Starting with Windows and notifications
Forgot to open CAVacars 2 before a flight? It happens. CAVacars 2 can start by itself when you sign in to Windows, stay out of the way in the system tray, and let you know with a pop-up when it spots your simulator and your flight. That way it's always running and your flights get tracked.
Turning it on
- Click your name in the top-right corner to open the pilot menu.
- Switch Start with Windows to ON.
- Leave Start minimized to tray on if you want CAVacars 2 to start hidden, or turn it off to have the window open as normal when Windows starts.
- Make sure Desktop notifications is ON. That's how CAVacars 2 lets you know what it's doing while it's hidden.
You need to be signed in for any of this to work. CAVacars 2 remembers your sign-in, so you only do it once. If you're ever signed out after Windows starts, a notification asks you to sign in again.
These options are on Windows and macOS only (on a Mac it says Start with macOS). They don't appear on Linux.
The settings
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Start with Windows | Launches CAVacars 2 automatically when you sign in to Windows. |
| Start minimized to tray | When CAVacars 2 starts with Windows, it goes straight to the system tray instead of opening its window. Opening the app yourself always shows the window as usual. |
| Close to tray | Clicking the window's X hides CAVacars 2 to the tray instead of quitting it. Turn this on as well if you want it to keep running all the time. |
| Desktop notifications | Pop-up notifications for the moments listed below. They only appear while you're not looking at the CAVacars 2 window. |
Finding it in the tray
The tray is the group of small icons at the bottom-right of the Windows taskbar, next to the clock. If you don't see the CAVacars 2 icon, click the small ^ arrow to show the hidden icons. You can drag the icon out onto the taskbar so it's always visible.
- Click the icon to open the window.
- Right-click it and choose Quit to close CAVacars 2 completely.
Opening CAVacars 2 from the Start menu or desktop shortcut while it's already in the tray just brings the existing window up.
What the notifications tell you
| Notification | When |
|---|---|
| Connected to MSFS 2024 (or your sim) | CAVacars 2 has found your simulator. |
| Flight CAV123 detected | Your aircraft is at the departure airport of one of your dispatched flights. Tracking starts on its own after 60 seconds. |
| Tracking CAV123 | Tracking has started and your flight is being recorded. |
| 2 flights depart CYYZ | More than one of your dispatched flights leaves from this airport. Click the notification and pick the one you're flying. |
| No dispatch from CYYZ | You're parked at an airport but none of your dispatched flights leave from it, so the flight won't be tracked. Click to find or dispatch a flight before you go. |
| This flight is not being tracked | You've started taxiing or are airborne, but nothing is being tracked. |
| PIREP filed | Your PIREP was filed automatically after you parked. |
| PIREP couldn't be filed | Something went wrong filing it. Click to open Flight Tracking and file it by hand. |
Clicking a notification opens CAVacars 2 on the screen you need.
If notifications don't appear, check that Windows hasn't turned them off: Settings → System → Notifications, then make sure notifications are on and CAVacars 2 is allowed. Focus mode (Do Not Disturb) also hides them.
How it finds your simulator
Running all day doesn't mean it keeps hammering away at a sim that isn't there. When there's no simulator to connect to, CAVacars 2 tries every few seconds for the first couple of minutes, then less often, and after about ten minutes only every 5 minutes.
If your simulator runs on the same PC, CAVacars 2 also watches for it to start. As soon as it sees the sim open, it goes back to trying every few seconds while the sim loads, so it connects within moments of the sim reaching its menu.
If your simulator is on a different PC, CAVacars 2 can't see it start, so the connection can take up to 5 minutes. Open the CAVacars 2 window, or click Try now in the status bar at the bottom, to connect straight away. While it's waiting, the status bar shows when the next try is due.
Your simulator still needs to be set up for CAVacars 2 as described in Connecting your simulator, and Connect automatically needs to stay switched on in the simulator settings.