Handbook

Handbook

Introduction

Welcome to the new and improved online QVirtual Pilot Handbook! Here you can review up to date airline information, policies and procedures for your day-to-day operations at QVirtual. This handbook is updated on a regular basis and it is a pilot's responsibility to ensure they are aware of any changes made to this document.

Mission

Our mission at QVirtual is to provide our pilots with the most accurate and realistic experience as possible. We achieve this by simulating the day-to-day operations of Qantas and its codeshare partners. Our schedule system contains over 38000 schedules that gives pilots the opportunity to fly to all continents (excluding Antarctica).

We also simulate a pilot training academy where numerous courses are available for those who are willing to extend their love or knowledge for aviation through a better understanding of it as a whole.

Values

QVirtual will always be proactive to ensure that the experiences of its members will be convenient, efficient and pleasureable.

Goals

QVirtual strives to create an experience that enriches the lives of everyone here at QVirtual.

Application Guidelines

Prospective members will be required to make their application for membership over the Internet at the QVirtual's web site. Applications must be fully completed pursuant to the instructions and the rules and regulations located on the application web page(s).

QVirtual requires that all new and returning pilots are at least sixteen (16) years of age. Under no circumstances will an applicant under this age be hired. Any pilot who is found falsifying their age will be banned from QVirtual indefinitely.

QVirtual does not charge any fees to apply or to retain membership in the organisation. In addition, no member of QVirtual may request money or charge fees as a prerequisite to advancing an individual in rank and no member may offer to pay money or a fee to another in order to secure advancement in rank.

Transfer of Hours

QVirtual will accept transfer hours from a previous virtual airline.

New members may transfer hours from one (1) Virtual Airline of their choice. Virtual Airline transfer hours will be accepted at 100% value, up to a maximum of 100 hours. These hours will be verified before acceptance. Applicants requesting a transfer from another virtual airline must provide an active URL to verify hours. If the virtual airline is no longer in operation, hours will be unable to be transferred. Transferred hours count towards your QVirtual total hours.

Transfer hours should be declared on the application to join QVirtual. New applicants will have thirty (30) days from the date of hire to request a transfer of hours. Transfer hours will not be honoured if the pilot requests the transfer more than 30 days from the initial date of their application.

Rehiring

Any member who wishes to return to QVirtual may do so by using the registration page. Previous pilot accounts may be eligible to be restored.

Any member wishing to be re-hired after being removed for inactivity will re-apply on the registration page. Pilots terminated for failure to maintain minimum flight activity and/or comply with Leave of Absence procedures may be interviewed by the Head of HR to inquire regarding the member's commitment to fulfilling the minimum flight requirements and understanding of the Leave of Absence policies.

The decision to re-hire inactive members is made at the discretion of the management.

Pilot HUBs

All pilots will be assigned to the hub of their choice or, in rare cases, to a hub based on operational needs.

Pilots are welcome to transfer to any hub they choose (as hubs are developed), provided that they remain at each hub for a minimum of thirty (30) calendar days.

The following locations are currently QVirtual Hubs

  • Brisbane International Airport (YBBN)
  • Melbourne International Airport (YMML)
  • Perth International Airport (YPPH)
  • Sydney International Airport (YSSY)
  • Dubai International Airport (OMDB)
  • London International Airport (EGLL)
  • Darwin International Airport (YPDN)
  • Los Angeles International Airport (KLAX)

To request a transfer to a new hub, please email Flight Operations https://qvirtual.com.au/contact

Leave of Absence

A Leave of Absence (LOA) is an option available to member's who do not believe they will be able to meet the minimum flight requirements. A LOA allows a member to remain on our roster and remove them from the restrictions of flying that may result in their removal for inactivity until they feel able to return to active status.

LOA requests will only be considered for pilots who have been employed for a minimum of 60 days. Pilots must have a minimum of two (2) approved PIREP's that was filed 60 days prior to a request for a leave of absence.

A maximum number of days allowed for an LOA is 90 days. Should you require more, please get in touch with the Head of HR prior to submitting an LOA.

A LOA is considered temporary. You should plan on resuming your minimum flight requirements within a reasonable time. If you feel you are unable to resume flight activity within six months of your leave request (A long term volunteering mission or military deployment) you should alert the Head of HR at your earliest convenience. You will not be penalised for this action and may return without penalty when you are able. Pilots who are on LOA who have not submitted an approved PIREP within six months will be removed from the roster and subject to termination.

Pilots abusing LOAs will be removed from the roster. This is considered a disciplinary termination. Any rehires will require CEO approval. One common abuse is a repetitive cycle of 1 or 2 PIREPS and then summiting a LOA to avoid flight requirements.

If you need to be placed on a LOA, simply request a LOA through Crew Centre or contact Human Resources and they’ll make the necessary arrangements.

Termination

Pilots can and will be terminated from QVirtual if they fail to comply with LOA procedures, if their behaviour is called into question by another member or staff member or if they fail to follow outlined policies and procedures. Pilots should respect each other at all times.

Anyone wishing to appeal their termination from QVirtual should contact Head of Pilot Services directly.

Bookings Flights

Pilots need to book flights prior to flying. Pilots can use the intuitive search functionality to search over 38000 schedules in our system. Pilots can filter and search from a whole range of options to find the perfect flight for any situation.
Once found, pilots will need to pay a booking fee that is dependant on how far the route is in nm. Pilots will then be able to book a certain aircraft. Each aircraft can only be booked one at a time meaning no two pilots can fly the same registration at the same time.
If there are no aircrafts at the departure airport of the route, pilots can pay to have an aircraft relocated.

Rank Structure

All pilots accepted by QVirtual with or without previous Virtual Airline experience are assigned the initial rank of Student Pilot.

The more hours you fly and flights you complete, the greater the commitment and therefore the greater the achievement as you advance through the ranks.

Awards

Awards are given to pilots after the completion of certain milestones during their employment at QVirtual.

These awards are broken down into three categories:

  • Achievement
  • Event
  • Tour
  • Milestone

Each of the awards and their criteria are as follows:

Pilot Reports

A Pilot Report (otherwise known as PIREP) is a report of each flight conducted for QVirtual generated by the QTracker system or the manual submission system. A PIREP contains all of the information about your flight, including (but not limited to):

  • Airline/flight number
  • Aircraft
  • Departure/Arrival airport
  • Flight time
  • Log of events

PIREP Acceptance Guidelines

Once your PIREP is filed via QTracker, or the manual form, it will be reviewed by the Flight Operations Department who will decide whether to accept or reject the PIREP.

You must follow these guidelines, or your PIREP will be rejected:

  • Landing rate must not exceed -600fpm
  • No over speeds in excess of 3 minutes total time.
  • No stalls or slews.
  • No simulation rate changes.
  • Must fly the correct aircraft and livery.
  • Depart and land at the correct airports.
  • Must complete the flight.
  • No in-flight fuelling.

The guidelines for flights filed manually are as follows:

  • Correct flight information as per schedule brief.
  • Correct and complete flight remarks.
  • Vataware link including in PIREP comments.
  • All fields in form are filled out.

Failure to meet any of these guidelines will result in your PIREP being rejected.

Website Policy

By accessing “QVirtual” (hereinafter “we”, “us”, “our”, “QVirtual Management”, “https://qvirtual.com.au”), you agree to be legally bound by the following terms. If you do not agree to be legally bound by all of the following terms then please do not access and/or use the “QVirtual” website.

  1. The login credentials that are provided to you serve as your individual membership identification. You may not under any circumstances provide, seek or obtain permission of your own or another individuals credentials in the course of performing QVirtual operations.
  2. Members are required to use their full name when registering as a Pilot. Incomplete, incorrect or misleading information will result in the termination of the account.
  3. You may only register for and hold only one account.
  4. All members must provide a valid email address. If your accounts email address changes, you must use the online form to modify your email address in the database. Accounts with invalid email addresses will be removed.
  5. All pilots must fly at least one flight within the first 30 days after successful completion of registration. If unable, you are permitted to request a leave of absence for up to 1 year.
  6. All flights must represent a valid QVirtual flight as assigned by the schedule system on the website. Flights that are not inputted into this system will be rejected without the member's consultation or consent. The correct aircraft and livery must be used for all flights.
  7. Whilst pilots can fly for more than one airline, we do not allow pilots to replicate an airline route for more than one airline at any one time. Same pilot reports filed for Document Handbook multiple airlines will be rejected initially; further disciplinary action will be taken against the pilot subjected to a violation of this clause.
  8. QVirtual Management reserves the right to suspend or terminate any individual membership from the airline without notification if this or any other relevant policy has been violated. The member may appeal the suspension or termination to QVirtual Management whose decision shall be final.
  9. QVirtual does not approve of pilots in management in outside virtual airlines, if a pilot is suspected of operating a management position in a competitor virtual airline, the pilots membership will be suspended without notice pending investigation, no appeal will be offered to the pilot. Please note this also refers to pilots leaking sensitive information and material on behalf of a virtual airline even though a management position may not be held.
  10. QVirtual has a strict policy on plagiarism, if a pilot is found to have leaked sensitive material off the QVirtual website, forum, academy, or any other relevant third party application, the members account will be terminated immediately without notice. No appeal will be available to the pilot.
  11. The relative policy of QVirtual acknowledges and promotes the expectations placed on members to behave both within and outside the organisation.
  12. Members are to, at all times, be courteous and respectful to one another. No threats, harassment or un-warranted comments are not to be directed at any member under any circumstances.
  13. Members represent the QVirtual community at all times when accessing other external sources on the Internet. Members should be made aware that they should not undertake any action that would bring harm to the reputation of QVirtual, including, but not limited to misrepresenting oneself to another organisation, breaking the rules and guidelines of another organisation, or making derogatory statements about QVirtual
  14. Members are to only fly one flight at any single time. Members are not to have consecutive flights flown at the same time.
  15. QVirtual Management reserves the right to update these terms without prior notification. Remaining updated relies solely on the pilot. Violations of the subject policy may result in probationary period, a temporary suspension, termination or other form of disciplinary procedure to the members account.

QCommunity Policy

By accessing “QCommunity Forums” for the usage of “QVirtual” (hereinafter “we”, “us”, “our”, “QVirtual Management”, “https://community.qvirtual.com.au”), you agree to be legally bound by the following terms. If you do not agree to be legally bound by all of the following terms then please do not access and/or use “QCommunity Forums”.

  1. The login credentials, which are provided to you, serve as being your individual membership identification on QVirtual. You may not under any circumstances provide, give or surrender permission or knowingly allow your username or password to be used by anyone else other than QVirtual Management.
  2. Members are to at all times behave in a courteous and respectful manner when using any of the provided features on the QCommunity Forums.
  3. Members are prohibited from the usage of excessive CAPS to draw emphasis or attract attention whenever using the forums. It is considered to be shouting and rude, QVirtual Management instead reserves the right to use CAPS for the purpose of displaying important announcements.
  4. Members allow QVirtual to use any screenshots submitted for use on the website, documents, promotional materials etcetera.
  5. Multiple or repeated posting of threads, comments or information in order to increase your post count is not permitted.
  6. Advertising, spamming and trolling is not allowed. This includes exploiting any of the features made available on the QCommunity forums to spam other members.
  7. Posts that are sexual, political, race-orientated and religious in nature or violate QCommunity standards are not allowed.
  8. Discussion of illegal activities through the use of QCommunity Forums such as tips for software on terms of piracy and other intellectual property violations are not allowed under any circumstances.
  9. QVirtual reserves the right to remove or moderate material on QCommunity Forums without prior notice.
  10. QVirtual Management shall be the sole-regulatory authority in dictating what does and what does not violate community standards or other relevant policies.
  11. You may only display your QVirtual official signature and VATSIM Online Status image in your QCommunity description. All other elements will be removed without notice.

QTracker Policy

By accessing “QTracker” for the usage of QVirtual” (hereinafter “we”, “us”, “our”, “QVirtual Management”, “https://qvirtual.com.au”), you agree to be legally bound by the following terms. If you do not agree to be legally bound by all of the following terms then please do not access and/or use “QTracker”.

  1. QVirtual has the right to reject a PIREP without prior notice, the decision is final unless the pilot appeals the decision within 3 days of the initial decision.
  2. QVirtual members are to follow the guidelines set in place in the pilot handbook in regards to PIREPs.
  3. QVirtual members are not allowed to bully, mock or disrespect their fellow members at any time through the QTracker chat.
  4. QVirtual members are admonished to keep all chat in QTracker in regards to aviation and QVirtual. Any discussions of illegal acts or those going against QVirtual policy are prohibited.

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QAcademy Policy

By accessing “QAcademy” for the usage of “QVirtual” (hereinafter “we”, “us”, “our”, “QVirtual Management”, “http://www.qvirtual.com.au/academy”),you agree to be legally bound by the following terms. If you do not agree to be legally bound by all of the following terms then please do not access and/or use “QAcademy”.

  1. As a member of QVirtual, the member agrees to be bound and to abide by the Policies set by QVirtual. Violations of the "policies" may result in a probationary period, a temporary suspension of the members account, or termination of the members account.
  2. All members are entitled to one account only, more than one account will result in being permanently banned from QVirtual.
  3. All content within the training academy remain the intellectual property of QVirtual and QVirtual will not take to kindly to content being used outside this virtual airline. You will be removed from the roster immediately for leaking material outside QVirtual and action will be taken against the perpetrator.
  4. The username and password which is provided to you is your exclusive membership identification. You may not give permission or knowingly allow your username or password to be used by anyone else.

Discord Policy

By accessing “QVirtual Discord” for the usage of “QVirtual” (hereinafter “we”, “us”, “our”, “QVirtual”, “http://www.qvirtual.com.au”), you agree to be legally bound by the following terms. If you do not agree to be legally bound by all of the following terms then please do not access and/or use “QVirtual Discord”.

The following clauses apply to all forms of communication on Discord, including voice, public text and private text.

  1. QVirtual members must not release this server information to anyone outside QVirtual.
  2. Abusive, rude, impolite or any language that is deemed disrespectful will not be tolerated.
  3. Discussion that is sexual, political, race-orientated and religious in nature or violates Discord standards is prohibited.
  4. QVirtual members are prohibited from bullying, mocking or disrespecting their fellow members in any way at any time.
  5. QVirtual members must respect the use of text channels as outlined in the pinned post.
  6. Advertising of outside organisations is not permitted under any circumstances, with the exception of QVirtual partners.
  7. Any conversation supporting, encouraging or facilitating criminal and/or illegal behaviour including the pirating of software will not be tolerated.
  8. QVirtual members must adhere to all staff directions while on the Discord Server.
  9. Voice changing or altering software is prohibited from use at all times when connected to the server. NO SOUNDBOARDS
  10. Pilots must use their full name and display their QVirtual pilot ID in their nicknames whilst connected to this server.
  11. Spam messaging text chats is prohibited.
  12. Respect the Staff, they are here to help you!
  13. Constant spam messaging to a direct staff and unnecessary tagging is an offence and may incur a warning, if not a ban.
  14. QVirtual Management reserves the right to update these terms without prior notification. Remaining updated relies solely on the pilot
  15. Pilots should use the VATSIM Cockpit channel when flying on VATSIM. The channel is not needed to be used, but when the QV Bar and Grill is busy, please do not broadcast your calls over that channel.
  16. While using the screenshot channel pilots can post a maximum of 6 pictures per flight to avoid spamming the screenshot channel
  17. Pilots may be sent sensitive information. Sharing sensitive or private and confidential information will lead to disciplinary action

Violations of this policy will result in severe consequences.

First offence:Discord warning.
Second offence:24 hour suspension from the Discord server.
Third offence:Seven day suspension from the Discord server.
Fourth offence:Permanent suspension from the Discord server.

Note: Staff can deviate from this procedure at any time at their own judgement.