Getting Started in Contact Ground

Book an aircraft, instructor, or resource

Where to find it: left navigation → Calendar

1. Open Calendar and move to the date and time you want to fly.
2. Select the aircraft or resource, then create a new reservation from the open time slot.
3. Review any endorsement, availability, or policy warnings before saving.
4. Confirm that the booking appears on the schedule and in your notifications.

Update your profile, notifications, and currency visibility

Where to find it: profile menu → Profile

1. Verify your phone number and email address are current.
2. Enable the delivery methods you actually monitor: email, SMS, and/or push.
3. Review currency dates and reminders so your booking access stays in good standing.

Change or cancel a reservation

Where to find it: Calendar → select your existing event

1. Click the reservation on the calendar to open its details.
2. Edit the timing, resource, or notes as needed.
3. If your plans change, cancel promptly so the aircraft is returned to the schedule for the next pilot.

Include other members in a reservation

1. Create or edit the reservation on the calendar.
2. Add other members as additional pilots or passengers. This helps the club keep track of who is flying together and can be important for safety briefings, weight and balance, or just knowing who to contact if there are changes.
3. Added members will receive notifications about the reservation just as the booking member does for related communications.

Use messaging to stay coordinated

Where to find it: left navigation → Messaging

• Check Messaging for direct club communications, replies, and role-specific operational updates.
• Use message threads when you need to reach out to operations, instructors, or other members in context.
• Messages can be sent to individual members, to certain roles, to those with particular endorsements, or to all club members. Availability of message types is dependent on organization settings.
• Messages are sent to the recipient's enabled notification methods (email, SMS, push). Messaging notifications can be replied to and replies are routed back to the sender.
• Check News for broader announcements such as maintenance advisories, safety briefs, scheduling policy updates, and club-wide notices.

Understand the member flight operations workflow

Where to find it: mainly Calendar, your notification methods, the flight-ops update links sent by the system, and Invoices

For most members, the operational workflow is driven through notifications and follow-up actions rather than working directly on the operations board itself. In organizations using automatic flight operations, Contact Ground sends pre-flight and post-flight reminders at the appropriate time; in manual workflows, operations may still follow up directly through messaging or other club procedures.

Scheduling a flight

• Create the reservation directly in Calendar, choosing the aircraft, date, and time window you need.
• Review any warnings about endorsements, currency, maintenance blocks, or scheduling limits before saving.
• If the booking is valid, it becomes part of the club's flight operations picture immediately.
• As the flight approaches, monitor your notifications and any club messages that could change readiness or dispatch expectations.

Finding an instructor with availability

Note: This feature is only visible when your organization has enabled availability requests.

• Open Calendar and click the Show Availability button. Look for instructor availability blocks.
• Click the availability block, enter details of your request, and include the purpose of the lesson or proficiency work. The request will appear on your calendar with a dashed outline, signifying that it has not yet been approved by the instructor.
• The instructor will receive a notification to review your request. You will be notified through your enabled methods when they respond.
• Once accepted, the lesson appears on your calendar as a booked event and enters the same pre-flight / post-flight operational workflow as any other scheduled flight.

Pre-flight and post-flight notifications

If your organization has enabled flight operations, then the system will send notifications to the scheduled pilot ahead of the flight and after the flight based on your organization's configured timing. These notifications are designed to prompt you to review important details before departure and to submit necessary information after the flight so that maintenance, operations, and accounting have an accurate picture of what happened and can follow up if needed.

• In Automatic mode, the system requires you to track your aircraft usage after your flight. Notifications will include buttons to end the flight early and update aircraft hours.
• In Manual mode, the system relies on you to submit your flight updates to the operations team.
• If the feature is Off then no preflight or postflight notifications are sent.

Pre-flight notifications are sent ahead of departure based on your organization's mode and your configured reminder timing. They typically identify the scheduled aircraft, the event timing, and include a direct link back to the dispatch or event details you should review before departure.

Note: if your organization has assigned checklists to aircraft, then the checklist will be included in the pre-flight notification.

Post-flight reminders are sent near the end of the reservation or after the event becomes overdue. They prompt you to complete your flight ops update and usually include a direct update link so you can submit the required data without hunting through the app. In the event that a notification fails to be received, the member can update hours by visiting the event on the calendar.

What you are expected to record after the flight

In Automatic flight ops mode, you are expected to provide accurate and timely updates about your flight. In Manual mode, you are responsible for submitting your flight updates to the operations team.

• Submit the post-flight update as soon as the flight is complete.
• Enter the aircraft hours. When your organization uses Hobbs time, then you must enter both the current tach and Hobbs readings.
• Record oil added if applicable, and include squawks or pilot notes if something needs follow-up.
• Be precise — this data feeds maintenance visibility, operations review, and billing accuracy.

Note: if the report has not been submitted after the event ends, you may receive overdue follow-up reminders and operations staff will be notified for escalation.

Credit Requests

Members can submit credit requests if they believe they are entitled to a refund or adjustment for a flight or event.

• After the flight or event, navigate to the Credit Request page.
• Enter the amount and any remarks. Select the flight that the credit request pertains to.
• Upload or take a picture of a receipt.
• When saved, the credit request will be submitted for review by accounting team members. You will be notified if the request is approved or denied. Credits are applied to your next invoice if approved.

Note: using QuickBooks, the credit request will appear in QuickBooks as a credit memo, and the receipt will be attached.

How this connects to invoicing

• Your organization uses completed flight-ops records to support invoice generation and maintenance tracking. Keeping accurate hours helps the system to predict when usage-based maintenance activities (like oil changes or 100-hour inspections) will be needed.
• Oil usage reports are available to show how consumption changes over time, which could help to identify leaks, over-filling, or other potential maintenance issues.
• If hours, oil, or flight details are missing or incorrect, billing may be delayed or require manual correction.
• Once accounting finishes its cycle, you can review the resulting charges in Invoices and follow normal club processes for questions or credit requests.

Report a squawk or operational issue

Where to find it: Resources or the relevant booking / flight workflow

• Open the affected aircraft or reservation and choose the squawk or issue reporting action.
• Describe the discrepancy clearly, including the system affected and whether the aircraft should be grounded.
• Submit the report so operations staff are notified immediately.

Alternatively, squawks can be reported through the button found in postflight notifications. Operations team members are always notified when new squawks are reported.

Note: if the issue is urgent and the aircraft needs to be grounded immediately, you may wish to use messaging to contact operations staff in addition to submitting the squawk report.

Publish instructor availability

Instructor availability helps members know when they can schedule lessons and ensures the club can efficiently manage resources. This feature can be enabled through organization settings.

Where to find it: Calendar and your instructor notification preferences

• Use the calendar to configure the times you are available for instruction.
• Ensure to enable notifications so you receive availability requests without delay.
• Keep recurring availability current to reduce friction for members trying to coordinate lessons.

Once configured, your availability will be available to members. To show availability, members must choose to show availability on their calendars.

When a member requests a lesson during your available times, you will receive a notification so you can confirm or decline the request. The time block will be tentatively reserved until you respond. Upon accepting, both calendars are updated automatically and that portion of the availability block is reserved.

Reserve on behalf

New members aren't yet endorsed to reserve aircraft on their own. Instructors can reserve aircraft on behalf of these members to facilitate training and ensure proper oversight. This option must be enabled by your organization.

• Create the reservation by going to the Calendar and selecting the desired time slot.
• At the bottom you will find the option to reserve on behalf of a member. Select the member for whom you are making the reservation.
• The reservation will be created on behalf of the selected member and will be displayed on both your calendar and the member's calendar.

Review endorsements and member readiness

Where to find it: Members → select the pilot record

Your club may require endorsements and other readiness criteria before a member can schedule an aircraft. As an instructor you will be able to manage endorsements for members. For example, the club may require members to be checked out in an aircraft before being allowed to schedule it. After you complete an aircraft check ride, assign the appropriate endorsement to the member.

• If you aren't sure which endorsements are required for a specific aircraft, consult the resource page.
• Open the member profile you are evaluating. Review and modify endorsements as appropriate.
• Custom endorsements can be created by your organization. Certain endorsements are included by default.

Note: Organizations may also require certain currency items (airport badge, for example) to be met before a member can schedule an aircraft. Check your organization's settings if you have applied appropriate endorsements yet the member still can't reserve a resource.

Manage resource status and maintenance blocks

Where to find it: Resources and Flight Ops

• Open the resource record for the aircraft or equipment in question.
• Update aircraft status. Available options are Available, Unavailable, and Maintenance. Maintenance blocks the aircraft from being reserved. Unavailable hides the resource from being selected or viewed without appropriate permissions.
• Add maintenance information, including the type of maintenance, expected duration, and any relevant notes. Maintenance items can be tracked by due date or by usage (typically tach time).
• Set appropriate reminder intervals for each maintenance item. An oil change might be easier to schedule than a major overhaul.
• Confirm the calendar reflects the change so members do not book grounded equipment.

Note: when a resource status is changed to Maintenance, all existing reservations will be canceled. If you want to block reservations for a specific time period, create a maintenance block on the calendar.

Predictive Maintenance

For usage-based resources, the system will attempt to predict when upcoming maintenance events are likely to be due. This helps operations staff to plan ahead, schedule downtime, and communicate with members about potential impacts. Members can see when predicted maintenance is due on the Resource page, on the Calendar and during resource selection. This helps them to plan their usage accordingly.

Triage squawks and flight-ops items

Where to find it: Flight Ops

• Review new squawks. When a squawk is reported, operations staff will receive notifications.
• When using Automatic flight ops mode, the system will send notifications to operations staff if time entry is overdue by over 30 minutes, or if a squawk was reported when the member entered time.
• When using Manual flight ops mode, the operations staff can make or adjust entries in the system through the Flight Ops page.
• When a squawk is closed out, mark it as closed on the Resource page or through the Squawks report.

Send updates to the club

Where to find it: Messaging and News

• Use Messaging for direct operational communication and reply chains. This can be filtered by individual member, role, or endorsement, or it can be sent to the entire club based on organizational messaging preferences.
• Use News for broader announcements that should remain visible beyond the initial notification. A portion of the latest news item appears at the top of the dashboard for all users. When a new entry is created, notifications are sent to the club based on user preferences.

Configure hourly and monthly rates

Where to find it: left navigation → Organization and Resources.

• Set up monthly billing rates on the Organization page. Rate changes can be scheduled to be applied in the future.
• Hourly rates are set on a per-resource baseis through the Resource page. Each resource can have a different hourly rate. Resource rate changes can also be scheduled to occur in the future.

Note: Notifications are automatically sent to notify members of rate changes.

Handle member credit requests and adjustments

Where to find it: Credit Requests

Accounting users will receive notifications when a member submits a credit request.

• Review the reason for the request and any supporting notes.
• Approve, deny, or request clarification as needed.
• Once approved, the credit request will be applied to the member's next invoice. If using QuickBooks, the credit memo and associated receipt will be synced to QuickBooks.

Review and issue invoices

Where to find it: left navigation → Invoices

• Open the invoice queue and filter for the billing period or member you want to review. Click the button to generate the invoice.
• Check the generated invoices for accuracy and completeness. Verify flight times, dues, and line items.
• When ready, send the invoices. This will trigger notifications to members that their invoice is ready for review. If using QuickBooks, the invoices will be synced to QuickBooks.

QuickBooks integration

Contact Ground can be linked to your QuickBooks Online account to sync invoices and credit memos. This integration is optional but can help to reduce manual data entry and keep your accounting system up to date.

• To connect QuickBooks, go to the Organization page and select the option to connect to QuickBooks. Follow the prompts to authenticate and authorize the connection.
• After connecting, map your QuickBooks customers to Contact Ground members and map your monthly/hourly fees to QuickBooks line items as appropriate.
• Once linked, QuickBooks will automatically sync new invoices and credit memos from Contact Ground.
• After an invoice or credit memo has been synced to QuickBooks, it will be available for review and reconciliation within QuickBooks. If you want to change it, then first delete it from QuickBooks. Correct the data in Contact Ground, and it will sync back to QuickBooks.