I have researched a virtual airline that offers general aviation flying but had no luck.
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.
Good day, my name is Russell Pickron and I am 36 years old. I like to fly real world general aviation. I have researched a virtual airline that offers general aviation flying but had no luck. That is why I created Virtual Sky Aviation. This not only tailors to airline routes but mainly general aviation.
How it started
When did you start your Virtual Airline?
This was started at the beginning of this year (2020)
Success
Do you consider your Virtual Airline successful?
Yes, I consider VSA to be successful because we have merged routing with flydva.com. This has brought us more pilots and a very active pilot roster. We are only adding to our organization to give virtual pilots more options and other perks. We have just added a flight academy to our VA to offer pilots some basic instruction and to help pass those VATSIM and PilotEdge ratings.
Best moment
What is your most interesting experience with your Virtual Airline, what has happened that makes you think so?
I have met some wonderful people in the flight sim community. We have put our heads together and vastly improving VSA to be #1.
Hard times
Did you have any bad experiences with your Virtual Airline?
Not yet, I do not.
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 a flow of incoming pilots versus leaving. Many of them really like that they can log general aviation hours through the ACARS. Also, we allow 100% verifiable flight hours to be transferred over to us.
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 use all sorts of aircraft from Cessna’s to B748 & A380’s. A pilot can fly any aircraft to any location. We do not restrict the limits.
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?
Yes, we use an ACARS system through VaBase, very good and reliable. We allow our pilots to fly on VATSIM, PilotEdge, or IVAO if wanting to. We also use our TeamSpeak server for closed events flying general aviation.
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?
ACARS through VaBase. The service is good with a really good layout and easy to use. This is provided to our pilots free of charge.
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?
Currently, we do not. However, we are looking at third party developers to offer our VA discounts.
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?
Yes, we have a custom-made website, flight academy, and upcoming airline division. The pilots and I are very happy with the website thus far.
The year ahead
And lastly, what are your expectations for your Virtual Airline in the coming twelve months?
We are testing out a raffle system for payware aircraft. This month is our first one and pilots can purchase a raffle ticket (up to 4 entries) for $5 an entry. The winner will receive a $50 gift certificate to a payware website of their choosing. If this goes well, we may have one of every month.
Flight Academy accreditation. We want to be accredited to give VATSIM Ratings as an ATO.
Developer codes for our pilots to purchase products.
The original questionnaire
This is the questionnaire as Russell Pickron sent it to us, in PDF.
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