BACARS Version 8 - Major Overhaul of BACARS / Planning Portal

[Gary Oliver]

BACARS v8.0.4 – The 2025 Update

It's been a while since the last BACARS release, and this one is a major update.   
This version brings BACARS fully in line with the 2025 British Airways ACARS System and adds a number of new, long-awaited features for both flight and ground operations.

Thank you to Simon Kelsey for his excellent work on 'SimonPerf' to make this all achievable.

NEW FEATURES & ENHANCEMENTS

2025 BA ACARS Alignment 
- From T-55 to T-25, Load Control now sends an AZF Message when the flight is closed – this is the new Pre-Lim / Pre-Lim Loadsheet. 
- From T-25 to Departure, a standard Pre-Lim Loadsheet is transmitted automatically, but can be re-sent via the WT/BAL Request function if required. 
- Once doors are closed and the aircraft taxis, a Final Loadsheet is sent. This can also be re-issued on request via WT/BAL Request. 


Arrival Messaging 
Arrival messages are now generated by the Planning Portal: 
- For UK arrivals, any UKCP-assigned VATSIM slot will be reflected in the arrival message. 
- If a stand assignment changes, an updated message will automatically be sent. 
- For all other airports, the Planning Portal's internal schedule database is used (editable in the Schedule page). 
- If an arriving aircraft is detected on your stand, the system sends the departing flight details. 
- The message is sent when the aircraft is approximately 15 minutes from arrival. 
- You can also select your own arrival stand via the Live Flight page in the Planning Portal. 


Fuel Ordering Integration 
- Fuel can now be ordered directly from the Planning Portal. 
- Refuelling begins automatically 7 minutes after engine shutdown, or immediately on BACARS startup if the aircraft is parked. 
- If a fuel order has been placed, the ACARS page FOB figure will no longer overwrite the Prefuel value. 
- Prefuel can be requested at any time for the next flight. 


BA FICO Simulation 
BACARS now simulates BA's FICO system messaging: 
- DT <CrewCode> – Returns the pilot's roster (e.g. `DT OLIVE`) 
- AC <RegLast3> – Returns the aircraft's next flight (e.g. `AC NLL`) 
- OPDEF <RegLast3> – Lists the aircraft's current defects 


Failure Simulation 
- Failures can now be triggered and cleared from the TechLog pages within the Planning Portal. 
- These failures persist between flights and reboots, allowing realistic operational continuity. 


Active Flight Page 
A new Active Flight page has been added to the Planning Portal, providing live flight data and integration across BACARS, PSX, and the dispatch systems. 


Enhanced CARD Generation 
- BACARS now uses the new PSX CARD (SimonPerf) engine, replacing the long-serving "Benny Perf." 
- The new engine provides performance calculations accurate to within 1 kt and 1° of the real-world CARD mainframe. 
- This is a complete simulation of the BA CARD System in London and will continue to be refined in future updates. 


DOWNLOADS 

BACARS v8.1.0 
BACARS_V8.1.0.zip 

PSX CARD Manual 
Here  


PLANNING PORTAL ACCESS 

Most of the new features require a valid Planning Portal account: 
https://planning.simfest.co.uk 

An older manual and setup thread can be found here: 
https://aerowinx.com/board/index.php/topic,6468.msg70289.html#msg70289 

If you're new or need a hand getting started, just ask — several of us are happy to help. 

BACARS v8.0.4 – Bridging the Flight Deck, the Ramp, and the Simfest Skies

^^^ChatGPT added this when I asked it to tidy the post up^^^

[andrej]

Thank you, Gary! Looks very impressive.
I am looking forward to start using this new version soon (temporally grounded).

Cheers,

[macroflight]

Amazing work, Gary!

[voipmeister]

Thanks Gary!

[Kurt]

Thank you so much Gary 🙏🙏🙏🫡

[Mariano]

Thank you, Gary!

I just installed the new version.

I entered my Hoppie's data in the respective fields, but I am getting a red "ACARS: Failed" message, which I assume is the reason why I am unable to retrieve CARD data.

Might you have a suggestion on how to proceed?

Thank you again and best regards,

Mariano

[Gary Oliver]

Have you restarted after entering the data?

[Mariano]

I restarted both BACARS and the computer a few times.

Thanks for your help,

Mariano

[Mariano]

To clarify, I have not planned nor filed a flight plan via the planning portal. I was simply using the CARD performance request function by itself (like I used to do with BACARS version 7.0.8., which worked all the time without any prior planning portal entries).

Thank you,

Mariano

[skelsey]

Hi Mariano,

The Red "ACARS" means that for whatever reason your connection to Hoppie's network has failed - are you sure your code is correct and active?

CARD is completely independent of the planning portal - it simply takes a TELEX message in via Hoppie, parses it to extract the required data to generate the figures and sends back the performance data.

Simon

[Mariano]

Gary,

I checked the entries many times. I even copied and pasted my Hoppie's logon information from the registration email in order to avoid any errors.

I started my Hoppie's account today just to use CARD with the new version (so code should be active).

Is there perhaps any suspect entry that I should look for in the configuration file?

Thank you,

Mariano

[Jeroen Hoppenbrouwers]

Any low level log why the connection failed and where?

ACARS must have your logon code and your callsign. The rest is programmatic but these two can be missed.

[Mariano]

I will try searching.

First, I will reset my router and report back.

Thank you,

Mariano

[Mariano]

I cannot find any evidence of connection issues, nor did my router and network card resets work.

Nevertheless, it has to be something on my end, seeing as nobody else is experiencing the same problem.

I will try again in a day or two.

Thank you very much for your assistance.

Best regards,

Mariano

[Gary Oliver]

Windows 7?

[FlyItLikeYouStoleIt]

I have updated to BACARS 8.0.4 and am getting no reply to CARD requests.

My ACARS is green on the PSX BACARS UI

I get WX/AIS back ok

I used to get CARD requests back with v7

[skelsey]

I have updated to BACARS 8.0.4 and am getting no reply to CARD requests.

My ACARS is green on the PSX BACARS UI

I get WX/AIS back ok

I used to get CARD requests back with v7

In v7 CARD was internal and didn't go over Hoppies.

Looking at the Hoppies log (https://www.hoppie.nl/acars/system/callsign.html?network=VATSIM&callsign=BACARS) can you see your callsign/request on there?

Also worth saying you would need to set your Hoppie network to VATSIM if it isn't already since that's where the BACARS server currently lives (doesn't matter if you're not connected to VATSIM).

[FlyItLikeYouStoleIt]

In v7 CARD was internal and didn't go over Hoppies.

Looking at the Hoppies log (https://www.hoppie.nl/acars/system/callsign.html?network=VATSIM&callsign=BACARS) can you see your callsign/request on there?

Also worth saying you would need to set your Hoppie network to VATSIM if it isn't already since that's where the BACARS server currently lives (doesn't matter if you're not connected to VATSIM).

Network was set to NONE, now set to VATSIM and I see my request #20470634 ... and I can see three Msgs 20470749 20470684 and 20470644 with the CARD output on hoppie.nl, but none of these have made it to my CDU or printer. I am missing something obvious I think.

EDIT: Sorted. Callsign mismatch, should have used BAW27 internally not BA27.

[Mariano]

Gary,

Windows 11.

I will try again tonight or tomorrow and report back.

Best regards,

Mariano

[Will]

I am venturing into BACARS for the first time... I got as far as getting performance data from CARD, so I think things are up and running. Thanks for putting this together. It's fun to use and I look forward to getting more familiar with the BACARS workflow.

Question: SimBrief is obviously conversant in both lbs and kgs, but is BACARS in kgs only? Or will lbs work?

Thanks!