Cargo Pilot
Another world of aviation awaits the virtual pilot, we are all used to the single engined general aviation through to some of the largest airliners in the skies, but now for the first time comes a different mode of transporting goods. Freight or cargo to some, cartons and packages to others. To be honest anything that does not move can be considered to be freight! Add to this a complete management system and not only do you need to have one eye on your cargo but also one on the money with a need to pull the strings effectively to move your virtual company from strength to strength.
The initial installation is effortless with the only significant question asked is whether you have Microsoft.Net Framework 2.0, once this has been overcome it’s then time to start selecting your new H.Q. along with aircraft you would like to purchase. The main screen is split into different sections from general option changes, the window area where fleet management takes place IE: buying and selling aircraft and checking the condition. The map on the wall gives you access to the management menu, this is where you will hopefully and successfully manage your company and try to expand the services you supply. Briefing room door allows jobs to be created and to view briefings of the job in hand. Finally, the filing cabinet is where all your companies secrets are held and you can create new companies and update pilot details. Financial details and logs of all the jobs completed can also be found in this area.
The whole scenario for Cargo Pilot is built around a real life operation and to this end every detail of running a company is included, once the initial guidelines have been set you can then concentrate totally on the task in hand and start delivering those vital papers or maybe three crates of fruit and vegetables. Whatever you choose the options are endless. Lets take a look at more of the options in detail, Preparing your flight can be set in minutes this gives you plenty of time to set your aircraft and do all the necessary checks. A difficulty or rather, realism of fully generated weather can also be used, this ranges from easy through to hard, hard being thunderstorms and the more excessive conditions you might meet while en route. Within the financial section Cargo Pilot allows you to operate using different currencies. So no matter where in the world your base is, or even where you live, the currency can be altered to suit your own needs, and the exchange rate can be altered to give you a more realistic view. This is much better than everything being in one currency and having say one UK pound equalling one US dollar!
You will begin with an amount of money to help with set up, this equates to 1.4 million (rubbing hands together) more than enough to buy a suitable aircraft for business purposes. You also need to put some funds to one side for your base airport, yes even charges apply to using an airfield. Once this is done your new company profile is set and you will not have to worry about this until later when you find you have outgrown either your aircraft and quite possibly your airfield.
So lets start to concentrate on what type of cargo you would like to carry, this of course is limited initially due to the aircraft you will be using. On my first flight I bought a Cessna Caravan which is about as low cost as you can get although you can opt for a smaller aircraft, this is not really advisable as you are then limiting yourself even further. All we want to do is make money and grow our very own company!
The items to take are ordered into ID, type, category, delivery, date or weight along with a description of what items are awaiting to be loaded up. On the smallest aircraft weight is going to be a problem in certain instances. So do not immediately go for something that is really going to slow you down, even make the flight virtually impossible to do. Money can be made by some of the smaller packages available. For my first mission I carried some important papers weighing only 7kgs from Riemmes in France over to my own base Deenethorpe UK01. The distance and range had to be taken into account along with the weight of the cargo, this also means selecting the correct amount of fuel to load. Fuel is dependent on load and this has to be shared equally among both, remember we need to make money! One helpful item is when you have accepted your cargo a generated acceptance will appear on screen and give you all the details required for the trip, status bars showing the overall condition of your planned journey will be coloured green or red, if one does show red you will have to configure the cargo before proceeding to the briefing room.
A complete flight plan is available for printout, and when in Flight Simulator the same briefing can be seen on the kneeboard. Everything with regards to your flight is covered in this document including all calculations required for fuel, destination airports, a summary of the flight plan and detail of the freight you are carrying. The weather is generated for the flight and included in the brief. We are just about ready to depart, all we need to do is open Flight Simulator and prepare our aircraft.
When the screen first opens along the menu bar at the top you will see Cargo Pilot, this is a plug-in to enable you to track your flight from start to finish, its purpose to monitor the flight and evaluate performance by your own piloting skills. If you have selected a time of 20 minutes to prepare this will give you enough extra to double check everything before departure, as in the real world you would not want to make a mistake.
When you begin to taxi the tracker switches to pre-flight mode, this changes as the journey proceeds IE: in-flight mode, landing taxi mode and shutdown.
As you gain more experience and the money begins to flow the next stage is to think about expanding your empire! Adding more bases and aircraft are the obvious things to do but be warned before you get to the heady heights of 747 you will need to build a very large amount of capital! But never say never, with good managerial skills and prudent financial marketing the skies will open up for you. Keep a check on your weekly reports and learn to make the right judgement's with regards to cash flow and all should be well.
Aircraft as we all know will suffer from fatigue and the more hours in the air will have a detrimental affect on your business succeeding. Take a trip to the hangar every now and again for essential maintenance, if your aircraft falls below 50% then the dreaded word Grounded will apply! Your flying skills are also an important part of this, fly like an aerobatic display and this will affect your aircraft, upside down with three crates of chickens on the roof won’t do you or your interior much good, and remember it will cost you to repair any damage the aircraft suffers or you might just be saying goodbye to your business. The price of repairs is set to what item needs work, by looking after your fleet will help you to sell them on as viable purchases, no one is going to buy a wreck with outstanding costs to cover!
Overall this game from Just Flight has been carefully written, a full career scenario which allows everyone the opportunity to achieve what usually would only be a dream. Owning your own aircraft is one thing using it for business is something else, being director of operations, flying the cargo and having total control over every aspect of the freight world business is mind boggling. It will not be to everyone’s taste and cannot be compared to other flight simulation releases. However, the amount of work that has gone into this program is immense and brings a way of life not seen before into the virtual world.
Financially stimulating but not over extreme, true to life scenarios, generated weather situations, real time maintenance on aircraft and enough different styles, sizes and shapes of cargo to please everyone.
If variety is the spice of life then pick up a box of the best coriander and lets ship it out today. An almost endless amount of activity exists and if you have the patience, knowledge and piloting skills to overcome what Cargo Pilot can and probably will throw at you, then you are in for a very exciting time.
Flight Simulation has come along way over the past 25 years and with the onset of yet another new version due soon, Cargo Pilot is giving us the taste of mission based flight simulation with a unique look into this fascinating world. We all have the entrepreneur in us, Cargo Pilot will bring it out. Go forth and multiply today (in a virtual way of course) And make some money, with the fun increasing as the company grows.
Remember, do not be late with the freight, and Cargo Pilot will deliver the goods.
