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More than half of all internet browsing is now on a mobile device such as a phone or tablet (as compared to a desktop or laptop).

So it was important that we create a booking system that would run on mobile devices as well as desktops. Typically flying schools have access to computers in their offices, so while on site it isn't such an issue, but I still wanted as much as possible of the system to be mobile-friendly. I'm pleased to say the entire system works on mobile!

Do you want to sell air experience flights online? Perhaps you already do, but it isn't fully automated.

UPDATE, 20 Jan 2020: The work mentioned later is now complete, meaning you can sell your own flying school vouchers online straight from your website!

Have you ever wanted to book an hour someone else has already booked? What if they cancelled their booking; wouldn't you like to know?

We thought it would be nice if the system could keep track of which slots you'd like to book and could let you know if they become available. This really only applies to students and members because instructors will generally want to guarantee their bookings with students can go ahead.

As a student or member looking to make a booking, you may have seen "Busy" in the booking form. When you see this, it means someone has booked these slots, and they have not opted in to be contacted by other members.

In some circumstances you might want to add some additional notes when booking out. This is an optional text field, and you can use it for any purpose you like. For example, you might want to give additional information about your intended route or include your total fuel on board.

If you fly in someone else's aircraft - perhaps when you revalidate a pilot's license - you probably want to record this in the booking system. But you won't want to create an aircraft record for use just once, or clutter the system with aircraft details you don't use regularly.

Instructors and office staff can now make bookings spanning several days instead of hour slots!

But don't worry, members and students are still limited to same day bookings, which allows you to keep tabs on aircraft availability. You can make the booking for the member if you authorise their request for an overnight booking.

This might benefit you if you hire aircraft for longer periods. It will also help if a group of people hire the aircraft for (say) a week with more than one pilot flying.

We've been working on some changes to how your instructors set their availability!

Currently the system assumes instructors are available for a set pattern of hours. Instructors can set their default working hours for each day of the week. But what if your instructor is only available at odd times that don't follow a regular pattern?