17. Aircraft Model and Operator Aliases

Aircraft Model and Operator Aliases

These tools live in the admin Visuals group:

1. /admin/aircraft-model-mappings - menu label Aircraft Models,
2. /admin/operator-aliases - menu label Operator Aliases.

They are still present in the admin panel. If they are not visible, expand Visuals in the left menu or open the direct routes above.

1. Aircraft Models

Aircraft Models maps an ICAO aircraft type code to a readable model name.

Use it when aircraft have a type code such as A321, B738, or B77W, but the aircraft database record does not contain an exact model.

Runtime behavior:

1. an exact model from the aircraft database wins,
2. if the exact model is missing, VRS X looks up the ICAO type code in Aircraft Models,
3. if there is no mapping, the model remains empty.

Example:

1. type code: A321,
2. model name: Airbus A321,
3. aircraft without an exact database model can display Airbus A321.

Validation:

1. ICAO type code must be 2-8 characters,
2. allowed type code characters are A-Z and 0-9,
3. model name is required and is stored trimmed,
4. very long model names are shortened to 160 characters.

CSV import:

1. file extension must be .csv,
2. maximum upload size is 5 MB,
3. format is semicolon-separated: icao_type;model_name,
4. optional headers such as icao_type;model_name are accepted,
5. duplicate ICAO type rows inside the same import are skipped,
6. existing mappings are updated when the imported model name changes.

Mappings are stored in aircraft-model-mappings.json in the VRS X data directory.

2. Operator Aliases

Operator Aliases maps an operator code to a carrier display name.

Use it when the aircraft list has a callsign/operator code such as DLH, BAW, or RYR, and you want the UI/API to expose a readable name such as Lufthansa, British Airways, or Ryanair.

Runtime behavior:

1. if the aircraft has OperatorFlagCode, that code is used first,
2. otherwise VRS X derives a code from the callsign prefix,
3. the derived callsign prefix must be two or three letters followed by a digit, for example DLH123 -> DLH,
4. VRS X looks up that code in Operator Aliases,
5. the matched display name is exposed as operatorName.

Validation:

1. operator code must be 2-40 characters,
2. allowed characters are A-Z, 0-9, @, ., _, +, and -,
3. display name is required and is stored trimmed.

CSV import:

1. file extension must be .csv,
2. maximum upload size is 5 MB,
3. format is semicolon-separated: code;display_name,
4. optional header code;display_name is accepted,
5. existing aliases are updated when the imported display name changes.

Aliases are stored in operator-aliases.json in the VRS X data directory.

3. Relationship to colors and logos

These mappings do not replace resource files.

Use:

1. Operator Aliases for readable carrier names,
2. Operator Colors for marker tinting by operator code,
3. Custom Operator Logo for custom OPERATOR.bmp/png or OPERATOR-ICAOTYPE.bmp/png resources,
4. Aircraft Models for filling missing display model names by ICAO type.

If a logo or color does not apply, first verify which operator code the aircraft resolves to. The direct routes above are the fastest way to check and maintain mappings.