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ACARS and CPDLC (Hoppie)

The ACARS screen connects CAVacars 2 to Hoppie's ACARS, the free datalink network that VATSIM and IVAO controllers use for clearances and CPDLC. Many add-on aircraft (Fenix, FlyByWire, ToLiss, PMDG and others) use the same network, so messages also show up on the aircraft's own ACARS screen or printer.

With it you can:

  • request a pre-departure clearance (PDC) from a controller
  • get the METAR, TAF or VATSIM ATIS for any airport
  • log on to CPDLC and answer the controller's messages with WILCO, UNABLE and so on
  • send and receive telex messages
  • receive CAV company messages: your loadsheet, the weather at your destination, a welcome at the gate, and messages from staff

Setting it up

  1. Register for a free Hoppie logon code at hoppie.nl. The code is emailed to you.
  2. In CAVacars 2, open the ACARS tab.
  3. Paste your logon code, check the callsign, and click Save.

The callsign is the one you fly under on the network, normally your flight number (for example CAV123). The callsign box starts with your current flight's number. If you change flights, click Use CAV456 to switch to the new flight number, or type a callsign yourself.

Your logon code is personal. CAVacars 2 stores it encrypted on your PC and only ever sends it to Hoppie. Don't share it with anyone.

Use the Connected to Hoppie switch to turn ACARS on or off. The badge at the top right shows whether you're connected. If it turns red, hover over it to see why (for example, a mistyped logon code).

Messages

All your ACARS traffic appears in Messages, newest at the bottom. Messages you send are on the right. A badge shows the type of each message (Telex, CPDLC, Info and so on). If a message couldn't be sent, it gets a red border and the reason.

CAVacars 2 checks Hoppie for new messages about once a minute. Hoppie asks for that, to keep the network running smoothly. Weather and ATIS requests are answered straight away.

When a message arrives while you're on another screen, a notice pops up and the ACARS tab shows a count. If CAVacars 2 is in the background, you also get a desktop notification. CPDLC messages that need an answer also play a chime.

Weather and ATIS

Under Weather and ATIS, click METAR, TAF or ATIS next to your departure or arrival airport, or type any other ICAO code. ATIS comes from VATSIM, so it only works when a controller is online there.

Pre-departure clearance

Many VATSIM controllers give clearances by datalink:

  1. Enter the ATC station, the controller's ACARS station. This is usually the airport's ICAO code (filled in for you) and is often listed in the controller's info.
  2. Check your aircraft type, and add your stand and the current ATIS letter.
  3. Click Request clearance.

The preview shows exactly what is sent. The clearance arrives as a message, often with a request to confirm it.

CPDLC

CPDLC (Controller–Pilot Data Link Communications) replaces some voice calls with text messages. Not every controller offers it. Check their controller info.

  1. Under CPDLC, enter the controller's station (for example CZYZ) and click Log on.
  2. When the controller accepts, the badge changes to Logged on to CZYZ.
  3. Messages from the controller show response buttons, for example WILCO, UNABLE and STANDBY, or AFFIRM and NEGATIVE. Click one to answer. Once you've answered, the button row is replaced by your answer. STANDBY keeps the buttons, so you can give your final answer later.
  4. To ask for something, use Climb or Descend with a flight level, Request direct to a fix, or type a free-text request.
  5. Click Log off when you leave the controller's airspace, or when they tell you to.

CAV company messages

When ACARS is on during a tracked flight, CAV sends you what an airline's operations would:

When Message
Tracking starts Final loadsheet: passengers, cargo, ZFW, TOW, landing weight, block fuel, cost index and cruise level from your SimBrief plan (or your passengers and cargo from the dispatch if you have no SimBrief plan for this flight)
Top of descent Arrival weather: the current METAR and TAF for your destination
Parked at the gate Welcome: your OUT, OFF, ON and IN times with block and air time

They come from the station CAVOPS. You get each one once per flight.

Staff can also send a message to a flight from the website, for example to tell you an event is about to start.

Using it in a browser or on an iPad

The ACARS screen also works in a browser or on an iPad connected to CAVacars 2 (see Using CAVacars 2 in a browser or on an iPad), so you can keep it next to you while flying. Setting up your logon code only works on the PC.

Good to know

  • Hoppie is a free service run by volunteers. Please don't send test messages to real controllers.
  • If you fly on VATSIM or IVAO, use the same callsign in ACARS as on the network, or controllers won't find you.
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