be kept well away from prying eyes who may pinch your business if they see destinations and customer names, so don't put them near windows. Movements Boards should be constantly updated as they're a major reference point. What goes on them is up to you—just use whatever information you think will be needed. The biggest Movement Board of the lot is the map, which will usually have a string-and-weight arrangement with a Nav Ruler that makes it easy to calculate complicated distances. Linked to Movement Boards is the Diary. There will be a scruffy one that's used daily, but there should also be a backup filled in after the day's work. In it should go all the scheduled work, upcoming pilot and aircraft checks (a week or so before they're due). Some people use files in which go Royal Flights, etc. As mentioned before, there will be a quotes file. It is suggested that this be looseleaf, each page being filled in at the time of each query. If a trip looks like it's going to happen, then that page should be put into a pending file until confirmed, when it's put into a Diary file. The Diary file is simply 32 file holders, not necessarily in one book, representing each day of the month plus one, and all prepared documentation for a flight is placed in the file for the relevant day. The benefit of this system is that Royal Flight information (and anything else that's only valid for a day) can be put in there as well, which makes it easy to bring it to the attention of the staff concerned. You can see that communications are beginning to be of vital importance. A good communications network is an essential part of modern aviation. Without knowing as quickly as possible what's going on, it's very difficult to plan ahead and foresee problems that might arise. Many methods are used, VHF radio, telex, AFTN, fax and even HF Single Side Band radio for those longer distances, and you should encourage your pilots to use it often, because it helps with scheduling if you know where they are, aside from allowing quick responses to incidents. 304 Operational Flying The most common, however, is the telephone, and the correct use of it saves many problems. The first problem is that there is no record of what's been said, so important messages and decisions made on the telephone must be followed up immediately by telex or fax, since these are commonly accepted in business as a substitute for official correspondence on Company notepaper. When taking down a message, always ensure you have the correct information and names, so you know who to blame later. The telephone should be answered as soon as possible, and before answering, be sure you have a fair chance of helping the caller. When answered, they should not be left |