The Star Awards

Definitions

Base Airfields

The club has selected three Base Airfields at which ATC cover is regularly provided particularly on the assigned club nights. Most controllers who provide this cover are also club members, and are often available on the club TeamSpeak facility to assist when needed. Some planned activities taking in Base Airfields are advertised in the club forum each week.

Roving Base Airfield

Every three months the Events Manager nominates a new "Roving Base" airfield at which ATC cover is frequently provided. This counts the same as a Base Airfield.

Guest Airfields

Two Guest Airfields are published each month on the Locations page for members to visit during the month.

Farm Strips

From January 2015, every month, until January 2016, two groups of Farm Strips were assigned following the route described under Operations on the Farm Strips page. This tour may still be undertaken with each group of three farm strips qualifying for a star. However, only one farm star can be won each month.

Assigned Locations

Details of our assigned Base Airfields and Farm Strips can be found under Operations on the Locations page.

Star Events

Each month, an event is organised by the Club, usually with briefings published on the web site.  These events are called Monthly Events, or Star Events for the simple reason that members taking part in them on the published date or range of dates each month will be awarded a Star. A Star Event involving one of the Club Bases may attract two Stars, one for the Event and a one for the Base, provided that only one Star is awarded per month for each base. Event details can be found under Operations on the Monthly Events page.

2-4-CIX Displays

2-4-CIX Display group practices and displays are flown using JoinFS for practical reasons connected to the latency of VATSIM servers which are not conducive to accurate manoeuvring in close proximity to other aircraft. Each pilot taking part in a Club organised Display may claim a display (DISP) star. Spectators at Displays may also claim a DISP star. Full details of this scheme may be found on the 2-4-CIX pages.

Other Events

Flights and tours organised informally by members among themselves may be endorsed as Club Events, provided that they are advertised on the forum, and at least three members agree to take part. However, unless they are managed by the Club Events Manager and re-designated as Star Events, they will not attract a Star.

Shared Cockpit

This is defined for Star award purposes as two members linking their computers together while running Flight Simulator, with one connected to VATSIM or IVAO, with either of them able to take control of the aircraft they are flying. Flights using JoinFS qualify as long as at least one member is connected to VATSIM or IVAO.

Rules for Gaining Stars

Log the Flight

Only flights for which members have submitted a PIREP (Pilot's Report) will be eligible for the award of a Star. This is because it is the PIREP data which is analysed automatically to award Stars each month. The club has its own flight logger, which can be used to record details of a flight and to submit a PIREP.

Flying at Club Bases

A Star will be awarded to any member flying to or from one of our Base Airfields, or flying circuits at one of the Base Airfields. Only one Star can be awarded for each Base Airfield to each member per month, no matter how often the member flies to or from that airfield. This also applies to the nominated Roving Base airfield.

Star Events

A Star will be awarded for taking part in the Monthly Event, as long as the flight is made on the published date(s) for the Event. This rule is designed to encourage more members to fly at the same time, increasing the enjoyment and companionship. If the event consists of more than one flight, the award will be made for completing one or more of the flights included in the event. These "qualifying flights" are selected at random by the Events Manager, and not disclosed to Members. To gain a star, therefore, Members need to either complete the whole event, or try and guess which flights are the qualifying ones. Naturally, the former is much easier and is in keeping with the spirit of Club flying.

Guest Airfields

A Star is awarded for flying to a Guest Airfield, regardless of the departure airfield. A Star is NOT awarded for flying FROM a Guest Airfield.

Farm Strips

A star will be awarded for completing each assigned group of Farm Strips as defined in the club forum.

Shared Cockpit Stars

When two members fly a Star Event in shared cockpit mode, such that only a single flight is recorded by VATSIM or IVAO, each member can complete a PIREP provided that each has been in control for part of the flight. In this case they should each record only the amount of time they were in control. This applies whenever two members share a flight. In the case of a training flight with a Qualified Flying Instructor (QFI) and a trainee pilot, the QFI should record the whole flight, because he is responsible for the success of the flight. The trainee should book only the time he had control.

Monthly Analysis

Stars will be awarded on a calendar monthly basis. Members will quickly realise that, in a normal month with one Star Event, three Base Airfields, a Roving Base, and two Farm Strip groups, a maximum of seven Stars may be earned by each member during each month. Stars are accumulated, and a rolling twelve month total is displayed on the Membership List page along with the previous month's total.

Correcting Errors

Sometimes, for reasons outside a member's control, a flight cannot be completed online, such as when the software misbehaves. In such cases, the Membership Secretary, at his sole discretion, may permit entry of an additional PIREP to secure the award. This applies in particular but not exclusively where there is strong evidence from other members, or VATSIM or IVAO records, that the flight took place.