Renting an Aircraft
Overview
Whether you find an assignment first, and then choose an appropriate aircraft for the job - or you decide on your favorite aircraft first and then look for compatible jobs - you must rent an aircraft in order to use your flight simulator with FSE. The actual process of renting an aircraft is easy: click on the "rent" link next to the aircraft on the Airport Page. But it can be a bit more complicated than that. This section of the Getting STarted part of the user manual should answer most of the basic questions about renting an aircraft.
Starting the game with no cash. All players start FSE with zero cash. This is ok - you do not pay for anything up front. At the end of your first flight, you will be paid the assignment income as well as have rent and other expense fees deducted from your bank account. All of this happens at one time, so the result of your flight might be that you gained or lost money. A very frequent support request is from new FSE Players wondering why they lost so much money on their first flight. The answer is almost always because they didn't read this section.
Flight Simulator Requirements
The first requirement for flying an aircraft in FSE is that you must have a compatible model installed in your simulator. All flight simulators come with a few default planes installed, such as the Cessna 172. Because you have a "Cessna 172" installed in your simulator, you can fly a Cessna 172 within FSE. However, if you do not have, for example, a Boeing B-17 installed in your simulator, you cannot fly one within FSE. Luckily, nearly every aircraft make and model known to man has been rendered by someone and made available for download for installation into your simulator. Some are freeware and some are payware.
In addition to having the aircraft make and model installed in your simulator, the same make and model must be available in FSE. You might have an F-22 installed in your simulator, but these do not exist within the FSE Game World and so you cannot fly your simulator's F-22 in FSE.
Finally, if you have an FSE-compatible aircraft in your simulator, it must be configured to work with FSE. The "Title" line of the aircraft.cfg file (Microsoft-based simulators) or the "Aircraft Alias" (X-Plane simulators) much match the "FSE Alias". Additionally, your simulator's model must have fuel tank configurations that match the FSE specs for that particular model.
Detailed information for making, or changing, these settings in your simulator to make your aircraft work with FSE can be found on the Aircraft Basics page.
Rental Fees and Expenses
There are several different fees associated with renting an aircraft. Theses expenses are all deducted at each landing, and are subtracted from any assignment pay for assignments that are landing at their destination. Each possible type of expense is listed below. Not all fees or expenses are charged at each landing.
Hourly Rental Rate
Rental prices in FSE are based on the hourly rate of "engine time" while you flew aircraft. You are not charged for any time while you are "holding" the aircraft and not flying.
The fee for renting an aircraft is deducted from your account at every landing. The hourly "wet" or "dry" rental price for each specific aircraft in FSE is listed on the airport page. Some aircraft are rented out wet-only, some are dry-only, and some provide both options. You rent an aircraft by clicking the "Rent Wet" or the "Rent Dry" link for that aircraft, depending on your preference if both options are available.
There are over 40,000 aircraft of more than 200 different makes and models within the FSE Game World. Approximately 1/4 of these aircraft are owned by other FSE Players. Of these privately-owned planes, some are offered up for rent to other players; however, other privately-owed aircraft do not have a rental price set, and these aircraft cannot be rented. But that still leaves nearly 30,000 planes that are owned by "The System", and each of these are made available to all FSE Players on a first-come, first-served basis.
Rental prices within the FSE Game World might seem like they are all over the map - as low as $25 or as high as $500 for the same make/model. There are a lot of variables that go into setting a rental price, but that simply means that you - the pilot - should do your research to ensure you are getting the best deal.
System-owned aircraft rental prices are determined via a mathematical formula that depends on the base price of that model, plus any avionics equipment that might be installed. This pricing formula is based on earning capacity of that particular aircraft. While leather seats, mini-bar and caviar demand a premium in the real world, they do not add any value within the FSE Game World. A seat in the cargo hold of a C119 has the same earning potential as a seat in a Learjet.
Privately-owned aircraft, however, have much more subjective rental prices. Popularity of aircraft type and location, as well as the owner's desire to make money, can lead to a lot of different rental prices available within the Game World.
Wet vs. Dry
The following is a summary of the two types of rental prices.
Dry Rental Price: The dry rental price is the price per hour of engine time for flying the airplane, not including any fuel. You will be charged additionally for exactly the amount of fuel you used while in flight. The amount you are charged is based on the "system price of fuel" at the landing airport.
Wet Rental Price: The wet rental price is the price per hour of engine time for flying the airplane, with fuel included! In this situation, the aircraft owner is charging you a little more, but you have the safety in knowing that you won't also be charged for fuel at the end of your flight.
This fee will be deducted from earned revenue at the end of every flight (each landing).
In BOTH cases, any fuel you purchase at the pump is billed to the aircraft owner. If you decide that you need an extra 20 gallons of fuel, and the price of fuel at your airport is $5/gal, then the owner will be billed $100. If you burn 18 gallons during your flight AND you are on a dry rental, then you will be charged for that 18 gallons upon lading. The rate you are charged is the "system retail" price currently in effect.
Additional Crew Fees
Just like the real world, there are other people working to ensure you and your luggage (or cargo) arrive safely.
In most smaller FSE aircraft, the only crew member is you, the pilot. The aircraft is small enough for one person to handle safety instructions and loading of passengers or cargo without help. However, in larger aircraft, most countries dictate a single person is not sufficient to ensure the safety and comfort of those onboard. This principle applies in FSE. Larger and larger passenger aircraft require more and more crew - either just a First Officer, or a First Officer plus one or more Flight Attendants. Cargo aircraft may also require loading crews. Some vintage aircraft, such as the Boeing B-17, require maintenance crews as well. Each additional crew member requires a salary of $100 per flight hour, and is paid at each landing. This pay comes from your assignment revenue, if any, or from your bank account if you did not make enough assignment pay to cover the expense.
If there are zero additional crew members required, a passenger may occupy the co-pilot seat. The first additional crew member will be the first officer and will occupy the co-pilot seat, removing that seat from being available to a passenger. All additional crew members (above 1) will occupy jump seats and will not occupy passenger seats. Examples:
Aircraft has 10 seats and no additional crew - you may carry 9 passengers
Aircraft has 10 seats and 1 additional crew - you may carry 8 passengers
Aircraft has10 seats and 2 (or more) additional crew - you may carry 8 passengers
Specific "Additional Crew" requirements are noted in an aircraft's detail page as well as shown on the 'Aircraft Models' page.
Ground Crew Fees
When you land at an airport with one or more player-operated FBOs, you are required to use Ground Crewmember employees from those FBOs to help load and unload your passengers and cargo. You will be charged 10% of the assignment's value (for each and every assignment) - 5% will be paid back to the departure airport and 5% will be paid to the arrival airport. If there is more than one FBO at either airport, the assignment's 5% fee will be evenly split between all FBOs at that airport. It is very possible you could see six individual line-items for each and every assignment go to Ground Crew Fees, but there will never be more than a total of 10% that is charged.
Distance Bonus
A Distance Bonus Fee in FSE might either be an "Expense" (you owe the aircraft owner) or an "Income" (the aircraft owner owes you).
Perhaps the biggest mistake new pilots make in FSE is not paying attention to the Distance Bonus. A single flight can unexpectedly cost you thousands of dollars if the owner has set a high bonus amount. Typically, a high bonus amount means that the aircraft owner would prefer that his plane remain in the area around his home base. You are not required to return any aircraft to it's home base, but not doing so might cost you a lot of money. Returning the plane will get you your money back.
The Distance Bonus is listed next to the rental price in the list of aircraft at each airport, as well as an arrow that indicates the direction toward that aircraft's home base. The listed price is "per every 100 nautical miles", and is pro-rated up or down for flights less than, or more than, 100nm. The formula is B*D/100 (where B is the listed distance Bonus value, and D is the net difference the aircraft moved away from, or towards, it's listed home base (use a negative D value for moving away from, and a positive D value for moving closer to, the listed home base).
An easier way to think about it might be to divide the bonus by 100, and the resulting number is the "amount per mile". A distance bonus of $125 would be $1.25/mile.
(Penalty or Reward?)
In the real world you usually have to return an aircraft to where you rented it from. In FSEconomy you are allowed to leave it anywhere you want. To prevent aircraft from ending up all over the world, there is a penalty for moving an aircraft away from it's home base, and there is a reward for moving an aircraft closer to it's home base. Both this penalty and reward are referred to as "The Distance Bonus". The distance bonus is added to, or deducted from, your rental charges at the end of each flight. An aircraft does not have to be located at it's home base, nor returned to it's home base, in order for the Distance Bonus to be applied. Even aircraft sitting thousands of miles away from home that are flown a short distance will still have the Distance Bonus calculated.
Use the arrow as your guide! Flying an aircraft in the same general diction as the arrow is pointing will result in a "Reward" bonus; while flying the aircraft in the opposite direction will result in a "Penalty" bonus. If there is no arrow, then the aircraft is located at it's home base, and ALL flights in all directions will result in a "Penalty Bonus" - also known as a "refundable deposit".
For system-owned aircraft, the distance bonus fee will vary depending on what the estimated operating cost is - lighter aircraft usually have a lower Distance Bonus than do larger aircraft. Privately-owned aircraft, however, do not necessarily follow this rule because some owners set a $0 bonus to attract rental customers, while others use the Distance Bonus as a "refundable deposit" and may set extremely high bonus amounts in an attempt to convince the renter to return the aircraft.
Examples:
1) The simplest example is starting at the aircraft's home base and making a single round-trip flight (one leg out and one leg back). If you rent an aircraft that has a $100 bonus, and fly this aircraft 150nm away from its home base, you will be charged $150 (in addition to your rental amount). If you fly that aircraft back to its home base, you will be credited $150 in your flight revenue (deducted from your rental). Essentially, you paid a $150 "refundable deposit" that you got back when you returned the aircraft home.
2) A slightly-more complex example is the "round robin" fight, starting from an aircraft's home base (H). Assuming you rent the aircraft at it's home base, fly it around to one or several airports, and then finally return the aircraft back to it's home base, your net total bonus value would be $0 - again, this is the "refundable deposit" analogy. On the first leg, you will pay a penalty bonus. On the very last leg (coming home), you will receive a reward bonus. One each of the in-between legs, you may pay or receive distance bonus amounts, depending on whether those legs' ending points resulted in the aircraft being slightly further from, or slightly closer to, it's home base as compared to the leg's starting point.
Looking at the image for Example #2, you can visualize this round-robin example. The aircraft's distance bonus setting is $250. The first flight to Airport A was 125nm, which resulted in a net difference of -125nm. $250*(-125/100) = $-312.50 penalty. The next leg to Airport B was a 210 mile flight, but the net difference was only +12nm (a positive number because the aircraft is closer to it's home base upon landing than it was when it took off). $250*(12/100) = $30 reward. The third and final leg was 113nm. This has an obvious net difference of 113nm, so the bonus formula would be $250*(113/100) = $282.50 reward. Because the aircraft started at it's home base, flew any number of multiple flights, and then returned back to it's home base, the renter paid a total Distance Bonus of $0: $-312.50 + $30 + $282.50
Example #2
3) The third example (on the map below) uses an aircraft that is not at it's home base when you rent it. In this case, the aircraft is located at Airport A, which is 1058nm from it's home (H). You rent this aircraft, which has a distance bonus of $250 assigned to it, and you fly a 210nm flight to the east. You land at airport B, which happens to be 968nm from it's home base. The net difference in distance away from the aircraft's home base is 90nm. You can apply the Distance Bonus formula to see that you would receive a Distance Bonus reward of $225 for this flight. $250*(90nm/100) = $225.
Example #3
Adding Fuel
Before you begin your flight, you may wish to add more fuel to your aircraft. Once you have rented your plane, and optionally selected an assignment, you may click on the "Refuel" option on the ‘My Flights’ page. You will be prompted to enter the amount of fuel you would like in your airplane. Unlike filling your car at a gas station, you need to specify what you want the total fuel to be, not how much more you wish to add. When you start your flight, this fuel will be added to your simulator's aircraft by the FSE client. NEVER manually adjust fuel levels from within your simulator. Although the pilot is only charged for fuel usage when the flight ends (if you rented dry), the owner of an aircraft (which may or may not be the pilot) will be charged immediately upon refueling at the fuel pump.
Fuel Notes Be very careful when fueling your aircraft. Fuel levels affect how many passengers or how much cargo you can transport.
When taxiing and/or stopping at an airport, make certain to avoid all simulator fuel loading pads. These areas at an airport, in some simulators, will automatically load your airplane with fuel, causing a potential problem with your FSE flight.
Rental Time Limits
When you have rented an aircraft it is exclusively available to you. No other pilot can use it, not even its owner. To prevent aircraft from getting rented indefinitely, a time limit is applied by the owner. This time limit varies per aircraft, but is usually between 1-10 hours. If the flight has not been completed when the timeout expires, the flight is automatically cancelled and the aircraft is made available again. The FS Economy agent program shows the rental time you have left in the lower right corner. Pausing your flight does not pause this countdown.
If you are airborne and will not make your destination within the rental time remaining, you can land at the nearest airport, "end" your flight, "start" your flight again, and continue on!
The rental timer is a "real world countdown". Pausing your simulator, or flying at 4x time compression, has nothing to do with the rental timer and will not alter the countdown. This timer starts counting down as soon as you hit "start flight" in your client. Any time you spend after that performing checklists, taxiing, etc. are counted against Rental Timeout. If you have a 3-hour Timer, and you completed a 2 hour flight, it's possible that you might have exceeded your Rental Timer if you spent more than 1 commutative hour paused, or otherwise "not flying". If you exceed the rental time limit, the flight will be canceled on the server. You will not get any indication in the sim that the flight has been canceled. When you land, you will not be able to log the flight. Depending on the particular client you are using, you may not get any warning messages as to why the flight will not log.
Avionics Equipment Restrictions
The equipment you will find in an aircraft varies. Some aircraft only have basic VFR equipment and others have a complete suite of avionics including IFR navigational equipment, autopilot, and GPS. The more equipment an aircraft has, the more expensive it is to rent or buy. It's always a good idea to check the flying conditions before you make a decision on what plane to rent.
FSE "fails" the avionics equipment in your Microsoft Flight Simulator if the FSE aircraft you're using does not contain the respective avionics equipment. (*Even if your airplane is equipped with a GPS and NAV system in the simulator itself, FSEconomy will attempt to disable it should your rented airplane not have that capability). Larger aircraft usually come equipped with a full suite of avionics; however, smaller aircraft usually start out as "VFR-only" equipped, meaning they have none of the three possible avionics packages.
IFR: An IFR avionics package includes navigation and communication radio equipment. Due to the way MSFS failures are programmed, FSE cannot disable comm and nav radio equipment individually, so non-IFR equipped aircraft have neither comm nor nav radio functionality. Purchasing an IFR avionics upgrade will allow you to use your comm and nav radios.
Note to VATSIM users: If your plane does not have an IFR avionics package, you cannot tune your comm radios normally. You can still communicate with VATSIM controllers using the "dot" commands. Please refer to VATSIM user guides on tuning your radios with the "dot" commands.
Autopilot: An Autopilot avionics package will allow you to use your autopilot functionality within the simulator.
GPS: Due to the way GPS failures are programmed within MSFS, FSE cannot completely fail your GPS equipment. However, an FSE aircraft without GPS equipment cannot link the GPS with the autopilot. Renting a plane with a GPS avionics package will allow you to link your GPS to your autopilot. FSE planes without a GPS pacakge still have GPS functionality, but it's only the "hand-held" GPS device that many light-aircraft pilots carry with them..