General All the FLTDUTY Editions are written in Visual Basic 6.0 and therefore require Windows 95 or later environment with access to the Windows Registry and Windows shared files. This usually means operation on a PC, or a Mac with Windows installed. FLTDUTY is not a spreadsheet program, nor is it compatible with Microsoft Excel on PC's or PDA's. Data is stored in comma delimited text files arranged by date in sequence from Day 1. Files can be opened in Notepad however most fields are Boolean (1's or 0's) or Text and cannot easily be interpretted by other applications. (I can sometimes convert your old files from Excel to FLTDUTY format if you decide to purchase and need seamless conversion from an Excel based system you are currently using.) FLTDUTY is a stand alone Windows application with a graphical user interface in the familiar Windows format. The program is not designed to be installed on a server although many users have done this and operate successfully with some attention to management of data entry to avoid simultaneous file revisions. FLTDUTY will only work if your Windows Regional Settings are set to English (Canada). There are formatting and date convention issues with French (Canada) and even English (United States) will not work. The Transport Canada NPA from September 2014 proposes significant and sweeping changes to the pilot duty time, flight time and rest sections of the CARs and Standards. FLTDUTY does not accomodate these proposed changes and probably cannot be modified. The implementation period for 702/703 operations could be 48 months after official Amendment to the CARs. The current versions of FLTDUTY will be obsolete after the end of the implementation period. The installation is standard using your Control Panel > Programs and Features and Setup.exe, or access the Zip file or CDROM installation files using Explore or Computer and double click on Setup.exe. Keep any newer files already on your computer (click Yes when Setup pauses). If you get INTRUDER ALERT error message, copy/extract the SaveSettings.sav file from the CD or Zip to C:FLTDUTY XLS folder and try again. FLTDUTY is installed in C:FLTDUTY XLS folder (earlier editions were installed to C:Program Files but the Vista operating system has made this repository for applications a 'Read Only' folder ). FLTDUTY requires security access of Full Control to read and write to its data files. The initial installation requires about 4 MB of free space and space requirements will increase (although not significantly) as your data evolves. (My 18 year old pilot file is just over 1.5 MB.) The current version of FLTDUTY XLS is Version 2.05. This was issued in the summer of 2005 (in response to CBAAC #0241) as a free update to all registered users and has been the current issue since. The current CARs Amendment is 2017-3 but no changes have required new code in the FLTDUTY calculations for several years. The NPA from September 2014 notwithstanding. My update #05-002 includes some minor glitch fixes and refinements as we go. Serial numbers are currently in the 2900's. Earlier versions are probably still accurate and will give good service. Transport Canada will be looking for version 2.05 at audit time. Some improvements have been made to accommodate the Windows Vista environment after serial number #2850. Registered users can update for free by contacting me directly for a download. The Licensing Agreement implicit in each sale of FLTDUTY allows the registered company user to make and distribute copies of the software for pilots or remote operations for 'in house' use. Pilots on assignment away from the head office may carry copies of FLTDUTY on laptops or even install on other base desktops to keep their records current. Some sort of centralization and update procedure needs to be in place so all copies have current information. Support, Help and Updates will be available through the company office copy. The PLUS Edition with aircraft time on type records, flight time validity tracking as well as the expanded training records section is the newest variation. All copies of FLTDUTY can be upgraded at any time for the difference in the initial price. Download the User's Manual as PDF. Right click and Save Target As... to your desktop or hard drive. Here are the variants and purchasing options: FLTDUTY XLS Basic Edition The Basic XLS monitors pilot flight duty, flight and rest times and you can keep information on medicals, PPC's for up to 4 types, IFR and exam renewals and recurrent training for 6 items. It will tell you when you approach a limit and apply the relevant CARs for any type of operation to apply the least restrictive limits available. The Basic XLS sells for $249.95 FLTDUTY PLUS Expanded Features Edition There is an add-on available to the Basic XLS version called PLUS which expands the Pilot Record section and allows for additional and more flexible initial training, recurrent training and aircraft specific training for up to 7 types. This offers a more comprehensive capability for training records for large operations. You can record the aircraft types flown during the duty in the PLUS Edition and develop pilot total time on types records. The PLUS Edition also has the ability to track recurrency flight items (like night recurrency or IFR) and warns you when a validity limit is approaching. The PLUS edition with expanded Pilot Records costs $549.95 FLTDUTY PROPLUS Database Edition There is also a PROPLUS version which includes all the PLUS features plus a database for maintaining aircraft movements and activities which can be queried for various sorts of analysis over any period desired. This requires Journey Logbook type entries along with the duty time entries. PROPLUS uses an Access Jet database for the aircraft journey log entries as well as the comma delimited text files for the pilot schedules and duty times. Other Access programs may be able to use PROPLUS data from entries other than the duty time schedule. This feature is not suitable for maintenance or component time tracking. If you want all add-ons, the PROPLUS edition is $649.95 FLTDUTY SP Single Pilot Edition There is a Single Pilot version which includes the PLUS features but is limited to a single pilot record. The Single Pilot version for individual pilots costs $79.95 Fees and Subscriptions There are no ongoing subscription fees. If there is a significant CARs Amendment that affects the calculations, I may be able to accommodate the changes with a free update. Failing that, FLTDUTY will become obsolete. |