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All about Groups
Are you making the most of e-logbooks groups facility? Perhaps you have not had the time to
explore this or not had the opportunity to read our help pages on groups. Never mind, below are
the FAQs on groups and their features which we are sure you will find useful.
What are groups for and what do they do?
e-logbooks groups allow any set of members, from local flying enthusiasts to aircraft syndicates
or flying schools, to set up their own area within e-logbooks. Joining a group gives you access
to a range of services:
- Ability to book any aircraft that the group uses
- View the bookings of the groups aircraft
- Examine scheduled aircraft unavailability
- Access to the group's bulletin board
- Communications with other group members
Group Bulletin boards |
Aircraft Booking |
Monthly Summaries |
Are group details private to its members?
Depending on the nature of your group, you can keep its details private to the group
members, or allow all e-logbooks members and visitors to view specific details of your group. For example,
visitors to e-logbooks can view the name and description of public groups, and view the
members' names; however, individual members can choose to not have their names revealed
in this way.
Who and what is the Group Administrator?
A group can be created by any e-logbooks member, who then becomes the Administrator of the group;
the administrator controls membership of the group. The administrator of a group is
able to:
- transfer credits to the other members of your group, which they can then use to book your
aircraft; this works very well to encourage flying time during slack periods.
- post important information to the other members of your group, such as news about local
events or activities that your club is participating in.
- mark the aircraft as out of service for a period of hours or days, during which your
students or colleagues will not be able to book flights.
Do I need to create a group for each aircraft?
Each group can contain as many aircraft as you wish, or you can set up a separate one
for each aircraft, as you see fit. Having access to the flight schedules of your aircraft
online and managing them are important considerations when defining your group(s).
How do I take an aircraft out of service?
As the administrator of one or more aircraft in your group, you are able to mark aircraft
flying slots as unavailable due to scheduled maintenance, repair, or other activities. To
do this, enter the group and select the Booking option opposite the relevant aircraft. Choose
the correct day, select the out of service hours, and mark them as out of Service. The charge
to administrators for marking aircraft slots as unavailable is the same as that for booking a
single flying slot.
Can flying schools or syndicates benefit from groups?
Yes of course. If your organisation offers flying lessons or owns one or more aircraft, then
setting up a group will make life more manageable for you, your colleagues and your students.
We recommend that aircraft owners set up one or more groups. Groups consist of a number of e-logbooks
members who have something in common. Most typically, they share one or more aircraft. They may jointly
own the aircraft, as in a syndicate, or the aircraft may belong to a flying school.
How do I contact my group members?
You have several ways in which to get in contact with other group members. You can use e-logbooks
to send an email, contact them by SMS text message (if they have recorded their mobile phone number
in their profile) or use your group's bulletin board to send them a message.
Can I share or allocate my credits to group members?
It is possible to transfer credits to another member of e-logbooks. You will find this feature
linked from your Statement page. In addition, administrators of groups have direct access to credits
transfer from the Group Administration page. You must have at least 25 credits remaining in your account
after any credit transfer.
Is there a charge for transferring credits?
There is a charge of 2% for transfers, up to a maximum of 10 credits.
What are the other credit charges and benefits for a group?
A bonus payment is available for adding an aircraft, which will be reclaimed if the
aircraft is removed, as follows:
| Add an aircraft to a group |
+10 credits |
Paid once 20 flights have been booked against the aircraft by at least one pilot
other than the administrator of the group |
| Delete an aircraft from a group |
-10 credits |
Only deducted if your account
has already received credits for adding an aircraft |
How do I contact the administrator of an aircraft
You can contact the administrator by:
- Joining or entering the group and posting a message on the group's bulletin board, or
- Joining or entering the group and sending an email or SMS message to the administrator
How do I contact other pilots?
You can contact other pilots by:
- Sending an email or SMS message to the pilot from the Browse pilots page
- Joining or entering a group and posting a message on the group's bulletin board
- Joining or entering a group and sending an email or SMS message to a group member
- Contacting a pilot by SMS or email via their flight bookings on the Bookings page
How do I book an aircraft in my group?
You can only make an aircraft booking if you are logged in.
You are able to book any aircraft in all groups where you are a member or administrator. Choose
Bookings from the main menu, and you will be presented with a complete list of aircraft where
you can make flight bookings. To select a particular aircraft, click on the booking icon next
to the relevant aircraft registration. To choose a particular date, click on the calendar icon
and select your required date. You will be presented with the available flight slots for your
chosen date. Select your start and end times and hit the Submit Booking button. You will need
to enter a short title and description, and then your flight will be booked.
You can confirm all your booked flights at any time by referring to the My Bookings list.
Please note that it is possible to view, but not alter, bookings in the past. Future bookings
can be deleted by their creator if required.
How do I cancel my booking?
Any outstanding booking can be cancelled by the member who created the booking. Select
the Bookings page for pertinent aircraft and then select the date of the cancellation.
Against all your future bookings you will see a delete icon. Click on this icon and your
booking will be deleted. Once in the past, bookings can no longer be deleted.
What are the other Pilot's benefits by belonging to a group?
One of the ideas at the core of e-logbooks is to create an online community for pilots. By
setting up or joining a group, you can book any aircraft belonging to the group and know
when the aircraft will be out of service. If you have any problems with your own or someone
else's bookings, you can contact them by email or SMS text message. And if the weather
report for the day is bad, or cannot make your appointment, then you can cancel the booking.
Groups can also share information by using their own bulletin board. The group administrator
can use this to notify group members of problems or upcoming events, and you too can give
everyone updates about your flights.
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