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= FSFO Career Mode User Guide =
= FSFO Career Mode User Guide =
__NOTOC__


Career Mode adds a persistent pilot progression system to FSFO. It uses a local database to track your pilot profile, your active schedule, and your permanent flight history.
<span id="top"></span>


__TOC__
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<div style="font-size:32px; font-weight:800; letter-spacing:.2px; line-height:1.2;">FSFO Career Mode User Guide</div>
<div style="font-size:16px; line-height:1.55; margin-top:8px; max-width:1000px;">A user-friendly guide to Pilot Portal-backed Career Mode, including Career Snapshot, schedules, bidding, type ratings, scoring, fatigue, promotions, and company discipline.</div>
<div style="margin-top:14px; font-size:13px; opacity:.95;">Flight Simulator First Officer &bull; Career Mode &bull; Pilot Portal &bull; Schedules &bull; Scoring &bull; Progression</div>
</div>


----
<div style="border-left:5px solid #2563eb; background:#eff6ff; padding:12px 15px; margin:0 0 16px 0; border-radius:8px; color:#172554;">
'''Career Mode is connected to Pilot Portal.''' FSFO still monitors and scores the flight inside the simulator, but your career profile, company, schedule, rules, training, and progression are managed through Pilot Portal.
</div>


== Overview ==
<div style="border-left:5px solid #f59e0b; background:#fffbeb; padding:12px 15px; margin:0 0 22px 0; border-radius:8px; color:#78350f;">
'''Most important rule:''' If you want the flight to count toward career progress, make sure '''Career Snapshot''' shows the correct assignment before you fly. A flight can be flown and scored without advancing your career if the route, airport, aircraft, schedule, or rating does not match.
</div>


Career Mode is built around three main areas:
<div style="display:grid; grid-template-columns:repeat(auto-fit,minmax(190px,1fr)); gap:10px; margin:18px 0 24px 0;">
<div style="background:#f8fafc; border:1px solid #e2e8f0; border-radius:10px; padding:12px;">[[#Quick_Start|'''Quick Start''']]<br><span style="color:#475569; font-size:90%;">What to do first</span></div>
<div style="background:#f8fafc; border:1px solid #e2e8f0; border-radius:10px; padding:12px;">[[#Career_Snapshot|'''Career Snapshot''']]<br><span style="color:#475569; font-size:90%;">Your preflight career check</span></div>
<div style="background:#f8fafc; border:1px solid #e2e8f0; border-radius:10px; padding:12px;">[[#Readiness_Checks|'''Readiness Checks''']]<br><span style="color:#475569; font-size:90%;">Why a flight may not be ready</span></div>
<div style="background:#f8fafc; border:1px solid #e2e8f0; border-radius:10px; padding:12px;">[[#Schedules_and_Bidding|'''Schedules and Bidding''']]<br><span style="color:#475569; font-size:90%;">Assignments and award chances</span></div>
<div style="background:#f8fafc; border:1px solid #e2e8f0; border-radius:10px; padding:12px;">[[#Scoring|'''Scoring''']]<br><span style="color:#475569; font-size:90%;">Total, landing, and comfort scores</span></div>
<div style="background:#f8fafc; border:1px solid #e2e8f0; border-radius:10px; padding:12px;">[[#Progression|'''Progression''']]<br><span style="color:#475569; font-size:90%;">Ranks, pay, tiers, ratings</span></div>
<div style="background:#f8fafc; border:1px solid #e2e8f0; border-radius:10px; padding:12px;">[[#Discipline|'''Discipline''']]<br><span style="color:#475569; font-size:90%;">Warnings and termination</span></div>
<div style="background:#f8fafc; border:1px solid #e2e8f0; border-radius:10px; padding:12px;">[[#Troubleshooting|'''Troubleshooting''']]<br><span style="color:#475569; font-size:90%;">Common problems</span></div>
</div>


* '''Pilot Profile''' - Your pilot's name, company, rank, tier, balance, location, type ratings, score, errors, contract legs, and training status
== Overview ==
* '''Current Schedule''' - Your active scheduled legs
<div style="height:4px; width:100%; background:#2563eb; border-radius:99px; margin:-6px 0 14px 0;"></div>
* '''Flight Log''' - Your permanent flight history and performance record
 
<div style="text-align:right;">[[#top|Back to top]]</div>
 
----
 
== Getting Started ==
 
To begin using Career Mode:
 
# Open the '''Career Dashboard'''
# Click '''Rebuild Database''' the first time you use Career Mode
# Enter your pilot name
# Select a company
# Optionally select a type rating
# Click '''Apply Company'''
 
Once accepted, your pilot profile is created and Career Mode will begin tracking your progress.
 
<div style="text-align:right;">[[#top|Back to top]]</div>
 
----
 
== Career Dashboard ==
 
The Career Dashboard includes the following major functions:
 
* '''Rebuild Database''' - Creates or recreates the local career database
* '''Apply Company''' - Applies for a company and creates your pilot profile if needed
* '''Apply Type Rating''' - Starts type-rating training
* '''Generate Schedule''' - Builds your current schedule
* '''Load Stats''' - Refreshes pilot statistics
* '''Save Options''' - Saves career settings
* '''Flight Log''' - Opens the permanent flight history window
 
'''Note:''' The current '''Show Contract''' button is not implemented yet.
 
<div style="text-align:right;">[[#top|Back to top]]</div>
 
----
 
== Career Options ==
 
Career Mode currently supports the following options:
 
* '''Start from last airport''' - Requires you to begin your next career flight from your saved current location. If enabled, FSFO checks that you are within 10 NM of the pilot's stored airport before the flight is considered ready.
* '''Fatal crash starts over''' - If enabled, a fatal crash can end your current career and force you to start over.
* '''Must fly scheduled flight''' - Only credits career progress when you complete the next pending scheduled leg in order. If enabled and you do not fly the correct leg, the flight can still be logged, but it will not advance total legs, average score, balance, rank, or career tier.
* '''Passenger comfort''' - Enables passenger-comfort rules so smoother, better-managed flights matter more to your career results.
* '''Can be fired''' - Enables the career rule that allows poor performance or major failures to put your employment at risk.
* '''Enable fatigue''' - Turns on fatigue tracking. If enabled, FSFO checks recent workload and can block career-flight readiness when fatigue rises above the allowed threshold.
* '''Schedule based on rank''' - Automatically builds schedules using the pilot's current rank and tier to determine the maximum leg distance. If a full schedule cannot be built within that cap, FSFO falls back to the full eligible route set.
* '''Must have type rating''' - Requires the pilot to hold the appropriate type rating before operating aircraft that need one.
* '''Lock schedule until complete''' - Prevents generating a new schedule while an existing schedule still has incomplete legs.
* '''Application based on rank''' - Makes company applications depend on your current rank, including tier eligibility and hiring probability. It also enforces the rejection cooldown for repeat applications.
 
These options affect how schedules are generated, when flights count toward progression, and whether readiness checks will block a flight.
 
<div style="text-align:right;">[[#top|Back to top]]</div>
 
----
 
== Companies and Company Tiers ==
 
Companies are loaded from ''Airlines.cfg''. Each airline has a tier. That tier affects hiring rules, contract leg requirements, and pay scaling.
 
Current contract-leg requirements by company tier:
 
* '''Tier 1''' - 30 legs
* '''Tier 2''' - 60 legs
* '''Tier 3''' - 90 legs
* '''Tier 4''' - 120 legs
* '''Tier 5''' - 150 legs
 
If you leave a company before satisfying the required legs, Career Mode can apply a contract-break penalty.
 
<div style="text-align:right;">[[#top|Back to top]]</div>
 
----
 
== Ranks ==
 
Career Mode uses a five-rank system:
 
* '''Rank 1''' - Cadet
* '''Rank 2''' - Second Officer
* '''Rank 3''' - First Officer
* '''Rank 4''' - Captain
* '''Rank 5''' - Senior Captain
 
Your rank affects:
 
* the maximum leg distance used in automatic scheduling
* your bidding advantage when schedules are generated
* which companies you can apply to if rank-based hiring is enabled
* your promotion eligibility
* your pay multiplier through Career Tier
 
<div style="text-align:right;">[[#top|Back to top]]</div>
 
----
 
== How Promotions Work ==
 
Promotions are based on two things:
 
* '''Total Legs'''
* '''Average Score'''
 
Your '''Average Score must be at least 92.0''' before any promotion is possible.
 
Promotion thresholds:
 
* '''50 total legs''' - promoted to '''Second Officer'''
* '''125 total legs''' - promoted to '''First Officer'''
* '''200 total legs''' - promoted to '''Captain'''
* '''350 total legs''' - promoted to '''Senior Captain'''


If your flight is not credited toward progression, it will not count toward promotion.
Career Mode gives you one persistent pilot identity instead of treating every flight as a standalone session. Your pilot can join companies, receive schedules, earn money, complete type training, build seniority, and move through ranks over time.


<div style="text-align:right;">[[#top|Back to top]]</div>
Your career can track:


----
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; margin:10px 0 22px 0; background:#ffffff;"
! style="width:240px; background:#dbeafe; color:#0f172a; padding:9px; text-align:left;" | Career item
! style="background:#dbeafe; color:#0f172a; padding:9px; text-align:left;" | What it means for the user
|-
| style="font-weight:700; vertical-align:top; padding:9px; background:#f8fafc;" | Pilot identity
| style="vertical-align:top; padding:9px;" | Your persistent career profile in Pilot Portal.
|-
| style="font-weight:700; vertical-align:top; padding:9px; background:#f8fafc;" | Company and rank
| style="vertical-align:top; padding:9px;" | The airline or company you fly for, plus your current career rank.
|-
| style="font-weight:700; vertical-align:top; padding:9px; background:#f8fafc;" | Schedule and assignment
| style="vertical-align:top; padding:9px;" | The next career leg FSFO expects you to fly.
|-
| style="font-weight:700; vertical-align:top; padding:9px; background:#f8fafc;" | Type ratings
| style="vertical-align:top; padding:9px;" | Aircraft qualifications that may be required before a flight can count.
|-
| style="font-weight:700; vertical-align:top; padding:9px; background:#f8fafc;" | Scores and progression
| style="vertical-align:top; padding:9px;" | Your performance, average score, pay, balance, promotions, and career growth.
|}


== Career Tier and Pay ==
<div style="text-align:right; font-size:90%; margin:4px 0 22px 0;">[[#top|Back to top]]</div>


Career Tier increases with promotion. Pay is recalculated using a tier multiplier.
== Quick Start ==
<div style="height:4px; width:100%; background:#2563eb; border-radius:99px; margin:-6px 0 14px 0;"></div>


Current pay multipliers:
Use this as the basic workflow when you want a career flight to count:


* '''Tier 1''' - 1.00x
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; margin:10px 0 22px 0; background:#ffffff;"
* '''Tier 2''' - 1.04x
! style="width:90px; background:#dbeafe; color:#0f172a; padding:9px; text-align:left;" | Step
* '''Tier 3''' - 1.08x
! style="background:#dbeafe; color:#0f172a; padding:9px; text-align:left;" | What to do
* '''Tier 4''' - 1.12x
|-
* '''Tier 5''' - 1.16x
| style="font-weight:700; padding:9px; background:#f8fafc;" | 1
| style="padding:9px;" | Sign in to Pilot Portal.
|-
| style="font-weight:700; padding:9px; background:#f8fafc;" | 2
| style="padding:9px;" | Open '''Career Snapshot''' in FSFO.
|-
| style="font-weight:700; padding:9px; background:#f8fafc;" | 3
| style="padding:9px;" | Review your company, rank, next assignment, current location, type rating, fatigue, and enabled rules.
|-
| style="font-weight:700; padding:9px; background:#f8fafc;" | 4
| style="padding:9px;" | Load the correct aircraft and start at the correct departure airport.
|-
| style="font-weight:700; padding:9px; background:#f8fafc;" | 5
| style="padding:9px;" | Fly the assigned route only after FSFO says the career flight is ready.
|-
| style="font-weight:700; padding:9px; background:#f8fafc;" | 6
| style="padding:9px;" | Let FSFO score the flight and upload the result at the end.
|}


When you are promoted, FSFO updates:
<div style="border-left:5px solid #16a34a; background:#f0fdf4; padding:12px 15px; margin:0 0 22px 0; border-radius:8px; color:#14532d;">
'''User tip:''' Career Snapshot is your final preflight check. If something looks wrong there, fix it before starting the flight.
</div>


* your rank
<div style="text-align:right; font-size:90%; margin:4px 0 22px 0;">[[#top|Back to top]]</div>
* your career tier
* your pay per hour


<div style="text-align:right;">[[#top|Back to top]]</div>
== Career Snapshot ==
<div style="height:4px; width:100%; background:#2563eb; border-radius:99px; margin:-6px 0 14px 0;"></div>


----
The main Career page in FSFO is '''Career Snapshot'''. It is not meant to replace the full Pilot Portal. Instead, it gives you the important live career information you need before departure.


== Company Applications ==
<div style="clear:both; margin:18px 0 24px 0; text-align:center;">
[[File:FSFO_Career_Snapshot.png|1100px|frameless]]
<div style="font-size:90%; color:#64748b; margin-top:6px;">Career Snapshot shows your current career status, next assignment, and readiness information.</div>
</div>


If '''Application based on rank''' is enabled, not every pilot can freely join every airline tier.
The top buttons are used for:


Current hiring chances:
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; margin:10px 0 22px 0; background:#ffffff;"
! style="width:180px; background:#dbeafe; color:#0f172a; padding:9px; text-align:left;" | Button
! style="background:#dbeafe; color:#0f172a; padding:9px; text-align:left;" | Purpose
|-
| style="font-weight:700; vertical-align:top; padding:9px; background:#f8fafc;" | Help
| style="vertical-align:top; padding:9px;" | Opens the in-app Career guide.
|-
| style="font-weight:700; vertical-align:top; padding:9px; background:#f8fafc;" | Contract
| style="vertical-align:top; padding:9px;" | Opens the current career agreement and scoring summary.
|-
| style="font-weight:700; vertical-align:top; padding:9px; background:#f8fafc;" | Portal
| style="vertical-align:top; padding:9px;" | Opens the Pilot Portal side of Career Mode where schedules, bidding, training, and company management are handled.
|}


* '''Cadet'''
<div style="text-align:right; font-size:90%; margin:4px 0 22px 0;">[[#top|Back to top]]</div>
** Tier 1 = 100%
* '''Second Officer'''
** Tier 1 = 100%
** Tier 2 = 50%
* '''First Officer'''
** Tier 1 = 100%
** Tier 2 = 100%
** Tier 3 = 50%
* '''Captain'''
** Tier 1 = 100%
** Tier 2 = 100%
** Tier 3 = 75%
* '''Senior Captain'''
** Tier 1 = 100%
** Tier 2 = 100%
** Tier 3 = 95%


If you are rejected by the same company, FSFO enforces a 7-day wait before trying again.
== Career Rule Settings ==
<div style="height:4px; width:100%; background:#2563eb; border-radius:99px; margin:-6px 0 14px 0;"></div>


<div style="text-align:right;">[[#top|Back to top]]</div>
Career rules are synced from Pilot Portal and then enforced by FSFO during readiness checks and post-flight progression.


----
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; margin:10px 0 22px 0; background:#ffffff;"
! style="width:260px; background:#dbeafe; color:#0f172a; padding:9px; text-align:left;" | Rule
! style="background:#dbeafe; color:#0f172a; padding:9px; text-align:left;" | Plain-English meaning
|-
| style="font-weight:700; vertical-align:top; padding:9px; background:#f8fafc;" | Start from last airport
| style="vertical-align:top; padding:9px;" | You must begin near your saved career location. FSFO checks that you are within 10 NM of that airport.
|-
| style="font-weight:700; vertical-align:top; padding:9px; background:#f8fafc;" | Fatal crash starts over
| style="vertical-align:top; padding:9px;" | A fatal crash can have major career consequences according to the synced career policy.
|-
| style="font-weight:700; vertical-align:top; padding:9px; background:#f8fafc;" | Must fly scheduled flight
| style="vertical-align:top; padding:9px;" | Only the next assigned leg counts toward career progression.
|-
| style="font-weight:700; vertical-align:top; padding:9px; background:#f8fafc;" | Passenger comfort
| style="vertical-align:top; padding:9px;" | FSFO tracks passenger comfort and can apply comfort-related score penalties.
|-
| style="font-weight:700; vertical-align:top; padding:9px; background:#f8fafc;" | Can be fired
| style="vertical-align:top; padding:9px;" | Poor performance can lead to warnings and possible termination from your company.
|-
| style="font-weight:700; vertical-align:top; padding:9px; background:#f8fafc;" | Enable fatigue
| style="vertical-align:top; padding:9px;" | FSFO checks recent workload. If fatigue is too high, the flight may not be ready.
|-
| style="font-weight:700; vertical-align:top; padding:9px; background:#f8fafc;" | Schedule based on rank
| style="vertical-align:top; padding:9px;" | Your rank affects the maximum distance of generated schedule legs.
|-
| style="font-weight:700; vertical-align:top; padding:9px; background:#f8fafc;" | Must have type rating
| style="vertical-align:top; padding:9px;" | You need the correct aircraft rating before the flight can count cleanly.
|-
| style="font-weight:700; vertical-align:top; padding:9px; background:#f8fafc;" | Lock schedule until complete
| style="vertical-align:top; padding:9px;" | You cannot simply replace an incomplete schedule unless the portal workflow allows it.
|-
| style="font-weight:700; vertical-align:top; padding:9px; background:#f8fafc;" | Application based on rank
| style="vertical-align:top; padding:9px;" | Your rank affects which company tiers you can apply to and your hiring chance.
|-
| style="font-weight:700; vertical-align:top; padding:9px; background:#f8fafc;" | Upload data
| style="vertical-align:top; padding:9px;" | The career result is intended to upload through the portal-backed workflow.
|}


== Type Ratings and Training ==
<div style="text-align:right; font-size:90%; margin:4px 0 22px 0;">[[#top|Back to top]]</div>


Use '''Apply Type Rating''' after you have joined a company.
== Readiness Checks ==
<div style="height:4px; width:100%; background:#2563eb; border-radius:99px; margin:-6px 0 14px 0;"></div>


Type rating requests will be blocked if:
Before a career flight counts cleanly, FSFO can validate your sign-in, company, assignment, departure location, type rating, fatigue, and enabled career rules.


* no pilot profile exists
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; margin:10px 0 22px 0; background:#ffffff;"
* the pilot is not currently employed by a company
! style="width:260px; background:#dbeafe; color:#0f172a; padding:9px; text-align:left;" | Common blocker
* the pilot is already in training
! style="background:#dbeafe; color:#0f172a; padding:9px; text-align:left;" | What to check
* the pilot already holds that type rating
|-
| style="font-weight:700; vertical-align:top; padding:9px; background:#f8fafc;" | Wrong departure airport
| style="vertical-align:top; padding:9px;" | Make sure you are starting from the airport shown in Career Snapshot.
|-
| style="font-weight:700; vertical-align:top; padding:9px; background:#f8fafc;" | Wrong route
| style="vertical-align:top; padding:9px;" | The departure and arrival must match the next pending assignment when schedule enforcement is active.
|-
| style="font-weight:700; vertical-align:top; padding:9px; background:#f8fafc;" | Wrong aircraft or missing rating
| style="vertical-align:top; padding:9px;" | Confirm the aircraft profile and required type rating.
|-
| style="font-weight:700; vertical-align:top; padding:9px; background:#f8fafc;" | Fatigue too high
| style="vertical-align:top; padding:9px;" | Career readiness fails if fatigue is 75% or higher.
|}


Two training paths are available:
<div style="text-align:right; font-size:90%; margin:4px 0 22px 0;">[[#top|Back to top]]</div>


* '''Private Training''' - costs money immediately
== Schedules and Bidding ==
* '''Company Training''' - extends contract legs instead of charging the balance directly
<div style="height:4px; width:100%; background:#2563eb; border-radius:99px; margin:-6px 0 14px 0;"></div>


Training duration and costs depend on the type rating group.
Schedules are generated through Pilot Portal. FSFO uses the active schedule for next-leg validation, progression credit, schedule completion, and schedule-lock enforcement.


<div style="text-align:right;">[[#top|Back to top]]</div>
<div style="clear:both; margin:18px 0 24px 0; text-align:center;">
[[File:FSFO_Career_Portal_Schedule.png|1100px|frameless]]
<div style="font-size:90%; color:#64748b; margin-top:6px;">Pilot Portal is where career schedules, assignments, and related career management are handled.</div>
</div>


----
=== Schedule distance by rank ===


== Schedule Generation ==
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; margin:10px 0 22px 0; background:#ffffff;"
! style="background:#dbeafe; color:#0f172a; padding:9px; text-align:left;" | Rank
! style="background:#dbeafe; color:#0f172a; padding:9px; text-align:left;" | Maximum leg distance when rank scheduling is enabled
|-
| style="padding:9px; font-weight:700; background:#f8fafc;" | Cadet
| style="padding:9px;" | 600 NM
|-
| style="padding:9px; font-weight:700; background:#f8fafc;" | Second Officer
| style="padding:9px;" | 1,200 NM
|-
| style="padding:9px; font-weight:700; background:#f8fafc;" | First Officer
| style="padding:9px;" | 2,500 NM
|-
| style="padding:9px; font-weight:700; background:#f8fafc;" | Captain
| style="padding:9px;" | 5,000 NM
|-
| style="padding:9px; font-weight:700; background:#f8fafc;" | Senior Captain
| style="padding:9px;" | 10,000 NM
|}


Schedules are built from your route data and filtered by:
=== Bidding and reserve ===


* current airline
Career bidding is handled through the portal's '''Bid & Reserve''' workflow. You stack bids from the available route list, submit them through the portal, and review the live '''Award Chance'''.
* rank
* type rating, if type-rating enforcement is enabled
* current location and preferred airport logic


If '''Schedule based on rank''' is enabled, FSFO automatically applies a maximum leg distance by rank:
Award Chance is influenced by both your current rank and your completed company-leg history. Senior pilots generally have a stronger bidding profile, but consistent company flying also helps.


* '''Rank 1''' - 350 NM
<div style="border-left:5px solid #16a34a; background:#f0fdf4; padding:12px 15px; margin:0 0 22px 0; border-radius:8px; color:#14532d;">
* '''Rank 2''' - 650 NM
'''Current workflow note:''' Bidding is no longer documented as a comma-separated airport-pair text box. Use the portal Bid & Reserve workflow.
* '''Rank 3''' - 1100 NM
</div>
* '''Rank 4''' - 1800 NM
* '''Rank 5''' - 3000 NM


FSFO first tries to build a schedule using that cap. If it cannot build a full schedule, it falls back to the full eligible route pool.
<div style="text-align:right; font-size:90%; margin:4px 0 22px 0;">[[#top|Back to top]]</div>
 
If '''Schedule based on rank''' is disabled, the Max NM value entered by the user is enforced strictly.
 
If '''Lock schedule until complete''' is enabled, FSFO will not generate a new schedule while an incomplete schedule already exists.
 
<div style="text-align:right;">[[#top|Back to top]]</div>
 
----
 
== Schedule Bidding System ==
 
When rank-based scheduling is enabled, FSFO scores route candidates and applies a bidding system.
 
Route scoring currently considers:
 
* base block-time value
* penalties for very short flights
* rank-based length bias
* preferred-airport bonuses
 
FSFO then divides scored routes into a preferred top bucket and a lower bucket.
 
The current rank-based bid chances are:
 
* '''Rank 1''' - 10%
* '''Rank 2''' - 35%
* '''Rank 3''' - 60%
* '''Rank 4''' - 90%
* '''Rank 5''' - 95%
 
If the bidding roll succeeds, FSFO selects from the top 30% of scored routes. Otherwise, it selects from the lower portion of the list.
 
<div style="text-align:right;">[[#top|Back to top]]</div>
 
----
 
== Preferred Airport ==
 
You can set a preferred airport for a company. FSFO uses that airport when generating schedules and gives preference to routes that end there, especially near the end of a generated trip.
 
<div style="text-align:right;">[[#top|Back to top]]</div>
 
----
 
== Route Map ==
 
After a schedule is generated, FSFO can build a route map from the loaded schedule legs and open it externally.
 
<div style="text-align:right;">[[#top|Back to top]]</div>
 
----


== When a Flight Counts Toward Progression ==
== When a Flight Counts Toward Progression ==
<div style="height:4px; width:100%; background:#2563eb; border-radius:99px; margin:-6px 0 14px 0;"></div>


A flight does not automatically count toward career progression.
A career flight does not automatically count toward career progression. If '''Must fly scheduled flight''' is enabled, FSFO compares your actual flight against the next pending assignment.


If '''Must fly scheduled flight''' is enabled, the flight must complete the '''next pending leg in order'''. FSFO compares:
For the leg to count, the flight must match:


* the actual flight number
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; margin:10px 0 22px 0; background:#ffffff;"
* the actual departure airport
! style="width:260px; background:#dbeafe; color:#0f172a; padding:9px; text-align:left;" | Requirement
* the actual arrival airport
! style="background:#dbeafe; color:#0f172a; padding:9px; text-align:left;" | Meaning
|-
| style="font-weight:700; vertical-align:top; padding:9px; background:#f8fafc;" | Scheduled departure airport
| style="vertical-align:top; padding:9px;" | You must start from the departure airport assigned by the schedule.
|-
| style="font-weight:700; vertical-align:top; padding:9px; background:#f8fafc;" | Scheduled arrival airport
| style="vertical-align:top; padding:9px;" | You must arrive at the assigned destination.
|-
| style="font-weight:700; vertical-align:top; padding:9px; background:#f8fafc;" | Next pending leg
| style="vertical-align:top; padding:9px;" | If the schedule is ordered, you must fly the next leg in sequence.
|}


For the leg to count, the pilot must:
If the flight does not meet the progression rules, it may still be flown and scored, but it will not update career progression items such as Total Legs, Average Score, Company Legs, Contract Remaining Legs, Balance, Rank, Career Tier, or Pay per hour.


* start at the correct airport
<div style="text-align:right; font-size:90%; margin:4px 0 22px 0;">[[#top|Back to top]]</div>
* arrive at the correct airport
* match the next pending scheduled leg


If the flight does not meet that requirement:
== Scoring ==
<div style="height:4px; width:100%; background:#2563eb; border-radius:99px; margin:-6px 0 14px 0;"></div>


* it can still be logged
Career Mode stores both a '''Landing Score''' and a '''Total Score'''. They are related, but they are not the same.
* it will not increase Total Legs
* it will not update Average Score
* it will not reduce Contract Remaining Legs
* it will not update Balance
* it will not trigger promotion


If the next scheduled leg is completed correctly, it is marked '''COMPLETED'''. If that was the final remaining leg, the schedule is cleared.
=== Total Score ===


<div style="text-align:right;">[[#top|Back to top]]</div>
Each career flight begins at '''Total Score = 100'''. FSFO then subtracts penalties for critical events, aircraft configuration, lights, speed/angle issues, general performance, passenger comfort, and passenger outcome.


----
<div style="border-left:5px solid #2563eb; background:#eff6ff; padding:12px 15px; margin:0 0 16px 0; border-radius:8px; color:#172554;">
'''Current formula:''' Total Score = Pilot Score - Comfort Penalty - Passenger Outcome Penalty
</div>


== Flying a Career Flight ==
A flight is currently marked '''Qualified for Progression''' when '''Total Score is 90 or greater'''.


Before flight, FSFO captures:
=== Major score deductions ===


* company
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; margin:10px 0 22px 0; background:#ffffff;"
* flight number
! style="width:220px; background:#dbeafe; color:#0f172a; padding:9px; text-align:left;" | Category
* aircraft
! style="background:#dbeafe; color:#0f172a; padding:9px; text-align:left;" | Examples
* departure airport
|-
* arrival airport
| style="font-weight:700; vertical-align:top; padding:9px; background:#f8fafc;" | Critical
| style="vertical-align:top; padding:9px;" | Crash detected = score set to 0; stall, overspeed, overweight, or unstable approach = -10 each.
|-
| style="font-weight:700; vertical-align:top; padding:9px; background:#f8fafc;" | Configuration
| style="vertical-align:top; padding:9px;" | Flap, gear, spoiler, G-force, and fuel-management problems.
|-
| style="font-weight:700; vertical-align:top; padding:9px; background:#f8fafc;" | Lights
| style="vertical-align:top; padding:9px;" | Navigation, beacon, strobe, and landing-light mistakes.
|-
| style="font-weight:700; vertical-align:top; padding:9px; background:#f8fafc;" | Speed / angle
| style="vertical-align:top; padding:9px;" | Excess pitch, bank, low-altitude IAS, or taxi ground speed.
|-
| style="font-weight:700; vertical-align:top; padding:9px; background:#f8fafc;" | General
| style="vertical-align:top; padding:9px;" | Landing score below passing threshold.
|}


During flight, Career Mode monitors multiple operational and scoring categories.
<div style="border-left:5px solid #f59e0b; background:#fffbeb; padding:12px 15px; margin:0 0 22px 0; border-radius:8px; color:#78350f;">
'''Unstable approach check:''' FSFO evaluates unstable approach between '''1000 ft AGL''' and '''100 ft AGL'''. It can trigger if vertical speed is outside '''-1200 to -300 FPM''' or bank angle is greater than '''25 degrees'''.
</div>


Examples include:
=== Landing Score ===


* pitch exceedance
Landing Score is calculated separately from the rest of the Total Score model.
* bank exceedance
* G-force exceedance
* IAS exceedance
* taxi-speed exceedance
* light misuse
* fuel-management failures
* landing-performance issues


These events affect the total score and increment the appropriate error counters.
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; margin:10px 0 22px 0; background:#ffffff;"
! style="background:#dbeafe; color:#0f172a; padding:9px; text-align:left;" | Landing factor
! style="background:#dbeafe; color:#0f172a; padding:9px; text-align:left;" | Weight
|-
| style="padding:9px; font-weight:700; background:#f8fafc;" | Vertical speed
| style="padding:9px;" | 35%
|-
| style="padding:9px; font-weight:700; background:#f8fafc;" | Touchdown G-force
| style="padding:9px;" | 15%
|-
| style="padding:9px; font-weight:700; background:#f8fafc;" | Runway threshold distance
| style="padding:9px;" | 30%
|-
| style="padding:9px; font-weight:700; background:#f8fafc;" | Runway centerline
| style="padding:9px;" | 20%
|}


<div style="text-align:right;">[[#top|Back to top]]</div>
A Landing Score below '''80''' triggers the landing-evaluation penalty.


----
=== Passenger Comfort ===


== Landing Score ==
If '''Passenger comfort''' is enabled, FSFO tracks comfort events during flight and evaluates passenger outcome at shutdown.


Landing Score is based on:
Comfort can include taxi speed, hard braking, jerky turns, G-force, bank angle, pitch-rate changes, slip/skid, and landing firmness. At shutdown, FSFO also evaluates Satisfaction, Anxiety, Health, Hunger, and Thirst.


* vertical speed
<div style="text-align:right; font-size:90%; margin:4px 0 22px 0;">[[#top|Back to top]]</div>
* G-force
* distance from the runway threshold


When runway data is available, the current weighting is:
== Fatigue ==
<div style="height:4px; width:100%; background:#2563eb; border-radius:99px; margin:-6px 0 14px 0;"></div>


* '''40%''' vertical speed
If '''Enable fatigue''' is turned on, FSFO calculates fatigue from recent leg count and recent block hours. It looks at the last 24 hours, last 72 hours, and last 7 days.
* '''30%''' G-force
* '''30%''' touchdown distance


If runway threshold data is unavailable, the distance portion is redistributed proportionally between vertical speed and G-force.
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; margin:10px 0 22px 0; background:#ffffff;"
! style="width:180px; background:#dbeafe; color:#0f172a; padding:9px; text-align:left;" | Window
! style="background:#dbeafe; color:#0f172a; padding:9px; text-align:left;" | What FSFO checks
|-
| style="font-weight:700; padding:9px; background:#f8fafc;" | 24 hours
| style="padding:9px;" | Recent acute workload.
|-
| style="font-weight:700; padding:9px; background:#f8fafc;" | 72 hours
| style="padding:9px;" | Short-term workload.
|-
| style="font-weight:700; padding:9px; background:#f8fafc;" | 7 days
| style="padding:9px;" | Weekly workload.
|}


<div style="text-align:right;">[[#top|Back to top]]</div>
The fatigue result is capped at 100 and rounded to the nearest whole percent. Career readiness fails if fatigue is '''75% or higher'''.


----
<div style="text-align:right; font-size:90%; margin:4px 0 22px 0;">[[#top|Back to top]]</div>


== Total Score and Qualification ==
== Progression ==
<div style="height:4px; width:100%; background:#2563eb; border-radius:99px; margin:-6px 0 14px 0;"></div>


Career Mode stores both:
This section explains how your career moves forward over time.


* '''Landing Score'''
=== Companies and contract commitments ===
* '''Total Score'''


A flight is currently marked '''Qualified for Progression''' when the total score meets the system's qualification rule. The flight log stores that qualification result along with pay, fines, and error counts.
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; margin:10px 0 22px 0; background:#ffffff;"
! style="background:#dbeafe; color:#0f172a; padding:9px; text-align:left;" | Company tier
! style="background:#dbeafe; color:#0f172a; padding:9px; text-align:left;" | Required contract legs
|-
| style="padding:9px; font-weight:700; background:#f8fafc;" | Tier 1
| style="padding:9px;" | 30 legs
|-
| style="padding:9px; font-weight:700; background:#f8fafc;" | Tier 2
| style="padding:9px;" | 60 legs
|-
| style="padding:9px; font-weight:700; background:#f8fafc;" | Tier 3
| style="padding:9px;" | 90 legs
|-
| style="padding:9px; font-weight:700; background:#f8fafc;" | Tier 4
| style="padding:9px;" | 120 legs
|-
| style="padding:9px; font-weight:700; background:#f8fafc;" | Tier 5
| style="padding:9px;" | 150 legs
|}


<div style="text-align:right;">[[#top|Back to top]]</div>
If you leave a company before completing the required commitment, a contract-break fine can be applied.


----
=== Ranks and promotions ===


== Fatigue ==
Career Mode uses five ranks: '''Cadet''', '''Second Officer''', '''First Officer''', '''Captain''', and '''Senior Captain'''. Promotions are based on total legs and average score. Before any promotion is possible, your '''Average Score must be at least 92.0'''.


If '''Enable fatigue''' is turned on, FSFO calculates fatigue from your recent workload using both:
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; margin:10px 0 22px 0; background:#ffffff;"
! style="background:#dbeafe; color:#0f172a; padding:9px; text-align:left;" | Promotion
! style="background:#dbeafe; color:#0f172a; padding:9px; text-align:left;" | Requirement
|-
| style="padding:9px; font-weight:700; background:#f8fafc;" | Second Officer
| style="padding:9px;" | 50 total legs
|-
| style="padding:9px; font-weight:700; background:#f8fafc;" | First Officer
| style="padding:9px;" | 125 total legs
|-
| style="padding:9px; font-weight:700; background:#f8fafc;" | Captain
| style="padding:9px;" | 200 total legs
|-
| style="padding:9px; font-weight:700; background:#f8fafc;" | Senior Captain
| style="padding:9px;" | 350 total legs
|}


* number of legs
=== Career tier and pay ===
* block hours


It evaluates three rolling workload windows:
Each company has a base hourly pay rate. Career Tier adds a fixed hourly raise on top of that base rate.


* '''Last 24 hours'''
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; margin:10px 0 22px 0; background:#ffffff;"
* '''Last 72 hours'''
! style="background:#dbeafe; color:#0f172a; padding:9px; text-align:left;" | Career tier
* '''Last 7 days'''
! style="background:#dbeafe; color:#0f172a; padding:9px; text-align:left;" | Hourly raise
|-
| style="padding:9px; font-weight:700; background:#f8fafc;" | Tier 1
| style="padding:9px;" | +$0/hr
|-
| style="padding:9px; font-weight:700; background:#f8fafc;" | Tier 2
| style="padding:9px;" | +$5/hr
|-
| style="padding:9px; font-weight:700; background:#f8fafc;" | Tier 3
| style="padding:9px;" | +$10/hr
|-
| style="padding:9px; font-weight:700; background:#f8fafc;" | Tier 4
| style="padding:9px;" | +$18/hr
|-
| style="padding:9px; font-weight:700; background:#f8fafc;" | Tier 5
| style="padding:9px;" | +$28/hr
|}


The current formula is:
<div style="border-left:5px solid #2563eb; background:#eff6ff; padding:12px 15px; margin:0 0 22px 0; border-radius:8px; color:#172554;">
'''Pay formula:''' Final hourly pay = company base hourly pay + current Career Tier raise.
</div>


* '''Acute Load''' = max(legs in last 24h / 4, block hours in last 24h / 8)
<div style="text-align:right; font-size:90%; margin:4px 0 22px 0;">[[#top|Back to top]]</div>
* '''Short Load''' = max(legs in last 72h / 8, block hours in last 72h / 18)
* '''Weekly Load''' = max(legs in last 7d / 16, block hours in last 7d / 35)


Each load is clamped from 0 to 1.
== Company Applications ==
<div style="height:4px; width:100%; background:#2563eb; border-radius:99px; margin:-6px 0 14px 0;"></div>


Final fatigue:
If '''Application based on rank''' is enabled, company access is restricted by rank and tier.


* '''Fatigue = (Acute Load × 50) + (Short Load × 30) + (Weekly Load × 20)'''
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; margin:10px 0 22px 0; background:#ffffff;"
! style="width:190px; background:#dbeafe; color:#0f172a; padding:9px; text-align:left;" | Rank
! style="background:#dbeafe; color:#0f172a; padding:9px; text-align:left;" | Current hiring chances
|-
| style="font-weight:700; padding:9px; background:#f8fafc;" | Cadet
| style="padding:9px;" | Tier 1 = 100%
|-
| style="font-weight:700; padding:9px; background:#f8fafc;" | Second Officer
| style="padding:9px;" | Tier 1 = 100%; Tier 2 = 50%
|-
| style="font-weight:700; padding:9px; background:#f8fafc;" | First Officer
| style="padding:9px;" | Tier 1 = 100%; Tier 2 = 100%; Tier 3 = 50%
|-
| style="font-weight:700; padding:9px; background:#f8fafc;" | Captain
| style="padding:9px;" | Tier 1 = 100%; Tier 2 = 100%; Tier 3 = 75%
|-
| style="font-weight:700; padding:9px; background:#f8fafc;" | Senior Captain
| style="padding:9px;" | Tier 1 = 100%; Tier 2 = 100%; Tier 3 = 95%
|}


The result is capped at 100 and rounded to the nearest whole percent.
If you are rejected by the same company, there is currently a '''7-day wait''' before retrying.


If fatigue is above the allowed limit, Career Mode readiness should fail until workload decreases.
<div style="text-align:right; font-size:90%; margin:4px 0 22px 0;">[[#top|Back to top]]</div>


<div style="text-align:right;">[[#top|Back to top]]</div>
== Type Ratings and Training ==
<div style="height:4px; width:100%; background:#2563eb; border-radius:99px; margin:-6px 0 14px 0;"></div>


----
If '''Must have type rating''' is enabled, FSFO verifies that your pilot has the required rating for the aircraft being flown. A missing rating can block the flight from being ready or prevent it from counting cleanly.


== Flight Log ==
There are two training paths:


The Flight Log is the permanent history of your career flights.
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; margin:10px 0 22px 0; background:#ffffff;"
! style="width:220px; background:#dbeafe; color:#0f172a; padding:9px; text-align:left;" | Training type
! style="background:#dbeafe; color:#0f172a; padding:9px; text-align:left;" | What it does
|-
| style="font-weight:700; vertical-align:top; padding:9px; background:#f8fafc;" | Private Training
| style="vertical-align:top; padding:9px;" | Uses personal funds immediately. It cannot be started if it would push your pilot balance below -75,000.
|-
| style="font-weight:700; vertical-align:top; padding:9px; background:#f8fafc;" | Company Training
| style="vertical-align:top; padding:9px;" | Extends the current contract instead of charging the full training cost directly to your balance.
|}


Each flight log entry stores:
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; margin:10px 0 22px 0; background:#ffffff;"
! style="background:#dbeafe; color:#0f172a; padding:9px; text-align:left;" | Type rating group
! style="background:#dbeafe; color:#0f172a; padding:9px; text-align:left;" | Training days
! style="background:#dbeafe; color:#0f172a; padding:9px; text-align:left;" | Private training
! style="background:#dbeafe; color:#0f172a; padding:9px; text-align:left;" | Company training
|-
| style="padding:9px; font-weight:700; background:#f8fafc;" | CRJ / F7X
| style="padding:9px;" | 5 days
| style="padding:9px;" | 15,000 × regional multiplier
| style="padding:9px;" | +20 contract legs
|-
| style="padding:9px; font-weight:700; background:#f8fafc;" | A32 / B73
| style="padding:9px;" | 7 days
| style="padding:9px;" | 25,000 × regional multiplier
| style="padding:9px;" | +35 contract legs
|-
| style="padding:9px; font-weight:700; background:#f8fafc;" | A31 / A33 / B76 / B77 / MD1 / MD11
| style="padding:9px;" | 10 days
| style="padding:9px;" | 45,000 × regional multiplier
| style="padding:9px;" | +60 contract legs
|-
| style="padding:9px; font-weight:700; background:#f8fafc;" | Other supported ratings
| style="padding:9px;" | 7 days
| style="padding:9px;" | 20,000 × regional multiplier
| style="padding:9px;" | +30 contract legs
|}


* date
<div style="text-align:right; font-size:90%; margin:4px 0 22px 0;">[[#top|Back to top]]</div>
* company
* flight number
* aircraft
* from airport
* to airport
* block time
* landing score
* total score
* landing rate
* landing G
* block fuel
* critical/configuration/lights/speed error counts
* qualification result
* pay earned
* fines paid


Use the Flight Log window to review your performance over time.
== Discipline ==
<div style="height:4px; width:100%; background:#2563eb; border-radius:99px; margin:-6px 0 14px 0;"></div>


<div style="text-align:right;">[[#top|Back to top]]</div>
If '''Can be fired''' is enabled, FSFO tracks company warnings and termination risk. Warnings do not begin immediately; a pilot must complete at least '''5 company legs''' before warning thresholds are evaluated.


----
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; margin:10px 0 22px 0; background:#ffffff;"
! style="background:#dbeafe; color:#0f172a; padding:9px; text-align:left;" | Warning type
! style="background:#dbeafe; color:#0f172a; padding:9px; text-align:left;" | Warning threshold
|-
| style="padding:9px; font-weight:700; background:#f8fafc;" | Critical errors
| style="padding:9px;" | 10% of company legs
|-
| style="padding:9px; font-weight:700; background:#f8fafc;" | Configuration errors
| style="padding:9px;" | 25% of company legs
|-
| style="padding:9px; font-weight:700; background:#f8fafc;" | Speed errors
| style="padding:9px;" | 35% of company legs
|-
| style="padding:9px; font-weight:700; background:#f8fafc;" | Lights errors
| style="padding:9px;" | 50% of company legs
|}


== Notes ==
A pilot can be terminated if warnings reach '''3''', the most recent Total Score is below '''50''', or total average score falls below '''80.0'''. Termination can clear the company, reset company-related counters, clear the schedule, reduce rank by one level, and adjust career tier to match the new rank.


* Career Mode currently supports one local pilot profile
<div style="border-left:5px solid #dc2626; background:#fef2f2; padding:12px 15px; margin:0 0 22px 0; border-radius:8px; color:#7f1d1d;">
* The current schedule stores only the active trip
'''Bottom line:''' Career Mode rewards consistent, safe flying. A single bad flight may hurt your score, but repeated poor performance can affect your company status.
* The flight log is the permanent historical record
</div>
* The current '''Show Contract''' button is not implemented yet


<div style="text-align:right;">[[#top|Back to top]]</div>
<div style="text-align:right; font-size:90%; margin:4px 0 22px 0;">[[#top|Back to top]]</div>
 
----


== Troubleshooting ==
== Troubleshooting ==
<div style="height:4px; width:100%; background:#2563eb; border-radius:99px; margin:-6px 0 14px 0;"></div>


=== "PilotProfile was not found" ===
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; margin:10px 0 22px 0; background:#ffffff;"
Create or rebuild the database, then apply to a company.
! style="width:300px; background:#dbeafe; color:#0f172a; padding:9px; text-align:left;" | Problem
 
! style="background:#dbeafe; color:#0f172a; padding:9px; text-align:left;" | What to check
=== No schedule was generated ===
|-
Check that:
| style="font-weight:700; vertical-align:top; padding:9px; background:#f8fafc;" | My career flight is not ready
 
| style="vertical-align:top; padding:9px;" | Confirm Pilot Portal sign-in, next assignment, departure airport, aircraft rating, and fatigue.
* ''routes.csv'' exists
|-
* the file format is valid
| style="font-weight:700; vertical-align:top; padding:9px; background:#f8fafc;" | My flight did not count toward progression
* routes match the current airline
| style="vertical-align:top; padding:9px;" | If scheduled-flight enforcement is enabled, confirm you flew the next pending leg from the correct departure to the correct arrival.
* type-rating rules are not filtering everything out
|-
* the requested leg count is realistic for the route pool
| style="font-weight:700; vertical-align:top; padding:9px; background:#f8fafc;" | I cannot generate a new schedule
 
| style="vertical-align:top; padding:9px;" | If schedule lock is enabled, finish or clear the current schedule through the portal workflow first.
=== My flight did not count toward progression ===
|-
If '''Must fly scheduled flight''' is enabled, verify that:
| style="font-weight:700; vertical-align:top; padding:9px; background:#f8fafc;" | I was rejected by a company
| style="vertical-align:top; padding:9px;" | Confirm your rank allows that company tier and wait out the 7-day retry cooldown if applicable.
|-
| style="font-weight:700; vertical-align:top; padding:9px; background:#f8fafc;" | My score seems lower than expected
| style="vertical-align:top; padding:9px;" | Look for unstable approach, landing score below 80, low landing fuel, lighting/configuration mistakes, comfort penalties, or poor passenger outcome at shutdown.
|}


* you flew the next pending leg in order
<div style="border-left:5px solid #2563eb; background:#eff6ff; padding:12px 15px; margin:0 0 22px 0; border-radius:8px; color:#172554;">
* you started at the scheduled departure airport
For initial setup help, see [[Getting Started]]. For voice features, see [[Voice Commands]]. For general problem solving, see [[Troubleshooting]].
* you arrived at the scheduled arrival airport
</div>
* the flight number matched when required


=== I cannot generate a new schedule ===
<div style="text-align:right; font-size:90%; margin:4px 0 22px 0;">[[#top|Back to top]]</div>
If '''Lock schedule until complete''' is enabled, finish the current schedule first or turn that option off.


[[Category:User Guide]]
[[Category:User Guide]]
[[Category:Career Mode]]
[[Category:Career Mode]]

Latest revision as of 17:17, 2 June 2026

FSFO Career Mode User Guide

FSFO Career Mode User Guide
A user-friendly guide to Pilot Portal-backed Career Mode, including Career Snapshot, schedules, bidding, type ratings, scoring, fatigue, promotions, and company discipline.
Flight Simulator First Officer • Career Mode • Pilot Portal • Schedules • Scoring • Progression

Career Mode is connected to Pilot Portal. FSFO still monitors and scores the flight inside the simulator, but your career profile, company, schedule, rules, training, and progression are managed through Pilot Portal.

Most important rule: If you want the flight to count toward career progress, make sure Career Snapshot shows the correct assignment before you fly. A flight can be flown and scored without advancing your career if the route, airport, aircraft, schedule, or rating does not match.

Quick Start
What to do first
Career Snapshot
Your preflight career check
Readiness Checks
Why a flight may not be ready
Schedules and Bidding
Assignments and award chances
Scoring
Total, landing, and comfort scores
Progression
Ranks, pay, tiers, ratings
Discipline
Warnings and termination
Troubleshooting
Common problems

Overview

Career Mode gives you one persistent pilot identity instead of treating every flight as a standalone session. Your pilot can join companies, receive schedules, earn money, complete type training, build seniority, and move through ranks over time.

Your career can track:

Career item What it means for the user
Pilot identity Your persistent career profile in Pilot Portal.
Company and rank The airline or company you fly for, plus your current career rank.
Schedule and assignment The next career leg FSFO expects you to fly.
Type ratings Aircraft qualifications that may be required before a flight can count.
Scores and progression Your performance, average score, pay, balance, promotions, and career growth.

Quick Start

Use this as the basic workflow when you want a career flight to count:

Step What to do
1 Sign in to Pilot Portal.
2 Open Career Snapshot in FSFO.
3 Review your company, rank, next assignment, current location, type rating, fatigue, and enabled rules.
4 Load the correct aircraft and start at the correct departure airport.
5 Fly the assigned route only after FSFO says the career flight is ready.
6 Let FSFO score the flight and upload the result at the end.

User tip: Career Snapshot is your final preflight check. If something looks wrong there, fix it before starting the flight.

Career Snapshot

The main Career page in FSFO is Career Snapshot. It is not meant to replace the full Pilot Portal. Instead, it gives you the important live career information you need before departure.

Career Snapshot shows your current career status, next assignment, and readiness information.

The top buttons are used for:

Button Purpose
Help Opens the in-app Career guide.
Contract Opens the current career agreement and scoring summary.
Portal Opens the Pilot Portal side of Career Mode where schedules, bidding, training, and company management are handled.

Career Rule Settings

Career rules are synced from Pilot Portal and then enforced by FSFO during readiness checks and post-flight progression.

Rule Plain-English meaning
Start from last airport You must begin near your saved career location. FSFO checks that you are within 10 NM of that airport.
Fatal crash starts over A fatal crash can have major career consequences according to the synced career policy.
Must fly scheduled flight Only the next assigned leg counts toward career progression.
Passenger comfort FSFO tracks passenger comfort and can apply comfort-related score penalties.
Can be fired Poor performance can lead to warnings and possible termination from your company.
Enable fatigue FSFO checks recent workload. If fatigue is too high, the flight may not be ready.
Schedule based on rank Your rank affects the maximum distance of generated schedule legs.
Must have type rating You need the correct aircraft rating before the flight can count cleanly.
Lock schedule until complete You cannot simply replace an incomplete schedule unless the portal workflow allows it.
Application based on rank Your rank affects which company tiers you can apply to and your hiring chance.
Upload data The career result is intended to upload through the portal-backed workflow.

Readiness Checks

Before a career flight counts cleanly, FSFO can validate your sign-in, company, assignment, departure location, type rating, fatigue, and enabled career rules.

Common blocker What to check
Wrong departure airport Make sure you are starting from the airport shown in Career Snapshot.
Wrong route The departure and arrival must match the next pending assignment when schedule enforcement is active.
Wrong aircraft or missing rating Confirm the aircraft profile and required type rating.
Fatigue too high Career readiness fails if fatigue is 75% or higher.

Schedules and Bidding

Schedules are generated through Pilot Portal. FSFO uses the active schedule for next-leg validation, progression credit, schedule completion, and schedule-lock enforcement.

Pilot Portal is where career schedules, assignments, and related career management are handled.

Schedule distance by rank

Rank Maximum leg distance when rank scheduling is enabled
Cadet 600 NM
Second Officer 1,200 NM
First Officer 2,500 NM
Captain 5,000 NM
Senior Captain 10,000 NM

Bidding and reserve

Career bidding is handled through the portal's Bid & Reserve workflow. You stack bids from the available route list, submit them through the portal, and review the live Award Chance.

Award Chance is influenced by both your current rank and your completed company-leg history. Senior pilots generally have a stronger bidding profile, but consistent company flying also helps.

Current workflow note: Bidding is no longer documented as a comma-separated airport-pair text box. Use the portal Bid & Reserve workflow.

When a Flight Counts Toward Progression

A career flight does not automatically count toward career progression. If Must fly scheduled flight is enabled, FSFO compares your actual flight against the next pending assignment.

For the leg to count, the flight must match:

Requirement Meaning
Scheduled departure airport You must start from the departure airport assigned by the schedule.
Scheduled arrival airport You must arrive at the assigned destination.
Next pending leg If the schedule is ordered, you must fly the next leg in sequence.

If the flight does not meet the progression rules, it may still be flown and scored, but it will not update career progression items such as Total Legs, Average Score, Company Legs, Contract Remaining Legs, Balance, Rank, Career Tier, or Pay per hour.

Scoring

Career Mode stores both a Landing Score and a Total Score. They are related, but they are not the same.

Total Score

Each career flight begins at Total Score = 100. FSFO then subtracts penalties for critical events, aircraft configuration, lights, speed/angle issues, general performance, passenger comfort, and passenger outcome.

Current formula: Total Score = Pilot Score - Comfort Penalty - Passenger Outcome Penalty

A flight is currently marked Qualified for Progression when Total Score is 90 or greater.

Major score deductions

Category Examples
Critical Crash detected = score set to 0; stall, overspeed, overweight, or unstable approach = -10 each.
Configuration Flap, gear, spoiler, G-force, and fuel-management problems.
Lights Navigation, beacon, strobe, and landing-light mistakes.
Speed / angle Excess pitch, bank, low-altitude IAS, or taxi ground speed.
General Landing score below passing threshold.

Unstable approach check: FSFO evaluates unstable approach between 1000 ft AGL and 100 ft AGL. It can trigger if vertical speed is outside -1200 to -300 FPM or bank angle is greater than 25 degrees.

Landing Score

Landing Score is calculated separately from the rest of the Total Score model.

Landing factor Weight
Vertical speed 35%
Touchdown G-force 15%
Runway threshold distance 30%
Runway centerline 20%

A Landing Score below 80 triggers the landing-evaluation penalty.

Passenger Comfort

If Passenger comfort is enabled, FSFO tracks comfort events during flight and evaluates passenger outcome at shutdown.

Comfort can include taxi speed, hard braking, jerky turns, G-force, bank angle, pitch-rate changes, slip/skid, and landing firmness. At shutdown, FSFO also evaluates Satisfaction, Anxiety, Health, Hunger, and Thirst.

Fatigue

If Enable fatigue is turned on, FSFO calculates fatigue from recent leg count and recent block hours. It looks at the last 24 hours, last 72 hours, and last 7 days.

Window What FSFO checks
24 hours Recent acute workload.
72 hours Short-term workload.
7 days Weekly workload.

The fatigue result is capped at 100 and rounded to the nearest whole percent. Career readiness fails if fatigue is 75% or higher.

Progression

This section explains how your career moves forward over time.

Companies and contract commitments

Company tier Required contract legs
Tier 1 30 legs
Tier 2 60 legs
Tier 3 90 legs
Tier 4 120 legs
Tier 5 150 legs

If you leave a company before completing the required commitment, a contract-break fine can be applied.

Ranks and promotions

Career Mode uses five ranks: Cadet, Second Officer, First Officer, Captain, and Senior Captain. Promotions are based on total legs and average score. Before any promotion is possible, your Average Score must be at least 92.0.

Promotion Requirement
Second Officer 50 total legs
First Officer 125 total legs
Captain 200 total legs
Senior Captain 350 total legs

Career tier and pay

Each company has a base hourly pay rate. Career Tier adds a fixed hourly raise on top of that base rate.

Career tier Hourly raise
Tier 1 +$0/hr
Tier 2 +$5/hr
Tier 3 +$10/hr
Tier 4 +$18/hr
Tier 5 +$28/hr

Pay formula: Final hourly pay = company base hourly pay + current Career Tier raise.

Company Applications

If Application based on rank is enabled, company access is restricted by rank and tier.

Rank Current hiring chances
Cadet Tier 1 = 100%
Second Officer Tier 1 = 100%; Tier 2 = 50%
First Officer Tier 1 = 100%; Tier 2 = 100%; Tier 3 = 50%
Captain Tier 1 = 100%; Tier 2 = 100%; Tier 3 = 75%
Senior Captain Tier 1 = 100%; Tier 2 = 100%; Tier 3 = 95%

If you are rejected by the same company, there is currently a 7-day wait before retrying.

Type Ratings and Training

If Must have type rating is enabled, FSFO verifies that your pilot has the required rating for the aircraft being flown. A missing rating can block the flight from being ready or prevent it from counting cleanly.

There are two training paths:

Training type What it does
Private Training Uses personal funds immediately. It cannot be started if it would push your pilot balance below -75,000.
Company Training Extends the current contract instead of charging the full training cost directly to your balance.
Type rating group Training days Private training Company training
CRJ / F7X 5 days 15,000 × regional multiplier +20 contract legs
A32 / B73 7 days 25,000 × regional multiplier +35 contract legs
A31 / A33 / B76 / B77 / MD1 / MD11 10 days 45,000 × regional multiplier +60 contract legs
Other supported ratings 7 days 20,000 × regional multiplier +30 contract legs

Discipline

If Can be fired is enabled, FSFO tracks company warnings and termination risk. Warnings do not begin immediately; a pilot must complete at least 5 company legs before warning thresholds are evaluated.

Warning type Warning threshold
Critical errors 10% of company legs
Configuration errors 25% of company legs
Speed errors 35% of company legs
Lights errors 50% of company legs

A pilot can be terminated if warnings reach 3, the most recent Total Score is below 50, or total average score falls below 80.0. Termination can clear the company, reset company-related counters, clear the schedule, reduce rank by one level, and adjust career tier to match the new rank.

Bottom line: Career Mode rewards consistent, safe flying. A single bad flight may hurt your score, but repeated poor performance can affect your company status.

Troubleshooting

Problem What to check
My career flight is not ready Confirm Pilot Portal sign-in, next assignment, departure airport, aircraft rating, and fatigue.
My flight did not count toward progression If scheduled-flight enforcement is enabled, confirm you flew the next pending leg from the correct departure to the correct arrival.
I cannot generate a new schedule If schedule lock is enabled, finish or clear the current schedule through the portal workflow first.
I was rejected by a company Confirm your rank allows that company tier and wait out the 7-day retry cooldown if applicable.
My score seems lower than expected Look for unstable approach, landing score below 80, low landing fuel, lighting/configuration mistakes, comfort penalties, or poor passenger outcome at shutdown.

For initial setup help, see Getting Started. For voice features, see Voice Commands. For general problem solving, see Troubleshooting.

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