Thoughts on Cargo

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Harvester
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Re: Thoughts on Cargo

Post by Harvester » Mon Apr 29, 2019 8:19 am

I'm looking forward to this and curious about it.
Please keep it up.
Cheers,
Jörg

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Re: Thoughts on Cargo

Post by flugkapitan » Wed May 01, 2019 1:27 am

Hi Joe,

You proposal for cargo does sound very interesting.

Cheers,
Scott
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joefremont
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Re: Thoughts on Cargo

Post by joefremont » Sun May 12, 2019 6:00 am

The hint view of the cargo system is up, if you look in the database section is a new entry called 'Packages', this will give you a view into how the package generator is creating packages and is intended as a page that will be used as a general search if where packages are and where they are going to.

You can select from a location and destination airport, which are dropdowns where all the airports you have routes from and select for all packages within up to 1000 nm of those locations, or the whole globe if not selected, min and max package size and it will display up to 1000 results.

I did decide to increase the package sizes, from (25, 100, 1000, 10000, 100,000) kg to (40, 200, 2000, 20000, 100,000) kg. Larger packages makes it easier to fill a plane and less work to manage all the packages.
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Cat
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Re: Thoughts on Cargo

Post by Cat » Sun May 12, 2019 7:13 pm

So how does it work? FSA will no longer load to zfw after pax automatically? Have to pick and choose cargo we want? Not being critical of something I don't understand, just curious.
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Re: Thoughts on Cargo

Post by joefremont » Sun May 12, 2019 7:54 pm

Well how it should work is you book your flight, exactly as you do it now. The generic 'Cargo' will still be calculated based on mzfw - pax wt up to cargo limit of the AC, same as always. I am planning on changing the formula for calculating the v$ for the generic cargo a bit so that its closer to passenger rate although usually a little less than economy pax, and there will be some limits on the volume of generic cargo similar to what we do with passengers now (details still to be worked out).

Then you can start filling the plane with packages, the packages will replace generic cargo and should provide higher revenue, but if your not interested you can ignore it and go with just generic cargo. If you land at the packages destination the revenue is then awarded and divided between all the flights that helped get the package to its destination, if not the package stays on the AC and can be transferred to another AC or a warehouse or will be part of the cargo on the next flight.
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Cat
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Re: Thoughts on Cargo

Post by Cat » Sun May 12, 2019 8:25 pm

Ahhh OK - another "optional" feature - 8) cool beans
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Re: Thoughts on Cargo

Post by sabahassani » Thu May 16, 2019 5:00 am

Finally a magnificent cargo system :D :D :D :D :D
Can't wait to try it out. when we can expect the trials to begin Joe? 8) :D
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Re: Thoughts on Cargo

Post by joefremont » Thu May 16, 2019 8:46 pm

sabahassani wrote:
Thu May 16, 2019 5:00 am
Finally a magnificent cargo system :D :D :D :D :D
Can't wait to try it out. when we can expect the trials to begin Joe? 8) :D
I am making good progress on the website side of things, few weeks before you can start alpha testing it, but then I need to do client updates to support it.
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Re: Thoughts on Cargo

Post by sabahassani » Fri May 17, 2019 9:53 pm

Exited Exited Exited Exited Exited Exited Exited Exited :D
YESSSSSSSS Thank youuu Joe.
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Re: Thoughts on Cargo

Post by joefremont » Sat May 18, 2019 1:09 am

Couple things I am thinking about. So far I am calling the new cargo 'Packages', is that clear what that means to everyone? Would calling it something else be more understandable?

I am thinking we need a new flight type, specific 'cargo' flights. No generic cargo or passengers would be loaded, and no 'wrong airport' penalties would apply (automatic divert if not the final airport) and you can then load or unload packages there.

Ideas?
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Cat
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Re: Thoughts on Cargo

Post by Cat » Mon May 20, 2019 4:29 pm

In the Client during pre-flight loading? Fuel then click new tab PACKAGE FLT that would take you to load sheet of available packages? Don't click the PACKAGE FLT tab Client continues as it does now with load manifest based on seats and ZFW generic cargo.. just click FLY button to continue 'normal flight' .... I would think pilots would want fuel first to see what's left for package cargo to MTOW.
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Re: Thoughts on Cargo

Post by joefremont » Mon May 20, 2019 9:27 pm

I had assumed you would do all the package management in the website, and the 'package flight' would be a different flight type, alongside 'scheduled' and 'training'. you certainly could not book a normal flight and then tell the passengers who signed up for it, sorry this is cargo only.

The updates to the client I was anticipating are
- having it know the total package weight so it can know how much passengers/generic cargo and fuel can be loaded.
- Adding a reserve fuel amount
- Adding service stops so if you at one of the listed stops its an automatic divert
- Maybe if you land at an airport where you have a package on onboard where it is its final destination, its an automatic divert.
- Maybe having the client check the actual cargo loaded in the sim matches the profile for the flight and 'suggesting' the pilot update it, not sure if the client can update it as I would not want to take responsibility for balancing the aircraft correctly.
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Tower
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Re: Thoughts on Cargo

Post by Tower » Sun May 26, 2019 12:38 am

This PACKAGES implementation seems to be a great idea, specially for pure Cargo Companies like mine. Anyway, my problem is I don´t speak English as well as I would like, and I'm afraid I haven't fully understood the process to carry those packages.
So, may I ask for a kind of "user guide", step by step of packages transport system? A few lines will be enough, but every step must be clearly described.
For instance:
1-Book your flight
2- Previosly to click the BOOK button, look at the bottom (or the top) of booking page. Look for the PACKAGES button. Click on.
3- A list of packages should appear. Choose one, depending on your plane, route and destination....

And so on....
I dont know yet how to use the cargo feature, but once we learn, for sure we shall use it day by day.

Thank you in advance.
Night navigation is so easy. Just try to maintain the plane centered between the red light on your left and the green one on your right.
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joefremont
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Re: Thoughts on Cargo

Post by joefremont » Sun May 26, 2019 2:01 am

The details on exactly how it will work are still being worked out as I am still writing it. But I expect that once you book a flight you will then have an option for 'Loading Packages' where the pilot can select from available packages at the airport to load onto the aircraft.

The screen I am working on now is what I would like to call the 'Package Manager', which is a more complex version of the pilots 'Load Packages' screen. This will allow you to load packages onto any aircraft in the airport and even move packages from one aircraft to another or even to a warehouse for storage. I have made some good progress on it but I think I need to be careful to not make it too hard to use.

The program that creates the packages is already in place and looking at the database now I see that at KFJK there are 138 packages with EGLL as its destination that total that total 56400 kg. A lot of packages to load and that does not fill the 747-200 I have been testing with. Its still a work in progress and I hope to have something soon to show.
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Tower
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Re: Thoughts on Cargo

Post by Tower » Mon May 27, 2019 7:42 pm

That's OK, Joe. It sounds great...We will be expecting for that new feature, which surely improve the "reality" of our V.A.

Thanks and good job.
Night navigation is so easy. Just try to maintain the plane centered between the red light on your left and the green one on your right.
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