1 March 2006
To All Of Our Pilots,

We were unable to fill our monthly goals again, only because five critical management positions remain unfilled: ANA Fleet Manager, British Airways Fleet Manager, Downloads Manager, Icelandair Fleet Manager, and Korean Air Fleet Manager. SimAirline.net is the work of volunteers, but we can not expand unless people step forward to fill these positions. The number of management we have determines how many virtual airlines we can have. If you are interested in any, you can learn more here.

We expect our new pilot roster system to open on 2 April. To allow time for a smooth transition, PIREPs will not be accepted after 0600 GMT on 26 March. If you are unable to file a PIREP before then, you can still file for inactivity through the end of the month. Recognizing that this means a lesser chance of reaching our monthly goals for retention and hours per active pilot, only the management goal will be in effect for this month. I hope this provides some encouragement for you to consider applying for a management position.

Finally, please keep in mind that because many time zones are changing at this time of year as countries shift to or away from daylight saving time, you should submit your PIREPs as soon as possible after flying and use FS Real Time from our Downloads page to ensure correct time zones in your simulator.

SimAirline.net has received $244.87 so far of the $1000 we need to fully operate this year. Please consider the benefit you receive from SimAirline.net and consider making a contribution, either by check or credit card. Over the past year, I have personally put in $1000 as a loan, an amount that I hope can eventually be repaid.

Online ATC Training Closed
Over the last two years, we have tried to implement a training program to teach pilots how to fly with online ATC. Our 2005 Annual Survey showed that 60% of pilots would participate in such a training program. Because of the poor pilot support for these efforts, we have had to close this program indefinitely, and as a result, will not be participating in online events such as fly-ins.

Training Director Brandon Jones says, "We have decided to discontinue the biweekly online training sessions due to a lack of participation. We only had three pilots regularly attend, with a couple of others who showed up to one session. We regret the necessity of this action, considering that 122 of our pilots responded to our Annual Survey saying that they would participate in an online training session, if offered. I encourage any pilots who did not participate to email me with your reason why and suggestions for the future."

Route Maps
I've begun making route maps for our virtual airlines, and am creating a process to make consistent route maps for all our virtual airlines. I hope for the first to be available later this month, with all available by the end of the year.

Virtual Airline of the Month - Alitalia Virtual
This month's featured virtual airline is Alitalia Virtual, which offers more European domestic flights than any other of our virtual airlines. More information on Alitalia Virtual, including selected screenshots, can be found here.

World Tour - Latin America
This month's World Tour celebrates the addition of Varig Virtual by flying a small timetable of flights within Latin America.

Our new roster system, expected to open next month, will be a major change for SimAirline.net, one that will bring numerous improvements. I hope you're as excited as I am about the future of SimAirline.net.

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