Entries by Dennis Negrón

When I joined SimAirline.net back in 2006, I was an inexperienced flight simmer who was just looking for something new to do. Never did I imagine that in June of that year I would start a virtual career that would soon lead me towards becoming an even bigger airline enthusiast as well as part of management.

My decision to join was based on my experience flying with Continental to and from Europe the previous year. I wanted to fly real-life scheduled flights of the airline and stumbled across Continental Virtual. As soon as I joined, I did not know what I was getting myself into nor what I was doing, but it wasn't long before I finally got the hang of it. Shortly after joining, the Copa Manager departed and I wanted to help out, not only because I wanted to be part of management but because it would give me a reason to keep flying in the virtual skies. So after a brief period as an Assistant VA Manager, I was appointed as the new Copa Manager. My duties also included helping testing other fleets for FSX compatibility.

It was soon after that I decided that one VA manager position isn't enough, and it coincided with Paul Anderson's departure from management (he was the Delta Virtual manager at the time) and Ali's reduction of virtual airlines. I had been keeping an eye out for Emirates for some time and thought it would be perfect to apply for it. Paul, on the other hand, was to be Aeroflot Virtual's manager and I also applied for it. Thus, I became Emirates' and Aeroflot's new managers, though the latter never opened.

My duties did not change much though: continued FSX compatibility testing, searching for liveries, and adding more aircraft as Emirates became an active airline with the Boeing 777-200LR and Airbus A380 entering the fleet.

When Aaron gave us the message that SimAirline.net would be closed, even though I was heartbroken, I knew that it was the right thing to do. I soon realized that it had been three years since I had joined and real life had started getting in the way. I was swamped with college courses and so many tests I often had to delay projects and, since then, stop flying altogether. Fellow members of management also had similar stories and by an unanimous decision we agreed to follow Aaron's request.

These three years here have changed me. They have opened my eyes and made my love for aviation even greater. However, SimAirline.net was more than just a hobby; it was a community, it was a home, it was a family. It sure is sad to see it go, but all good things must come to an end. I plan to remain on board until the very last day and hope to see some of you at the Airliners International convention in the New York City area this August.

Before I close this letter, I'd like to thank Aaron for giving me the opportunity to work alongside him these past years. It has been a privilege and an honor to have been serving as one of the members of management.

See you around in the virtual skies!

The Lesser Antilles are under tropical storm warning as Erika approaches. The countries/territories involved are Anguilla and Montserrat, Antigua and Barbuda, British and U.S. Virgin Islands, Netherlands Antilles (St. Maarten, St. Eustatius, Saba), Puerto Rico, St. Barthélemy, and St. Kitts and Nevis.

A tropical storm warning means that tropical storm conditions are expected within the next 24 hours. All pilots are advised to avoid flying to these destinations until the danger has passed. Tropical storm Erika is packing winds up to 40 mph. As it makes its way, it is expected to weaken a bit before heading north of the Caribbean, where it may dissipate. Flights to/from South America may need to reroute in order to avoid the high clouds and dangerous winds that accompany these systems.

For more information on Erika, and any other disturbances in the Atlantic, visit NOAA's National Hurricane Center.

After an unusually quiet June and July with no tropical activity whatsoever, the Atlantic hurricane season has kick-started with two tropical storms, Ana and Bill. Ana was a relatively weak tropical storm and dissipated before reaching Hispaniola (the island that Haiti and the Dominican Republic share). Effects from the storm were negligible and Ana is no more a tropical system.

Bill, however, poses a threat for pilots and Bermuda. The season's first hurricane is also the first major hurricane, with winds exceeding 120 mph, making it a category 3 hurricane. Since in these systems the cloud tops can reach well above normal cruising altitudes for airliners, pilots are advised to avoid this area. This NOTAM specifically goes out for pilots making transatlantic flights, mainly those that cross into the Southern Hemisphere. Examples are North America-South America/Africa flights and Europe-South America flights.

Pilots planning flights for Bermuda are also asked to stay vigilant as Bill's projected path puts Bermuda inside it. Though the island may be spared a direct landfall, outer rain bands can be enough to bring hurricane force winds and torrential downpours.

For more information on Bill's projected path and conditions, please go to NOAA's National Hurricane Center.

There seems to be some confusion regarding the timetables we offer. I would like to take the opportunity to clarify how each timetable works. For starters, we have three types of timetables:
1) Alliance timetables (oneworld, SkyTeam, Star Alliance)
2) Airline timetables (Alaska, Emirates, Frontier, South African Express/Airlink)
3) SimAirline.net Timetable

The alliance timetables list flights operated by its member airlines:
a) oneworld: British Airways and Hong Kong
b) SkyTeam: Alitalia, Continental, Copa, Delta, KLM, Korean Air, and Northwest
c) Star Alliance: Air Canada, ANA, South African (Airways only), and Thai
Since all of the above airlines are active, you should refer to these timetables if you want to fly any of their flights (except discontinued flights, which will be explained below).

We proceed with our second type, the airline timetables. These list flights of a specific airline only. Just like the alliance timetables, you should refer to these if you wish to fly any of these airlines, except discontinued flights. Exception: the South African timetable should be used for Airlink and Express flights, but mainline South African Airways flights should use the Star Alliance Timetable.

Finally, the SimAirline.net Timetable. This was a recently created timetable in which all of our virtual airlines not listed on the previous timetables have their flights listed. But in this one, we incorporate three kinds of flights:
1) Active airlines not in a timetable program. These include Air Tahiti Nui, Hawaiian, Icelandair, and all Virgin flights.
2) Defunct airlines: AOM, Concorde, Midway, Pan Am, Sabena, Swissair, and Varig fall in this category. These are historic versions of the airlines they represent, so their flights are not listed under current airline timetables.
3) Discontinued flights. These are flights that our active airlines no longer fly. All routes flown by retired aircraft are in this category.

I hope this little explanation clears up any mix-up you may have had with selecting the appropriate timetable. As always, you can contact any member of management or visit our section on the Message Boards that deals specifically with timetables.

I am proud to announce that we now have the largest 777 operator in the world at SimAirline.net. Just recently Emirates took delivery of its 78th 777, passing Singapore Airlines' fleet of 77. Current deliveries consist only of the -300ER, of which the airline currently awaits 28 more orders; Emirates also flies every other passenger model of the 777. Despite a downturn in air traffic, the airline has no intentions of slowing or deferring deliveries, even with outstanding orders with Boeing's rival, Airbus.

In all, Emirates is expected to remain the largest 777 operator with over 100 units by 2012, as well as being the largest A330, A350, and A380 operator. The airline is expected to have an all-widebody fleet of over 400 aircraft by 2020.