Livery Review QRH
Introduction
This page was created to provide members and staff an easy to reference/easy to share resource to address common questions and concerns about livery reviews. All information in this document can be found in the Flight Operations Manual.
How this document is used: You may be linked this page in a staff comment on a PIREP along with a section number. Matching the section number you were given to the numbered sections below will give you a quick summary of why your PIREP was held for review, rejected, or invalidated due to the livery and what, if any, next steps you can expect.
Section 1
Booked Aircraft Type Must Match Flown Aircraft Type
This will be mentioned several times below, but this is the most common livery related error that we see when reviewing VirtUAL PIREPS.
You must book the same type of aircraft that you fly on a PIREP. When you book your flight, if you select an aircraft type different from the one you intend to fly, you must cancel that booking and re-book the flight with the correct aircraft type.
Your PIREP will be invalidated if the booked aircraft type does not match the flown aircraft type.
Please note that the A321 CEO (A321) and the A321 NEO (A21N) are two different aircraft types and are not interchangeable. If you are going to book the A321 NEO (A21N), you cannot fly the A321 CEO (A321), this is a mismatch and the PIREP will be invalidated.
The most common A21N flown is the ToLiss A321 NEO expansion for their A321 CEO. To minimize the chances of avoidable PIREP invalidations, please make sure that the folder names for your ToLiss A21N liveries do not include a CEO engine type (CFM, IAE) or a CEO registration, as this may cause the system to reject your livery and may cause your PIREP to be invalidated.
This also extends to things like the Boeing 737-800 and the Boeing 737 MAX 8. The B738 and B38M are not interchangeable, etc. Same goes for the 772 and 77W, 763 and 764, and so on.
There is a small amount of flexibility given for the MD-80 . We ask, but do not require, that you book the correct sub-type for these aircraft, but an MD-82 flown with an MD-83 registration will not cause a PIREP to be invalidated so long as the livery used is otherwise appropriate.
Section 2
PIREP Status: Livery flagged for review. No reply needed unless contacted. See FOM for more information.
If you see this status on a PIREP, you do not need to be concerned, and you do not need to leave a comment unless a staff member leaves a comment on your PIREP asking you for more information. From the FOM:
Every time a PIREP is submitted, Pegasus and vAMSYS logs the livery used on the flight and compares the logged livery against a database of previously flown liveries.
When it flags a livery as having been seen for the first time, it is placed into a manual review queue for the admin/staff team to check. This allows us to ensure you have flown the correct aircraft type and used an appropriate livery.
Having the PIREP held for livery review is not necessarily an indication that there is a problem with your livery and/or PIREP. If you used an appropriate livery and your PIREP was marked by the system as Awaiting Review, please feel free to continue flying and the member of staff reviewing the PIREP will approve the livery and it will be added to the approved livery list.
Section 3
PIREP Status: Livery automatically rejected. Contact staff with questions or see FOM.
If you see this status on a PIREP, it indicates that your livery has been reviewed previously on another PIREP and a problem was identified and the staff team has marked that livery to be automatically rejected.
This status will send the PIREP for manual review and staff will review the PIREP and the livery used to verify that there is, in fact, a problem, and staff will either approve, reject, or invalidate the PIREP, and may leave a comment with more information if we think it is necessary.
The majority of the time when this happens the system has correctly identified something is wrong with the livery you used and the PIREP will be rejected or invalidated.
The most common cause for this is a booked aircraft type vs. flown aircraft type mismatch. It is important to remember that, to the vAMSYS system, a livery is the aircraft type flown combined with the livery used, it is a package. You may have downloaded a livery from the Recommended Livery List, but if you booked a different aircraft type to the aircraft type that that livery is for and that you flew, your PIREP is going to be flagged and likely invalidated.
Section 4
“I don’t understand why my PIREP was held for review, I used a livery off the Recommended Livery List!”
It is important to understand that a livery downloaded from the Recommended Livery List may be flagged for review again in the future.
An update to the addon that was used, a change to the livery’s folder name, changes to the aircraft’s name in its configuration files – things of this nature may prompt a re-review. It is not necessary for you to tell us that the livery came off of the Recommended Livery list as it will not speed up your PIREP’s review, nor will it prevent additional reviews in the future.
Having a PIREP held for livery review is not necessarily an indication that there is a problem with your livery and/or PIREP. If you used an appropriate livery and booked the same type of aircraft taht you flew but your PIREP was sent by the system for manual review, please feel free to continue flying and a member of staff will review the livery and PIREP as soon as practible and, if everything is correct, the livery will be accepted and added to the approved livery list.
Section 5
“I don’t understand why my PIREP was held for review, I used this livery last week and it was fine!”
It is important to understand that a previously approved livery may be flagged for review again in the future. It is not necessary for you to tell us that you’ve used a livery before as it will not speed up your PIREP’s review, nor will it prevent additional reviews in the future.
The most common reason for a livery you have used before to be flagged by the system is a mismatch between the booked aircraft type and the flown aircraft type. It is important to remember that, to the vAMSYS system, a livery is the aircraft type flown combined with the livery used, it is a package. You may have downloaded a livery from the Recommended Livery List, but if you booked a different aircraft type to the aircraft type that that livery is for and that you flew, your PIREP is going to be flagged and likely invalidated.
Other reasons for this happening can be: an update to the addon that was used, a change to the livery’s folder name, changes to the aircraft’s name in its configuration files – things of this nature may prompt a re-review.
Having a PIREP held for livery review is not necessarily an indication that there is a problem with your livery and/or PIREP. If you used an appropriate livery and booked the same type of aircraft taht you flew but your PIREP was sent by the system for manual review, please feel free to continue flying and a member of staff will review the livery and PIREP as soon as practible and, if everything is correct, the livery will be accepted and added to the approved livery list.
Section 6
Fake Liveries: Not Allowed
We do not allow the use of liveries on aircraft that never wore the livery. A Boeing 737-800 never wore the Battleship Grey or Saul Bass Tulip livery, for example, and the use of fictional liveries like those on VirtUAL will result in PIREP invalidation. If in doubt, ask first.
Section 7
Regional and Heritage Operators: Some Flexibility Allowed, Some Restrictions Apply
We ask, but do not require, pilots to use a livery that matches the booked United Express partner. These partners are: CommuteAir, GoJet Airlines, Mesa Airlines, Republic Airways, and SkyWest Airlines.
For example, if you book a Mesa CRJ900 flight, we ask that you use a United Express/Mesa E175 livery, but a United Express/SkyWest E175 would be acceptable instead. To put it even more plainly, our global requirement that the booked aircraft type and flown aircraft type must match always applies, and for United Express flights the only other requirement is that a United Express livery is used, from any United Express partner.
Please note that these regional operators may also operate flights for other airlines. You must use a United Express livery for those operators. In other words, a Delta SkyWest livery is not appropriate for a SKW flight at VirtUAL.
Heritage airline flights must be operated with a livery that matches the operator. In other words, a Continental B737-800 flight must use a Continental B737-800 livery; using a United B737-800 livery on a Continental flight will result in PIREP invalidation.
We ask, but do not require, that the livery used also matches the timetable year. For example, United 2009 flights should use the blue tulip/rising blue livery, not the older Saul Bass tulip livery.