The Reservations module covers the aircraft and instructor schedule, slot creation, check-out, the flight return with hour meters, and closing the flight. It is available from the side menu, “Reservations” section, as long as the module is enabled for your club and your role has the permission.
Reading the schedule
The schedule opens at /reservations/ (“Schedule” in the menu). You can:
- switch between the “Day” and “Week” views, in horizontal or vertical orientation;
- limit the display to “All”, “Aircraft” or “Instructors”;
- search with “Search…” and refine with the “Filters” menu: “My bookings”, “Flight types”, “Status”, “Aircraft type”, “Pilot”, “Instructor”;
- navigate with “Previous”, “Today” and “Next”.
Each flight type has its own colour and style (solid, outlined or hatched). The legend only shows the items present on screen: awaiting authorization, unavailability, workshop, external booking, aeronautical night, twilight. The yellow band under each aircraft shows the actual flight time. A manager can change labels, colours and styles in the booking settings, “Planning appearance” section.
The “Subscribe to calendar” button generates a personal link in ICS format that you can add to your calendar. It can be regenerated if you want to invalidate the old link.
Creating a booking
- Click “Book a slot”, or click and drag on a free row of the schedule. The “New booking” window opens.
- Fill in the “Flight type”, the “Start” and “End”, then the “Aircraft” and, depending on the type, the “Instructor”. The “Pilot” field can only be changed if you are allowed to book for another member.
- If needed, complete the “Flight nature” (day VFR, night VFR or IFR), the “Destination”, the “Briefing”, the “Planned engine time”, co-pilots or passengers and notes.
- Watch the availability check message: “Available slot”, “Warnings to confirm” or “Blocking conflict”. If a flight fitness warning is shown, tick “I acknowledge the warnings” to continue.
- Check the “Cost estimate” if it is shown, then save.
The booking gets a reference of the form PREFIX-n (the default prefix is RES, which the club can change) and a status: “Confirmed”, or “Awaiting authorization” if the flight type requires validation.
Why a booking is refused
Conflicts are checked live. Here is what actually blocks a booking:
- the aircraft, the instructor or the pilot is already taken for the slot;
- the resource is marked unavailable, or the slot falls in a recurring closure;
- the slot is in the past, or outside the opening hours set by the club;
- the booking horizon (90 days by default), the minimum notice or the club's quota of active bookings is exceeded;
- the aircraft is grounded in the workshop (only if the Workshop module is active);
- the pilot is in debit (only if the Payments module is active);
- an Aerogest booking already exists on the slot, depending on the setting chosen by the club (ignore, warn or block).
Some points are only warnings: a co-pilot already booked, a restriction to check depending on the flight type, a possible conflict with the workshop. Managers who are allowed to manage everything see policy constraints (hours, horizon, notice, quota) downgraded to warnings.
Flight fitness
The club chooses a fitness check policy: “Disabled”, “Warn” (default) or “Block”. It relies on the expiry dates calculated by the Currency tracking module and the flight log: medical, SEP revalidation, day currency, and depending on the flight nature night currency or IR rating. Club rules at “Block bookings” level block even if the policy is on “Warn” (but not if it is on “Disabled”). Managers can override.
Prior authorization
A flight type can require an authorization (supervised solo flight, or validation before confirmation). The booking then becomes “Awaiting authorization”. Validators handle it from “Pending authorizations” with “Authorize” or “Decline” (with a reason). A reminder is sent if the request is still pending less than 48 hours before the flight.
Editing or cancelling
Open the booking, then “Edit booking” (possible for the “Awaiting authorization” and “Confirmed” statuses). Changing the flight type or the instructor can put the booking back to awaiting authorization. To cancel, use the “Cancellation” section, enter the reason and click “Confirm cancellation”. The club can set a cancellation notice in minutes, which does not apply to managers. A cancellation less than 48 hours before the flight is logged with an “Alert” priority in the event journal.
Check-out
The “Flight departure” menu lists your confirmed bookings for today or later (a manager sees everyone's). You enter the departure airfield and the number of passengers, then go through the checklist configured by the club.
- The departure hour meter is not typed in: it is taken automatically from the aircraft's last reading. If no hour meter is recorded for this aircraft, a message tells you so.
- If a fitness block exists, the departure is blocked. Only a manager with the right to force a departure can override it, and the action is logged.
- Key handover can be configured by the club: none, by code, or by webhook.
Flight return and closing
On return, open “Flight return” and fill in:
- the return hour meter, which must be higher than the departure one (unless you tick “Meter replaced”), or the departure and arrival times: one of the two values is calculated from the other;
- the arrival airfield, the touch-and-gos, fuel and oil;
- any anomalies, with their severity: “Info”, “Minor”, “Major” or “Grounding”;
- remarks.
The number of landings is the number of touch-and-gos plus the final landing. Click “Close flight”: the aircraft counters are updated and a line is created in the pilot's flight log, with a line for the instructor if there is one. A “Grounding” anomaly makes the aircraft unavailable on the schedule (if the Workshop module is active, the anomaly and the readings are passed to it).
Billing flight hours
When the flight is closed, its amount is calculated from the aircraft's rate and the flight type's billing mode (standard, dual or free), based on the Hobbs counter or block time, rounded to the minute or to the tenth of an hour. It is passed to the pilot's account only if the Payments module is active, and only after the flight is validated: manually (a manager clicks “Validate flight”) or automatically, depending on the club's setting. See Billing your members.
Notifications
Bookings trigger e-mails: confirmation, change, cancellation, authorization request and answer, reminder before the flight (24 hours before by default, with other possible delays from 72 to 1 hour), late return alert (30 minutes by default) and flight file preparation reminder.
Frequently asked questions
Why can't I choose another pilot in a booking?
The “Pilot” field can only be changed with the right to book for another member. Ask a manager at your club whether your role should include it.
My check-out is blocked, what should I do?
The block comes from flight fitness (medical, currency, club rule). Open your “EASA currency” page to see which expiry date is involved. Only a manager with the right to force a departure can override it, and the action is logged.
Is the flight log filled in automatically after a flight?
Yes. When the flight return is closed, a flight log line is created or updated for the pilot (and one for the instructor where applicable).
How do I add bookings to my calendar?
Use “Subscribe to calendar” on the schedule: the ICS link is personal. If you regenerate it, the old link stops working.