As a new APL user, I thought I'd start a thread for tips & tricks here, as I hate Discord.

So .. to kick off .. has any current APL user tried the experimental/beta version? Would I lose my log if I switched to it?

Edited January 13, 20242 yr by Adamski_NZ

 

 

 

There's a fair bit of info in these threads you may find useful

 

 

I use APL2 every day. I love the autoplan function and the added realism of having Vera in charge of the cabin.

Live:

 

One thing I can't seem to get work:

Let's say you get "Others" license. Then you load the PC12 in the simulator and for the aircraft, you choose "Loaded in simulator" - it constantly tells me I do not have the proper license, same with Kodiak. 

Is there a trick to make this work?

1 hour ago, tamsini said:

One thing I can't seem to get work:

Let's say you get "Others" license. Then you load the PC12 in the simulator and for the aircraft, you choose "Loaded in simulator" - it constantly tells me I do not have the proper license, same with Kodiak. 

Is there a trick to make this work?

When you press change aircraft when setting up the flight, do you see PC12 or Kodiak listed, so you can select it?

Can you use any aircraft or is this limited to airliners?

1 minute ago, RobJC said:

Can you use any aircraft or is this limited to airliners?

Any aircraft you bought licenses for, by class, IOW all aircraft variants in the same class covered by one license

6 hours ago, SierraHotel said:

and the added realism of having Vera in charge of the cabin

I missed that.  How is that set up?

31 minutes ago, Bobsk8 said:

When you press change aircraft when setting up the flight, do you see PC12 or Kodiak listed, so you can select it?

It'll pick up what's loaded in the sim but will not accept it. Actually, even if I have a Cessna license and load the C208, it will complain that I don't have the proper license.

4 minutes ago, Noel said:

Any aircraft you bought licenses for, by class, IOW all aircraft variants in the same class covered by one license

So could i use the HondaJet?

1 minute ago, tamsini said:

It'll pick up what's loaded in the sim but will not accept it. Actually, even if I have a Cessna license and load the C208, it will complain that I don't have the proper license.

Does it show up when you press "change aircraft" in the setup menu for the flight?

7 minutes ago, RobJC said:

So could i use the HondaJet?

I'm not sure.  There is a category of aircraft licenses called "Other".  When it comes time to select which plane you want to change to "Other" is a selection, but then there are multiple variants under it and I don't see Honda.  Rob--it's very much aligned w/ commercial airliner use, FWIW.

Edited January 13, 20242 yr by Noel

Pardon my post here but I have to share for anyone interested in commercial and in particular those who enjoy the scoring piece in APL.   Self Loading Cargo is an incredibly well thought through adjunct to this genre of sim use and adds a much greater sense of immersion in the operation of an actual commercial flight.  While APL scoring focuses on piloting the plane pretty much irrespective of operating a passenger aircraft, SLC adds a giant level of scoring about management all elements of the flight including communications w/ ground and cabin crew.  With APL it became pretty easy to do what one needs to do to score well and it's enough to keep you paying attention at least when it matters to, but SLC gets me much more focused on the entire flight.   Here's a look at my last flight and what it is scoring:

 

 

George Bush Intercontinental Houston Airport

Departure Information

PLANNED  1500Z SATURDAY, 13 JANUARY 2024

 

ACTUAL  1451Z SATURDAY, 13 JANUARY 2024

 

DELAY  -8 MNS ON TIME DEPARTURE

 

ON-TIME DEPARTURE

Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport

Arrival Information

PLANNED  1700Z SATURDAY, 13 JANUARY 2024

 

EXPECTED  1652Z SATURDAY, 13 JANUARY 2024

 

ACTUAL  1649Z SATURDAY, 13 JANUARY 2024

 

EARLY ARRIVAL (-14 MINUTES)

 

 

 

GREAT WORK YOU DEPARTED ON-TIME AND MANAGED TO ARRIVE EARLY.

 

B

FLIGHT GRADE

1955 / 2415

PILOT POINTS

1.42 G

-308ft/min (Firm Landing)

Great Flight

PASSENGER RATING

 

---

Aircraft Control Ratings

How Well Did You Do In The 'Aircraft Control Ratings' Phase Of Flight?

 

14.4°

Max Pitch Up

5123ft/Min

Max Climb

 

4.6°

Max Pitch Dn

-5187ft/Min

Max Descent

29.9°

Max Roll Left

30.5°

Max Roll Right

 

1.42 G

Max GForce

0.51 G

Min GForce

 

 

30 of 30 ptsCABIN MANAGEMENT » SEATBELT CHECK (BELOW 10,000FT)
Ensure the seatbelt sign is turned ON at all times when the aircraft is below 10,000ft.
The seatbelt sign was on at all times while the aircraft was below 10,000ft.

12 of 30 ptsCABIN MANAGEMENT » AIRSPEED < 250KTS BELOW 10,000FT
Ensure airspeed is at or below 250kts when below 10,000ft.
Your airspeed was above 250kts for a short period of time while you were below 10,000ft.

30 of 30 ptsAIRLINE SOP » LANDING LIGHTS (BELOW 10,000FT)
Ensure the landing lights are turned ON at all times when the aircraft is below 10,000ft.
The landing lights were on at all times while the aircraft was below 10,000ft.

50 of 50 ptsAIRLINE SOP » COCKPIT DOOR STATUS
Cockpit door must always be closed while passengers are onboard the aircraft.
You kept the cockpit door closed at all times while passengers were onboard, helping to ensure the safety of the aircraft

10 of 10 ptsAIRMANSHIP » ROLL ANGLE (LEFT)
Your aircraft should stay within roll angle limits during flight
Your bank angle (to the left) was within acceptable limits throughout the flight

10 of 10 ptsAIRMANSHIP » ROLL ANGLE (RIGHT)
Your aircraft should stay within roll angle limits during flight
Your bank angle (to the right) was within acceptable limits throughout the flight

10 of 10 ptsAIRMANSHIP » PITCH ANGLE (UP)
Your aircraft should stay within pitch angle limits while climbing
You pitched up within acceptable limits throughout the flight.

10 of 10 ptsAIRMANSHIP » PITCH ANGLE (DOWN)
Your aircraft should stay within pitch angle limits while descending
You pitched down within acceptable limits throughout the flight.

10 of 10 ptsAIRMANSHIP » ROLL VELOCITY
Your aircraft should stay within roll velocity limits (12.6 degrees/sec)
You kept the aircraft within acceptable roll velocity limits throughout the flight.

10 of 10 ptsAIRMANSHIP » G-FORCES (POSITIVE)
Your aircraft should stay within g-force limits during flight
Your passengers were not subjected to excess positive g-forces throughout the flight

7 of 10 ptsAIRMANSHIP » G-FORCES (NEGATIVE)
Your aircraft should stay within g-force limits during flight
You pushed down a little too hard and the passengers were a bit uncomfortable.

7 of 10 ptsAIRMANSHIP » VERTICAL SPEED (UP)
Your aircraft should stay within vertical speed limits while climbing
Your aircraft climb rate was slightly above the limits during part of the flight.

10 of 10 ptsAIRMANSHIP » VERTICAL SPEED (DOWN)
Your aircraft should stay within vertical speed limits while descending
You kept the aircraft within acceptable descent rate limits throughout the flight.

10 of 10 ptsAIRMANSHIP » YAW VELOCITY
Your aircraft should stay within yaw velocity limits (15.7 degrees/sec) while on the ground
You kept the aircraft withing acceptable yaw limits while taxiing.

10 of 10 ptsAIRMANSHIP » YAW VELOCITY
Your aircraft should stay within yaw velocity limits (4.2 degrees/sec) while in the air
You kept the aircraft withing acceptable yaw limits throughout the flight.

50 of 50 ptsAIRLINE SOP » PASSENGER SATISFACTION IMPROVEMENT
Passengers should feel more satisfied after the flight than they were when it started
Passengers were more satisfied after the flight than they were before they got onboard - nice work!

 

---

Boarding And Loading

How Well Did You Do In The 'Boarding And Loading' Phase Of Flight?

5 of 5 ptsGROUND CREW COMMUNICATIONS » APU STARTUP ANNOUNCEMENT
Communicate with the ground crew to tell them that you are starting the aircraft APU.
You communicated with the ground crew to inform them that you were starting the APU.

5 of 5 ptsPUNCTUALITY » BOARDING DELAY
Ensure you board the aircraft in a timely manner.
You boarded the aircraft on-time.

5 of 5 ptsGROUND CREW COMMUNICATIONS » GPU DISCONNECTION
Communicate with the ground crew to tell them that the Ground Power Unit can be disconnected (once you no longer need it, e.g. if your APU is on).
You communicated with the ground crew to remove the ground power unit.

-20 of 20 ptsCABIN CREW COMMUNICATIONS » PA ('WELCOME ONBOARD')
Make an announcement to the passengers welcoming them onboard the aircraft
You did not make an announcement to the passengers welcoming them onboard the aircraft.

 

---

Pushback

How Well Did You Do In The 'Pushback' Phase Of Flight?

10 of 10 ptsPUNCTUALITY » DEPARTURE PUNCTUALITY
Your aircraft should leave at the scheduled departure time
No delays for departure

-25 of 25 ptsCABIN MANAGEMENT » SEATBELT CHECK (PUSHBACK)
Ensure your seatbelt sign is switched on before and during pushback.
Your seatbelt sign was turned off when the aircraft started pushing back.

0 of 5 ptsAIRLINE SOP » TRANSPONDER CHECK
Ensure your transponder is set to an appropriate value when pushing back.
Your transponder was not set correctly when the pushback phase of flight started.

10 of 10 ptsGROUND CREW COMMUNICATIONS » ENGINE 1 STARTUP COMMS
Communicate with the ground crew before you start engine 1.
You communicated effectively with the ground crew while you started engine 1.

10 of 10 ptsGROUND CREW COMMUNICATIONS » ENGINE 2 STARTUP COMMS
Communicate with the ground crew before you start engine 2.
You communicated effectively with the ground crew while you started engine 2.

 

---

Taxi

How Well Did You Do In The 'Taxi' Phase Of Flight?

-25 of 25 ptsCABIN MANAGEMENT » SEATBELT CHECK (TAXI)
Ensure your seatbelt sign is switched on before and during taxi.
Your seatbelt sign was turned off when the aircraft taxied to the runway.

5 of 5 ptsAIRLINE SOP » TRANSPONDER CHECK
Ensure your transponder is set to an appropriate value when the aircraft begins to taxi.
Your transponder was set appropriately during your taxi to the runway.

10 of 10 ptsAIRMANSHIP » TAXI SPEED
Your aircraft should stay within ground speed limits (30 kts) while on the ground
You taxied the aircraft to the runway at appropriate speeds.

10 of 10 ptsAIRMANSHIP » MOVEMENT OFF TAXIWAY
Your aircraft should stay on taxiways and appropriate surfaces while on the ground.
You stayed on the taxiway during taxi.

50 of 50 ptsCABIN MANAGEMENT » CREW FINISHED SECURING CABIN
Ensure the cabin crew have enough time to secure the cabin before you tell them to be seated.
You allowed enough time for the crew to secure the cabin for takeoff.

 

---

Takeoff

How Well Did You Do In The 'Takeoff' Phase Of Flight?

50 of 50 ptsCABIN MANAGEMENT » SEATBELT CHECK (TAKEOFF)
Ensure your seatbelt sign is switched on before and during takeoff.
Your seatbelt sign was correctly turned on while the aircraft took off.

50 of 50 ptsAIRLINE SOP » TRANSPONDER CHECK
Ensure your transponder is set to an appropriate value when the aircraft takes off.
Your transponder was set appropriately during takeoff.

50 of 50 ptsCABIN MANAGEMENT » CABIN SECURED
Ensure the cabin crew secured the cabin before takeoff.
The cabin crew had adequate time to secure the cabin before takeoff.

-25 of 25 ptsCABIN MANAGEMENT » SUSPEND WIFI
Ensure the WIFI is suspended for takeoff.
The aircraft WIFI system was not suspended for takeoff.

25 of 25 ptsCABIN MANAGEMENT » TOILETS LOCKED
Ensure the toilets are secured and locked before takeoff.
The aircraft toilets were secured and locked for takeoff.

25 of 25 ptsCABIN MANAGEMENT » OVERHEAD LIGHTING SET
Ensure the overhead lighting in the cabin is set appropriately for takeoff.
The overhead lighting in the cabin was set appropriately for takeoff.

50 of 50 ptsCABIN MANAGEMENT » EMERGENCY LIGHTING SET
Ensure the emergency lighting in the cabin is set appropriately for takeoff.
The emergency lighting in the cabin was set appropriately for takeoff.

50 of 50 ptsAIRLINE SOP » LANDING LIGHTS TURNED ON
Ensure the aircraft landing lights are turned on before takeoff.
The aircraft landing lights were turned on for takeoff.

10 of 10 ptsAIRMANSHIP » TAKEOFF DEVIATION
Your aircraft should stay on runway during takeoff
You performed a safe and successful takeoff without deviating from the runway.

100 of 100 ptsCABIN MANAGEMENT » CABIN CREW SEATED
Ensure the cabin crew remained seated during takeoff.
The cabin crew were seated during takeoff.

 

---

After Takeoff

How Well Did You Do In The 'After Takeoff' Phase Of Flight?

10 of 10 ptsCABIN MANAGEMENT » CABIN CREW SEATED
Ensure the cabin crew remained seated during takeoff.
The cabin crew were seated as the aircraft took off.

 

---

Climb

How Well Did You Do In The 'Climb' Phase Of Flight?

10 of 10 ptsCABIN CREW COMMUNICATIONS » DEPARTURE TURBULENCE
Accurately Predict The Turbulence Level On Takeoff
You predicted that there would be 'Normal' levels of turbulence on departure and the actual level experienced was 'Normal'

 

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Cruise

How Well Did You Do In The 'Cruise' Phase Of Flight?

25 of 25 ptsCABIN CREW COMMUNICATIONS » INTERCOM ('DESCENT IN X MINUTES'))
Make sure you communicate the timeframe for descent to your cabin crew
You communicated with the cabin crew regarding the time until descent.

50 of 50 ptsCABIN CREW COMMUNICATIONS » PA ('DESCENDING SOON')
Make sure you play a PA announcement to the passengers telling them that there are X minutes until you start descending
You made a 'top of descent' announcement to the passengers.

10 of 10 ptsCABIN CREW COMMUNICATIONS » ENROUTE TURBULENCE
Accurately Predict The Turbulence Level During The Flight
You predicted that there would be 'Normal' levels of turbulence during the flight and the actual level experienced was 'Normal'

 

---

Descent

How Well Did You Do In The 'Descent' Phase Of Flight?

25 of 25 ptsCABIN CREW COMMUNICATIONS » ACCURATE DESCENT NOTIFICATION
When communicating with the cabin crew, be accurate in terms of the time you think it will take before descent starts
Your descent time prediction to the cabin crew was accurately timed. You were within 0 minutes of your estimate of 10 minutes.

50 of 50 ptsCABIN CREW COMMUNICATIONS » ACCURATE TOD ANNOUNCEMENT
When making the 'top of descent' announcement, be accurate in terms of the time you think it will take before descent starts
Your 'top of descent' announcement was accurately timed. You were within 11 minutes of your estimate.

50 of 50 ptsCABIN CREW COMMUNICATIONS » PA ('STARTED OUR DESCENT')
Make sure you announce to the passengers that you have started descending
You made a 'descent' announcement to the passengers.

50 of 50 ptsCABIN MANAGEMENT » SEATBELT CHECK (PA)
Make sure you turn the seatbelt signs on before instructing the cabin crew to prepare for arrival.
The seatbelt sign was switched on before you made the 'prepare for arrival' announcement.

0 of 50 ptsCABIN CREW COMMUNICATIONS » PA ('PREPARE CABIN')
Make sure you instruct the cabin crew to prepare the aircraft for arrival.
You did not make a 'prepare the cabin for arrival' announcement to the cabin crew.

10 of 10 ptsCABIN CREW COMMUNICATIONS » ARRIVAL TURBULENCE
Accurately Predict The Turbulence Level On Arrival
You predicted that there would be 'Normal' levels of turbulence on arrival and the actual level experienced was 'Normal'

 

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Approach

How Well Did You Do In The 'Approach' Phase Of Flight?

50 of 50 ptsCABIN MANAGEMENT » SERVICE PROVISION ANALYSIS
Ensure that all inflight services that you loaded onto the aircraft are provided in a timely manner.
All 3 of the inflight services that were loaded onto the aircraft were provided to the passengers and completed on time. Well done.

50 of 50 ptsCABIN MANAGEMENT » CREW FINISHED SECURING CABIN
Ensure the cabin crew have enough time to secure the cabin before you tell them to be seated.
You allowed enough time for the crew to secure the cabin for landing.

100 of 100 ptsCABIN CREW COMMUNICATIONS » PA ('SEATS FOR LANDING')
Make sure you instruct the cabin crew to take their seats for landing.
You made a 'Seats for Landing' announcement to the cabin crew

 

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Landing / Final Approach

How Well Did You Do In The 'Landing / Final Approach' Phase Of Flight?

100 of 100 ptsCABIN MANAGEMENT » SEATBELT CHECK (LANDING)
Ensure the seatbelt sign is turned ON as the aircraft begins to land.
The seatbelt sign was on during the landing phase of flight.

50 of 50 ptsCABIN MANAGEMENT » CABIN SECURED
Ensure the cabin crew secured the cabin before landing.
The cabin crew had adequate time to secure the cabin before landing.

23 of 25 ptsCABIN MANAGEMENT » SUSPEND WIFI
Ensure the WIFI is suspended for landing.
The aircraft WIFI system was not suspended for landing.

25 of 25 ptsCABIN MANAGEMENT » TOILETS LOCKED
Ensure the toilets are secured and locked before landing.
The aircraft toilets were secured and locked for landing.

25 of 25 ptsCABIN MANAGEMENT » OVERHEAD LIGHTING SET
Ensure the overhead lighting in the cabin is set appropriately for landing.
The overhead lighting in the cabin was set appropriately for landing.

50 of 50 ptsCABIN MANAGEMENT » EMERGENCY LIGHTING SET
Ensure the emergency lighting in the cabin is set appropriately for landing.
The emergency lighting in the cabin was set appropriately for landing.

99 of 100 ptsAIRLINE SOP » LANDING LIGHTS ON
Ensure the landing lights are turned ON as the aircraft lands.
The landing lights were not switched on when you landed the aircraft.

 

---

Landed

How Well Did You Do In The 'Landed' Phase Of Flight?

100 of 100 ptsCABIN MANAGEMENT » CABIN CREW SEATED
Ensure the cabin crew are seated before landing.
The cabin crew were seated for landing.

100 of 100 ptsCABIN MANAGEMENT » SEATBELT CHECK (LANDED)
Ensure the seatbelt sign is on while you land the aircraft.
The seatbelt sign was correctly set while you landed the aircraft.

-38 of 150 ptsAIRMANSHIP » PERFORM SAFE LANDING
Ensure that you land the aircraft at an appropriate and comfortable rate. Aim for around -150 ft/min or approximately 1.02 g for comfort.
Your landing was 'Firm Landing'. (-308ft/min @ 1.42g). You favoured passenger comfort (g-forces) over the landing rate (ft/min).

 

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Taxi To Gate

How Well Did You Do In The 'Taxi To Gate' Phase Of Flight?

100 of 100 ptsCABIN MANAGEMENT » SEATBELT CHECK (TAXI)
Ensure the seatbelt sign is on while you taxi to the gate.
The seatbelt sign was correctly set while you taxied the aircraft to the gate.

10 of 10 ptsAIRMANSHIP » TAXI SPEED
Your aircraft should stay within ground speed limits (30 kts) while on the ground
You taxied the aircraft to the gate at appropriate speeds.

10 of 10 ptsAIRMANSHIP » MOVEMENT OFF TAXIWAY
Your aircraft should stay on taxiways and appropriate surfaces while on the ground.
You stayed on the taxiway during taxi to the gate.

 

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Deboarding And Unloading

How Well Did You Do In The 'Deboarding And Unloading' Phase Of Flight?

50 of 50 ptsPUNCTUALITY » ARRIVAL PUNCTUALITY
Your aircraft should arrive at the scheduled arrival time.
You arrived on-time - well done.

50 of 50 ptsPUNCTUALITY » ARRIVAL PREDICTION ACCURACY
Ensure that you arrive at the gate in line with the expectations that you set to the passengers.
You accurately predicted the arrival time to your passengers

1 hour ago, RobJC said:

So could i use the HondaJet?

@Noel @tamsini From the APL discord:

Q: Can I fly any aircraft on APL? A: Yes. APL does not care about what you fly on the app [nb. they actually mean in-game]. Aircraft licenses are purely for routes. Fly a C152 from KBOS to EGLL from Delta Air Lines if you wish.

 

In other words: APL doesn't know nor care what aircraft you have loaded in your sim. The "you do not have the license" error can only appear if you choose an aircraft from the dropdown menu in the APL app that you do not have a license for in APL.
As for the Hondajet: It does not "exist" in APL (I believe), but ...
1) You can just choose any other aircraft you have licenses for in the APL app and then just fly the route with the Hondajet in-sim. So you can work for Ryanair and only have a 737 license and fly a Ryanair route with the Hondajet perfectly fine.
2) If you like to be more immersive, you can get a biz jet license and start working for a biz jet airline and use the Hondajet appropriately (substituting whatever biz jet the airline actually flies).
3) You can do the APL weekly special events with the Hondajet.
4) You can purchase a ticket for a custom route/flight every once in a while and fly it with the Hondajet, earning XP while doing so (but no salary).

(Pro Tip: I find the last two options the most immersive, since corporate jet pilots usually do not fly scheduled routes, but do rather spotaneous flights)

TLDR: Whenever you want, you can fly the Hondajet (or any other aircraft) in APL and do not get any disadvantages of any kind.

 

Edited January 13, 20242 yr by Fiorentoni

I think you made your point extensively, Noel 🙂

But SLC is really geared towards tubeliners. I bought a license for SLC, but I practically never use it because I prefer small turboprops that don't have all that cabin crew interaction.

Peter