Setting Up Your Aircraft Profile
How to add aircraft to AeroCopilot — performance baselines, helicopter profile (HOGE/NVG/rotor), eVTOL profile (battery/MCS), and why each field matters.
Setting Up Your Aircraft Profile
Your aircraft profile is the seam between the regulatory data AeroCopilot tracks and the performance numbers it computes. A complete profile changes what the AI knows, what your briefing says, and which compliance rules apply.
Where aircraft live
| Route | Purpose |
|---|---|
/aircraft | List of aircraft on file |
/aircraft/new | Create a new aircraft |
/aircraft/[id] | Edit an existing aircraft |
Why this matters
Performance and fuel rules are aircraft-aware. A few examples:
- A helicopter triggers 91.151(b) 20-minute day VFR fuel reserves instead of the 30-minute airplane rule.
- An R22 or R44 surfaces SFAR 73 currency tracking with a 24-month recurrence requirement.
- A Cirrus surfaces CAPS advisory tooling that does not apply to other airframes.
- Helicopter Synthetic Vision (
/helicopter/synthetic-vision) requires FAA Digital Obstacle File data no older than 7 days as a wire-strike defense.
Performance baselines
The platform ships POH-derived baselines for 25 aircraft:
Airplanes (18): C152, C172N, C172S, C182, C206, C310, PA28-140 / 161 / 181, PA34, PA46, SR20, SR22, M20J, BE76, BE58, DA40, DA42
Helicopters (7): R22, R44, R66, B206, B407, AS350, H125
These baselines power takeoff and landing distance computation including:
- Density altitude correction
- Weight correction
- Wind correction
- Slope correction
- Ground roll plus 50-foot barrier
- Color-coded runway margin (green / amber / red at 3x / 1.5x / <1.5x)
- FICON Runway Condition (RwyCC 1–6 per FAA AC 150/5200-30D, takeoff 1.0–1.8x and landing 1.0–3.0x correction factors)
Helicopter profile fields
If you fly a helicopter, the wizard also captures helicopterProfile:
| Field | Why it matters |
|---|---|
rotorType | main_tail, coaxial, tandem, tilt — drives stability and vortex modeling |
mainRotorDirection | ccw, cw, unknown — affects translating tendency |
cargoHook | Long-line / external load operations |
nvgCompatible | Required for HEMS night ops eligibility |
mastBumpingSusceptible | Risk surfacing for two-blade teetering rotor systems |
autorotationVy | KIAS, 40–120 range |
vneAutoEngineOff | KIAS, 50–180 range |
hogeCeilingFtDA | HOGE ceiling vs density altitude — required for HOGE/HIGE margin in DA |
Without these, the AI cannot validate HOGE/HIGE in DA, confined-area feasibility, or NVG-capable status for HEMS night ops.
eVTOL profile fields
If your pilot type is Powered-Lift / eVTOL (SFAR 194), the wizard captures evtolProfile:
| Field | Why it matters |
|---|---|
manufacturer, model | Joby S4, Archer Midnight, Beta ALIA-250, etc. |
configuration | lift_plus_cruise, tilt_rotor, vectored_thrust, multirotor, other |
batteryKWh | 50–2000 kWh — drives energy budget computation |
motorCount | 2–20 — failure-mode analysis |
hoverEnduranceMin, cruiseEnduranceMin | Phase-by-phase energy budget |
mcsConnector | ccs1, ccs2, gb_t, tesla, mcs, unknown — vertiport charging compatibility |
certificationStatus | type_certified, experimental, pilot_program, unknown |
Without this profile the AI cannot compute energy budget, vertiport routing, or SFAR 194 currency.
Editing later
Aircraft fields can be edited at /aircraft/[id] after initial setup. Changes take effect immediately on the next briefing or AI tool call — the data is read live.
What this enables
Once your aircraft is on file:
- Briefing performance section computes with your specific baseline rather than a default.
- AI chat answers aircraft-specific questions ("what's my HOGE ceiling at KASE today?") accurately.
- Compliance dashboard surfaces only the currency types relevant to your aircraft (no tailwheel currency for non-tailwheel aircraft, no IPC for VFR-only operations).
- Fuel legality checks (91.151 / 91.167) apply the right reserve rule.