Getting Started with Pilotbase FDM
Log in, learn how FDM works, and understand what your administrator needs to configure before your team starts using the system.
Overview
Pilotbase FDM (Flight Data Monitoring) is a web-based platform that automatically captures flight data from your fleet, visualizes every flight in interactive 3D, and monitors flights against your organization's safety rules. It replaces memory-based debriefs and manual log review with automated detection and real-time alerts.
FDM is organized around four core areas that work together in a continuous loop:
Ingestion — Flight data is automatically captured from supported avionics hardware (Levil, AirSync, and Garmin)
Visualization — Instructors and students debrief with objective 3D flight data
Event Detection — The system monitors every flight against your exceedance rules
Alerts — The right people are notified immediately when thresholds are exceeded
Detected FDM events can be included in your operation's reports and flag analytics so safety-critical findings are tracked alongside the rest of your safety program.
Signing In
FDM authenticates through Flight Schedule Pro (FSP) — you use the same account, and you do not need a separate password.
Open Pilotbase FDM and sign in with your FSP email and password.
If your account is associated with multiple operators, select the appropriate operator. The selected operator name appears at the top of the sidebar (for example, "Demo Company").
FDM opens on the Flight List — the landing page for the app.
You can also reach a flight directly from a reservation in FSP — look for the Debrief button, which opens the 3D flight visualization for that flight.
Navigation
FDM uses a vertical sidebar on the left. The top of the sidebar shows the Pilotbase FDM logo, a Notifications bell, and your operator name. The nav items are:
Nav item | Description |
Flights | View all imported flights, search, filter, and open individual flight replays. |
Events | Browse detected safety events (exceedances), manage Event Definition Sets, and tag or include events in reports. |
Reports | View aggregated flag analytics — by flag type, P1 summary, instructor, student/pilot, aircraft, and approach limits. Visible to users with the Manage Event Definitions permission. |
My Preferences | Set your personal viewing defaults (map view, aircraft marker, split-map pane) and your own email/SMS notification preferences. |
Settings | Operator-wide configuration — AirSync, Garmin Connections, Aircraft Registrations, Reporting, and AI Features. Visible to users with the Manage FDM Settings permission. |
At the bottom of the sidebar you'll find your user email, a Toggle theme control (moon/sun icon) to switch between dark and light mode, and Logout to end your session.
Set your ADS-B registrations. The Flight List may show a banner such as "13 aircraft need a registration to enable ADS-B monitoring." Use the Review registrations link (or Settings → Aircraft Registrations) to map your FSP aircraft to their official registrations. This enables ADS-B monitoring, squawk capture, and traffic data.
FDM Permissions
FDM uses Flight Schedule Pro's permission system to control access. Your FSP administrator assigns FDM permissions separately from Safety Hub (SMS) permissions. In the FSP Roles editor (Settings → Users → Roles & Permissions → Edit Role → Permissions tab), FDM permissions appear as the Flight Data Monitoring section and SMS permissions appear as the Safety Hub section — these are two distinct blocks.
The full FDM permission set:
Permission | What it controls |
View My FDM Flights | View flights where you are the pilot or instructor on the linked reservation. Required to access FDM at all — without this or View All, you will see a no-access screen. |
View All FDM Flights | View all flights across the organization. |
Annotate My Flights (FUTURE) | Add notes and labels to your own flights. |
Annotate My Students' Flights (FUTURE) | Add notes and labels to flights where you are the instructor. |
Annotate All Flights (FUTURE) | Add notes and labels to any flight in the organization. |
Import Flights | Access the manual flight import tool (KML, KMZ, GPX, CSV). |
Manage FDM Settings | Access the FDM Settings page, including AirSync configuration. |
Manage Event Definitions | Create, edit, publish, and activate Event Definition Sets; trigger operator-wide reprocessing. |
Manage Maneuver Definitions (FUTURE) | Edit and publish maneuver-detection parameters. |
Recommended permission assignments:
Role | Permissions |
Safety / Operations Managers | View All FDM Flights + all other permissions — full access. |
Chief Flight Instructors | View All FDM Flights, Annotate All Flights, Manage FDM Settings, Manage Event Definitions. |
Flight Instructors | View My FDM Flights, Annotate My Students' Flights. |
Students | View My FDM Flights — required to see flights linked to their own reservations. |
Setup Checklist for Administrators
Before your team starts using FDM, confirm the following are in place.
[ ] Sign-in confirmed — Team members can open FDM and sign in with their FSP credentials
[ ] Avionics hardware — Fleet equipped with supported avionics (Levil, AirSync, or Garmin), or a manual import workflow established
[ ] FSP integration — The Debrief button is active on reservations in your FSP instance
[ ] FDM permissions — FDM permissions assigned to all relevant users via Settings → Users → Roles & Permissions → Flight Data Monitoring section
[ ] Aircraft registrations — Aircraft mapped to their official registrations in Settings → Aircraft Registrations to enable ADS-B monitoring, squawk capture, and traffic data
[ ] Aircraft V-Speeds — V-speed values entered in FSP for each aircraft (at minimum: Vs0, Vs1, Vne, Vno, Vr) — required for airspeed arcs and maneuver detection
[ ] Event Definition Set — At least one set created with exceedance rules defined, published, and activated
[ ] Notification recipients — P1, P2, and P3 recipients configured on each active Event Definition Set
[ ] Notification preferences — Key safety personnel have set their individual notification channels (email and/or SMS) in My Preferences
[ ] Data ingestion verified — Test flight data has been ingested and appears correctly in the Flight List
[ ] Team onboarding — Instructors shown how to access the Debrief button from FSP reservations; safety team briefed on event triage workflow