Virtual Ramp Agent

Imagine

Think of your checklist and what you would see on the tarmac below as ground crews are working on nearby aircraft. Airports are busy places, and each aircraft is a hub of activity. When you go through your checklist there is a skilled ground crew making sure that you safely get your wheels off the ground in time.

The Virtual Ramp Agent lets you experience the next level of realism, even while you are still at the gate. Look around and you will see your own and other aircraft surrounded by ground crews, filling the airfield, breathing life into them.

Functions

The ramp agent is your eyes and ears on the ground. These hard-working members of any airport staff are responsible for managing all activities while you are on the ground.

The ramp agent oversees the people who guide your aircraft into the gate, put chocks under the wheels when you have reached your parking position and are responsible for many other tasks, such as boarding, deboarding and refuelling, just to name a few. They coordinate the baggage and cargo trolleys, as well as the push-back trucks to get you onto the taxiway. Additionally, they make sure that all the vehicles are in place or out of the way at the right times. The Ramp Agent knows the final weight of your aircraft when it is fully loaded and ready for departure. This weight might be different than what was previously planned. This last-minute information gives you the aircraft’s final weight for accurate take-off calculations.

All ramp agent functions are controlled from the pilot client. You not only receive information and control the agent from there but you also have to make certain decisions from time to time. Will you wait for the last passenger that hasn’t checked-in at the gate yet, or unload his baggage and take-off without him?

Important point: This feature is a stretch goal. It would be great to include in Rotate Network right when we launch, but the time of implementation depends on the amount of funding we receive through our Kickstarter Campaign.