I realize that a regional VA in Alaska is not for everyone, but for those that enjoy this type of flying I believe that we have the right platform.
Answers are published as the CEO wrote them, spelling included.
About the CEO
Can you tell us a bit about yourself? For example; how old you are, what your background with flying in general is and what brought you to creating your own Virtual Airline.
I have been a flight simulator enthusiast since the early days of MSFS. (FS4) When I was in the military I was stationed in Alaska for two years and fell in love with the beauty of the state. In order to try and bring virtual pilots that share a love of flying in this scenic and challenging environment together I created Era Alaska Virtual.
How it started
When did you start your Virtual Airline?
June of 2018
Success
Do you consider your Virtual Airline successful?
Yes, I measure success more by the enjoyment that our members receive here than by the number of members and I think that our members enjoy each other’s company and this style of flying very much.
Best moment
What is your most interesting experience with your Virtual Airline, what has happened that makes you think so?
Meeting people from all over the globe that share the same interest.
Hard times
Did you have any bad experiences with your Virtual Airline?
Yes, pilots that join and never fly or even bother to meet our people. I realize that people have lives outside of Flight Sim and sometimes they are unable to participate, but I just don’t understand and never even give the VA a chance.
Pilots coming and going
What do you think of your Virtual Airline’s flow of new and leaving VA pilots? Is there something you do to attract more pilots? And why do you think some pilots leave your Virtual Airline?
We have had a moderate flow of new members and like all VA’s we have our share of pilots that decide to leave. We have just recently begun to actively recruit new members after joining our VA with VATSIM. We have had a very low attrition rate from members who are active and get to know the other pilots in our VA. Our losses are generally those individuals that join and never fly
Fleet and liveries
What types of planes does your Virtual Airline use and do you have all the custom liveries available for your VA?
We fly a wide variety of aircraft ranging from small General Aviation planes such as the C172 or DHC- 2 up to medium range aircraft such as the Dash 8 and L188. Our re-painters have created quite a few unique liveries for our VA. Some we have shared with the flight sim community, others we keep strictly for our members.
Online networks
Does your VA fly on a network? If so, what do you think about it? Do you feel it supplements the general flying experience, what do you think of the network in general and is it required for your pilots to fly on this network?
We are affiliated with VATSIM. Currently we are enrolled in their “Associate Program”, but are working toward full ”Partner” status. The Anchorage ARTCC has been very welcoming to our VA and our style of flying. While most VA’s are strictly routes, we encourage our members to dream up their own unique charter flights while at the same time publishing over three hundred routes. We also have regularly scheduled “Group Flights” that we encourage our members to attend.
Flight tracking
Do you use any flight tracking software? If so, which one, and are you happy about the service it provides? Would you like to improve it for example?
Yes, we use SimACARS. We feel that it makes the overall flight reporting much simpler while giving our pilots the flexibility to fly unique charter flights. It also enables our pilots to improve their skills by reviewing the data from their flights.
Developer offers
Do you make use of the offers some developers / distributors have for Virtual Airlines? Do you think these developers / distributors have good offers? And does it fit your Virtual Airline policy?
No we do not. We don’t want our members to be forced to only fly one or two aircraft or even to be forced to use one flight sim platform.
Website
Does your Virtual Airline have a custom made internet web page or do you use, for example, PHPVMS and equivalents? Are you happy about your VA’s web page?
Our website is run with the VAM system as well as some custom pages. This allows for the interaction with SimACARS as well as keeping operating costs down. While I will never be one hundred percent satisfied with any system, I find it is more than adequate for our needs.
The year ahead
And lastly, what are your expectations for your Virtual Airline in the coming twelve months?
I expect for us to continue to grow at a steady rate over the next year. I realize that a regional VA in Alaska is not for everyone, but for those that enjoy this type of flying I believe that we have the right platform.
The original questionnaire
This is the questionnaire as the CEO sent it to us, in PDF.
