Activity Requirements
Configure initial and ongoing activity requirements for pilots, including grace periods and removal settings.
Activity requirements ensure pilots remain engaged with your Virtual Airline. You can set requirements for new pilots (initial) and for all active pilots (ongoing), with customisable grace periods and removal settings.
Two Separate Systems
Initial and ongoing activity requirements are independent. You can enable one, both, or neither. Initial requirements apply once after joining; ongoing requirements apply continuously.
Accessing Activity Settings
In Orwell, go to Settings → Activity Settings. You need the Manage Airline Settings permission.
Ongoing Activity Requirements
Ongoing requirements apply to all active pilots continuously. Enable Enable Activity Requirements to configure:
Setting | Description |
|---|---|
Activity Type | Based on PIREPs (count of reports) or Hours (flight time) |
Activity Amount | Number of PIREPs or hours required to meet activity |
Activity Period | Rolling window in days (1-366) over which activity is measured |
Grace Period | Days a pilot has to recover after failing to meet activity (0-366) |
How It Works
Each night at midnight in your airline's configured timezone (or UTC if not set), the system checks all pilots:
Pilots who have not met activity requirements in the last Activity Period days are put on Activity Grace
Pilots on grace receive an email notification
If they still fail to meet requirements after the Grace Period, their pilot account is removed
If a pilot files a PIREP that satisfies requirements, they are immediately removed from grace (no waiting for midnight)
Example
With settings: 1 PIREP every 7 days, 7-day grace period
Pilot joins January 1st, files a PIREP on January 2nd
On January 9th (7 days since last PIREP), they go on grace
By January 16th, if no PIREP filed, their account is removed
Initial Activity Requirements
Initial requirements apply once to newly joined pilots. Enable Enable Initial Activity Requirements to configure:
Setting | Description |
|---|---|
Initial Activity Type | Based on PIREPs or Hours |
Initial Activity Amount | Number of PIREPs or hours required |
Initial Activity Period | Days from joining to satisfy the requirement |
Initial Activity Reminder | Days after joining to send reminder if requirement not yet met |
Key Differences from Ongoing
No grace period - If pilots fail to meet initial requirements by the deadline, they are removed immediately
One-time only - Once satisfied, initial requirements never apply again to that pilot
Optional reminder - Can send an email reminder before the deadline
Enabling on Existing VAs
When you enable initial activity requirements (or expand the period), existing pilots whose accounts fall within that window become subject to the requirement. For example, enabling a 7-day initial requirement means all pilots who joined in the last 7 days and have not yet filed a PIREP will be checked. Consider this before enabling on an established VA.
Example
With settings: 1 PIREP within 7 days, reminder after 5 days
Pilot joins January 1st
On January 6th, if no PIREP filed, they receive a reminder email
By January 8th, if still no PIREP, their account is removed
What Counts as Activity
By default, only accepted and complete PIREPs count toward activity. Two additional toggles allow you to include:
Count Rejected PIREPs - Include rejected PIREPs in activity calculation
Count Invalidated PIREPs - Include invalidated PIREPs in activity calculation
For hours-based activity, the system uses flight time. If your VA includes taxi time (configured in Airline Settings), block time is used instead.
Permanent Removal
Enable Pilot Removal is Permanent to prevent removed pilots from rejoining via your registration page or Pilot Sharing Agreement. When disabled, removed pilots can reapply.
You can also configure a custom denial message shown to pilots who try to rejoin after permanent removal.
Email Notifications
Go to Settings → Activity Emails to customise email templates for:
When Sent | |
|---|---|
Initial Activity Reminder | After reminder days pass without initial activity being met |
Initial Activity Removal | When pilot is removed for not meeting initial requirements |
Activity Grace Started | When pilot is put on activity grace |
Activity Removal | When pilot is removed for not meeting ongoing requirements |
Available template variables:
{first_name},{last_name},{username}{login_url},{support_url},{support_email}
Email Content Tips
Initial Activity Reminder:
Friendly tone - they are new and may just need a nudge
Explain what they need to do (file a PIREP) and by when
Include {login_url} so they can take action immediately
Offer help - link to getting started guides or support
Activity Grace Started:
Clear but not alarming - this is a warning, not a removal
State exactly how many days they have to recover
Explain that one flight is usually enough to get off grace
Mention holidays if enabled - they can book time off if needed
Include {login_url} and {support_email}
Removal Emails (Initial and Ongoing):
Professional and respectful - avoid blaming language
Explain what happened and why
If rejoining is allowed, explain how they can reapply
If removal is permanent, be clear about this
Thank them for their time with the VA - leave a positive impression
Activity Immunity
Some pilots are automatically exempt from activity requirements:
Staff members - Anyone with an Orwell staff role is exempt
Whitelisted pilots - Pilots with the Activity Whitelist flag enabled in their pilot profile
To whitelist a pilot, edit their pilot record in Orwell → Pilots and enable the Activity Whitelist toggle.
Holidays Integration
When holidays are enabled, pilots can book time off that pauses their activity requirements. See Holidays for full details.
Key interactions:
Pilot holidays pause individual activity requirements
Airline holidays pause new grace periods for everyone (but not existing ones)
Returning from holiday may put pilots on grace immediately depending on your settings
Restoring Pilots
When restoring a removed pilot:
Reusing username - Initial activity requirements do not apply (they already passed once). They may go on ongoing activity grace overnight.
New username - Treated as a new pilot. Both initial and ongoing requirements apply normally.
Pilot View
Pilots see their activity status in Phoenix:
Activity Summary - Shows required vs actual activity on their profile dashboard
Grace warning - Alert banner if on activity grace with removal date
Immunity notice - Message if whitelisted that no action will be taken
Tips
Balance strictness - Very strict requirements (short periods, no grace) will remove casual pilots quickly. Consider your VA culture.
Use reminders - Initial activity reminders give new pilots a nudge before removal.
Consider holidays - If enabling activity requirements, consider also enabling holidays so pilots can take breaks.
Grace after holidays - Set a reasonable grace period to account for pilots returning from holiday who need time to fly.
Whitelist carefully - Use the whitelist for special circumstances, not to exempt all your active members.
Related
Holidays - Pause activity requirements for individuals or VA-wide
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