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The Command Center is your Operations module dashboard — a single screen that gives you a real-time overview of your entire flight department. It displays animated KPI counters, a fleet timeline showing aircraft assignments, crew intelligence with currency and duty status, and maintenance awareness alerts. In this tutorial, you will tour each section of the Command Center and learn how to use it as your daily starting point for operations management. By the end of this tutorial, you will know how to read every section of the Command Center, interpret the animated counters and charts, and move efficiently between Operations sub-sections.
Who should do this tutorial? Directors of Operations, dispatchers, chief pilots, and anyone who manages day-to-day flight operations. You will need access to the Operations module in your workspace.

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Before you start

Make sure you have:
  • An active PlaneConnection account with access to the Operations module
  • At least some operational data in your workspace — aircraft in your fleet, crew members, or scheduled trips
  • Familiarity with basic workspace navigation (see the Quickstart)

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Touring the Command Center

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  • Check the module switcher at the top of the sidebar. If it shows “Safety Management System,” click the switcher and select Operations.
  • In the Operations sidebar, click Command Center.
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    You are now on the Command Center. The page is organized into several sections, each showing a different aspect of your operation in real time.
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    Read the KPI strip
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    At the top of the Command Center, a horizontal strip of six animated counter cards displays your key operational metrics at a glance. Each card includes a sparkline chart showing the recent trend.
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    KPIWhat it showsActive AircraftNumber of aircraft currently in service with a 7-day trendToday’s FlightsTotal flights scheduled for today with a 7-day trendOTP %On-time performance percentage (green above 90%, yellow above 80%, red below)Fleet UtilizationPercentage of fleet hours used versus available, with a 30-day trendDispatch ReliabilityPercentage of trips dispatched without cancellationOpen SquawksActive maintenance discrepancies — red if any are open, green if zero
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    Each KPI card uses AnimateCountUp to smoothly animate from zero to the current value when the page loads. Click any metric to jump to the relevant detail page — for example, clicking Open Squawks takes you to the discrepancy list filtered to open items.
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    Check the KPI strip first thing each morning. If the OTP % card turns yellow or red, investigate delays immediately. If Open Squawks is red, review the discrepancy list before dispatching flights.
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    Review the fleet timeline
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    Below the KPI strip on the left side, the Fleet Status card displays a horizontal Gantt-style timeline of aircraft assignments.
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  • Each row represents one aircraft in your fleet, sorted by tail number.
  • Flights appear as horizontal bars positioned by their scheduled departure and arrival times.
  • Bars are color-coded by status:
    • Gray: Scheduled (not yet departed)
    • Blue: Active (in progress)
    • Green: Completed
    • Amber: Delayed
    • Red: Cancelled
  • Hover over any flight bar to see a tooltip with the route, times, and assigned crew.
  • Click a flight bar to navigate directly to the trip detail page.
  • Use the date range filter in the card header (7d, 30d, 90d, 365d) to change the time window. For today’s view, the x-axis shows 24 hours; for longer ranges, it shows days.
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    The timeline auto-grows in height based on your fleet size (up to a maximum of 500 pixels), then scrolls vertically.
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    Review on-time performance
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    Below the fleet timeline, the On-Time Performance card shows a donut chart and a delay breakdown.
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  • The donut chart on the left displays the split between on-time, late, and cancelled flights with an animated percentage in the center.
  • The horizontal bar chart on the right breaks down delay reasons by category: Weather, Maintenance, Crew, ATC, Passenger, and Other.
  • Click any category in the delay breakdown to filter the trips list to that delay reason.
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    Check crew intelligence
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    On the right side of the Command Center, the Crew Intelligence card provides a summary of crew status.
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  • Currency Status shows three rows with color-coded counts:
    • Green check icon with the number of crew members who are current (more than 60 days until expiration)
    • Yellow clock icon with the number expiring soon (within 60 days)
    • Red close icon with the number expired
  • Below the currency summary, a Duty Hours bar chart shows the top five crew members by hours used this week. A red annotation line marks the Part 135 Subpart F weekly limit of 34 hours.
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    Always verify crew rest compliance before assigning flights. PlaneConnection tracks duty time and rest requirements per 14 CFR Part 135 Subpart F, but it is the dispatcher’s and PIC’s responsibility to confirm compliance before each flight.
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    Review maintenance awareness
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    Below crew intelligence, the Maintenance Awareness card lists the five most urgent upcoming due items across your fleet.
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  • Each item shows a DueItemBadge (color-coded by urgency), the aircraft tail number, the item name, and how many days or hours remain.
  • Items are sorted by urgency, with overdue items appearing first in red.
  • Click View All Due Items at the bottom of the card to navigate to the full due items page.
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    If any critical maintenance items are overdue or if a crew member’s currency has expired, a red alert banner appears at the very top of the Command Center before the KPI strip. Address these items before proceeding with dispatch.
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    Monitor crew duty hours
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    The Crew Duty panel tracks active crew members’ duty time against 14 CFR Part 135 Subpart F limits in real time.
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  • Each row shows a crew member’s name, role, and a progress bar representing elapsed duty hours against the 14-hour duty day limit.
  • Flight time hours are tracked separately against the 8-hour flight time limit.
  • Bars turn amber when a crew member approaches 80% of a limit and red when the limit is reached or exceeded.
  • Crew members with the highest duty hours appear at the top.
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    Crew duty data updates via live server-sent events while the Command Center is open. If a crew member’s duty period approaches the limit, coordinate with the crew member and Director of Operations per your company operations specifications and 14 CFR 135.267.
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    Review hazard alerts
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    The Command Center evaluates active flights against known airspace hazards and displays alerts when a conflict is detected.
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    Hazard TypeSourceWhat it meansTFRFAA Temporary Flight RestrictionActive or upcoming TFR intersects with a planned or active route.SIGMETNWS Significant MeteorologicalSevere weather (turbulence, icing, volcanic ash) along route.AIRMETNWS Airmen’s AdvisoryModerate weather (IFR, mountain obscuration, turbulence) along route.
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    Alerts are prioritized by severity. Click any alert to open a detail drawer showing the hazard boundary, effective times, and affected flights.
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    Check compliance status
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    The Compliance Status indicator on each active trip shows whether pre-departure compliance checks have passed.
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    IndicatorMeaningGreenAll checks passed — crew duty, currency, eAPIS (if international), FRAT score acceptable.AmberApproaching a limit — dispatch is allowed but the dispatcher should review.RedOne or more checks failed — dispatch is blocked until the issue is resolved.
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    When dispatch is blocked, the compliance gate displays which specific checks failed (e.g., crew duty time exceeded, pilot currency expired, eAPIS not filed). The dispatcher must resolve the issue or, for duty time exceptions under 14 CFR 135.267(c), record an override with a documented reason.
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    Perform dispatch actions
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    Two dispatch actions are available directly from the Command Center for trips in the appropriate status:
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  • Mark Departed — available for trips in dispatched status. Transitions the trip to active and begins flight tracking.
  • Mark Arrived — available for trips in active status. Transitions the trip to close_out for post-flight processing.
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    Both actions require confirmation. Departures also trigger automatic eAPIS status checks for international flights and can generate draft safety reports for events like diversions or duty time overrides.
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    Use the quick actions panel
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    At the bottom of the right column, the Quick Actions card provides one-click access to common tasks:
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  • New Trip — opens the trip creation wizard
  • Dispatch Board — navigates to the full dispatch board
  • File FRAT — opens the Flight Risk Assessment Tool dialog
  • Log Flight — opens the post-flight logging dialog
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    Use the command palette for quick navigation
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    The command palette lets you instantly jump to any page, trip, aircraft, or crew member without navigating through menus.
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  • Press Cmd+K (Mac) or Ctrl+K (Windows/Linux) to open the command palette.
  • Start typing what you are looking for:
    • A trip number (e.g., “TRP-2026-00145”) to jump to that trip
    • A tail number (e.g., “N12345”) to open that aircraft’s detail page
    • A crew member name to view their profile and schedule
    • A page name (e.g., “dispatch,” “schedule,” “fleet”) to navigate to that section
  • Press Enter to go to the selected result.
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    The command palette searches across all modules, not just Operations. You can search for safety reports, investigations, CPAs, or any other record in your workspace. It is the fastest way to navigate PlaneConnection once you know what you are looking for.
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    The Operations sidebar gives you access to all sub-sections of the Operations module. The sidebar is organized into groups:
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    GroupSectionsOperationsCommand Center, Dispatch, Schedule, In-FlightTripsAll Trips, Trip Requests, My TripsFleetAircraft, Due Items, DiscrepanciesCrewCrew Roster, Logbook, SmartScorePeoplePassengers, OwnersFinancialAccounting, Reports
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    Sidebar items show live badges — for example, the In-Flight item shows the number of active flights, Due Items shows the count of overdue items in red, and Trip Requests shows pending request counts.
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    Click any section in the sidebar to navigate there. The Command Center remains your central hub — you can always return to it by clicking Command Center in the sidebar.

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    Making the Command Center your daily starting point

    The Command Center is designed to be the first page you visit each day. A typical morning workflow:
    1. Check the KPI strip for an instant status read — look for red or yellow indicators.
    2. Scan the fleet timeline for today’s schedule, delays, and aircraft availability.
    3. Review on-time performance to spot recurring delay patterns.
    4. Check crew intelligence to verify currency status and duty hour usage.
    5. Review maintenance awareness for any items that could affect dispatch decisions.
    6. Use the command palette to jump to specific items that need attention.
    This five-minute routine gives you situational awareness of your entire operation before the first flight of the day.

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    Next steps

    Use the Dispatch Board

    Learn how to manage aircraft assignments and flight scheduling in detail.

    Create a Trip

    Walk through creating and scheduling a new trip from start to finish.

    Manage Crew

    Add crew members, track qualifications, and manage duty time.

    Submit Your First Safety Report

    Switch to the Safety module and learn how to submit a safety report.
    Last modified on April 8, 2026