We interviewed the CEO of ADD Virtual Airline

Hi! I’m David. I’ve had a passion for aviation for as long as I can remember. A couple of years ago, I decided to take that passion to new heights by starting my PPL training. For most of my childhood, I dreamed of owning an airline - obviously not something a teenager can pull off! But when I discovered flight simulation and learned how to create liveries, that dream found a new form. That’s how ADD was born.

It’s a bit of a grey area. The ADD brand was conceived in 2018, but the airline itself launched in October 2022. Our first custom livery was completed in November 2022.

Given how early we are in our journey, I’d say yes. We’re expanding quickly, and our pilots seem genuinely happy with what we offer. While we’re always striving to improve, we’re proud of the updates and systems we’ve implemented - some pilots even say they’re struggling to keep up!

The most memorable moment was when our first real member joined. It was a turning point that showed us where we could improve the pilot experience and how much potential we had.

Fortunately, we’ve had no major issues so far. Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, and we’ve built a resilient website with regular backups. Occasionally, we receive comments about poor realism or rapid expansion, but those usually stem from misunderstandings about how we operate.

So far, we’ve only had new pilots - no one has left yet. We use Facebook and Instagram to attract new members and plan to increase our content output with both short and long-form video. We also make it easy for people to join without any pressure.

At ADD, our motto is “fly what you want, where you want, when you want.” Our mainline fleet ranges from small props like the BN2 Islander and Dornier 328, to jets like the E175, 737 MAX 8, A321XLR, A350-900, 747-8i, and A380. We also operate over 25 sub-brands, each with unique fleets. All our aircraft have custom liveries - over 290 are available, with 150+ more in development.

No - we remain network-independent. We want to be as accessible as possible across all platforms, and locking ourselves to one network could exclude many of our members.

Yes - we built our own flight tracking system entirely in-house. It’s browser-based and works across all devices and platforms, including mobile, Xbox, and even PlayStation (though no sim exists there… yet!). While it doesn’t track altitude or airspeed, it ensures full cross-platform compatibility. Our only real limitation is Safari compatibility - Mac users need to use Chrome or Edge.

This is something we’re actively exploring. Many of our essential aircraft, such as the A220, are payware-only. Partnerships with developers could help ensure value for our members. For now, users can filter our fleet page by payware or freeware to suit their preferences.

Our website was built entirely in-house by our CEO and acts as both a hub and a flight tracking tool. It pulls in aircraft and airport data, automates procedures, and evolves constantly. We’re extremely happy with it - and best of all, we don’t have to request new features… we just build them.

We’ve got big plans: from massive fleet expansion and aircraft interiors to exciting new divisions, strategic partnerships, and major usability updates. There’s something coming for every pilot. Most importantly, we want to continue growing our community - welcoming new members with no pressure, no minimums, and no limits on how (or what) they fly.