Following System
Following lets you keep an eye on the pilots you fly with. Once you follow someone, you can see where they are parked, jump to them on your map, and watch their flights live on the Live Flights map, your Pilot Briefing, and your SimBrief OFP.
Following works one way. When you follow a pilot, they are added to your list only. They do not have to approve it, they are not asked to follow you back, and nothing changes on their list. You can follow up to 100 pilots.
Names: pilots are shown by first name and last initial (for example, "James R.") along with their WAT pilot ID.
Your Followers Drawer
Open your pilot profile. On the right side of the map there are two buttons. The top button shows your pilot information. The bottom button, with the group icon, opens your Followers drawer.
The drawer has two tabs.
- Following lists the pilots you follow, with a count.
- Followers lists the pilots who follow you, with a count.
The Following List
Each pilot you follow has a card showing their rank, name, WAT pilot ID, and where they are right now.
- A gray map pin and airport code means the pilot is parked at that airport.
- A green plane and airport code means the pilot is flying, and the airport shown is where they are headed.
Card Details
Click a card to open it. An open card shows:
- Total hours and points
- Home airport and current location (hover either airport to see its full name, or click it to open the airport page)
- Their last flight: route, aircraft, and date. Click the clipboard icon or the aircraft and date to open that PIREP.
While a pilot is flying, the last flight row is replaced with their current route, aircraft, and a green FLYING tag.
The Followers tab
The Followers tab shows who follows you. These cards are kept simple on purpose: rank, name, and pilot ID only.
Following and Unfollowing a Pilot
Follow a pilot from your drawer
- Open the Following tab in your Followers drawer.
- Click the add pilot button (the person with a plus sign) next to the tabs.
- Type at least two letters of the pilot's name, or their pilot ID.
- Click the pilot in the results, then click OK.
Pilots you already follow show a FOLLOWING tag in the results.
Unfollow a pilot
Click the X on the pilot's card, then confirm with Unfollow. You can only remove pilots you follow. There is no way to remove someone who follows you.
Profile Map
Everyone you follow appears on your profile map as a round pin with their initials. If several pilots are at the same airport, the pin shows how many.
- Gray pins are pilots parked at that airport.
- Green pins are pilots who are flying, placed at the airport they departed from.
Hover a pin to see who is there.
Jump to a pilot
Hover a pilot's card in your Following list and the map moves to them. Your own flown routes fade out so their information stands out. Move your mouse away from the list and the map returns to where you were.
For a parked pilot, the map zooms to their airport and shows who is parked there.
For a flying pilot, the map shows their whole flight: the departure airport, a red line to the arrival airport, and their aircraft at its last reported position, pointed in the direction it is flying.
Following from another Pilot's Profile
Open any other pilot's profile. The drawer header has a follow button (the person with a plus sign).
- Gray: you do not follow this pilot. Click it to follow them.
- Green: you follow this pilot. Click it to unfollow them.
Their Followers drawer shows who they follow and who follows them, by name only. Following or unfollowing updates their Followers list right away.
Live Flights Map
The Live Flights map on the home page has a Following button in its bottom-left row of map buttons. Click it to step through three settings. The site remembers the setting you pick.
Off
The group icon is gray. Every live flight is shown normally.
Highlight
The group icon turns green. Every flight you do not follow fades back, so the pilots you follow (and your own flight) stand out. Each pilot you follow gets a red outline and a red ping around their aircraft.
Only
The icon changes to two people and stays green. The map shows only your own flight and the pilots you follow. Everyone else is hidden.
Clicking a flight always shows it at full strength, and the pilots you follow stay at full strength while Highlight or Only is on.
Pilot Briefing and SimBrief OFP
Your Pilot Briefing and your SimBrief OFP both show the pilots you follow who are flying right now. If you do not follow anyone, none of this appears.
Following on the map
The map has a Following button in its bottom-left row of map buttons. It is turned on (green) by default. Click it to turn it off, and click it again to turn it back on. The site remembers your choice.
While it is on, every pilot you follow who is flying appears on your map with:
- Their aircraft at its last reported position, pointed in the direction it is flying
- Small departure and arrival markers for their flight
- A thin gray line showing where they have flown so far
- A fainter gray line from their aircraft to their destination
Their lines are gray so they are never confused with your own red flight track. Hover their aircraft to see their flight details: callsign, pilot ID and name, route, aircraft, simulator, altitude, ground speed, distance and time remaining, network, ACARS client, and flight phase.
The Following drawer
The Following drawer lists the pilots you follow who are flying right now, using the same cards as your profile. Hover a card and the map moves to that pilot's aircraft and shows their flight details. Move your mouse away and the map returns to your own aircraft, or to your planned route if you have not started your flight yet.
If nobody you follow is flying, the drawer says so.
SimBrief OFP
Your SimBrief OFP page works the same way: the same Following map button, the same aircraft, markers, and lines for the pilots you follow, and the same Following drawer.
