Virtual airline (hobby)

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A virtual airline (VA) is a dedicated hobby organization that uses flight simulation to model the operations of an airline. Virtual airlines generally have a presence on the Internet, similar to a real airline. [1] Many hundreds of virtual airlines of significance are currently active, with tens of thousands of participants involved at any one time. [2] [3] [4] [5]

Contents

Purpose

Virtual airlines were started to give a sense of purpose to activities conducted within a flight simulator program, the first being SubLogic's Flight Assignment: A.T.P. , released in 1990. As time has passed, the most common flight simulator used is Microsoft's Flight Simulator. [3] [6] This basic premise has evolved over time, along with available technology, to provide increasing levels of immersion but always with the same core purpose. When combined with increasingly powerful personal computers, advancing flight simulation software, and communications networks, virtual airlines are often able to provide compelling, realistic, experiences similar to operations inside a real airline. [3] Virtual airlines also provide an avenue for members to gain access to additional content, such as aircraft and scenery, for use with their simulator. The appeal varies; for younger members, virtual airlines provide a sandbox realistic environment where they can experience the corporate environment of traditional commercial business in the airline industry, without the risk of financial loss. These organizations also provide an outlet for those who are interested in aviation but unable to fly themselves in real life due to financial, health, or other reasons. [7] As of 2014, an estimated 80 percent of virtual pilots hold no real world pilot's license. [8]

Academics have stated that members of these groups can often show significant attachment and immersion in their activity, building strong relationships with those who they share their created "space" with. Participants can become unusually dedicated and committed to their group through the forging of their strong bonds and sense of identity, despite the construct being entirely (or nearly entirely) fictional. [9] Some of the groups are run similar to real-world airlines, and members can get a taste for being a professional pilot by joining one of the organizations. [4] Commentators have described virtual aviation as giving Flight Simulators an interest and depth that they would otherwise not have. [10]

Scientific and academic study

Virtual airlines have been used, both directly and indirectly, as part of research projects at universities in both aviation, modelling, and statistical theory development. [11] It has been reported that interest in this area is increasing as of 2011, due mainly to advances in technology and the maturity of flight simulation as an industry. [12] Enthusiasts are often of a technical background and welcome the opportunity to work with researchers, enhancing the suitability of the medium to support research initiatives. [12]

History

Virtual airlines are early examples of online gaming communities, many of the first virtual airlines can be traced back to the early 1990s in flight simulator forums of services such as Prodigy, CompuServe or America Online [13] While at least the early history of virtual airlines is predominantly on the Windows or DOS operating systems, Macintosh users also took part in the mid 1990s, [14] with some of these still in operation today. [2] Since they were first formed, these organizations are often characterized by their highly organized and structured nature when compared with other virtual groups in the gaming community. Such organizations represent some of the earliest examples of organized gaming groups similar to the clans and guilds seen in modern video gaming. [2] [15] It has been proposed that virtual airlines have existed since the creation of the first flight simulators, therefore predating the Internet. [3]

Rapid growth in popularity of virtual airlines was experienced just prior to and through the new millennium. [16] During this time, they were considered to be an immensely popular hobby often noted for how seriously it was taken by its participants. [17] Since the rapid development of the massively multiplayer online game (MMOG) genre, virtual airlines and online flight simulation in general have seen much greater competition for participation and membership.

Given their origins through the early Internet, these organizations have often been early adopters of technology to enhance the online experience. This technology includes online databasing and multiplayer networks such as the Virtual Air Traffic Simulation Network (VATSIM), International Virtual Aviation Organization (IVAO), SkySimFlight or FSLive. Developments have tended towards more integration between Internet websites, the simulation software such as those in the Microsoft Flight Simulator series, multiplayer networks, and flight recording systems. It is believed that increased integration across these mediums provides a more immersive experience that enhances gameplay, being the primary reason for people to join the virtual groups. [18] Commentators have described virtual aviation as giving Flight Simulators an interest and depth that they would otherwise not have. [10] While virtual airlines are not real, since the flights only happen inside of a computer, they are considered a serious hobby that has appeal among a very wide age range of participants, with the average age of participants increasing. [19]

Platforms

A flight simulator (usually running on a personal computer) is required for the actual conduct of operations by organization members. There are several platforms that are typically used to conduct virtual airline operations, although by definition almost any flight simulator can be utilized by such an organization. Common simulators include: (Italicized links represent free or open-source simulators)

Types

Fictionally based

Virtual airlines may be organizations that are created with no ties to any real world entity. These organizations are fictional constructs of the participants, who use the roleplaying environment of the group to add a sense of immersion to the gaming activity. These types of virtual airlines are indeed the most commonly seen. [2] Without basis on a real world entity, fictional virtual airlines are varied in their scope of both route and aircraft fleet.

Real-world

Other virtual airlines are based on real airlines, from major carriers to small operators. [4] These virtual airlines tend to closely follow their real world counterparts in terms of aircraft fleet and routes offered. While there are examples of controversy over copyright issues, the real airline companies tend to allow similarly named virtual airlines to participate within player communities.

Military

Virtual military and paramilitary organizations often operate in a similar way to virtual airlines, but using military aircraft and ranking systems. [4] Organizations such as VATSIM have strict regulations around the operation of such organizations within the network. [20] Virtual militaries often specialize in one area, such as naval aviation, although there are some organizations that extend across multiple areas of military aviation and sometimes into other areas such as land and maritime operations. Virtual flying clubs are less structured and generally smaller than other forms of virtual airlines, operating in much the same was as real world Flying Clubs operate. It has been proposed that such clubs have a smaller scale than others and place a heavy emphasis on social interaction. [1]

Operation

Technology has improved since the introduction of BBS-operated virtual airlines, allowing a wider variety of tools and resources available to virtual pilots, enhancing realism of flight simulation. Pilots can now fly online using networks such as VATSIM, IVAO or Virtual Skies. While connected to the network, pilots can see other aircraft, hear and respond to Air Traffic Control and see weather conditions that parallel the real-world weather at their plane's location. Using these services, most virtual airlines regularly host online events where virtual pilots can participate in group flights with hundreds of other pilots. [21]

Some even simulate real-world airlines to the point where flight dispatching and fictional salary are part of the virtual airline's basic operations, as well as calculating operating costs and the full range of financial data used to manage airlines in the real world. [3] It is common for the virtual airline to offer its members set flight routes to operate, with the offer of receiving awards and promotions as a result. [22]

Website and forum

There are several elements that are common across many virtual airlines but none more so than a website as the focal point of the community, typically including an Internet forum where discussion and social interaction can occur. Sometimes the community is solely based on an internet forum that is part of a flight simulation forum in general, such as Flightsim.com. From the early 21st century it became more common for virtual airlines to feature an Online database for recording and reporting flights and membership statistics. This functionality has steadily expanded in line with that of other virtual communities such as gaming clans. Flight simulation, and virtual airlines in particular, have been reported as an early adopter of new web technologies.

Flight assignment

It is common for virtual airlines to provide a list of flights that can be completed by members. [6] Each flight is considered a route as part of the virtual airline's scheduled flights. This functions in much the same way as a real airline functions, whereby they publish a list of the flights that customers can book flights on. In some virtual airlines the members can fly whichever flights they want, others the management has to assign them those flights, and in others it is possible to bid for routes they want to fly. International flights are, by virtue of the distance traveled, much longer than domestic routes and typically only available to senior members.

Award and ranking systems

Most virtual airlines have a specific ranking system for their pilots, that tend to involve restricting which airplanes the member is allowed to fly. [4] Pilots complete flights for their airline, using their simulator, either online (using a network such as VATSIM) or offline, and then file a pilot report. A key aspect of these pilot reports is logging the number of hours flown, which directly affects the members promotion to other ranks. [4] Ranking systems used typically use terminology associated with commercial aviation, such as designating senior pilots as captain. Commercial aircraft have flight crew consisting of several people, whereas in flight simulation it is rare for individual aircraft to have more than one person piloting it, therefore rank distinctions are focused on the members efforts within the organization rather than their seniority on board an individual aircraft.

Members may be motivated to complete flights in order to qualify for awards or certificates, either from completing specific routes (commonly referred to as tours in this context), or from a total number of hours completed either overall or on a specific type of aircraft. In such circumstances, profiles are provided for pilots where others can see their accomplishments and an overall roster displays an individual's performance among others in the group.

Airline hubs

When a virtual airline grows to a point where managing their operations becomes difficult, the airline might subdivide into smaller groups, called a hub. The concept is similar to pilot bases in real-world airlines where pilots are grouped together at a major airport to start and end a series of flights, under the direction of a hub manager. [4] Virtual airlines based on airlines that really exist commonly provide hubs associated with what would be expected in the real world, and follow their schedules as closely as possible.

Livery

It is common for pilots to be given custom aircraft files and repaints with customized livery of the airline, usually made internally by virtual airline members. [22] In real-world airlines such a livery serves as an advertisement, establishes a sense of pride, and functions as a method for recognizing aircraft. Using Microsoft Flight Simulator the custom livery can only be seen online if other participants have installed it or use specially developed tools for model matching, such as FLAi by the Boston Virtual ARTCC, therefore the benefit is largely for the individual and their sense of realism. Liveries can be hosted on the website of the virtual airline, or more commonly provided publicly on a flight simulation site such as Flightsim.com or Avsim.com. This enables the livery to be downloaded by general flight simulation participants rather than just those involved in the airline.

Communication

Voice over Internet Protocol (such as TeamSpeak or Ventrillo) servers are commonly provided for members to communicate freely by voice. [4] Participants may use Direct IP Connectivity to locate other players and communication, at least initially, is conducted by text chat. As with other online communities participants utilize chat software such as MSN Messenger, ICQ, and Skype to connected with other members, who may be distributed anywhere in the world. As of 2011, Microsoft Flight Simulator X is the only platform with a communication system embedded within its software, beyond text chat.

Multiplayer events

Providing opportunities for members to participate in flights together is a key aspect of being a virtual airline member. Events are held on a game network such as VATSIM, Virtual-Skies or IVAO, through a peer-to-peer multiplayer game, or on a dedicated server run by the virtual airline.

Flight statistics and tracking

In the 1990s virtual airlines utilized manual processes for reporting flights and tracking statistics for members, progressing through to online databases in 2000, and since 2010 the trend has been towards automated flight statistics integrated into the flight simulation software. One of these automated systems is the ACARS system, first introduced by SATA Virtual in 1999. Pilots complete their flight, say in Microsoft Flight Simulator, while connected to the internet and the software tracks the flight as well as the pilots actions. At the completion of the flight the data is sent to the virtual airlines server and then processed into the online database. This has streamlined participation and opened up new avenues for statistics and tracking, enhancing realism for those involved.

Controversies

When a real-world airline is created in the image of a virtual airline, legal issues can arise out of copyright violations. In 2003, a real world airline, Qantas, announced a new low-cost carrier by the name of Jetstar Airways. However, a virtual airline named Jetstar International Airlines already existed, complete with a web site. As part of their startup promotion, Qantas sold 100,000 airline tickets at a discount price, and the virtual airline's web site was swamped with would-be customers, job-seekers, and prospective vendors. [4] The virtual airline sued Qantas, claiming that Qantas stole the virtual airline's livery and trademark. The matter was settled out of court for an undisclosed sum. [23] [24]

Association with terrorism

Claims have been made of the use of both flight simulators and virtual airlines as training devices for terrorist activities, although to date no conclusive link has ever been provided to indicate a situation where a virtual airline has provided flight simulation training to anyone involved in a terrorist activity.

Jermaine Lindsay, one of the four terrorists involved in the 7 July 2005 London bombings, may have used flight simulators to practice flying an airliner, with an accusation that he was registered with a virtual airline. [25] A person of the same name listed his nearest major airport as Heathrow and clocked up 30 hours in two months with SimAirline.net. [26] The website later denied the member's linking with the bombing, and indicated it was working with the Metropolitan Police to establish whether its former member was the bomber. The website stated that it provides information about airlines and free add-on software for Microsoft Flight Simulator and does not provide flight instruction to its members. [27]

The 9/11 Commission in the US concluded in 2004 that those responsible for flying the planes into World Trade Center and The Pentagon had used PC-based flight simulators for training. [26] Despite the initial concerns of the involvement of virtual airlines in these terrorist activities, largely little has come from these claims to date and no changes have been noted as occurring in their operation as a result.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simulation</span> Imitation of the operation of a real-world process or system over time

A simulation is an imitative representation of a process or system that could exist in the real world. In this broad sense, simulation can often be used interchangeably with model. Sometimes a clear distinction between the two terms is made, in which simulations require the use of models; the model represents the key characteristics or behaviors of the selected system or process, whereas the simulation represents the evolution of the model over time. Another way to distinguish between the terms is to define simulation as experimentation with the help of a model. This definition includes time-independent simulations. Often, computers are used to execute the simulation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flight simulator</span> Technology used for training aircrew

A flight simulator is a device that artificially re-creates aircraft flight and the environment in which it flies, for pilot training, design, or other purposes. It includes replicating the equations that govern how aircraft fly, how they react to applications of flight controls, the effects of other aircraft systems, and how the aircraft reacts to external factors such as air density, turbulence, wind shear, cloud, precipitation, etc. Flight simulation is used for a variety of reasons, including flight training, the design and development of the aircraft itself, and research into aircraft characteristics and control handling qualities.

<i>Microsoft Flight Simulator</i> Windows-based flight simulator software

Microsoft Flight Simulator is a series of flight simulator programs for MS-DOS, Classic Mac OS, and Microsoft Windows operating systems. It was an early product in the Microsoft application portfolio and differed significantly from Microsoft's other software, which was largely business-oriented. Microsoft Flight Simulator is Microsoft's longest-running software product line, predating Windows by three years, and is one of the longest-running video game series of all time.

In video games, a clan, community, guild, or faction is an organized group of video game players that regularly play together in one or more multiplayer games. Many clans take part in gaming competitions, but some clans are just small gaming squads consisting of friends.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simulation cockpit</span> Cockpit used for training pilots with a flight simulator

A simulation cockpit, simpit or sim rig is an environment designed to replicate a vehicle cockpit. Although many pits commonly designed around an aircraft cockpit, the term is equally valid for train, spacecraft or car projects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virtual Air Traffic Simulation Network</span> Virtual Air Traffic Control Software

Virtual Air Traffic Simulation Network (VATSIM) is a nonprofit organization that operates an online flight-simulation network noted for its active membership and realism. Users are able to connect to VATSIM and fly aircraft as a pilot, or direct traffic as an air traffic controller in what has been described as a close approximation of real-life aviation procedures.

<i>Flight Unlimited II</i> 1997 video game

Flight Unlimited II is a 1997 flight simulator video game developed by Looking Glass Studios and published by Eidos Interactive. The player controls one of five planes in the airspace of the San Francisco Bay Area, which is shared with up to 600 artificially intelligent aircraft directed by real-time air traffic control. The game eschews the aerobatics focus of its predecessor, Flight Unlimited, in favor of general civilian aviation. As such, new physics code and an engine were developed, the former because the programmer of Flight Unlimited's computational fluid dynamics system, Seamus Blackley, had left the company.

Combat flight simulators are vehicle simulation games, amateur flight simulation computer programs used to simulate military aircraft and their operations. These are distinct from dedicated flight simulators used for professional pilot and military flight training which consist of realistic physical recreations of the actual aircraft cockpit, often with a full-motion platform.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Motion simulator</span> Type of mechanism

A motion simulator or motion platform is a mechanism that creates the feelings of being in a real motion environment. In a simulator, the movement is synchronised with a visual display of the outside world (OTW) scene. Motion platforms can provide movement in all of the six degrees of freedom (DOF) that can be experienced by an object that is free to move, such as an aircraft or spacecraft:. These are the three rotational degrees of freedom and three translational or linear degrees of freedom.

Microsoft Flight Simulator began as a set of articles on computer graphics, written by Bruce Artwick throughout 1976, about flight simulation using 3-D graphics. When the editor of the magazine told Artwick that subscribers were interested in purchasing such a program, Artwick founded Sublogic Corporation to commercialize his ideas. At first the new company sold flight simulators through mail order, but that changed in January 1979 with the release of Flight Simulator (FS) for the Apple II. They soon followed this up with versions for other systems and from there it evolved into a long-running series of computer flight simulators.

<i>Microsoft Flight Simulator X</i> Flight simulation computer game

Microsoft Flight Simulator X (FSX) is a 2006 flight simulation video game originally developed by Aces Game Studio and published by Microsoft Game Studios for Microsoft Windows. It is the sequel to Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004 and the tenth installment of the Microsoft Flight Simulator series, which was first released in 1982. It is built on an upgraded graphics rendering engine, showcasing DirectX 10 features in Windows Vista and was marketed by Microsoft as the most important technological milestone in the series at the time. FSX is the first version in the series to be released on DVD media.

Bruce Arthur Artwick is an American software engineer. He is the creator of the first consumer flight simulator software. He founded Sublogic after graduating from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign in 1977, and released the first version of Flight Simulator for the Apple II in 1979. His Apple II software was purchased by Microsoft in 1982 and became Microsoft Flight Simulator 1.0.

Vehicle simulation games are a genre of video games which attempt to provide the player with a realistic interpretation of operating various kinds of vehicles. This includes automobiles, aircraft, watercraft, spacecraft, military vehicles, and a variety of other vehicles. The main challenge is to master driving and steering the vehicle from the perspective of the pilot or driver, with most games adding another challenge such as racing or fighting rival vehicles. Games are often divided based on realism, with some games including more realistic physics and challenges such as fuel management.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flightsim.com</span>

FlightSim.Com is a flight simulation review and resource website that focuses heavily on Microsoft Flight Simulator. It is one of the main flight simulation websites along with Avsim.com and provides users access to information and addons for the flight simulator series of video games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Avsim.com</span>

AVSIM is a nonprofit flight simulation social networking service that focuses on Microsoft Flight Simulator, Prepar3D, and X-Plane. It features a community forum, file library, and product reviews. The website is maintained by a group of volunteers. Bandwidth and equipment are paid for by donations and advertising. It is one of the world's largest flight simulation websites and provides users access to information and add-ons for the flight simulator series of games. On May 12, 2009, the website was attacked by a hacker which resulted in a catastrophic loss of data. AVSIM was able to fully recover from the hack with the help of IT support from around the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virtual military</span>

A Virtual Military Organization (VMO) is a dedicated hobby organization that uses simulation to model the operations of a military. Virtual Military Organizations (VMOs) generally have a presence on the internet, similar to real military organizations. Most VMOs simulate military operations to varying degrees. A newer variant of Virtual Military is the MilSim unit. MilSim units differ from Virtual Military by placing emphasis on the simulation of military tactics in their chosen gaming platform, whereas traditionally, VMOs have placed emphasis on simulating the bigger picture, including a full military career path, logistics systems, coordinated movement of equipment around the world, and prolonged military operations. Although VMOs may appear to be a type of gaming clan, a key difference is that a gaming clan's primary purpose is to be an "organized group of players that regularly play together." VMOs are essentially role-playing environments within which an individual can immerse themselves. Realism groups are semantically similar; however, their primary focus is usually on following real-life procedures as much as possible. Therefore, tactical realism and MilSim are almost synonymous in the gaming world. A Google search for 'Virtual Military' reveals quite a few VMOs that go to varying degrees of depth to pursue their goal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flight simulation video game</span> Video game genre

A flight simulation video game refers to the simulation of various aspects of flight or the flight environment for purposes other than flight training or aircraft development. A significant community of simulation enthusiasts is supported by several commercial software packages, as well as commercial and homebuilt hardware. Open-source software that is used by the aerospace industry like FlightGear, whose flight dynamics engine (JSBSim) is used in a 2015 NASA benchmark to judge new simulation code to space industry standards, is also available for private use. A popular type of flight simulators video games are combat flight simulators, which simulate combat air operations from the pilot and crew's point of view. Combat flight simulation titles are more numerous than civilian flight simulators due to variety of subject matter available and market demand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Virtual Aviation Organisation</span>

International Virtual Aviation Organisation VZW (IVAO) is a non-profit association which operates a free-of-charge online flight-simulation network. Following free registration users can connect to the IVAO Network (IVAN) either as a virtual air traffic controller or as a virtual pilot and engage and interact with each other in a massively multiplayer environment utilising real-world aviation procedures, phraseology and techniques.

A flight simulator is a device that artificially re-creates aircraft flight and various aspects of the flight environment. Those not for flight training or aircraft development may be referred to as amateur flight simulators.

<i>Microsoft Flight Simulator</i> (2020 video game) 2020 amateur flight simulator

Microsoft Flight Simulator is a flight simulation video game developed by Asobo Studio and published by Xbox Game Studios. It is an entry in the Microsoft Flight Simulator series which began in 1982, and was preceded by Microsoft Flight Simulator X in 2006. The game is a return of the series after 14 years, with development beginning six years prior to its release. It was released on August 18, 2020, for Windows, with a virtual reality (VR) version released in December of the same year as part of the free Sim 2 update. Microsoft Flight Simulator is the first game in the series to see a VR and console release, with it being released on the Xbox Series X and Series S on July 27, 2021.

References

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