Simulator
CAT flights are operated in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 or Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024.
STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES / REV. 2026-08-29
Fly the route.
Fly the airplane.
CAT uses enough structure to make the flight matter without turning a hobby into clerical work. FlightLinq is authoritative for the current route, aircraft assignment, booking, and aircraft-status data shown for a flight.
MSFS2020 + 2024
NETWORKpublished routes
FLEETapproved assignments
GO AROUNDgood judgment
CAT SOP / CURRENT
Credible operations, minus the paperwork cosplay.
These are operating rules, not traps. When weather, ATC, simulator limitations, or good judgment require a change, fly the safer and more sensible option and explain anything unusual in the PIREP.
Routes
Use a published CAT airport pair. The exact IFR or VFR routing between those airports may change for weather, ATC, runway configuration, or operational judgment. Unpublished airport pairs are not filed as CAT flights unless specifically authorized.
Aircraft
Use an aircraft approved for the selected CAT route or fleet assignment in FlightLinq. Substitutions are fine only when the substitute is listed or specifically approved; the goal is a plausible operation, not a type-rating exam.
Bookings
Reserve a flight when you reasonably intend to fly it. Release it when plans change. Repeated expired or abandoned bookings may prompt a check-in, but an expiration by itself is not an automatic disciplinary strike.
PIREPs
File an accurate PIREP and add a note when something unusual affected the flight. A rejected PIREP is an administrative or correction issue, not a disciplinary strike by itself. Deliberately falsified flight data is a separate conduct matter.
Approaches, go-arounds, and diversions
Do not force an unstable approach. Go around, divert, hold, or change the plan when conditions call for it. A go-around or sensible diversion is good airmanship and is not penalized.
Online ATC
VATSIM, SayIntentions, or offline ATC may be used unless an event says otherwise. When connected to an ATC network or service, follow its rules and comply with controller instructions when practical and safe.
Enforcement
Ordinary operational mistakes are handled with coaching first. Repeated noncompliance may lead to warnings or operating restrictions; serious misconduct may be handled more quickly. Group-wide community and conduct standards apply in addition to this SOP.