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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. 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 proposed significant and sweeping changes to the pilot duty time, flight time and rest sections of the CARs and Standards. SOR 2018-269 was subsequently published. FLTDUTY does not accomodate these changes and probably cannot be modified. The implementation deadline for 705 operations was December 12, 2020. It appears that 702 and medevac operations will not be affected by changes. Implementation of the new rules for 703/704 operations will be December 12, 2022. The current versions of FLTDUTY are not suitable to calculate compliance for 705 operations as of December 12, 2020. After December 12, 2022 FLTDUTY in its current form will not be suitable for 703/704 operations. 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 20+ year old pilot file is just over 2 MB.) The current version of FLTDUTY XLS is Version 2.06. This was issued in December 2020 as a free update to all registered users and has been the current issue since and until December 12, 2022. The Help file and some of the graphics may still refer to version 2.05x. My update #20-001 includes removal of 705 airline operations for compliance checking and some minor adjustment to the Special list and Table displays and printouts. Serial numbers are currently in the 3000's. Earlier versions are probably still accurate except for 705 airline operations after Dec 12/20 and will give good service. Transport Canada will be looking for version 2.06 at audit time. 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 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. |
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