Delta Virtual Airlines NOTAMs

ID	DATE	SUBJECT
41	10/08/2019	VATSIM Announces Audio For VATSIM Upgrade with System Outage Oct. 14
On October 14, 2019, Audio For VATSIM (AFV) is being launched. This technology is one that has been under development for over a year and will truly lead the way into the future evolution of the VATSIM network. This improvement will only impact your operations for a 24 hour period between Sunday (Oct 13) evening and Monday (Oct 14) evening UTC when the network must be taken down to implement the new technologies. Implementation of the new AFV technology will also require members to update their pilot clients and/or download the AFV Standalone client to allow the member to communicate with the new AFV technology. It is important to note that all pilot clients will be supported initially in the transition, but we highly encourage FSINN and Legacy Squwakbox users to migrate to the newer clients as these will no longer work with other quickly approaching network upgrades in the coming months. Those changes will be announced at an appropriate time in advance. Additional information on AFV, detailed instructions, and how the real world emulated radio characteristics will work can be found on the AFV website (https://audio.vatsim.net/). DVA Operations
40	05/10/2019	Flights Counting as Online
Requirements for a flight to be considered online. This information is on page 28 of the Pilot Manual in the document library. 1. For typical flights, a pilot must be connected to VATSIM/IVAO/PilotEdge for a minimum of 60 minutes for the flight to qualify as "online". A controller may or may not be present at the time of the flight. 2. Flights 60 minutes or less will have to be online for the entire flight to count. 3. For online events, pilots must be connected for the entire flight. Exceptions can be made for trans-Atlantic group flights through the night. 4. For Flight Academy flights, 100% of the flight must be online in addition to other guidelines explained in the check ride script. 5. If a pilot is flying online and 2x time acceleration is used, since online time is measured in real time, the online time recorded must be 100% of the flight, 30 minutes minimum unless an extremely short flight. 6. As with all guidelines, staff members review a flight report can make a judgment call if the online time is slightly under these minimums. Final determine is up to the staff member reviewing the report and DVA Operations. Flight reports where a pilot indicates a flight was online when it does not meet these requirements will be marked as "offline" when reviewed. DVA Operations
39	06/06/2013	DVA to Use Stage 5
Delta Virtual Airlines is excited to announce that it will begin to incorporate the use of Stage 5. Effective immediately the B747, B777, and MD-11 programs will be moved to Stage 5. Additionally, the B767 program will be moved to Stage 4. All other aircraft programs will remain in their existing stages. Program transfer requests and additional ratings will continue to function in the same manner as before. The decision to incorporate the use of the fifth stage has been discussed by Senior Staff for some time. The change was made to help facilitate the training and education of pilots as they learn new aircraft and to encourage pilots to experience a wider variety of programs. Additionally, we released an all new Pilot’s Manual. This is a comprehensive manual that will be replacing our outdated Pilot Manual and Pilot Promotion Manual. This manual will be a great resource for new and experienced pilots alike. This manual should be a first resource to review in understanding the operations of DVA. Should you have any questions, please create a help desk issue and we will work to resolve the issue promptly. Department of Operations
38	01/21/2011	Legitimate Communications from Delta Virtual Airlines
Legitimate communications from Delta Virtual Airlines are generally published via the web site, ACARS or from a DeltaVA.org address. Occasionally you may receive communications from GVAGroup.org, the owner of Delta Virtual Airlines and Air France Virtual Airlines. E-mail message headers can and have been forged, but at least you can always respond to verify message authenticity. If authenticity doubt remains, forward the communication to Info@DeltaVA.org, a Senior Staff member will review and respond.
37	10/15/2010	Senior Captain Nominations
You will notice that there have not been any Senior Captain nominations lately. Our recent goal was to make them quarterly, but earlier this year we identified a number of flaws in the process and decided to put things on hold until we could identify the right way to do things in the future. Traditionally, a Senior Captain nomination was made by the staff and decided by the VP/CEO level of our virtual airline, and this is a process that worked reasonably well when we had a dozen staff members and perhaps 300 pilots. Today, we have an organization where the average equipment program is larger than most virtual airlines, and we need a way to better identify and manage the recognition program for those who meet the requirements for a Delta Virtual Senior Captain. Those requirements are very vague and qualitative - they are, in short, someone by whose actions and efforts Delta Virtual is made a better place. Based on discussions over the past few months, we have made some changes that will dramatically change the way Senior Captain promotions are made. We've decided to open the process up to all pilots who have been with us for a certain period of time, and place no restrictions on who they can nominate, provided the individual is already a Captain. The role of the Chief Pilots and their Assistant will be to provide feedback and input on those selected by the membership, and the Senior Staff will continue to decide who gets promoted each quarter. I think that many of the people who truly make Delta Virtual a better place to be don't always do so in a way that's readily noticeable or easily remembered, or not by staff members. The folks we most want as Senior Captains have a certain component of modesty that doesn't always lend itself to recognition under the old model. Hopefully we can spot this going forward. Within the next few days, there will be a new option for many of you in the Pilot Center, which will allow you to make and view your nominations for Senior Captain. We encourage your feedback about your fellow pilots, and we hope that the new model will allow for deserving individuals to be recognized for their accomplishments and efforts in giving back to our community. With that said, I'd like to provide a few more details and bits of advice about how the system works. First, there are some minor restrictions on who can make a Senior Captain nomination - you must have logged at least 5 flights and been a member of Delta Virtual for at least 120 days. We feel you should have been around for a while so to best be in a position to understand who makes us a better virtual airlines. Second, you are only allowed to make THREE nominations for Senior Captain per calendar quarter. If you nominate three people on the first day this feature is available, you will be unable to do so for anyone else for the rest of the quarter. Please be careful and considerate with your nominations! Second, this is not a popularity contest. The system is designed to take notice of people who have been nominated by multiple individuals, but the contents of your nomination carry more weight than the number. Additionally, the system recognizes and prioritizes nominations by existing Senior Captains and staff members, while deprioritizing (yet allowing) self-nominations. It probably doesn't bear mentioning, but to be explicit I'll say it - if you're trolling around for "votes" that's an excellent sign you don't deserve a promotion, no matter how many people nominate you. Finally, this is an experiment. We recognize that the existing system had outlived its usefulness, but we're not certain what will replace it. The new system is designed to be better, but there's no guarantee that it will result in nominations at the end of 2010 or that it will remain in 2011. The Senior Staff is committed to recognizing the efforts of our members and we want it to succeed, but those of you who have been around for several years will remember that things can change until we get the formula right. So with that said, please look for the new Pilot Center entry, and if you have questions about the process please feel free to reply here or contact the HR department at hr@deltava.org.
36	04/27/2010	DVA “Raising the Bar” on Advancement and Achievement -- Flight Requirements for Promotion
DVA “Raising the Bar” on Advancement and Achievement -- Flight Requirements for Promotion Delta Virtual Airlines continues to seek enhancements to its promotion structure and pilot development programs to maximize virtual aviation enjoyment. Our strategy to achieve this is through experience and knowledge. The requirements for flights eligible for the 10 advancement flights to Captain are changing. In order to be eligible, the flight must be flown meeting the following criteria: 1. Completed using equipment that is part of the stage program 2. Flown and logged using ACARS 3. The flight is from our schedule that is at least a. 150 NM for Turbojet Programs b. 100 NM for Prop/TurboProp Programs 4. Flown in Non-Accelerated Flight (no use of time acceleration) The new requirements are effective immediately only for flights eligible for advancement to Captain. Non-eligible flights will continue to have no distance restriction, accelerated flight is permitted and manual flight reporting is permitted, however, pilots are encouraged to use ACARS as it is feature rich, producing valuable information about the flight. More details will become available in the weeks to come as we roll out a new promotion and advancement manual. Should you have questions, please feel free to raise them with your Chief Pilot or create a Help Desk issue. Thanks Sterling Widmer Assistant Director Operations
35	12/10/2009	Copyright and Trademark Policy
Copyright and Trademark Policy Copyright and Trademark Policy December 10, 2009 Delta Virtual Airlines has a detailed copyright and trademark policy located in our document library. I urge you to read it especially if you are designing a new signature block. I would like to highlight one aspect of the policy since there were several recent infractions. The use of any Delta Air Lines’ copyrighted materials regardless of age including logos, graphics, signs and service marks is strictly prohibited on our website. The infractions occurred with pilot signature blocks. The common prohibited logo incorporated in the signature block is “widget.” Do not include “widget” current and earlier variants in your signature block Delta Air Lines’ aircraft screenshots or photographs (provided that you own the photos or have written permission to use the photo on our site) having DAL graphics and logos on the fuselage are permitted. Should you have questions or concerns about your current signature or a new one that you are designing, please create a Help Desk issue. Staff will assist you in reviewing your creation and approving it. Thank you, Terry Eshenour President Delta Virtual Airlines
34	11/25/2009	Additional ratings procedures
AdditionalRatingsProcedures Additional Ratings Procedures This is clarification on additional ratings procedures with respect to ratings you already have. 1.) No one is "grandfathered" when we add an additional aircraft to a rating set that you already have. 2.) To obtain the additional aircraft to a rating set YOU ALREADY HAVE, you MUST go into the pilot center and request additional ratings for the primary aircraft in the set. (i.e. If you want 757-300 then you request additional ratings from the 757-200 program) If you are unsure which primary aircraft you need to request ratings from, please consult our promotion manual. 3.) IF you have already taken a written exam and checkride in the aircraft you are seeking additional ratings in, you will NOT have to take another checkride, you will just be awarded any additional aircraft that have been added to the primary aircraft set. IF you have NOT taken a written and/or checkride from the aircraft set you are seeking additional ratings then you will be required to take one or both. THE ONLY EXCEPTION is if you were originally hired into that aircraft. Example 1: You already hold a 757-200 type rating and are seeking to obtain the 757-300 type rating which was added after you obtained the original. You DID take a checkride to obtain the original 757-200, then you would request additional ratings and they would be awarded to you without you having to do anything. Example 2: You already hold a 757-200 type rating and are seeking to obtain the 757-300 type rating which was added after you obtained the original. You DID NOT take a checkride to obtain the original 757-200 because it was before checkrides were mandatory for all aircraft. You would request additional ratings and you WOULD have to take a checkride to obtain the 757-300 rating. Example 3: You already hold a 757-200 type rating and are seeking to obtain the 757-300 type rating which was added after you obtained the original. You DID NOT take a checkride to obtain the original 757-200 because it was before checkrides were mandatory for all aircraft, YET you were originally HIRED into the 757-200 program. You would request additional ratings and WOULD NOT have to take a checkride to obtain the 757-300 rating. Once again, if you would like to obtain additional ratings and are unsure which primary aircraft the additional ratings fall under, please consult the Pilot Promotions Manual in the document library. On a side note, we are in the process of updating the promotions manual to reflect the new aircraft we have entered into service. Please be patient while we do this and if you do not find the aircraft listed that you are looking for, please create a help desk issue and we will be happy to let you know. Ken Nesbitt VP of Operations
33	03/28/2009	Flight Diversions
March 28, 2009 Flight Diversions From time to time, flights may divert due to mechanical or weather problems. Diversions need to be made at least halfway through the flight to airports served by Delta Virtual Airlines or its codeshare partners. If landing at the alternate airport results in an invalid flight leg, this leg will be held. You should continue from the alternate airport to the original intended destination. When completed both legs can be reviewed for approval. NOTE: Delta Virtual Airlines will not approve flights when the Departing and Arriving airports are the same. If you have a reason to return to the departing airport, the flight will not be approved. Approval of any diversions is within the discretion of the Vice-President of Operations, and Delta Virtual may reject any diversion as seen fit. George Lewis VP of Operations
32	02/14/2009	CRJ ACARS Requirement
Effective Sunday, 15 February 2009, Delta Virtual Airlines will begin a 30-day trial that will require Stage 1 CRJ pilots to fly their 10 flights required for promotion to Captain using ACARS for flight following and reporting. This requirement already exists for all other programs except for the EMB-120. You can download ACARS in the Fleet Library and a manual exists in the document library. If you encounter problems using ACARS or need help, create a Help Desk item or e-mail your Chief Pilot or Assistant Chief Pilots for help. At the end of the 30-day trial, we may continue the program permanently or roll back to a non-ACARS requirement. George Lewis VP of Operations
31	01/01/2009	Delta Virtual Airlines 2009 Program Changes
January 1, 2009 January 1, 2009 Delta Virtual Airlines 2009 Program Changes Some program changes will be made early in the New Year at Delta Virtual Airlines. Most of the program changes will occur immediately, while others will be in the weeks ahead. Changes not implemented today will be individually announced. Stage 1 Changes CRJ-200 Program The CRJ and other stage 1 jet ratings, which are the BAE-146, CRJ-200, CRJ-700, CRJ-900, DO-328, ERJ-135, ERJ-145, F100 and F70, will no longer be given out to pilots not hired into the CRJ program. Pilots currently holding these ratings (which should be everyone except new hires from this point forward) will not lose them and continue to fly flights in these aircraft. To obtain these ratings, pilots will need to apply for ratings in the same manner that ratings are applied for in the Stage 2, 3 and 4 programs. Those wishing to transfer to the CRJ program will be required to pass the CRJ first officer exam and a check ride, unless you were originally hired into the CRJ program. Stage 2 Changes Airbus 320 program Delta Virtual Airlines will be creating an Airbus A320 program this month. It will be stage 2 and the A318, A319 and A321 ratings will come with the A320. These ratings will be removed from the B738 program. Anyone currently possessing these ratings will not lose them. Anyone wishing to transfer into the A320 program when it becomes active will be required to pass the A320 First Officer exam and a check ride. Stage 3 changes DC-6 Program The DC-6 program moves to Stage 3. The DC-6 Aircraft Operations Manual (AOM) is available in the Document Library. The DC-6 Exam has been modified to conform to the new AOM and should be used as a study guide for the exam. The DC-6 program gains additional ratings – the Convair 340/440. If you are currently in the DC-6 program, you will gain these ratings automatically when we add them. If you are not in the DC-6 program but have the DC-6 rating, create a Help Desk issue to be given the new rating. (It may be a couple of days before this takes effect) Those who earn the DC-6 rating in the future will get these additional ratings when they pass the DC-6 check ride. The DC-6 rating includes these additional ratings: Constellation, CV-340, CV-440, DC-3, DC-7, L-10 Stage 4 changes Boeing 747-400 program Delta Virtual Airlines will be creating a Boeing 747-400 (B744) program this month. It will be stage 4 and will include the B741, B742 and B743 ratings. The B747 ratings will be removed from the other programs that offer it as a secondary rating. If you already have a 747 rating, you will not lose it. Anyone wishing to transfer into the B744 program when it becomes active will be required to pass the B744 First Officer exam and a check ride. We are currently beta testing a fleet installer for the Boeing 747 series. It will be available in the Fleet Library soon. George Lewis Vice President of Operations
29	08/19/2008	X-Plane Support (Updated Jan 2018)
Delta Virtual Airlines recognizes and accepts PIREPS flown using X-Plane. DVA ACARS is compatible with X-Plane 10 and X-Plane 11 (limited data from most aircraft at this time) for filing flight reports; DVA’s fleet installers are not compatible with X-Plane. If you'd like to use X-Plane for a check ride, please contact your Chief Pilot FIRST. Until such time that DVA ACARS is compatible with X-Plane, pilots seeking qualifying flights for transfer or additional aircraft ratings requiring ACARS submitted flights should use FS2004 or FSX if at all possible. We are working on adding more X-Plane functionality. Andrew Vane VP Director of Operations
28	05/07/2008	CAUTION VATSIM Password Requests
Dear Pilots, This is a reminder that no one from VATSIM will ever ask you for your network password. If someone asks you for your password, refuse to give it to them regardless of the reason they give. Immediately report any such occurrence to VATSIM. Provide as much information as possible such as date, time, location, and any identifying information about the person asking you for the information. Please do not share or offer your password to anyone at anytime, here is a link to notify any offender of the said policy. http://vatsim.net/staff.html Fly safe! Anthony Piasecki Director of Events Delta Virtual Airlines
22	12/18/2006	Pireped Flights, make sure you count those hours
Just a reminder, that there is 24 hours in a day. We know it is almost impossible for a pilots to fly 20 straight of those 24. We strive to make this "as real as it gets", so when a staff member goes into the Pirep Queue and sees your name and 4 flights of about 5 hours per flight, we start to raise an eyebrow. Especially if it is only noon! Remember, if posting flights that you did not fly via ACARS, file it for that day. Do not sit and file a weeks worth of flights and put it all on say the December 18. It will get held. Also, cross check the flight schedule before flying a flight. You may have a flight that just the day before was removed from the schedule. That will get a flight held as well. The newest version of ACARS has the ability to search the database directly from ACARS. Then you are assured an approved flight. Also before submitting, place any notes in the comment field to help to approver interpret if it was a 4x flight or what. This has become a rampling thread, so I will stop. Just make sure you follow the few rules we have on pirep submission, I and espcecially your approvers thank you!
15	06/12/2006	Acceptable Flight Data Source
Delta Virtual Airlines receives every 30 days an up-to-date Delta, Air France and their codeshares’ schedule June 2006 Acceptable Flight Data Source Delta Virtual Airlines receives every 30 days an up-to-date Delta, Air France and their codeshares’ schedule. Since we are in sync with the official Delta and Air France timetable, the Delta Virtual Airlines Flight Schedule found in the Pilot Center is the ONLY acceptable source for flight and route data. Flights flown that are not present in the Delta Virtual flight schedule will NOT be approved, unless the Vice-President of Operations gave prior approval. Delta Virtual Airlines' historic operations (the "8000-series" flights) will remain within the flight schedule and will not be affected by this change. Our schedule will be updated every few days or weeks. Prompt filing of Flight Reports will be important. To file a flight report, pilots are strongly encouraged to use ACARS or to file manually as soon as possible after the completion of their flight. We will not accept Flight Reports filed more than seven days after the date of the flight. From time to time, flights may divert due to mechanical or weather problems. Diversions need to be made at least halfway through the flight to airports served by Delta Virtual or its codeshare partners. No flight segment will be approved until the entire flight has been successfully completed to its destination. Approval of any diversions is within the discretion of the Vice-President of Operations, and Delta Virtual may reject any diversion as seen fit.
12	03/31/2006	Flight Academy Open
March 31, 2006 Flight Academy PPL Certification Instruction Available March 31, 2006 Delta Virtual Airlines’ Flight Academy is open for business. The creation of the Flight Academy was a long-term growth and development goal. It was felt that to be supportive of our “business model” of enhancing virtual aviation enjoyment through knowledge and experience that we needed a Flight Academy. The initial offering is a Private Pilot License; eventually other certifications will be added. The materials and structure for the Flight Academy is the result of George Lewis, a real world pilot and Director of Training, countless hours of work, trials and collaboration with support from his growing staff. DVA is grateful to George Lewis for his dedication and willingness to share his knowledge with others. For about 6 months the Mentor program has provided one-on-one service to our pilots. The introduction of a more formal form of instruction in the form of a Flight Academy will provide additional channels for pilots interested in more in-depth learning to participate. It is meant to enhance virtual aviation experiences through improved understanding of aviation and flight dynamic basics. While it is structured to pattern real-world methods, it is not meant to prepare pilots for real world exams. DVA pilots can now enroll in the Flight Academy for the Private Pilot License (PPL) Course. Upon completion they will be given certification of their accomplishment. The Certified Flight Instructors CFI are Chris Williams, Vince Carlo and George Lewis. Examiners are George Lewis, Matt Creed and Michael Carter. To get started: In the Pilot Center, Click on the Flight Academy. Enroll in a course. Staff will approve your application. When approved you are in the course and can download the ground school material. Students can ask questions and request flight instruction from a CFI. The student will be required to pass a written examination as well as other requirements, such as ACARS cross-country flights. After all requirements are met, the CFI will assign an ACARS check ride that will be conducted using FSnet/copilot. Please direct your questions by email to training@deltava.org
9	01/19/2006	New Pilot Promotion Manual Available
New Pilot Promotion Manual Available New Pilot Promotion Manual Available January 18, 2006 Now available in the documents library is the revised Pilot Promotion Manual version 6. The latest revision is an effort to streamline promotion and additional aircraft rating policies that had become complex, cumbersome and troublesome for pilots and staff to administer. The advent of ACARS makes flight monitoring more effective and will be used as a tool in administering policy. The key changes to the promotion policies include: Passing the First Officer exam and an ACARS Check Ride is required for all program transfers or additional aircraft rating. Same level or lower additional aircraft rating, pilots can pursue First Officer exam and an ACARS Check Ride at any time. Higher-level additional aircraft rating, pilots can pursue First Officer exam and an ACARS Check Ride after achieving Captain in their current program. Program transfers have similar requirements as additional rating. One exception is transfers to a same level or lower level; require completion of 10 flight segments in the current stage before taking First Officer exam and an ACARS Check Ride. The L-1011 aircraft was changed from a Stage 3 to Stage 4 aircraft because of its complexity, size and demands placed on piloting. Pilots will not be required to complete First Officer exam and Check Ratings for aircraft that they are currently rated to fly. Equipment transfers and additional aircraft ratings that were requested on or before January 18, 2006 will be treated according to the previous policies. Terry Eshenour President, Delta Virtual Airlines
8	01/06/2006	Real Names Required
January 6, 2006 It has come to my attention that several pilots registered using assumed names or aliases. This practice is considered to be against our policy of supplying false information. If you registered using an alias, please contact me by email terry@deltava.org Individuals having compelling reasons for using an alias should inform me why they should be exempt. Anyone who is discovered not using a real name can and will be suspended until it's all straightened out. We plan to start locking accounts on January 9, 2006. Terry Eshenour President, Delta Virtual Airlines
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Delta Virtual Airlines

June 2006

Acceptable Flight Data Source

March 31, 2006