Flight Control

This article is considered a canon article for Star Trek: Equilism.

Flight Control is not a stand-alone department. This is a partnership between four different departments including Flight Control, Engineering, Tactical and Operations.

Duties and Responsibilities of Flight Control ⤓ Starship only

FCO Duties

Bridge

The primary responsibilities of the flight control officer are course plotting, position verifications and supervision of manual and automatic flight operations. It may also be necessary to slave other consoles and assume control of other systems as requested by the Command Staff.

Bridge Liaison to Engineering

The flight control officer is the primary bridge liaison to engineering regarding the status of systems pertaining to the engines of the starship. They monitor and report to engineering on engine problems that are registering on their console and with the navigational deflector.

Shuttle or Flight Bay

This area can be named either according to ship class. The flight control officers should be well aware of all shuttles assigned to their ship and what their capabilities are. The Flight Control Staff is also responsible for the overseeing and training of all Shuttle Pilots.

Flight Certification

The FCO is to oversee any member of the crew wishing to be certified in piloting the shuttles. This also holds true for any member of the ships crew that wishes to retain their flight certification. They will be required to go through the same rigorous tests that the shuttle pilots go through to retain their certification every six months.

Flight Control Personnel

Positions (within the department)

Navigators

Responsible for plotting position and verifying sensor accuracy by utilizing time space beacons, subspace radio relays, other vessels, probes, navigational sensors, celestial objects and stellar cartography. They are responsible for keeping star charts up to date and working with Stellar Cartography when required. These personnel are also in training to become Shuttle Pilots.

Shuttle Pilots

Responsible for flying the shuttles when needed. They are also responsible for pre-flight and shuttle inspections on a regular basis. Any needed repairs need to be relayed to the liaison for scheduling with engineering for repairs. All shuttle pilots will work with engineering to have a basic knowledge of shuttlecraft emergency repairs in the event they are stranded aboard a damaged shuttle.

Duty Helm

These officers assume the helm on the bridge and take over the primary bridge duties when scheduled. Just like the Shuttle Pilots and the Flight Control Officer they are required to keep up their continued training for both shuttles and the ship.

Shuttle Bay Liaison to engineering

Reports to engineering any maintenance problems that occur within flight control and works with engineering to schedule repairs on the shuttles.

Personnel numbers for Flight Control

On an average this constitutes approximately 10% of the Standard Personnel Compliment of the ships.

Navigation ⤓ Starship Only

Bearings, Headings, Distances

Bearings

Bearings are a set of numerical coordinates used to navigate the ship. Directional coordinate system based on the center of the ship. The first set of numbers indicating a 360* horizontal plane, and the second set indicate a 360* vertical plane. 000 mark 000 is directly in front of the ship. 090 mark 000 is to the direct starboard, 180 mark 000 direct aft, 270 mark 000 is direct port. 000 mark 90 is directly above, 000 mark 180 is aft, 000 mark 270 is directly below. 090 mark 090 is a 90 degree angle elevation above the ship to port, 270 mark 090 is a 90 degree angle elevation below the ship to port. Etc. This system is mainly used to describe the location of objects outside of the ship, and sometimes used to re-orient the ship to a different direction relative to it's current one.

Headings

Headings are the absolute direction of the ships flight path. Directional coordinate system based off of the center of the galaxy. 000 mark 000 is a course heading directly towards the center of the galaxy. 180 mark 000, 000 mark 180, or 180 mark 180 is any course heading directly away from the center of the galaxy. 090 mark 000 is a course parallel to the center of the galaxy on the horizontal plane, while 000 mark 090 is a course parallel to the center of the galaxy on the vertical plane. 270 mark 000 and 000 mark 270 are similar but in the opposite direction.

Distances

Distances are determined by using the current warp speed of the ship compared to the time it takes light to travel.

Course Corrections

Monitoring of computer controlled corrections by the computer

Once bearings and headings are entered into the computer and the ship is under way it is up to the flight control officer to continually monitor the course and the corrections the computer is making using the links to the navigational sensors.

Manual corrections

If necessary, it is possible to override computer control and make manual adjustments. This may be done to alter the direction of arrival at the destination, or to compensate for unexpected navigational hazards.

Flight Operations

Evasive Maneuvers

Computer Controlled

The helm has preprogrammed evasive maneuvers that are available at a single touch of the flight controls. These are determined by the size and capabilities of the ship to prevent causing structural damage to systems.

Manual

At times it may become necessary to try an evasive maneuver that is not in the computer. All flight control personnel must be aware of ship capabilities before attempting any high stress maneuvers.

Coordination with Tactical for targeting

This is a vital interaction during a battle. They must work together to ensure that the vessel has the minimal exposure to the threat vessel's weapons and maximum exposure of their weapons on the threat vessel. A good Flight Control/Tactical team can tip the scale in battles where both side are equally matched. In battles where they are out-numbered or out-gunned, this coordination can make the difference between life and death.

Operations Modes

Cruise

This is the normal operating mode of the ship. It entails the following: Level 4 Diagnostic run on Flight Controls and Engines at each shift change. One Power source (Warp or Impulse) will be in operation, while the other is on standby. Long range navigational sensors operating, sensor pallets at standby. Navigational Deflector operational and at least one shuttle ready to launch in under 5 minutes.

Cruise Mode operating rules require at least two field generators to be active at all times in each hull, although the Flight Control Officer may call for activation of additional units when extreme maneuvers are anticipated. During Alert modes, all operational units are brought to hot standby for immediate activation. Reduced Power Mode rules permit a single field generator to feed the entire space frame, using the field conduit umbilical connect between the primary and engineering sections.

Yellow Alert

Ship is preparing for a possible crisis and the FCO should be working through possible scenarios for evasive maneuvers and other tactics that may be needed. It entails the following: All stations brought to full readiness. Level 4 Diagnostic of Tactical and all Primary systems automatically occurs. Warp Core brought on line and maintained at 20% level. Impulse brought on line, backup generator brought to hot standby. All tactical and LRS brought to full operational status. Deflector brought to full standby, backup generators brought to partial standby. All shuttlebays brought to launch readiness, at least one shuttle ready for immediate launch Level 5 diagnostic run on all evacuation systems (lifeboats)

Red Alert

This designates that the ship is in a crisis situation and the FCO needs to be ready to do what is necessary to move the ship as needed. They will also need to work with Tactical so that the firing of weapons can be synchronized with ship maneuvers. It entails: All stations brought to full readiness. Command officer, FCO, OPS, and Tactical Officer required on Bridge Level 4 diagnostic run every 5 minutes on all primary systems. Warp brought to full readiness with at least 75% power available. Level 3 diagnostic run on Warp system, then level 4 every 5 minutes. Impulse engines brought to full readiness. All Tactical and Long Range Sensors are brought to full operational status. At least 2 shuttles ready for launch within 5 minutes. All evacuation systems checked with level 4 diagnostic, partial level 3 run on launch mechanism. Isolation doors and forcefields closed to isolate potential hazards.

Blue Alert

On ships capable of planetary landings, this alert informs the crew they are preparing to make a planetary landing. For ships that aren't capable of planetary landings, this lets the crew know the ship is heading for a crash landing. The FCO will do what they can to try and keep the ship level to minimize the loss of crew.

Orbits

Geosynchronous

This orbit is achieved by matching the planets rotation direction and speed, those along the vessel to remain above the same point of the planet for the entire orbit period. This is the preferred orbit when beaming down an away team.

Equatorial

This orbit is maintained around the center of the planet.

Polar

This orbit is maintained by moving around the planet by the polar caps.

Defensive

This orbit is situated above a particular area that the ship is protecting.

Low Orbit

Can be used along with any of the above and is for transporting out crew that are on the planet when atmospheric conditions make it impossible to get a transporter lock from standard distances.

High Orbit

Can be used along with any of the above and helps to keep the ship out of range of planetary weapons.

Separated Flight Mode

On ships that have this capability the saucer can be detached to protect the civilians on the ship while the base of the ship becomes a battle platform. Both can operate independently of each other and while some can rejoin the sections in space others must return to a star base for this process.

Docking Operations

There are two forms of docking operations pylon or berth docking. The size of the ship and the base will determine if you need to dock via a pylon or if you can berth dock.

Pylon

Clamps are attached to the ship to hold it in place and umbilicals are attached to feed power to the ship from the station.

Berth

This is where the ship is actually put inside the space station for docking. Docking clamps are applied and umbilicals are attached to feed power to the ship from the station.

Systems

Refer to your ship specs for exact engine capabilities for Warp, Impulse and Thrusters.

Warp Drive

Monitor warp output and temperature readings from console. Contact Engineering if readings deviate outside of optimal levels.

Warp factors are energy requirements and they aren⤙t a smooth curve. Warp 2 takes much less energy than Warp 1.9 for example. ⤽Round⤝ warp factors (1, 2, 3, etc) are the points on the energy chart when the requirements drop dramatically before rising again.

Impulse Drive

Monitor impulse output and temperature readings from console. Contact Engineering if readings deviate outside of optimal levels.

Thrusters

Monitor computer controls of thrusters. Manual use of thrusters for docking, station keeping, emergency steering and emergency maneuvering in the event that both impulse and warp are offline.

Sensors

Navigational

Used to gather information from time space beacons, celestial bodies, subspace radio relays, other vessels, probes and other sensors to keep the ship on course and out of danger.

Science

These sensors are used to supplement navigation sensors in taking readings from the same sources and using them to keep the ship on course and out of danger.

Tactical

These sensors are used for the same purpose as the science sensors as well as being used for threat display on the Flight Control Console. The purpose of this is for quick decisions during evasive maneuvers during a threat situation.

Inertial Dampening Field (IDF)

Monitoring of this system is critical due to the fact that if the system goes down all structural integrity of the ship as well as crew is lost.

Shuttle Craft

FCO Role

Flight Control is responsible for operations, scheduling the pilots; inspections both preflight and post flight along with monthly and annual. Flight Control coordinates with the Operations Officer and the Chief Engineer for scheduling of repairs of the shuttlecraft including computers and communications diagnostics.

Duties and Responsibilities of Flight Control (Stations Only)

FCO Duties

Oversee the training and scheduled maintenance of all shuttles, runabouts and work bees assigned to the base.

Flight Control Personnel (Stations)

For the shuttles

Shuttle Pilots Main job is to be prepared to fly the shuttles when needed. They are also responsible for pre-flight and shuttle inspections. Any needed repairs need to be relayed to the liaison for scheduling with engineering for repairs.

Liaisons to engineering Reports to engineering any maintenance problems that occur within flight control and works with engineering to schedule repairs on the shuttles.

Operations Modes (Stations)

Green Alert

Normal operating mode of the station

Yellow Alert

Prepare for possible crisis

Red Alert

Station is under attack

Systems

Thrusters

Monitor computer controls of thrusters. Manual use of thrusters for keeping the station in position or for turning the station if needed.

Sensors

Navigational

Used to gather information from time space beacons, celestial bodies, subspace radio relays, other vessels, probes and other sensors.

Science

These sensors are used to supplement navigation sensors in taking readings from the same sources.

Tactical

These sensors are used for the same purpose as the science sensors as well as being used for threat display on the Flight Control Console. The purpose of this is for quick decisions during evasive maneuvers during a threat situation.

Inertial Dampening Field (IDF)

Monitoring of this system is critical due to the fact that if the system goes down all structural integrity of the ship as well as crew is lost.

Shuttle Craft

FCO Role Flight Control is responsible for operations, scheduling the pilots; inspections both preflight and post flight along with monthly and annual. Flight Control coordinates with the Operations Officer and the Chief Engineer for scheduling of repairs of the shuttlecraft including computers and communications diagnostics.

For Akira Class Ships Only

Akira Class starships configured with a TIC center for fighters unless the SM and command crew states otherwise Flight Control does not have control of the fighters and their pilots.

First of technical the Carrier Air Wing (i.e. all the fighters) are an independent unit on board the Akira class vessel. That means they have their own Commanding Officer and Executive Officer. The work with the Akira and received orders form their command staff of the Akira, but they are an independent unit with their own maintenance personal etc.

Therefore fighter control should be restricted to either a NPC or a CIV, if they decide to play a CAG, who commands the Carrier Air Wing.

Interactions between ship crew and fighters would be limit to liaison roles such as when you in a fleet of vessels. For example the FCO and CTO would work with the CAG Intel and operations officer to plan attack maneuvers and such, make sure the fighters know what angles not to approach the ship at etc.

Engineering and Operations would work with the CAG maintenance unit to make sure they have enough parts, assist in repairs in support role, say after many fighters where damaged.

Science would work with the CAG Intel squadron, department what ever to look over data collect from long range recon patrols.

The Medical staff would check the health of the fighter pilots and cag.

The Counselor would provide mental health and even do check ups on the air wing.