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Airline Rules

Activities

The purpose of this section is to help pilots participate in the NorthernStar virtual airline flight program by acquainting them with the types of operations we fly, and the manner in which we fly them.

• If you have a flight to report, please proceed to the Flight Logs section.

• Please go to the Activities section for Missions, Challenges, and Training exercises.

In most cases, pilots are responsible for following the airline's guidelines; there is no check or monitoring to guarantee that you do. However, remember that real pilots follow not only the air traffic rules, but also the rules of operation established by the airline. These rules add structure and realism to virtual flightsimming by inviting you to fly in the same general manner as real pilots do.

Classes of Operation

A flight is:

• A passenger flight (sometimes abbreviated pax), whether charter or scheduled
• A cargo flight (a flight with no passengers)
• An experimental flight (trying out new or proposed equipment, a new route under study or evaluation, or other unusual operations not for profit)
• A code-share flight.

All types of flights can be reported in the flight log for credit.

Passenger Flights

Most flights are passenger flights. Passenger flights are operated by NorthernStar Airways of Canada, Ltd., and are identified in radio calls by the callsign "Hunter."

Rules.

Passenger flights may be executed under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) or Instrument Flight Rules (IFR), but the use of VFR for scheduled flights is discouraged. A flight flown under ATC control will be an IFR flight.

Regularly scheduled flights are defined for each region. For example, see the Alaska page for information about scheduled filghts in Alaska.

Ratings.

A pilot requires an IFR flight rating to file an IFR flight plan and fly such a flight. An IFR flight rating can be granted only by the airline Chief Pilot on the completion of suitable qualifying tests or equivalent experience. Unrated pilots will be restricted to VFR charter flights.

NorthernStar maintains several types of equipment (i.e., aircraft). These aircraft are of three basic types: prop, turboprop, or jet. All pilots are certified for prop aircraft. To fly a turboprop aircraft, a pilot must have acquired the corresponding rating. An additional rating is required to fly a jet aircraft.

A pilot having IFR, turboprop, and jet ratings is an Air Transport Pilot (ATP).

Charter Flights

Charter flights are flown between a hub (or ground facility) and another hub or a destination. Allowed destination airports are described in the Destinations section of this website.

This means that every charter flight either begins at, or ends at, a hub airport. This requirement is relaxed for multi-stop flights, under the provision that all stops of a multi-stop flight are flown the same day.

Scheduled Flights

Scheduled flights will be flown under Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) and with ATC control. A flight should not be reported as a scheduled flight unless it is listed as a scheduled flight in Destinations.

Navigation

The pilot is responsible for building and following his flight plan. All aircraft are equipped with GPS instrumentation, for the safety and convenience of the passenger. Pilots may rely on GPS navigation when other types of navaid are not available.

Cargo Flights

Cargo flights are based out of Edmonton International Airport. Cargo flights are operated by NorthernStar Cargo, a subsidiary of NorthernStar Airways. Flights are identified in radio traffic with call sign "North Air." (Not to be confused with "Air North.")

Equipment.

Cargo flights may only be flown with approved cargo equipment. Currently this is limited to the Aero Commander 500 (AC500) and DC-3. See the Fleet section for more info about these planes.

Rules.

NorthernStar Cargo is an on-demand service, similar to charter passenger flights. Flights may therefore be flown under visual rules, weather permitting, at the pilot's discretion. IFR flight plans and ATC control may be used when desired, and must be used when weather conditions do not meet VFR requirements. (For information about VFR weather requirements, see the applicable aviation articles.)

Ratings.

There is no special rating required for cargo flights. The pilot must have the appropriate rating for the type of aircraft to be flown, however.

Charter Flights

A cargo flight is not considered a charter flight. No passengers are transported. Airport restrictions do not apply.

A cargo flight must depart and arrive at airports listed in the Destinations section, but, unlike passenger flights, a leg need not begin or end at a hub airport. The cargo pilot can fly a "round robin" route, beginning at a hub, visiting several airports, and ending at the original starting location. These connecting legs may span several days.

Scheduled Flights

There are no regularly scheduled cargo routes.

Navigation

The pilot is responsible for building and following his flight plan. All aircraft are equipped with GPS instrumentation. Pilots may rely on GPS navigation when other types of navaid are not available.

Experimental Flights

Experimental flights are useful to the airline for several purposes:

• To evaluate potential new aircraft acquisitions
• To evaluate an airport's accessibility, routing, or facilities
• To study alternative flight plans or navigation methods

Regardless of the purpose of the flight, an experimental flight requires advance clearance with the Chief Pilot. If approved, some portions of the flight log may reference unsupported equipment or airports; in these cases, the notation "EXP" (Experimental) should be used. For example, one flight might depart airport code EXP and arrive at CYEG, or depart EXP and arrive at EXP.

Code-share Flights

For additional information on code-share flights, see the applicable page for the subject virtual airline/code share arrangement.