Flying for a Virtual Airline

What is a Virtual Airline?
A virtual airline simulates the operations of a real airline, but with only one real component: the pilot. The pilot is given a choice of flights to fly, flies them on their flight simulator, and reports their flights. A virtual airline also acts as a community for flight simulator users worldwide. At SimAirline.net, pilots can fly flights of any of our virtual airlines. Below you'll learn how to fly for SimAirline.net using a sample flight from Continental Virtual.

1. Selecting a Flight
a. Most useful pages at a virtual airline are under the Operations menu. Use the Destinations page to look at route maps and decide what flight you wish to fly.
In this sample, you'll fly Continental's Houston Bush-Honolulu route.

b. Go to the Flights page. Some virtual airlines will have timetables on the site, while most will require downloading a timetable program. If so, follow the "Instructions" section to pick your flight.
Continental Virtual uses the SkyTeam Timetable, so you should download this and then search for flights from Houston Bush to Honolulu.

c. Look through the timetable and select your flight.
You'll be flying Continental Flight 1. Note that some flights listed are other possible routings to fly between Houston Bush and Honolulu, but not other nonstop flights between the two cities.

d. Note down the arrival and departure information, the flight number, and the aircraft type.
At the time of writing, Continental Flight 1 departed Houston Bush at 0935 local time and arrived in Honolulu at 1405 local time, flown with the aircraft code "767."

e. Whenever a timetable program is used, the aircraft code should be checked against the Flights page.
At Continental, the "767" code refers to the 767-400ER, which should be used to fly this flight.

2. Preparing to Fly
a. The scheduled aircraft type must be used when flying a flight, so you should download the necessary files (aircraft) and any others you wish to use (panels and sounds).
In this case, the files needed can be found on the 767-200ER/400ER page at Continental Virtual.

b. Install the aircraft into your simulator using the instructions included in the files.
If you have never installed add-on aircraft, panels, or sounds before, please read our Aircraft Installation Tutorial (FS2004/FSX), Panel Installation Tutorial, and Sounds Installation Tutorial.

c. Determine where at the origin airport to start your flight.
The Destinations page offers links to terminal maps for many major airports (Honolulu, Houston Bush).

d. Start your simulator and create a flight to match the scheduled information.
In this case, the simulator time should be 0935 local time (or slightly before), departing from the appropriate terminal in Houston Bush, and using the Continental 767-400ER. Some flights only occur on certain days of the week, so the date in the simulator should match this.

3. Flying and After the Flight
a. Flights must be flown at the same time and date in the simulator as scheduled, and with the same aircraft type.
Flights not flown at the appropriate time or with the scheduled aircraft will not be accepted.

b. All flights must begin and end at the gate, or ramp where appropriate.

c. Pilots may accelerate the simulation rate when at cruising speed and altitude and with the autopilot on, but to no more than 4x.
We recommend but do not require flying using online ATC. A list of networks is available in the Pilot Manual., and a tutorial is available here.

d. After completing a flight, go to the PIREP (Pilot Report) page through that virtual airline's website.
You will need to have applied to SimAirline.net and have had your application approved before you can file a PIREP.

e. PIREPs should be filed with the arrival and departure times in the simulator, in 24-hour time and local time.
If you departed from Houston Bush slightly late (0938 local) and arrived in Honolulu slightly early (1401 local), you would enter 0938 and 1401 in the PIREP. If a flight is unusually early or late, or if the flight was flown several times, that should be noted in the comments. If a mistake is made when filing a PIREP, a corrected one should immediately filed, with the comments noting that it is a correction.

f. Each flight segment (one takeoff and landing) should be reported in a separate PIREP.
Continental Flight 1 continues on to Guam, so if you wanted to fly this as well, you would file two PIREPs, one for Houston Bush-Honolulu and one for Honolulu-Guam.

g. You will be assigned a pilot ID number and added to the roster after your PIREP has been approved.
It can take a few days before your PIREP is processed, so you can file additional PIREPs before you receive your pilot ID number.

Please be sure you have read our Pilot Manual before applying. If you have technical questions about getting started, please consult our Frequently Asked Questions.

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