> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.skyvexsoftware.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Fly your first flight

> From a booking on your airline's site to a filed PIREP and a landing report, step by step.

This guide takes you through one flight from start to finish: book it, track it in Stratos, land and file it. Each step links to the page with the full detail if you want it.

You'll need Stratos installed and signed in to your airline. If you haven't done that yet, start with [Install Stratos](/guide/getting-started.md) and [Choosing an airline](/stratos/choosing-an-airline.md).

**1. Book the flight on your airline's site**

Stratos doesn't make bookings. Book the flight on your virtual airline's website, the same way you always have. Stratos picks up your bookings from there.

**2. Open Stratos and start your simulator**

Load your aircraft at the departure airport. Stratos finds the running simulator on its own: the top bar changes to **Connected to** and the simulator's name, with a green dot.

If it still says **Not connected**, click it to try again, or see [Connecting your simulator](/stratos/simulator-connection.md). A simulator on another computer needs the [remote simulator setup](/guide/remote-sim-connection.md) first.

**3. Find your booking**

Open **Flight Tracking** in the sidebar. Under **Flight Bookings** you'll see what you've booked, with the flight number, departure, arrival and aircraft. Click **Refresh** if a booking you just made isn't there yet.

**4. Start tracking**

Click **Start Tracking** on the booking. Stratos runs its pre-flight checks first, such as whether the aircraft is on the ground near the departure airport.

If you turn on **Auto-Start Tracking** (**Settings → Plugins → Flight Tracking**), Stratos starts on its own once your aircraft is at a booked departure airport. See [Bookings and starting a flight](/stratos/bookings-and-starting.md) for the checks, aircraft changes and what to do when a check fails.

**5. Fly**

Fly the flight as normal. The tracking screen shows your position on the map, the flight phase and a flight log that records events as they happen. You can add your own comments to the log.

Keep Stratos open until the flight is filed. If the simulator closes or crashes, Stratos keeps the flight and offers to pick it up again. See [The tracking screen](/stratos/tracking-screen.md) and [Pauses and disconnects](/guide/pauses-and-disconnects.md).

**6. Land and park**

Land, taxi to the gate and shut down. Stratos records the landing as you touch down and moves through the landing, taxi and arrival phases on its own.

**7. Submit the flight**

Click **Submit** in the flight log panel. Stratos asks you to confirm (**Submit Flight Early?**) if you haven't landed yet, and your airline may only let you submit once you've arrived.

With **Auto-Submit Flight** on (**Settings → Plugins → Flight Tracking**), Stratos submits for you once you're parked at the destination gate with the engines off. See [Submitting or cancelling a flight](/stratos/submitting-and-cancelling.md).

**8. See how the landing went**

Open **Landing Analyser** in the sidebar. The **Latest** tab shows your landing report: the score, landing rate, g-force, where you touched down on the runway and how stable the approach was. See [The landing report](/stratos/landing-report.md).

**9. Check your airline's site**

Your flight report (PIREP) goes to your airline's crew system, so you'll find it in your logbook on their site, ready for whatever review your airline does.

## Related

* [Bookings and starting a flight](/stratos/bookings-and-starting.md)
* [The tracking screen](/stratos/tracking-screen.md)
* [Submitting or cancelling a flight](/stratos/submitting-and-cancelling.md)
* [The landing report](/stratos/landing-report.md)
* [Flight phases](/guide/flight-phases.md)


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