| Home
> Company
About Our
Company
Air
Pacifica Virtual Airlines
What is
a Virtual Airline?
A virtual airline (or VA
for short), is normally a group of flight simulator enthusiasts who
have "banded together" with common tastes, who then
look to reproduce "real-life" airline company
operations in the virtual world.
Clearly, how
"real" each VA gets, is completely up to the people
driving the VA. Some (like America West), choose to be
as real as they can, down to every last detail (how they can
fly, when they can fly, etc.), and other VAs choose to let the
pilots do whatever they want.
The majority of
established (i.e. been around more than a year) Virtual
Airlines share similar components: training, flying routes,
logging pilot hours, providing pilot resources, and painting
aircraft in their colors (livery).
Additionally, there will
probably be some sort of "tracking" system, which allows
pilots to report the hours flown for the VA, and then see their
progress tracked through some sort of hour-based experience
ranking. Usually, as your experience grows within the airline,
you are rewarded with the opportunity to fly larger aircraft on
longer routes. Not to mention, that experienced pilots are
often "recruited" to start participating in more of the
VAs operational side of things (Hub Captain, Trainer, Scenery
Developer, Flight Planner, Board of Directors, etc.).
Air Pacifica VA
recommends that you take the time to visit flight simulation
"gateways" like www.virtualairlines.com,
www.flightsim.com, and www.compuflight.com,
to see what sort of VAs are available, and which one you are most
interested in. All of these sites above, have resources and
articles aimed at helping you choose the "best" VA for
you.
Don't get us wrong,
we WANT you to join us - BUT
we also know from experience that many people who leave VAs, leave because they
were not happy at the resources, experience or opportunities that were
offered. Get informed - then make your decision.
What is
Air Pacifica VA like?
There are plenty of choices available to you when
you decide to join a VA. It can be a bit of a challenge to
find the VA that best meets your needs and abilities. Most VAs
will offer enough diversity to satisfy both the beginner and
advanced simulator pilot. Some VAs are much more
"realistic" in how they operate (operations, procedures,
flight planning, reporting, etc.), while others will keep things
simple or diverse.
We at Air Pacifica VA have decided to focus on beginner
to mid-range skilled pilots. It has never been our goal to
create a 100% realistic virtual airline, nor has it been our intent
to live entirely in "fantasy land". Our operations
are relatively small (but growing), and our service area lends itself to
short and medium flights and aircraft, while at the same time we
continue to mould and shape the organization to meet the needs of
all our pilots - new and old.
What
Sets us Apart from the Others?
Our staff and
Board members stay engaged with all our pilots. The CEO
prides himself on being able to take the time to: (a)
congratulate new pilots after logging their first flight; (b)
personally congratulating ever pilot that passes a
certification exam; (c) contribute actively in our forums; and
(d) make himself as readily available to all pilots - whether
by email or ICQ - as is humanly possible.
Not only that,
but we are committed to educating our pilots - whether it be
on how to load scenery and aircraft, or how to pass their
check flights - your knowledge and experience is a top
priority.
Additionally, we
are not strict enforcers of pilot inactivity. Although
we request that everyone file at least one flight report a
month, we do not "kick out" pilots that don't fly
regularly. We realize that everyone has a real life -
outside flight simulation - and we'd much rather see a pilot
go "on leave" for an extended time, than risk
loosing the pilot because he/she feels "badgered" by
our staff. You fly when you can, as often as you can,
and we will try to accommodate everyone as best we can.
Finally, we are an
organization that values the opinions, experiences and suggestions
of our pilots and staff. Without feedback from
you, the organization will not operate well. YOU are our
"gauge" to the health of our operations, and we value all
the feedback you can throw at us. We hope you will seriously
consider joining our team, and take the time to provide us with how
you feel things are going for you.
Sincerely,
CEO
Kern Pegg & the Board
|
