Too many Crappy VA's

[va_chairman]

Okay, now that I've got your attention, here's what I'm thinking.  There are like 30 of us who, on one forum or another, have expressed an interest in starting our own Virtual Airline (VA).  We all have our own reasons for doing so, and most of us have great potential for success.

But imagine if all of the minds out there, that is, everyone who wants to use their creativity to start a VA...what if we all pooled our resources and created ONE, highly evlolved, very efficient virtual airline?

The best painters, scenery designers, and of course, pilots coming together to form a coalition which would allow them to all build something from the ground up...

There are a lot of good VA's out there.  There are even more mediocre ones, and more still of the "fly by night" (pardon the pun) type.  You sign up and they're gone tomorrow.

That's what I'm trying to stop.  Let's get together and create something that blows the others away.  

If you're interested, email me at va_chairman@yahoo.com (and no, I'm not a lock for the CEO position.  It's just the first email addy I created for this venture.  Everyone has equal input and everyone on the board will vote for a Chairman.  That person will get a company email of their own.)

Please, let's make something that people talk about.  We've got the vision, let's make it real.

[bx909]

i agree that is why i am making my own flight group for more information check my post or email me at bx909@email.com

Dillen Doeson

[Mikel]

LOL, that's the problem with too many people all starting an organization, everyone wants to be the head cheese, big dog, grande kahuna, the boss! LOL To be successful it takes a ton of work. I spend more time just on the website, then the painting and the scenery and then there's the "paperwork" (thank goodness my partner is good with that! LOL) than I do flying. I started mine as an outlet for my scenery design and repaints, luckily I found a few close friends (fellow pilots that fly with other VAs)  that had something to contribute and it all came together. Everyone wants something different out of the experience as well.

Good luck with your venture!!

Here are a couple shots of our ops in AK and Seattle, enjoy!

[Mr. Bones]

well i'm gonna stick to my own VA, the 184th VBW

[tvale80]

and im going to stick with the two i run, the 7th VBW and 174th VFW.  Good luck in your venture

[emh8]

I think I need to change my screen name.

I've been thinking about "AFCAD_Chairman" or "Traffic_Tools_Chairman."  Better yet, "FS_Chairman."

Tough to decide.  What do you guys think?

[Daz]

im up for it. i have been looking for a decent va and i have a lot to offer. i tried setting up my own va a while back eire air http://www.freewebs.com/eire_air/ i can create efective websites and can also paint aircraft email daz_walsh@hotmail.com.

[Daz]

im up for it. i have been looking for a decent va and i have a lot to offer. i tried setting up my own va a while back eire air http://www.freewebs.com/eire_air/. then i had trouble with my internet conection for a month or so and when i got back online all my crew had dissapeared. i can create efective websites and can also paint aircraft email daz_walsh@hotmail.com.

[QUIET_ORPHAN]

the problem with ur idea is that their would be a huge power struggle... and then.. those at the bottom would mist likely hate it... would u have different devisions?

[va_chairman]

Okay, here's what I'm thinking...let's all figure out a time when we can sit down (via a chat room, of course) and figure out if this is a possibility.  I meant it when I said that I'm not looking for something that I would necessarily be the "big cheese" with.  Whoever is the most qualified, and whoever is voted in (if that's how we decided to do it) would be the "CEO".  I would just like to be a part of something so huge...ultimately.  Different divisions are definitely a possibility.  (And one I didn't think about til I read it here!)  We'd have to do everything from day one...just like the real world airlines.  We'd need a name, a logo, a staff...if anyone is seriously interested in this venture, please don't hesitate to email me or post a reply here.  I think we could create something AWESOME, if we put the energy into it!

And as I posted originally...the email address is one that was created FOR this idea...it's not one I'd keep for the long haul.  

[Mr. Bones]

what planes do you want to fly with: military or civil? if military...bombers?

[Daz]

we could have hubs all over the place!! i wonder what it will be called

[va_chairman]

Again, it wouldn't be up to me where we have hubs, or what planes we fly out of them.  I do, however, have a preference for Boeing, but if everyone else said "Hey, let's be the only VA with an entire Piper fleet" then hey, that's what was chosen.  (lol@piper fleet)  I can't stress enough that it would be a COLLABORATIVE effort, meaning that everyone would have to pitch their ideas, and then we'd discuss their potential.  As for hubs, my idea, and again, this is just me pitching an idea, is that we would want to start small, as it's going to take a while for pilots to sign on.  So I would think that one or two hubs initially would be the max we'd want to go.  But I could be wrong....

[fisharno]

VA_C'man;

I was lucky enough to be involved with one of the best Military VAs around. The founder knew how to utilize his senior staff's talents to make it a great experience for everybody.

My suggestion to you would be to talk to some of the more experienced VAs and get their opinions on what makes their group successful. You're already getting a good start by setting up an online meeting to start laying the groundwork for your group.

It's impairative that you keep communications open with all members of your group. That way, you guys aren't just names on some list somewhere. Live and breath the "TEAMWORK" concept.
Everybody should be responsible for themselves AND their team mates.

In my opinion, the most important thing is to promote a genuine feeling of "belonging" to your members. Everybody want's to feel wanted and accepted when becoming a new member. If there's only a web site, with some names on it, your prospective members will simply sign up, and you'll never hear from them again.

And, FLEXIBILITY is another key point. Try not to get too strict with the rules. Don't get caught up in that "Ruling with an Iron Fist" mentality. Make sure your members have a choice of how they can participate in the VA. Some guys just can't fly online all the time.

If you can make your members comfortable, you can develope a dedicated crew, and they'll repay you with enthusiasim and loyalty.

Good Luck!

[Daz]

amen lol