The Pros And Cons Of Being A New Virtual Airline

By David Zaleski (8 March 2006)

The odds of presenting to the flightsim community another virtual airline program and having a real chance of success was about the same odds as winning the lottery. But success is sometimes measured in not how many pilots you have on the roster but the excitement that you are able to generate to maintain the interest of the few you have. BCe presently has only 7 members all who are active almost daily, this is mostly do to lack of advertisement or exposure. You have to work around your limitations. It cost big bucks for good search engines and even with that what is it you're really advertising and how do you financially justify the expense for an on-line game? To have a successful program you need to find something that's new, different, works and stick with it. Virtual pilots will leave when the program becomes hum drum, boring and uninspiring. If there is nothing in it for me except flying your routes and seeing if my hours get posted today, tomorrow or three weeks from now or when you get around to it doesn't give me any cause to stick it out.

Here is where BCe is enjoying some success.

I wanted to do something that isn't being done anywhere. You have the option as a real world pilot to fly the same route every day. If you utilize real weather features you will find that no two flights are the same.

I created a small regional airline, short routes no more then 1.5 hours. Average about 45 minutes. Many of us have very busy real world activities we deal with so having a program with short hauls in a top notch aircraft from the FlightSim.Com library is a great gig.

Everyone wants to emulate some real world airline; been there and done it. Back in the mid 90's I got in trouble with the folks at American Airlines, Inc. for using their name and images on my web site and was forced to remove my the site so I never went down that road again. I like the fictitious program as it becomes unique onto itself. Being creative is a lot more challenging then copying something that has been done a zillion times over by everyone in the industry.

Communications--I found out the hard way about automated programs. The whole excitement about the VA is the camaraderie between pilots and between pilots and management. The anticipation of management promotions to some form of leadership and responsibility. The importance of responding to email from members ASAP. If you're going to run a program then run it. Having a wonder-bar web site means nada, blowing off mail has its own repercussions in time. Post hours, screen shots, updates, anything that can be done daily, just do it. Having a policy that deals with business once a week or two weeks is a real turn off. If you want your program to work, then you got to work it, make it so.

I had a web site years ago that flew just about everything that I could get my hands on. I don't know any real world pilot that has flown everything in the book and guess what? You won't. We have one aircraft presently, maybe down the road we'll expand. But seven pilots and a short haul schedule doesn't justify flying a Boeing 747 from KLAS, our only hub, to say KPHX some 250+ nm. So let's be practical.

Keep your members abreast as to what is happening in operations. Don't create an exclusive club that doesn't involve everyone. Post a newsletter and if you have ideas or seeking input talk to your people. Most important have fun and don't take yourself too serious. Don't make the promotion hours so far out of reach that your members get frustrated and say the heck with this. In closing, avoid the form letter response. I don't use forms of any kind anymore and I avoid the online forum like the plague--nothing but a headache.

BCe success will be measured by its attentiveness to its members. Even if there is only a hand full of members, they will have a lot of fun.

If you want a great program, you have to be a great leader. So lead now.

David Zaleski
Business Class Express
Businessclassva@aol.com

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