A Message, Observation, and Question

[SeanTK]

Hello SimV members, and to those lurkers that stumbled upon this post,


I have been tossing around an idea to get a semi-informal VA started under my direction. Before voting in the poll, please read the rest of this post.

It would not have flight quotas to meet, or an hour range to meet before allowing use of certain aircraft. It would more or less be a flying club modeled after a fictional airline of my own creation.

On this note, a quick trawl through this section of the boards reveals that the majority of VAs out there fail to become "successful", and simply gain only a handful of members, or dissolve after a few initial weeks. In my opinion, this has to do with the following:

1. Stringent flight requirements to remain active.
2. Unreasonable hour requirements to access certain aircraft.
3. Poor aircraft variety. (Just the typical Boeing/Airbus tubes)
4. "Typical" routes, to the major destinations that every simmer knows.
5. The VA takes itself too seriously. Example: "We have a director of maintenance for our fleet,

[Rich H]

Is it an online flying airline?
But it's a good idea, I can't really say I ever properly fly by the regulations at all, and the quotas and seriousness does take away from the fun.
But what would make it different to flying your own airlines from place to place?

[SeanTK]

Hello Rich,

It would be either online or offline, user choice. While there would be no quotas for active status or hour requirements for advancement, I would still like a flight reporting system of some kind just for curiosity and recording on a website if this program successfully starts up. I am still determining how to best do that.

The "VA" would pretty much be in place to allow users to fly in a different style of environment that is only a bit less restricted than their personal, non-organizational flying. Kind of hard to explain, but it would basically guide the user into using a route, airplane, and maybe flying style that they don't get exposed to every day.
It would pretty much be a club sort of thing for users who enjoy these types of operations in a specific region or regions.

While I would highly encourage flight operations to be realistic, if you crash and burn due to something stupid, you're not going to get kicked out or anything.
 
Please let me know if you have any more questions.

[Sir_Crashalot]

I like your idea. I've been a member of several VA's. Problem is, like you stated, you have to meet a certain amount of flying hours. Being a busy guy with irregular working hours, a family and all, I rarely meet those hours. This results mostly in being kicked off the VA for being inactive. Second thing is that I rarely fly jet airplanes.

So the idea of a short flight, no pressure VA suits me very well, I think.

Carlo

[Rich H]

Some kind of online database? It'd need some special software to get the logging of hours done, unless it were to be done manually by their data being sent to a person; who then uploads it to the website. Could ask Pete for advice on that front?

But yes, I like the idea.

[SeanTK]

Still waiting to make the final decision on whether or not to start this up, but just in case...and out of boredom, I selected the aircraft that would be used:


[size=8]Beechcraft Twin Bonanza (by Eric Dantes et al.)

Robin DR400 (Yannick Lavigne et al.)

Beechcraft B300 King Air (by AFG)

Pilatus PC-6 Porter (by T. Conrad)

[Fozzer]

At the moment I quite enjoy Solo flying under IFR conditions, using the default ATC, with Flight-following assistance.

Its a pity that it cannot be used during on-line, Multiplayer flights... ...!

I never did fancy the thought of being controlled by an on-line, VA System...So I always avoid "Virtual Airlines" ......!
(Default ATC does it for me...with no arguments!... ..).

Paul...G-BPLF...FS 2004...FS Nav...and a Rebel.... [smiley=evil.gif]...!

[SeanTK]

This is part of a message I sent to a member here requesting more information. Figured it was important enough to post here:

I think I'm going to try to allow both sims. That's why I made those preliminary aircraft selections (which can change at any time). They should work in FSX although they were made for 2004. If I need to though, I could just expand the fleet slightly for users that want FSX native stuff...or things that only work in 2004.

It'll still be a week or two before I make a final decision on whether or not to go through with this.
By that time, I should have an aircraft list 100% confirmed, as well as a country (or countries) of operation, and the start of a route list. I would then need to work on liveries, a website, and some administrative stuff.....again, if I decide to continue this venture.

Feel free to post your thoughts, ideas, or anything else in that thread. I'll probably update it again in a few days if there is more participation.

[Sir_Crashalot]

Paul, you can still use the default ATC while flying for a VA, since you don't have to fly online. Any member of any VA can do that unless it forces you to use VATSIM ATC services.

Carlo

[Fozzer]

Paul, you can still use the default ATC while flying for a VA, since you don't have to fly online. Any member of any VA can do that unless it forces you to use VATSIM ATC services.

Carlo

You've lost me now, Carlo!... ...!
If you don't connect with each other on line (Phone line), via Multiplayer, how do you actually communicate with each other; (Chat Window, etc)..?

What is the "connection" difference between; "Virtual Airline" and "Multiplayer"?

Paul...Inter-connected... ...!

[Sir_Crashalot]

OK. The difference is that a VA becomes your 'employer' so to speak. You fly their planes to their destinations. You can do that in your own time and offline. Thus using the default ATC. Some VA's (not all) recommend the use of VATSIM because that seems to have some benefits (don't know what, but it has something to do with logging of flying hours).

So, you start a flight for the VA you fly for, land at the destination and go to the VA's website. Here you can file a PIREP. In this PIREP will be your name, the flightnumber, departure and arrival time, distance travelled, fuel used and whatever else you can think of. One of the things is that you keep a flightlog this way.

So, to go short, you don't need to communicate during flights in a VA as long as you file your PIREPs at the end of every flight.

Carlo

[Fozzer]

OK. The difference is that a VA becomes your 'employer' so to speak. You fly their planes to their destinations. You can do that in your own time and offline. Thus using the default ATC. Some VA's (not all) recommend the use of VATSIM because that seems to have some benefits (don't know what, but it has something to do with logging of flying hours).

So, you start a flight for the VA you fly for, land at the destination and go to the VA's website. Here you can file a PIREP. In this PIREP will be your name, the flightnumber, departure and arrival time, distance travelled, fuel used and whatever else you can think of. One of the things is that you keep a flightlog this way.

So, to go short, you don't need to communicate during flights in a VA as long as you file your PIREPs at the end of every flight.

Carlo

Got it, Carlo... [smiley=thumbsup.gif]...!

I don't think its for me then... ...!

I enjoy the fun and laughs and conversation with real-time, on-line Chat, in live Multiplayer during the flights....
(..trubble is...ATC doesn't work then)... ...!

I can do all the default ATC, IFR, stuff in my off-line, Solo Flights.

I like the "immediacy" of "Multiplayer".... ...!

Paul...G-BPLF...FS 2004...FS Nav...and a Chat Window... 8-)...!

P.S.....I talk too much!.... .... ....!

[Sir_Crashalot]

On the other hand Paul, this can become an online thing too. Since most VA only give a departure and arrival airport, they don't tell you which route to fly. So what's stopping you (or anyone else) from punching in the destination in your GPS and fly in a straight line, finishing with a visual landing? As long as you file a PIREP. Looking at the list of planes Sean gave, they are all small or medium GA aircraft very capable of low and slow flight.

Carlo

[Fozzer]

On the other hand Paul, this can become an online thing too. Since most VA only give a departure and arrival airport, they don't tell you which route to fly. So what's stopping you (or anyone else) from punching in the destination in your GPS and fly in a straight line, finishing with a visual landing? As long as you file a PIREP. Looking at the list of planes Sean gave, they are all small or medium GA aircraft very capable of low and slow flight.

Carlo

..'trubble is, Carlo...

I cant laugh, joke, and generally amuse/annoy/exasperate my Multiplayer mates on line, during the flight.... ...!

It becomes no different from my Solo, FS Navigator, Flight Plans... ...!

I enjoy the company in live; "Multiplayer"....

(...even if they don't enjoy me!).... ... ...!

Paul...talk to me... ...!

Actually, the only thing I miss in Multiplayer, is the absence of ATC, VFR/IFR; "Flight Following", during our on-line Multiplayer flights.

[Sir_Crashalot]

Understood. It's why I don't use the Multiplayer that much anymore (besides being short of time to fly). It's too quiet online. Don't know which server you use but it's silent on the Simv server...

Carlo