Sqn planning software

[TwoTunnels]

A question for all you geeks...

Has anyone come across any software (apart from MS Excel) which allows you to plan sqn members/crews for flights, events, detachments etc. in a calendar type format?
Have had a go with MS Excel but is not ideal without a lot of macros etc.

Cheers

[Fg Off Max Stout]

Is this not excatly what STARS is for, as used at Odi, BZN, and I'm sure many others.

[Maple 01]

Have you tried RASDA on CCIS?

[vecvechookattack]

STARs is probably the best tool I have seen. It will tell you where your people are, how current they are and what training they need.
However, essentially STARs is a sooperdooper spreadsheet and not a calender

[Green Meat]

Many people overlook the very useful calendar function in MS Outlook, or alternatively, look at MS Project to which you can assign resources, costs, time, % completion et cetera. Difference is that with Project you must define the date range of the project itself rather than having an ongoing calendar. Well worth a look if it's anywhere on station.

GM

[Lon More]

Found this (http://www.sum-it.nl/en200103.html) or this (http://www.ptoserv.com/shiftmanager.htm) which may be helpful

[Roland Pulfrew]

Have you ever tried big wall boards? They may take up space but they work much more easily than any computer programme that I have used! ;)

Stars is alright :yuk: but unless you have a (very) big screen you cannot see much in detail, particularly if you have a multi-crew ac!
Want to find a crew for a short notice task? First look at the Captain's page, then look up the co's page, then look up the nav's page, then look up............. On big wall boards one look and you can see who each section has available. Much easier!

[Maple 01]

Sigh, I suppose Roland's right, in the long run many of the low-tec solutions work best - rather like tote boards in Ops rooms?

I feel another GEMs coming on, involves chinagraphs and perspex....

[The Real Slim Shady]

I have an Excel spreadsheet which is tailored for civilian aviation use but would be easy to change. Welcome to a copy if you want to PM me.

[BEagle]

God how I used to hate STARS! It took ages and ages to do what I used to be able to do in an hour or so in the 'old' manner with wallboards and a notepad. Each input seemed to take 10 seconds whilst the data was processed - it nearly drove me mad!

The best method I ever used was at the UAS. I used to start planning the next days programme (about 40 slots) at 1600 and it was all ready by 1700. Get the assets (aircraft and FI availability) sorted, then allocate studes to FIs, then check which were their next exercises. One of the girls would then mark up the magnetic plaques as I directed, then shift them around the board until we'd filled all the slots. Why one of the girls? Because their writing was neater and they were better at multi-tasking than most of the blokes. And they'd usually volunteer to help, rather than have to be dragged out of the crewroom.

And then the boss would mess the whole thing up by trying to get a quart out of a pint pot, neglecting the time we needed to brief, turn the a/c etc.......:rolleyes:

maple 01 - when I was Sqn Warmonger back in the days of Tacevals, the entire VC10K sqn Aircraft State plot could be managed with a perspex A4 board and a single radio! If we had to move sqn ops at immediate notice, just pick up board and radio and move out. Only limitation, as ever - crap batteries!

[Talking Radalt]

One of the girls would then mark up the magnetic plaques as I directed, then shift them around the board until we'd filled all the slots

And let's face it chaps, filling slots with one of the girls sounds much more fun than STARS! :E

[Maple 01]

Beags,

Us poor sods at the SOC/CRC could also see at a glance how the war was going (usually badly) off the totes, no 1,000 ICCS keyboard commands or high tec solution, just an ability to write backwards

Come to think of it they use totes in 'Battlestar Galacticia!' - How funky is that?

[SpotterFC]

Maple

!skcor gnitirw sdrawkcaB

Sorry no mirror font on my PC!

Battlestar Gallactica with totes? Don't remember that bit, must have been too busy watching the birds with short skirts (isn't it great the way they dress in the future?) Not living up to my handle for once!

Cheers

rettopS

PS. On topic - RASDA is OK, but it's generally as slow as $**t

[opso]

TT: How much are you willing to spend? There are some excellent software packages for exactly this sort of thing out there, but price is always a factor...

[buoy15]

Once knew an OCA who was also Capt of crew 7

When he left the Sqn he was presented with 2 dart-boards and 8 darts

One board and 1 dart for detachments - all the numbers were "7"

The other, plus 7 darts - for Trg, SAR, OPS and duty crew

His "favourite" crew of the month could feature about 5 times on this board

Not sure what happened if he hit a treble

Hit and miss planning! Seems to work - Who needs computers?

[SirToppamHat]

rettopS:

PS. On topic - RASDA is OK, but it's generally as slow as $**t

A little harsh considering what the product is actually doing. Also, I suspect (having come from a secret bunker somewhere near Horning) you base the statement on having seen it at the end of a very narrow link.

We (at a secret bunker somewhere near ... errr ... well nowhere really) now have Broadband SLI! It's made CCIS more usable, but I agree RASDA could be faster. I believe the database adminers are planning to re-align the way in which the replication works this week - it will be interesting to see whether it improves things. I remember Oracle (the database designers) said ICL wouldn't be able to get the RASDA replication to work at all in its current structure, and they were more surprised than anyone when ICL/Fujitsu managed it!

Sorry, banged on a bit there - back to the thread...

TwoTunnels/Maple01:

I don't believe RASDA is quite what you are looking for. It's fine for short-term planning, especially if you manage the Crew Currency and Constituted Crew functions properly, but I am not convinced that the MMI is sufficiently friendly for most people.

STH

[Maple 01]

STH,
Users, they want bl@@dy jam on it - did they ask for a user friendly interface? Baah humbug! Let's go back to the old CCIS and make them squirm, I don’t know, give them a 386 and 28k link and they’ll demand the moon on a stick next.......

[SirToppamHat]

If only it was a SQL database so we could link it direct to UCCS (DB2) and thereby saving thousands of hours copying data such as RPSs, flypro info and airfield weathers between the 2 systems ...

STH

[right chopper]

And of course the best thing is coming back off det and putting all your paper auth sheets on to Stars...apart from that it's pretty handy (and may I never go out of currency for an airfield driving permit again).

[bird99]

Two Tunnels

Give one of the sqns at Cottesmore a ring. They're all on the same system which works like clockwork and it seems to suit them. It's sold by an ex Harrier mate so it's not free but it's worth checking out.