current.

Another attractive feature of the FOS is a set of functions designed to handle the billing for aircraft rentals and completed flight hours. These are features which are part of the financial module, which allows the user to set and change aircraft rental rates, along with the pricing for fuel and other services that are provided by the operator to the pilots. Based on this data (which can - just as with other data - be exported from the FOS to other applications such as Microsoft Excel), the flight school or the club issues invoices and bills to their pilots. The data stored by the system can be used by both the pilots and the operator for the creation of various types of reports and statistical output, which are then available for their private use or for accounting purposes.

The owner of the FOS license (i.e. the flight school or private operator) can choose whether to incorporate the system into their own computer network and make the FOS part of their own website or whether to use the service directly through the system's home website: www.flightoperationsystem.com. Even though the entire application is web-based and accessible over the internet, users don't have to worry about the safety of their confidential data and the operational information related to their aircraft and pilots. All online communications are done with the use of encrypted protocols, which provide the same level of security as that used for internet banking and the protection of government information systems. FOS 2008 can be accessed from any computer with an internet connection and a common type of web browser (Microsoft Internet Explorer, version 6.0 or later, or Mozilla Firefox 2.0) or from a mobile phone with a web-browsing capability

The use of FOS 2008 is completely free of charge for all clients!

The application is available in the following languages: English, German, French, Italian, Spanish and Czech.

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