| ID | DATE | SUBJECT |
| 42 | 11/05/2022 | PIREPS and Equipment Ratings |
| To: All Delta Virtual Airlines Pilots
Date: November 05, 2022 It has come to Delta Virtual Airlines Senior Leadership team that there have been a few pilots who have filed flight reports under false pretenses. It has been observed that a few DVA pilots have filed a PIREP for a rating for which they are rated for but they have flown a different aircraft type for which they are not rated for. This is an unacceptable, and dishonest practice and must be stopped. This NOTAM will apply to all PIREPS to include Event Flight PIREPS, Tours PIREPS. With our DVA ACARS technology, our PIREP reviewers are able to determine which aircraft a pilot flies at DVA. This is on the flight report as an FDE or Flight Dynamics Engine. The FDE file shows our PIREP reviewers which aircraft you flew in the simulator platform.This implementation has been around for a few years at Delta Virtual Airlines. Should pilots wish to obtain additional ratings, please follow NOTAM #34 on Additional Ratings Procedure to obtain the additional ratings. Effective immediately, any pilot who files a PIREP under false pretenses can expect to have the PIREP held and or rejected by the reviewing staff member, and the pilot can face the possibility of being suspended from Delta Virtual Airlines should this unacceptable and dishonest practice continue. Should you have any questions regarding this NOTAM or any other NOTAMS, please feel free to reach out to ceo@deltava.org or hr@deltava.org Joe Burner President; Delta Virtual Airlines |
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| 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 |
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| 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 |
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| 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 |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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 |
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| 35 | 12/10/2009 | 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 |
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| 34 | 11/25/2009 | Additional ratings procedures |
|
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 |
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| 33 | 03/28/2009 | Flight Diversions |
|
March 28, 2009 Flight
Diversions
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 |
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| 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 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 |
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| 30 | 11/08/2008 | Supporting Your Virtual Airline 2008 - 2009 |
|
Supporting Your Virtual Airline
The recent fiscal year closed August 31, 2008 with
a positive balance. We sold 146 fund shares at $10 per share or $1,460;
expenses amounted to $1,545; the carryover balance into 2008 – 2009 is $705. Our 2008 – 2009 expenses are estimated to be
$1,850. Our cash balance goal for the fiscal year was set at $2,400 including a
30% contingency. It was proposed and agreed by shareholders to authorize the
sale of 170 fund shares at $10 per share. According to the Global Virtual Airlines Group
operating structure, the prior year shareholders have the first right to
purchase fund shares. Eleven shareholders purchased 140 fund shares, $1,400.00.
Thus, we have thirty (30) fund shares available for purchase. Terry Eshenour |
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| 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 |
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| 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 |
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| 27 | 09/12/2007 | The Great Georgia Airshow -- DISCLAIMER |
|
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| 26 | 04/13/2007 | DVA Flight Academy looking for CFI's |
| WANTED: Person(s) able to spend 2-3 nights per week for 1-2 hours teaching PPL course in the flight academy. Real world experience helpful, must be able to fly EMB-120 and CRJ-200 and teach. No pay, just pirep credit. contact via email: scottdfacfi@gmail.com for details.
Scott Clarke Director Delta Flight Academy |
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| 25 | 03/01/2007 | FSX Fleet Aircraft |
| Currently with the exception of the B757 and B767 our fleet is not compatible with FSX. In the interim until our testing and modification work is complete, FSX pilots will have to use aircraft that they are rated to fly using default models and liveries available in FSX and other third party sources.
The key word in the NOTAM is "rated." Some FSX pilots misunderstood an earlier communication interpreting it to mean that they could fly any aircraft regardless of their ratings. This is a misinterpretation. We apologize for the confusion. Should you have questions about our aircraft rating policy, please contact your Chief or Assistant. |
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| 24 | 01/01/2007 | New Year, New Senior Captain |
|
It is my pleasure to announce that Jim Warner, Captain in the 757 program, is promoted to Senior Captain. If you're looking for Jim you can find him most nights at the Flight Academy, teaching students how to fly. Jim is the "go to" guy who helps get student's computers and software working properly as well as teaching the regular flight lessons. Jim is a DVA Flight Academy Flight Instructor, real world pilot and a member of the Century Club. He also contributes to the Delta Fly and assists pilots in the DVA Helpdesk. Please help me in congratulating Jim on his promotion. |
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| 23 | 01/01/2007 | New Year, New Senior Captain |
| In ringing in the New Year, we have a appointed a new Senior Captain.
It is my pleasure to announce that Jim Warner, Captain in the 757 program, is promoted to Senior Captain. If you're looking for Jim you can find him most nights at the Flight Academy, teaching students how to fly. Jim is the "go to" guy who helps get student's computers and software working properly as well as teaching the regular flight lessons. Jim is a DVA Flight Academy Flight Instructor, real world pilot and a member of the Century Club. If you have ever flown in the cockpit with Jim, you would know how valuable he is to the VA. This PPL graduate knows first hand how he can be that little voice in your head guiding you along. He also contributes to the Delta Fly and assists pilots in the DVA Helpdesk. Please help me in congratulating Jim on his promotion. |
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| 22 | 12/18/2006 | Pireped Flights, make sure you count those hours |
| Just a reminder, that there are 24 hours in a day. We know it is almost impossible for 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 rambling thread, so I will stop. Just make sure you follow the few rules we have on pirep submission, I and especially your approvers thank you! |
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| 21 | 11/25/2006 | Supporting Your Virtual Airlne - 2006 - 2007 |
|
Supporting Your Virtual Airline
The first fiscal year was completed August 31,
2006 with a positive balance. We sold 183 shares at $10 per share or $1,830;
expenses amounted to $1.545; the carryover was $285. Our 2006 – 2007 expenses
are estimated to be $1,650 including a 10% contingency. It was proposed and
agreed by shareholders to authorize the sale of 150 shares at $10 per share. According to the Global Virtual Airlines Group
operating structure, the prior year shareholders had the first right to
purchase shares. Eight shareholders purchased 111 shares, $1,110.00.
Additionally, we had three voluntary gifts totaling 10 shares or $100. Thus, we
have twenty-nine (29) shares available for purchase. Terry Eshenour |
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| 20 | 09/13/2006 | Andrew Logan Promoted to EMB120 Program Chief Pilot |
| Randy King previously announced that he has decided to move into another area of DVA in a staff role, of which you will be informed of shortly.
To fill his shoes, Andrew Logan, a Certified Flight Instructor with DVA Flight Academy, has been offered and accepted the position of CP for the Turbo Program. This includes the EMB120, ATR72 and Dash 8-100. Basically if it has a propellers, he is now in charge of it...lol. Andrew is a student at Emery-Riddle where he is pursuing is commercial license. He already is a real world CFI and if you fly with him in the academy, you realize that. Pitch, power trim... Everyone join me in congratulating Andrew on his new position. |
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| 19 | 09/03/2006 | Filing Flight Reports via the website instead of ACARS |
| My fellow pilots,
We are seeing a greater number of flight reports being submitted through the manual flight reporting on the website. While this is an acceptable avenue for filing, it does create some challenges for staff approving your pireps. If you are using the website to file, please remember a couple things, there are only 24 hours in a day, you cannot submit pireps exceeding that amount in one day. We have a number of pilots who submit their pireps in batches, creating a long list of flights to approve. We add up the time and see you have flown 18 hours in one day and it isn't even noon yet. See the issue? Also, if you flew in 4x, please say so in the comment section, it helps us understand things. Also, try to file the day of or after the flight. That way we don't see 10 flights in a row for several days flying. One more thing, if you fly the same route several times, say so in the comment field, that way it doesn't look like you hit the submit button several times. If your flight gets held, there generally is a good reason for it and if you look at the bottom of the hold notice email, you will see a comment from the person who held the flight. My last question is about ACARS. Why don't you use it? I have a rather archaic machine and it runs the program without issue. It is a really great tool to use for filing reports. If you want to ignore the chat function, just click on another tab, like Listed Pilots, or something like that and ignore the chatting. Generally, Pireps submitted through ACARS get approved quickly. I am sure I have left something out and staff will jump in and correct me, so I will leave it with a thanks and we appreciate your understanding. |
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| 18 | 07/27/2006 | Changes in the 777 Program |
|
There has been some recent changes in the management structure in the 777 program. Trevor Fenimore, the Chief Pilot for the program will be leaving in a few short weeks to attend college. Trevor has decided that he cannot maintain a college schedule and CP duties at the same time and has elected to step down as 777 CP. He will continue to be a presence with the VA. As a result of Trevors stepping down, Adam Gaweda, 777 ACP is being promoted to Chief Pilot for the 777 program. With Adams skill and knowledge of the airframe, we know that the program is in good hands. Congratulations Adam. As a result of Adam moving the CP, this leaves the ACP slot open. As is our procedure, when a staff position opens, we open it up to existing staff before we move to the general pilot population. As a result of this, we are appointing David Schaum as the Assistant Chief Pilot in the 777 program. Dave is our former Events Director and creator of the infamous Musketeer flights. Dave also once held the position of ACP for the 767 program. Dave will be leaving his management position with the VA to become the ACP. Dave has the same sort of obsession with the 777, that Adams does and loves to fly her over the pond. We believe Dave will make a great ACP. Everyone join me in congratulating each one of these fine examples of what DVA is all about. |
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| 17 | 06/26/2006 | Tim Fox promoted to Senior Captain 767 Program |
| I would like to announce the promotion of Tim Fox to Senior Captain in the 767 Program. Tim has been with Delta Virtual for almost a year. Tim is dedicated and can be found in the air most of the time or helping pilots in the cooler. Tim is a valuable asset to the program. Please join me in congratulating Joe to his new assignment. | ||
| 16 | 06/26/2006 | Joe Porter promoted to Senior Captain 737 Program |
| I would like to announce the promotion of Joe Porter to Senior Captain in the 737 Program. Joe has been with Delta Virtual for almost a year. Joe holds a private and commercial pilots license in the real world and knows the 737 better than anyone. Please join me in congratulating Joe to his new assignment. | ||
| 15 | 06/12/2006 | Acceptable Flight Data Source |
June 2006Acceptable 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. |
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| 14 | 06/12/2006 | Flight Diversions |
June 2006Flight
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 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. |
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| 13 | 04/07/2006 | DVA Flight Academy Looking for CFI's |
| DVA is looking for a volunteer for the position of Certified Flight Instructor for the DVA Flight Academy. This would involve teaching pilots to fly via fsnet/copilot sessions using voice via Teamspeak.
The ideal candidate should possess a good grasp of the basic concepts of flight and solid knowledge of IFR operations. They should have exhibited a high degree of maturity, accept responsibility well and possess high levels of energy. The candidate must be able to get along well with others and teach flying skills to students. Patience is a virtue in this position. This person should be able to commit the time to be able to fly with the students on a regular basis. Real world pilot experience, while not a necessity, is a definite plus. DVA mentors will be given special consideration. Relocation to the Orlando Training Facility will be arranged and the VA will provide room and board. A generous salary promotion to the next grade level, company paid health benefits, your own private grill behind the facility, season passes to Walt Disney World and Sea World and enough Florida heat to melt the vinyl in your company car (though you will be too busy to enjoy any of this). If you have what it takes to become a DVA CFI, send me an email at hr@deltava.org. We will hold this posting up for about a week, so submit today! |
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| 12 | 03/31/2006 | Flight Academy Open |
|
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 |
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| 11 | 03/20/2006 | Chris Williams named Assistant Chief Pilot 767 Program |
| Everyone help me congratulate Chris Williams who has been named the Assist Chief Pilot for the 767 Program. We had many candidates apply and all had certain qualities that DVA could use. But overall, Chris has the experience in the airframe and take charge attitude that makes an ACP into a CP. Chris and Will hold to bring new and exciting changes to the 767 program, so those in that program be ready for anything.
Good luck Chris (your going to need it), and congratulations! |
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| 10 | 02/12/2006 | ACARS Build 63 (1.2) released |
| I am extremely pleased to announce the release of Build 63 of the ACARS client. This is version 1.2 of the Delta Virtual ACARS client, and introduces a number of new messaging options, including a "Sterile Cockpit" option to hide messages when below 10,000' MSL.
ACARS 1.2 introduces a number of enhancements designed to assist in keeping ACARS a friendly yet appropriate communications tool for Delta Virtual pilots. It also introduces a number of reliability enhancements, as well as a flight save feature when using Flight Simulator 2004. ACARS will automatically persist your flight data to disk every four minutes and fifty seconds, and is the ONLY software package that can save and restore flights using the Lonny Payne 757/767 panel without crashing Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004. You can download ACARS 1.2 from the Delta Virtual Fleet Library. We are currently experiencing a problem that prevents us from updating the Fleet Library descriptions, so please disregard the description stating that this is Build 62. It is, in fact, Build 63. |
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| 9 | 01/19/2006 | New Pilot Promotion Manual Available |
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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:
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.
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| 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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| 7 | 12/01/2005 | Supporting Your Virtual Airlne - An Update |
| December 1, 2005
The response was impressive to supporting financially Delta Virtual Airlines and Aviation Français Virtuel through the newly created structure, Global Virtual Airlines Group (GVAGroup.org). Many members responded with generous support for which we are grateful. Our financial needs increased from the initial offering from US$1,300 to US$1,800. It was found that the initial hosted services were shared and inadequate for our needs. A decision was made November 4, 2005 to change hosting services to a dedicated, current state of technology server having a greater monthly fee. The transition is complete with notable positive results. Currently we are US$350 short of our annual needs of US$1,800, which represents a little less than 3 months of service fees. It was decided to open the sale of “shares” to the membership at large to give purchase opportunities to those who indicated an interest in purchasing additional “shares” and those who missed out in the initial offering to participate. "Shares" are a means for broadly allocating portions to our supporters for the finances needed for a year of operation. There are no assets, dividends associated with the "shares." "Shares" are non-transferable, non-refundable, cannot be traded and expire after one year. "Share" prices are US$10 each. In the first year 180 "shares" will be issued. "Shares" will be issued as broadly as possible. The maximum that one individual may own is 40%. If there is an over subscription, priority will be given based on tenure, in order of hire date. "Share" holders have limited managerial influence on the Aviation Français Virtuel and Delta Virtual Airlines organizations. A majority vote can replace the CEO. "Share" holding Structure is attached. NOTE: "Share" participation is voluntary and is not a requirement for membership. How to acquire "shares:" 1. Send an email to Treasurer@GVAGroup.org stating your desire to purchase shares and the US$ amount. 2. The Treasurer will inform you of the number of "shares" that you can purchase. 3. Payment will be in US funds through Paypal (cash or credit card) or by check. Direct questions to Treasurer@GVAGroup.org Terry Eshenour President, Delta Virtual Airlines |
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| 6 | 12/01/2005 | Supporting Your Virtual Airlne - An Update |
| Supporting Your Virtual Airline December 1, 2005 The response was impressive to supporting financially Delta Virtual Airlines and Aviation Français Virtuel through the newly created structure, Global Virtual Airlines Group (GVAGroup.org). Many members responded with generous support for which we are grateful. Our financial needs increased from the initial offering from US$1,300 to US$1,800. It was found that the initial hosted services were shared and inadequate for our needs. A decision was made November 4, 2005 to change hosting services to a dedicated, current state of technology server having a greater monthly fee. The transition is complete with notable positive results. Currently we are US$350 short of our annual needs of US$1,800, which represents a little less than 3 months of service fees. It was decided to open the sale of “shares” to the membership at large to give purchase opportunities to those who indicated an interest in purchasing additional “shares” and those who missed out in the initial offering to participate. "Shares" are a means for broadly allocating portions to our supporters for the finances needed for a year of operation. There are no assets, dividends associated with the "shares." "Shares" are non-transferable, non-refundable, cannot be traded and expire after one year. "Share" prices are US$10 each. In the first year 180 "shares" will be issued. "Shares" will be issued as broadly as possible. The maximum that one individual may own is 40%. If there is an over subscription, priority will be given based on tenure, in order of hire date. "Share" holders have limited managerial influence on the Aviation Français Virtuel and Delta Virtual Airlines organizations. A majority vote can replace the CEO. "Share" holding Structure is attached. NOTE: "Share" participation is voluntary and is not a requirement for membership. How to acquire "shares:" 1. Send an email to Treasurer@GVAGroup.org stating your desire to purchase shares and the US$ amount. 2. The Treasurer will inform you of the number of "shares" that you can purchase. 3. Payment will be in US funds through Paypal (cash or credit card) or by check. Direct questions to Info@GVAGroup.org Terry Eshenour President, Delta Virtual Airlines | ||
| 5 | 11/04/2005 | Flight Reports -- Accepted Flight Segments Defined |
| Flight Reports ----- Accepted Flight Segments Defined
November 4, 2005 The key element of Delta Virtual Airlines’ operation is flying approved flight segments in type rated aircraft followed by making a Flight Report that is sometimes referred to as a PIREP. Our business mission is to experience commercial aviation following real world Delta Airlines as closely as possible. A complete flight segment is felt to be a more important measure of experience than hours in flight. We track flight segments for promotion and recognition purposes. The flight segment requires familiarity with all aspects starting with route planning, fuel loading and payload balance, and ending with shutdown at the gate and filing a flight report. Our accepted flight schedules are mainly those of Delta Airlines. We have a special relationship with Air France enabling DVA pilots to fly Air France flights. The special relationship exists to give DVA pilots the opportunity to fly European based flights and aircraft not part of DAL fleet. In real world operations DAL and AFA are partners involved in many codeshare flights. In keeping with the spirit of the above goals DVA recognizes and accepts flights that appear: 1). In the DVA flight schedule database located in the Pilot Center. Please note that flights listed for our airline partners do not have a Delta flight number, rather the actual airline flight numbers are listed. 2). In the current real world Delta Airlines online flight schedule www.delta.com (electronic desktop and PDF schedules are not current and should be avoided). 3). In the current real world Air France Airlines online flight schedule www.airfrance.us. One exception to the above is that we will accept Flight Reports for published DVA group flights (that can be found on the ONLINE EVENTS page). The major airlines have codeshare partners that represent special marketing and operating relationships on certain flight routes. The cooperating airlines sell tickets for flights operated by their codeshare partner. A Delta codeshare flight bears a DAL flight number. DVA accepts “true” codeshare flights, meaning the flight is listed in the DAL schedule, has a DAL flight number, but is operated by another airline. DVA staff members individually review Flight Reports. When filing a Flight Report include a comment as to the source used when selecting the flight. This helps the reviewer to confirm the validity of the flight. Please use an aircraft that is appropriate for the flight. DVA pilots are free to use aircraft that they are type rated to fly, provided that the aircraft can safely make the journey arriving at the destination with sufficient fuel reserves to satisfy FAA requirements. Mid-air refueling is not a permitted practice. The use of the Skyteam flight schedule is discouraged since it consolidates all participating member flights making it possible to select a flight that does not meet our criteria. All it does is take your departure airport and your arrival airport to search the schedules. It does not discriminate on which airline actually services those inputs. So it may, or may not, be a codeshare flight. The best thing to do if in doubt is to ask. Contact your Chief Pilot or Assistant Chief Pilot if you are in any doubt, or if you have questions. They will be more than happy to assist you. Terry Eshenour President |
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| 4 | 10/16/2005 | George Lewis New Director of Training |
| I am pleased to announce the appointment of Captain George Lewis to the position of Director of Training. George takes over from Geoffrey Smith who resigned because of real-life time pressures.
We thank Geoffrey for his many contributions during his tenure. He worked closely with our Chief Pilots in creating Operating Manuals. George is responsible for developing and implementing our education, training and tutorial programs. He will manage the airline’s Flight Academy, a newly created area that will include areas like Ground School, Flight Instruction, and Seminars. It will offer tutorials, mentoring and interactive flight instruction. The Academy is to further support our business mission of enhancing virtual aviation enjoyment through experience and knowledge. In the weeks to come you can expect to hear more about the Flight Academy from him. Terry Eshenour President |
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| 3 | 10/15/2005 | Supporting Your Virtual Airlne |
| Supporting Your Virtual Airline
October 14, 2005 Now you can share financially in supporting Delta Virtual Airlines and Aviation Français Virtuel through a newly created structure, Global Virtual Airlines Group (GVAGroup.org). Many member inquiries are received seeking ways to financially support our airlines. It was decided to provide a structure and orderly means for making, tracking and recognizing contributions. The development of our new website and the transition to hosted servers was made to eliminate dependence on any individual or group. Members are assured that Aviation Français Virtuel and Delta Virtual Airlines will continue regardless of individuals or management’s involvement. The use of hosted services affords dependability, increased capacity, expanded functions and speed. Our membership nearly doubled in size the last year to over 1,000 pilots placing increased demands on an aging system. The related bandwidth demands of over 2 gigabyte daily and 1 million monthly server requests dictated the shift to commercial hosted servers. Hosted services provides us with added reliability, access and features, but it comes an operating cost. The current hosting plan costs US$108 per month or US$1,300 annually. Using a “share” plan we expect to be able to generate funds to pay for the hosting expenses avoiding advertising or corporate dependence. “Shares” are a means for broadly allocating portions to our supporters for the finances needed for a year of operation. There are no assets, dividends associated with the “shares.” “Shares” are non-transferable, non-refundable, cannot be traded and expire after one year. “Share” prices are US$10 each. In the first year 130 “shares” will be issued. “Shares” will be issued as broadly as possible. The maximum that one individual may own is 40%. If there is an over subscription, priority will be given based on tenure, in order of hire date. “Share” holders have limited managerial influence on the Aviation Français Virtuel and Delta Virtual Airlines organizations. A majority vote can replace the CEO. “Share” holding Structure is attached. Refer to Shareholder Structure (following) that provides further details about Global Virtual Airlines Group organization and operation. NOTE: “Share” participation is voluntary and is not a requirement for membership. How to acquire “shares:” 1. Send an email to Treasurer@GVAGroup.org stating your desire to support and the US$ amount. 2. The Treasurer will inform you of the number of “shares” that you can purchase. 3. Payment will be in US funds through Paypal or by check. 4. Registration opens October 14, 2005 for 15 days closing October 29, 2005. Direct questions to Info@GVAGroup.org Terry Eshenour President, Delta Virtual Airlines ************************************************************************************ Global Virtual Airlines Group d/b/a GVAGroup.com Shareholding Structure An ownership structure known as Global Virtual Airlines Group was created to provide Delta Virtual Airlines (DVA) and Aviation Français Virtuel (AFV) the financial means to purchase server space and bandwidth. Global Virtual Airlines Group’s purpose is to provide the structure that will ensure the continued viability of DVA and AFV and any other Virtual Airlines that it chooses to create or adopt. It will eliminate dependence on any individual or group. The holding group and the airlines DVA and AFV are member-owned and -supported communities that are non-profit, have no physical assets and are managed by volunteers receiving no financial compensation or benefits. 1. Shareholders must be members in good standing with DVA or AFV. Individuals purchasing one or more shares will be considered shareholders. Shares expire one year after issuance. 2. On ownership matters, all shareholders have the right to be consulted and informed, and have one vote per share owned. Shareholders are obligated to act in the best interests of all members of DVA and AFV. 3. The shareholders shall select from their number an individual to be called the Treasurer. The Treasurer shall maintain all records of share ownership, handle all funds collected and disbursed, provide and maintain records of financial transactions and shareholder meetings. 4. Shareholders may elect additional officers when the need arises. 5. Shareholder meetings and voting can occur in person, by teleconference, web conference, email or U.S. Postal. 6. Once a year, the Treasurer shall compile an estimate of the upcoming costs to maintain the virtual airlines for the upcoming year, including but not limited to hosting/bandwidth charges, domain registration and other fees. To this number a contingency amount of not less than 10% shall be added. If a surplus remains from the previous year, this surplus shall be applied against the operating costs and contingency amount. 7. Annually and at the same time, the Treasurer shall determine the number of shares to be issued for the upcoming year. This number shall by divisible by 5 and allow for a share price (which is the total upcoming cost divided by the number of shares) of between US$10 and US$40. The existing shareholders shall then meet to ratify the estimates, share price and share numbers provided by the Treasurer. Ratification requires a double majority of voting shares and voting shareholders. 8. No individual may own more than 40% of all shares, except with the approval of a double majority of all remaining voting shares and shareholders. 9. Each shareholder has the right of first purchase of the same percentage of stock as currently owned or 20%, whichever is lower, within the first 15 days after the announcement of the upcoming year's share price and numbers. Once existing shareholders exercise their rights to first purchase, other members may register as shareholders. All rights of purchase shall automatically expire if payment is not received within 30 days. 10. If demand for available shares exceeds supply, purchase registrations by new shareholders shall be capped at 10% of total stock per person. If demand still exceeds supply, purchase rights shall be allocated on the basis of each member's join date with DVA or AFV. 11. Shareholders have no management duties or rights at DVA or AFV solely based on their status as shareholders (although they may take on management roles), with the exception that shareholders may by majority vote of voting shares replace the CEO at any time. 12. Should the Treasurer in his or her estimation determine that costs shall exceed the amounts raised from the previous sale of shares, the shareholders may authorize the sale of additional shares at the same price. Purchase rights shall be allocated in the same was as the annual sale of shares. 13. All shares are non-refundable and non-transferable, except with the approval of a double majority of three-quarters of all voting shares and a simple majority of shareholders. 14. Luke J. Kolin of Roswell, GA hereby surrenders all existing claims to ownership of DVA and AFV, in return for the first right to purchase up to 40% of the shares in the initial sale and the unrestricted rights to use, copy and/or modify any DVA and AFV intellectual property in existence at the time of this document. Sections 2 and 3 will operate on the basis that Luke J. Kolin owns 100% of the shares until the first shares are allocated and paid for, at which point this section will become inoperative. |
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| 2 | 09/10/2005 | David Schaum Resigns Director of Events -- Andrew Dalrymple Succeeds |
| David Schaum, Vice President and Director of Events, following 2 years of creating and managing events resigned effective Sunday September 11th. In David’s words, “I’m retiring in order to allow others to put their stamp on this great VA.”
Delta Virtual Airlines significantly benefited from David’s innovative approach to creating challenging events and dedication to accuracy. David flew every route before publishing the event to assure that all waypoints were correct. The 60+ chapters of the Musketeer program were the cornerstone for creating Sunday night group flights with a dedicated following. Many who participated can recall various experiences like landing in Dutch Harbor, Alaska in poor weather and no ATC or arriving at Boeing Field with ATC but overcrowded parking and frame rates that went to nil. The experiences and stories that are shared are endless. Andrew Dalrymple, DVA 2059, who was an understudy of David since early August, will succeed as Director of Events. Andrew joined us in December of 2004 and is Captain in the B767 program. He has been involved in flight simming since 1982 and completed ground school for is private pilot’s license. He is a Mechanical Engineer running an engineering and printed circuit board layout firm in Dallas area. Andrew has significant plans and a vision for taking the strong and popular events program to a new level that he will share with you in the coming days. Events are planned for the next three weeks. Thank you Andrew for your willingness to take on a new role and contribute to Delta Virtual Airlines. We are sincerely grateful for David Schaum’s contributions. A big thank you David is in order. You can honor David’s accomplishments, tireless energy and dedication to Delta Virtual Airlines by flying the group flight Sunday evening. Terry Eshenour President |
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| 1 | 09/08/2005 | Flight Schedule is Not Available |
| The search flight schedule is inopperative following the conversion to the new system. We suggest that you use Delta and Air France real world schedules for flight selection. Both airlines offer schedule search online. Delta has an electronic program for downloading and a PDF file that was updated Sept. 1.
Work is in progress to resolve the search schedule functions. Sorry for any inconvenience this causes. |
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| ALL NOTAMs | | ACTIVE NOTAMs | ||
Delta Virtual Airlines
Delta Virtual Airlines 2006 (Golgotha v11.1) Copyright © 2004 - 2023 Global Virtual Airlines Group. All Rights Reserved. (Build 885.2)
For flight simulation purposes only. Not a commercial website. In no way are we affiliated with Delta Air Lines, its affiliates, or
any other airline. All logos, images, and trademarks remain the property of their respective owners. Delta Virtual Airlines is a non-profit entity
engaged in providing an avenue for flight simulation enthusiasts.