Aircraft Import/Export

Import and export individual aircraft with registrations, SimBrief overrides, and capacity settings.

Staff

Last verified: January 28, 2026

The Aircraft importer and exporter let you bulk manage individual aircraft in your fleet. Each aircraft belongs to a Fleet (aircraft type) and can have its own registration, capacity overrides, and SimBrief settings.

Import Fleets First

Aircraft require Fleet IDs. Import your Fleets before importing Aircraft so you have the Fleet IDs to reference.

Accessing Import/Export

In Orwell, go to Data → Exports to download your aircraft as CSV, or Data → Imports to upload changes.

Column Reference

Core Columns

Column	Required	Description
`ID`	For updates	vAMSYS record ID. Leave empty when creating new aircraft. Include when updating or deleting.
`Name`	Yes	Display name for the aircraft (e.g., "Boeing 737-8AS(WL)")
`Registration`	Yes	Aircraft registration (e.g., "9H-QEU")
`Fleet ID`	Yes	ID of the Fleet (aircraft type) this aircraft belongs to. Get this from a Fleet export.
`SELCAL`	No	SELCAL code (e.g., "AB-CD")
`Fin Number`	No	Aircraft fin/tail number
`Hex Code`	No	Mode S transponder hex code
`Passengers`	No	Passenger capacity override. Only applies to passenger fleet types.
`Freight`	No	Cargo capacity override. Only applies to cargo-capable fleet types.
`Container Units`	No	Container unit capacity override. Only applies to container-capable fleet types.
`Internal Remarks`	No	Internal notes (staff only, not visible to pilots)
`_delete`	Yes	Set to TRUE to delete, FALSE otherwise

SimBrief Override Columns

These columns let you override SimBrief settings at the aircraft level. Leave empty to use Fleet defaults.

Column	Description
`SB OFP Layout`	OFP layout code (e.g., "RYR", "BAW")
`SB Perf Code`	Performance code: A, B, C, D, or E
`SB Weight Cat`	Wake turbulence category: L, M, H, or J
`SB ETOPS Threshold`	ETOPS threshold: 60, 75, 90, 120, or 180 minutes
`SB ETOPS Cert`	ETOPS certification: 75-370 minutes
`SB ICAO Equip`	ICAO equipment codes (e.g., "SDE3FGHIRWY")
`SB ICAO Transponder`	ICAO transponder code (e.g., "LB1")
`SB PBN Capability`	PBN capability (e.g., "PBN/A1B1C1D1")
`SB Extra FPL Info`	Additional flight plan remarks (e.g., "DAT/V RVR/250")
`SB Engine Type`	Engine type code
`SB Pax Weight`	Passenger weight in pounds
`SB Bag Weight`	Bag weight in pounds
`SB OEW`	Operating empty weight (tonnes)
`SB MZFW`	Max zero fuel weight (tonnes)
`SB MTOW`	Max takeoff weight (tonnes)
`SB MLW`	Max landing weight (tonnes)
`SB Max Fuel Cap`	Maximum fuel capacity (tonnes)

Pax and Bag Weights Are In Pounds

SB Pax Weight and SB Bag Weight are stored and sent to SimBrief in pounds, whatever units your Virtual Airline works in. Import the standard metric figure of 84 and SimBrief reads it as 84 lb (about 38 kg), under-loading every OFP by more than half. Nothing warns you — the import succeeds and the plans simply come back light. Convert to pounds first: 84 kg is 185 lb, and the SimBrief defaults are 175 lb per passenger and 55 lb per bag.

Fuel Columns

Additional fuel columns (SB Contingency Fuel, SB Reserve Fuel, SB Block Fuel, SB Arrival Fuel, SB MEL Fuel, SB ATC Fuel, SB WXX Fuel, SB Extra Fuel, SB Tankering Fuel) are available with corresponding unit columns (wgt for kg, min for minutes).

Creating New Aircraft

Export your current Fleets to get Fleet IDs
Leave the ID column empty
Fill in required columns: Name, Registration, Fleet ID
Set _delete to FALSE

Updating Aircraft

Export existing aircraft
Modify the columns you need to change
Keep the ID column intact
Ensure _delete is FALSE

Deleting Aircraft

Export existing aircraft
Keep only the rows you want to delete
Ensure the ID column has the correct value
Set _delete to TRUE

Capacity Based on Fleet Type

Capacity fields are automatically adjusted based on the Fleet type. For cargo fleets, passenger capacity is ignored. For passenger-only fleets, cargo capacity is ignored. For non-container fleets, container units are ignored.

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