1 August 2005
To All Of Our Pilots,

I'm pleased that our announced virtual airline expansion for 2006 has been so well received by you. I believe that the selections are some truly outstanding airlines, and we look forward to adding them to SimAirline.net. This month, we will be adding Air Berlin, despite not making our monthly goals. One positive aspect was that we had our best PIREP ratio performance ever, our measure of the level of incorrect PIREPs we receive. I reformatted my computer early last month and lost the previous two months worth of emails, slowing down operations for the next two weeks, and delaying new members during that time. I offer Air Berlin early as part of my apology. As a reminder, virtual airlines are usually added only following the fuilfillment of pilot monthly goals, listed on the Statistics page.

International FlightSim Convention Report
With pilot Mark Pattinson, I attended the second annual International FlightSim Convention early last month, and operated a booth on behalf of SimAirline.net. Results for the convention were mixed. A full report of our activities at the convention can be read here.

Important Reminder Before Flying
I ask that all pilots take the time to review the Flights page of the virtual airline(s) they fly for. The large number of incorrect PIREPs we receive can be greatly reduced by reading this information over before flying. As always, please remember to review your PIREPs before submitting them to avoid further errors and returned PIREP. It will not only save time and anxiety for us, but for you as well.

SimAirline.net Merchandise Now Available
SimAirline.net-branded merchandise is now available for purchase here. Each purchase contributes $1.00 (U.S.) to help cover SimAirline.net's costs. At this time, only these items in these colors are available. Should our merchandise prove popular, we may be able to offer a greater variety in the future. Unfortunately, we will only be able to offer SimAirline.net-branded material, and not any offerings for specific virtual airlines.

Virgin to Begin Polynesian Blue
Virgin Blue continues to expand its South Pacific operations, announcing in July the creation of a new carrier, Polynesian Blue, to fly internationally from Samoa. Flights are expected to begin in October.

News Section Added to Main Website
We added a new section to our website this past month: News. Although it does not contain news that can't be found through our virtual airlines, it does present all their news in a single page for easier accessibility.

ANA Virtual to Discontinue NCA Flights
ANA announced last month that it was selling its stake in Nippon Cargo Airlines. As a result, we will cease offering NCA flights at the end of this month.

Statement on Future Growth
SimAirline.net does not intend to expand beyond the virtual airlines announced for 2006. If you're interested in the full reasons for this decision, please read more here. I would love to hear your feedback on this important topic.

World Tours Continue with SimAirline.net's Original Six
Following last month's SkyTeam World Tour, this month's World Tour will focus on SimAirline.net's first virtual airlines: Continental, Midway, Northwest, Sabena, Swissair, and Virgin. More information on World Tours, including the schedule, is available here.

Virtual Airline of the Month - Emirates
This month's featured virtual airline is the virtual counterpart to the world's fastest growing airline, Emirates Virtual. You can learn more about Emirates Virtual here.

Monthly Goals Adjusted
Our pilot monthly goals for virtual airline expansion have been adjusted slightly. The PIREP ratio requirements have increased, and the hours requirements have decreased. This change was made in order to better reflect recent trends in our pilot activity.

As always, SimAirline.net exists to serve you, our pilots. We have changed many things so far this year, hopefully for the better. If you ever feel that some aspect of our operations should be changed, please let me know. If you'd like to have a full review of a certain policy, I encourage you to post about it in the appropriate section of our Message Boards. Thank you for flying for us.

Aaron Robinson
aaron.robinson@simairline.net
AOL Instant Messenger: SimAirlineNet