Ranks

Ranks recognise pilot achievement and progression within your VA. Regular ranks are awarded automatically based on hours, points, and flight count, while honorary ranks are assigned manually for special recognition.

Accessing Ranks

In Orwell, go to HQ → Rewards → Ranks. You need the View Ranks permission.

Rank Types

Regular Ranks

Regular ranks are awarded automatically when pilots meet the requirements. Each pilot has exactly one regular rank at any time - the highest rank they qualify for.

Requirements can include any combination of:

• Hours - Total flight hours

• Points - Cumulative points earned

• Bonus Points - Bonus points from events, staff awards, etc.

• PIREPs - Number of flights filed

A pilot must meet all requirements to earn a rank. For example, if a rank requires 100 hours and 10,000 points, the pilot needs both.

Honorary Ranks

Honorary ranks are assigned manually to individual pilots. They have no requirements and are used for special recognition:

• Staff members

• Screenshot competition winners

• Real-world pilots

• Virtual fleet instructors

• Any special occasion you want to recognise

Pilots can have one honorary rank in addition to their regular rank. When a pilot has both, they can choose which to display in Phoenix → My Profile → Preferences → Prefer Honorary Rank. This is enabled by default, showing the honorary rank in most places.

Assign honorary ranks from the pilot list or individual pilot profiles in Orwell.

Default Ranks

When you create a new VA, two ranks are created automatically:

Name	Abbreviation	Type	Purpose
Cadet	Cdt	Regular	Starting rank for all new pilots (no requirements)
Staff Team	ST	Honorary	For staff member recognition

These default ranks cannot be deleted but can be renamed and customised. You are encouraged to rename them and add epaulette images to match your VA branding.

Creating a Rank

Click New Rank and configure:

Field	Description
Name	Full rank name (e.g., First Officer, Captain)
Abbreviation	Short form shown in compact views (e.g., FO, CPT)
Position / Separator	Controls ordering. See "Rank Ordering" below.
Hours	Required flight hours (regular ranks only)
Points	Required points (regular ranks only)
Bonus Points	Required bonus points (regular ranks only)
PIREPs	Required number of filed PIREPs (regular ranks only)
Honorary Rank	Toggle on to make this an honorary rank (manually assigned, no requirements)
Image	Epaulette or badge image. Recommended size: 85×36 pixels.

Rank Ordering

Ranks must be ordered from easiest to hardest to achieve. The ordering determines which rank a pilot receives when they qualify for multiple ranks.

Reorder ranks by dragging them in the list or editing the Position field. Lower position numbers appear first (easier ranks).

Example Rank Structure

Here is a typical progression structure for inspiration:

Name	Abbr	Hours	Points
Cadet	Cdt	0	0
Second Officer	2/O	1	100
First Officer	FO	120	13,500
Type Rating Instructor	TRI	310	34,100
Captain	CPT	660	66,000
Line Training Captain	LTC	850	93,500
Type Rating Examiner	TRE	1,200	132,000

Example Epaulettes

vAMSYS provides a set of epaulette images you can use for your ranks. Feel free to use them as-is or create your own.

Download these images by right-clicking and saving. The recommended image size is 85×36 pixels.

How Rank Assignment Works

Rank assignment happens automatically when:

• A PIREP is processed

• A pilot receives bonus points

• A transfer PIREP is created

The system checks all rank requirements and assigns the highest rank the pilot qualifies for. Pilots cannot be manually promoted or demoted in their regular rank - it is always calculated based on their totals.

Where Ranks Appear

Ranks are displayed throughout vAMSYS:

• Phoenix - Pilot profile, leaderboards, pilot roster

• Pegasus - ACARS client displays pilot rank

• Orwell - Pilot lists and profiles

• Live Map - Active flight information

Tips

• Plan progression carefully - Space requirements so pilots feel progression without ranks being unreachable.

• Use consistent abbreviations - Keep abbreviations short (2-4 characters) for clean display.

• Create multiple honorary ranks - Different honorary ranks for different roles (Staff, Instructor, Event Winner, etc.).

• Consider your transfer rank - If using Rank Transfer, think about where transferred pilots should start. A common choice is First Officer.

Related

• Rank Transfer - Allow experienced pilots to transfer in at higher ranks

• Scoring Groups - Configure how pilots earn points