General Tab

The “General Tab” allows default options for all users assigned to the company that are non-specific in nature as far as their categorization and include items such as the company address, phone numbers, etc. It is imperative that the fields are filled out properly, as the fields will be displayed on various reports if necessary. The address and phone number fields affect the information transmitted to APIS. All fields within the General Tab will be broken down into sections and described in detail within the chapter. 

Main view of the General Tab: 

Field Functions:

Account Code - This is used for reporting purposes and may appear on some reports.

GA Help Desk - GA Help Desk subscriber number to send reports to the Help Desk.

Beginning of Fiscal Year - This is used for reporting purposes and to reset the vacation, flex, and sick days that are authorized for personnel. (See the section on the "Times" tab.)

Default Currency - This is used to set a default currency company wide. 

Maint Tech -This is used for reporting purposes and may appear on some reports.

Dispatcher -This is used for reporting purposes and may appear on some reports. Emergency -This is used for reporting purposes and may appear on some reports. 

Passenger Training - If there is some type of passenger training required, you may set a number of months as an interval that the training is required. This will correspond to the date set in the passenger record on the “Report” tab. If that training date is previous to the required interval, a passenger warning will appear when saving the trip. 

Result when saving a trip: 

Minor Age Check - If there are special procedures for passengers under a certain age to travel alone, you can set the age of minors. When the passenger is added to the trip a warning will be generated. 

Result when adding a minor to a trip: 

Crewmember Unrestricted Login License Count Limit - Any FOS user login that has “User is a Crewmember” marked is subject to the License count limiting feature (see the guide on FOS Users). If more than the total number of crew members allowed attempt to login, a warning will be generated at the login attempt and the crew member cannot login until another one logs out of FOS. 

Log Off User if Session is Inactive - A time may be set to logoff inactive sessions if necessary. The users to which this applies will be marked in their user profile so that they are logged off when the inactive limit is reached. 

Update Blank Fields when Selecting Passengers/Clients– This feature will override any fields in the trip and quote data that have been set with a specific value to “blank” when selecting a requester/passenger that has blank values in their database record. 

Show Inactive Codes – Codes will continue to display in the drop down list even if marked “inactive.” 

Check Duplicate Pax Employee/Company Customer Number – With this marked, you will get a warning when you duplicate an employee number in the passenger database. 

Result when adding a duplicate employee number in a passenger profile:

Birthday Message– Will display a message that it is the passengers’ birthday(s) when adding them to a trip that occurs during their birthday. 

Result when adding a passenger to a trip with an upcoming birthday:

Set Company & Base Codes from User Data – When creating a new passenger, the “Company” and “Base” fields in the passenger/client record will be set by default to the “Company” and “Base” in the user profile of the individual creating the record.

Do not use Requester's Contact Data for Planner - If a planner does not exist for a requester FOS will use the requester's contact information in the planner contact information fields within a trip. This option forces FOS to leave the planner contact information fields blank if there is no planner. 

Aircraft Window - Open to Comment Page - When the aircraft data is opened the “Comment” tab is moved to the front and the record opens to that tab. 

Example of how the tabs in an Aircraft record will be arranged: 

Passport Required Field Check - Checks to insure all necessary passport fields have data entered. 

Result of adding a passenger to a trip with incomplete information: 

“User Authentication” Section: 

The ‘User Authentication’ section determines how the users can be configured to log into FOS

FOS – All users log into FOS by inputting a user name and password at the login window. 

Windows – FOS is configured to use the Windows username and password to log in and needs no further authentication. 

Windows or FOS – Users may either be set to have FOS use the Windows login information or they can be set to enter their user name and password at the FOS login window. Windows and FOS – FOS requires that the FOS user be set with the Windows username and that they have to log in at the FOS window with the username and password that matches that profile. 

“Audit Trail & Trip Passengers” Section: 

Audit Trail– The ‘Audit Trail’ may be turned on in FOS for the various menus that have audit trails by checking the appropriate box or selecting the radio button under ‘Scheduling’. The times recorded in the audit trails may be displayed in UTC by checking the UTC box. You can review the Audit Trails for the various items by looking at the Audit Trail tab within trips, quotes, crew activities, and training items. If you select the Audit radial in the User module you can review who has logged in and out of FOS. 

"Trip Passengers" Section:

This determines if the trip passenger window displays the fields for things necessary only for a regular passenger flight, patient information for medivac flights, only cargo fields, or all of the fields for the other three options. 

Passengers – When this is selected opening the passenger details within a trip will default to the Pax tab.

Patient – Opening the passenger details within a trip will default to the Medical tab. 

Cargo & AA – This adds Cargo and Aerial Application tabs to the passenger details from within the trip and the Cargo tab is opened by default. 

All- This adds all tabs to the passenger trip window within a trip, but defaults to the "Pax" tab. 

“Date Format & Weekend” Section: 

Date Format – Switches the date display to a format familiar or desired by the user.

Weekend – Determines which days of the week count as a weekend day for the user. 

"Mapping App" Section:

Allow you to select the mapping application desired by the user. If the user does not have Microsoft’s MapPoint or Google Earth, this option displays the maps from the current Microsoft search engine or from Google. 

"No Fly List Search" Section:

Run Manually – Requires the user to click on the run option in the trip. Ask 135 Trips – Prompts the user as they exit all 135 and 121 trips to run the No Fly List search 

Ask All Trips – Prompts the user as they exit any trip to run the No Fly List search. 

Always– This runs the No Fly List search automatically as you exit any trip.

"Name" Section:

Once the First, Last, and Middle names are filled out in the Personnel or Client records, this option will determine how the name displays in the “Name” field of those records. 

Note: There is also a “fix” box next to the name field in those records to allow a user to set the name as they wish for an individual without using the option that is selected here in the Company Data. 

“E-Mail Alerts” Section: 

FOS Users – Will send alerts to any user(s) that are specified to receive alerts in their user profile. 

Crew Brief Not Ack – Will send alerts for any trips that do not have the ‘Ack’ marked next to each crew for a specific trip. The alerts will be sent at the interval specified on the ‘Operations’ Tab. 

Brief Alert for Requested Briefs Only – Will generate an e-mail alert for those trips where brief has been marked as ‘Req’ or ‘Sent’ in the trip. Alerts will be sent at the interval specified on the ‘Operations’ Tab. 

Crew Weather Brief – Will send a weather briefing to the crew two hours prior to departure. 

Crew Training – Will send an alert to each crew member when a training event is coming due. This is based on the number of days set in the Training/Calendar Items field on the Operations Tab. E-mails will go to any addresses set in the Personnel Data and their supervisors. 

AC Maint Tech (and AC Dispatcher) – Will send an alert when a maintenance event is coming due for the individuals marked as Maint Tech and Dispatcher in the Company data. Individual aircraft can also be assigned Maintenance techs and dispatchers. This will send email alerts only for the specific aircraft. 

FOS Notification Messages/Mobile Messages – Will send an alert or Mobile Push Notification if using ARINC FOS application when a trip or note has been added to an aircraft, ETA/ETD changes, quote requests, and trip or leg approval changes.

Flight Departed/Arrived – Will send an alert to the planner’s e-mail address in the leg of a trip when the flight-following is accomplished. 

Pax Format – Will send the message in a format that is clearer to individuals not familiar with aviation terminology. 

Scheduled Flight Time – Uses the FOS calculated ETE to determine the arrival time sent in the Flight Following message. Some flight following interfaces underestimate the arrival time based on the aircraft climb out speed which can result in an earlier than expected arrival time. This feature forces the interface to base the estimated time of arrival, so that the arrival time is not underestimated. 

“Metric Units” Sections: 

Metric Units - Displays metric units by default instead of standard measurement units. 

CFR 91 Crew Currency Fields – This option will change the labels on the date fields in the aircraft qualification data for the crewmember to reflect the proper paragraph in the regulations when flying under Part 91. 

Production Flight Test/Military– When this option is checked a selection of manufacturers appears which gives those specific companies customized options which they may need in the day to day use of FOS. This will also turn on the option that defaults the system to opening up a sortie edit window on the schedule board rather than a trip edit window. 

“Code Color Group Names/Itinerary Window” Section:

Code Color Group Names - When the schedule is accessed, there is an “Options” menu where a color key may be selected. The last five color selections are not named by default but only labeled with a group number. Those color fields may be labeled here on a company wide basis. 

‘Itinerary Window’ Section:

Position Itinerary Fields at the Top - The ‘Itinerary Window’ in each leg is positioned in the middle of the window by default. The option here allows you to position that section at the top of the edit leg screen.

Tab to Pax Count
- You may also choose when tabbing through the fields in the leg edit screen to have the cursor return to the ‘Pax Count’ field by checking the ‘Tab to Pax Count’ box. The default in FOS is set to tab to the 'Gnd Time" field after entering an ETA. 

"Security" Section:

Locked Accounts - Designate whether accounts should be locked after 5 or 10 attempts. By selecting this box it will bring up the locked users menu. To unlock, you will deselect the checkbox and select ok. Permission to unlock comes from the System Manager checkbox in the FOS User profile. 

Password Expiration– Designate when a user's password will expire, you can only set the date range between 30 to 90. 

"Comments" Section:

Rich Text Comments – Allows rich text to be entered in comment fields. Please note once this option is enabled the user will need to log out and log back in for the feature to take effect. In addition this will not convert any previous text to rich text and only any future inputs will be stored as rich text. 

Rich Text Trip/Leg/Quote/ Ap Comments – Also allows rich text comments to be entered in trip, leg, quote, and airport comments. 

Font - A default font and text size can be selected to add notes in various comment fields.

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