When you first begin using FlightSpan™, FlightSpan Support will set up your initial aircraft configurations. However, if you acquire a new seat type, or a different aircraft of the same type with a slightly different configuration, you may need to set up seats and cargo compartments.
Add Seat Type
To add a new seat, from the Settings menu select Aircraft, then from the Aircraft Type List on the Aircraft menu, click on the model of the aircraft in which the seat will be used.
Then from the Seats tab of the Aircraft Type Detail, click the green Plus button.
Name the seat, give it a two letter code, enter the weight and the correct units, then toggle the switch if you wish to be able to load cargo in the seat space when the seat is removed.
Add the dimensions of the seat in the aircraft units. Note that these numbers are only used for changing the graphical display of the seat in FlightSpan Ops and on the EFB.
Select the direction the passenger faces when seated.
Toggle Fixed Seat if the seat is not removable (for example, a crew seat). Select the purpose of the seat, and if it is a bench seat, toggle that switch as well.
If there is a difference between the CG of the empty seat and the CG when a passenger is seated, enter the difference between the two.
If you are adding a bench seat, toggle the Bench Seat switch and an additional Seating Count field will appear. Enter the number of seating positions on the bench.
Later, when you position the seat in the cabin, it will expand according to the seating count.
Select the color that will be used in the graphics in both FlightSpan Ops and on the EFB to define the seat back, to make it clear which direction the seat faces.
Next click the approximate location in the cabin where the seat will be placed. Longitudinal and Lateral arms will be automatically set based on where you clicked.
Next edit the Longitudinal Arm, entering the arm of the installed seat.
Then edit the Lateral Arm. For a rotorwing, Lateral Arm is the lateral CG of the installed seat, and is used for calculating lateral CG. For a fixed wing aircraft, lateral arm is only used to laterally position the seat on the graphics in both FlightSpan Ops and on the EFB, so it can be set to any number that represents the physical position of the seat.
If the seat can be installed in another location, repeat the process. To delete a seat position, click the seat position you wish to remove, and when it is highlighted blue, click Delete Position.
If you wish all aircraft of the same type to be able to use the aircraft, leave the checks blank.
If you wish to limit use of the seat to certain aircraft, check that aircraft or those aircraft, then click Save.
The seat will be added to the list. Edit the seat with the blue pencil icon; delete the seat with the red trash can icon.
Once a seat has been used on a manifest or a flight, it can no longer be deleted.
Base Configuration
From the Base Configuration tab of the Aircraft Type Detail, click the Edit button.
The following settings are only used for graphical representation of the aircraft cabin in FlightSpan Ops.
Enter the arms of the forward and aft bulkheads and the width of the cabin measured from the centerline of the aircraft to the cabin wall in aircraft units.
Fixed Wing Yes or No is set according to the type of aircraft you are editing.
Set the wing position in a representative location. Positive numbers are aft of the cabin center, negative numbers are forward.
To create a cargo compartment, click the green Plus button at the bottom.
Enter the Longitudinal Arm (the CG of the cargo compartment), and if in an aircraft type that computes lateral CG (typically rotorcraft) the lateral arm; otherwise leave it blank.
The type of cargo compartment is only editable by FlightSpan Support.
Enter the total weight capacity of the compartment, and in the Seats Capacity column, enter the maximum seat weight that can be loaded in the compartment.
In the third column, select where you want the compartment to display on the graphical interface in FlightSpan Ops.
EFB #, EFB X, and EFB Y are locked down and only editable by FlightSpan Support.
Note: Seat weight is used for capacity instead of number of seats as a best approximation of capacity given that you may have multiple seats of different sizes and weights.
When all cargo compartments are defined, click Save.
Quick Configurations
Quick configurations are used by both FlightSpan Ops and the EFB for defining default and quickly selectable configurations.
Aircraft Type Configurations
From the Quick Configurations tab of the Aircraft Type Detail, create a new configuration for an aircraft type by clicking an Empty Configuration square.
You can define a maximum of six quick configurations.
To add a seat, click the desired seat on the upper left, and the available positions that were defined for that seat will be highlighted in green.
Click the desired seat position or positions to install a seat.
Click on an installed seat to remove it.
Right click on any seat to designate it as a seat that cannot be installed when using this configuration.
Uninstalled seats will be be highlighted green with the seat code added.
Seats can also be stowed by default in any cargo compartment designated for seats.
When the configuration is complete, click Save.
Designate a configuration as the default that will be used on the EFB when a new flight is created by checking the box on the upper right of the configuration.
Delete a configuration with the red trash can icon at the bottom.
Aircraft Specific Configurations
Quick configurations can be established for individual aircraft within a type that will override the aircraft type quick configurations.
From the Aircraft List, click on the registration number of the desired aircraft.
Then from the Quick Configurations tab of the Aircraft Detail, click the Create Aircraft Quick Configurations button.
Configurations defined for the aircraft type will be displayed. Click on a configuration to edit it.
Edit the configuration as previously described, then Save.
