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lionwing

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  1. Airwego - Press Release / Update - September 2016 Since opening back in 2000 Airwego has constantly evolved. The website has been redesigned several times, aircraft liveries have been updated, schedules have been published and then republished. However the one constant has been our pilots. A group of individuals that enjoy flying with a virtual airline that offers “Minimal Rules but Maximum Funâ€. Recent times are no exception to this evolution with many key projects coming to conclusion over the last few months. Towards the end of 2015 the website came under review. While it served our purposes it did need a redesign to reflect our progression as a virtual airline. Over the course of several months a “test†site was developed to explore the inclusion of new and unique features. Favourite pages ( Flight TV & / Statistics) were retained but many received a facelift (Fleet & Downloads) while many were completely redesigned such as our main page and the Bases page. Initially feedback on the new website was positive with some excellent suggestions for further improvements by our crew which were soon implemented. Via our Forum the website continues to be praised for it’s ease of navigation and interesting features. For many years our livery had remained relatively static with only minor changes made. Committing to redesigning the livery was a major decision but that commitment was dwarfed by the number of hours required to repaint an aircraft Fleet featuring both freeware and payware models. Rob (Airwego Resources Manager) and a team of repainters set about repainting our fleet of freeware (TDS / Project Airbus / Dreamwings / PAD) aircraft and our payware offerings that include Aerosoft Airbus, Majestic Dash 8-Q400, PMDG MD-11, Qualitywings B757, Aerosoft Twin Otter, PMDG B737NGX and the Wilco / Feel There E-Jets. After several months of work our new livery was released and still retains our famous “compass†logo that has been in place in 2000. Our schedules have now been completely overhauled with our bases at Bristol (EGGD), Humberside (EGNJ), Manchester (EGCC), Palermo (LICJ) and San Juan (TJSJ) joined by flight operations from Aberdeen (EGPD), Bergen (ENBR), Bodo (ENBR) and Southend (EGMC). Each of our bases has been selected to ensure firstly decent freeware scenery is available and in many cases this is complemented by a excellent high quality payware product also being available. How the airport operates in the real world airport is also key and during the schedule design process the timetables for the relevant airport are often referenced with a “sprinkling†of creativity for added appeal. Supporting all of our routes are a comprehensive suite of ready to use FMC flight-plans based on current navigation databases. As well as being offered in the default FS9 / FSX GPS format these FMC flight-plans are available for key payware products from the Aerosoft Airbus, Majestic Dash 8-Q400, PMDG B737NGX / MD-11, Level D B767, Wilco / Feelthere Embraer E-Jets and Quality Wings B757. Operationally we have implemented two key changes. Perhaps the most high profile has been the introduction of cargo flights from East Midlands (EGNX) in the UK. Utilising a fleet of B757’s & MD-11’s they operate a network of flights across the UK & Europe into key freight hubs. With both of the aircraft available as freeware and payware models (Qualitywings & PMDG) our cargo flights are gaining popularity as it present the opportunity to fly “heavies†on relatively short flights. Our second key operational change sees the introduction of our “Regional†brand. Regional flights are operated by aircraft with a maximum seating capacity of seventy two. This includes the de Havilland Twin Otter, Embraer E170 & Bombardier Dash 8-Q400. The Twin Otter operates from Bergen, Bodo and Bristol on routes requiring its short runway performance. From Bristol this includes flights to the Isles of Scilly, the Lake District and destinations within Wales. Twin Otter routes from Bodo & Bergen link remote communities in Norway in a series of multi-link flights that take in the stunning scenery of Norway. Our other European bases (Aberdeen, Humberside, Manchester, Palermo & Southend) also offer Regional flights linking not only each of our bases but a blend of major international European airports and interesting regional airports with one of our criteria being that they have high quality freeware scenery available. Outside of Europe Airwego has a Caribbean base at San Juan (TJSJ) in Puerto Rico. This base was originally established in the early 2000’s and was reopened in 2015. The fleet is very similar to our European operation with the addition of the A318. A varied schedule from San Juan sees flights across the Caribbean and into North, South & Central America. The route network includes a series of “Island Hop†flights in the Twin Otter taking in some very challenging approaches. San Juan also links into our European route network with flights to both Manchester & Palermo using the B767-300ER. Enjoyment of Flight Simulation is a top priority for Airwego. With this in mind our policy are to keep the rules to a minimum while encouraging pilots of all skill levels to join our community and have fun. Our Management Team have decades of experience in virtual aviation and always look to engage with our pilot base to ensure they enjoy “Flying The Compassâ€. Thank you for reading. www.airwego.org.uk Airwego - Facebook Airwego - Twitter
  2. UK Horizon VA doesn't look to be around anymore.
  3. Wow...so sorry for the very late reply. I am no "web guru" and have no idea how the website is programmed. Our website has been completely redesigned earlier in 2016 so please take a look.
  4. The Airwego Group is a virtual airline focused on creating a fun & relaxed atmosphere for enthusiasts of Flight Simulation software in which they can enjoy their hobby. There have been hundreds of virtual airlines over the years. Many will be direct replicas of real world airlines, flag carriers and the like. They will be tied to the aircraft fleet, hubs and schedules of their real world counterparts. Our operations here at the Airwego Group are based on real world scenarios but as we exist only here in the virtual world we are free to use, extend and explore the whole world, creating a fleet that serves the diverse preferences of our pilots, schedules that encompass the very best in available scenery and destinations that bring a mixture of both the serene and the challenging landing at the world`s largest and smallest airports. With hubs already growing around the world we pride ourselves in that our virtual airline is a dynamic organisation, continually growing its fleet, hubs and new businesses year on year bringing yet more opportunities and challenges for our community to enjoy. Indeed you will see that to encompass both our current and future plans for the development of our community we describe ourselves as the Airwego Group. This includes a number of Divisional Businesses such as Airwego (our central and always most prominent business) together with AirweCargo, a freight oriented company, bringing a whole new fleet and destinations to our offering. In the near future other exciting new ventures will be added to what we see as an ever expanding Group. As a Management Team we will provide you with tools such as premade flight plans to go in all the various aircraft type Flight Management Computers, our simple KACARS pilot reporting system and a host of other tailor made downloads to make your flights with us "as real as it gets". The choice of when you fly, which flight you want to undertake and even how long you want to "pause" it due to real world interruptions, is entirely yours. This is a hobby and we want you to enjoy it your way so maximum landing rates, pause times or fly "from where you land" rules will never exist in Airwego! We pride ourselves in welcoming member pilots of every level and diverse flight simulator choice. Most of our pilots use Microsoft FSX or FS9 simulators but we equally welcome those who have already migrated to Prepar3D and X-Plane. Our crews are made up of "old hands" with thousands of hours FS experience to literal newcomers taking their first steps in this fascinating hobby. They come from nations across the globe, helping each other and simply enjoying the Airwego community. However our principal motto we live by is "MINIMUM RULES - MAXIMUM FUN" All we ask is be helpful to others and most importantly - ENJOY YOURSELF! The Airwego Group is a virtual airline focused on creating a fun & relaxed atmosphere for enthusiasts of Flight Simulation software in which they can enjoy their hobby. Our operations here at the Airwego Group are based on real world scenarios but as we exist only here in the virtual world we are free to use, extend and explore the whole world, creating a fleet that serves the diverse preferences of our pilots, schedules that encompass the very best in available scenery and destinations that bring a mixture of both the serene and the challenging landing at the world`s largest and smallest airports. A central rule of our fleet, hub and destination choice is the availability of both excellent freeware as well as sophisticated payware so that our member pilots don`t need bottomless pockets to pay for the enjoyment of their hobby. With hubs already growing around the world we pride ourselves in that our virtual airline is a dynamic organisation, continually growing its fleet, hubs and new businesses year on year bringing yet more opportunities and challenges for our community to enjoy. Indeed you will see that to encompass both our current and future plans for the development of our community we describe ourselves as the Airwego Group. This includes a number of Divisional Businesses such as Airwego (our central and always most prominent business) together with AirweCargo, a freight oriented company, bringing a whole new fleet and destinations to our offering. In the near future other exciting new ventures will be added to what we see as an ever expanding Group. As a Management Team we will provide you with tools such as premade flight plans to go in all the various aircraft type Flight Management Computers, our simple HERMES pilot reporting system and a host of other tailor made downloads to make your flights with us "as real as it gets". The choice of when you fly, which flight you want to undertake and even how long you want to "pause" it due to real world interruptions, is entirely yours. This is a hobby and we want you to enjoy it your way so maximum landing rates, pause times or fly "from where you land" rules will never exist in Airwego! We pride ourselves in welcoming member pilots of every level and diverse flight simulator choice. Most of our pilots use Microsoft FSX or FS9 simulators but we equally welcome those who have already migrated to Prepar3D and X-Plane. Our crews are made up of "old hands" with thousands of hours FS experience to literal newcomers taking their first steps in this fascinating hobby. They come from nations across the globe, helping each other and simply enjoying the Airwego community. However our principal motto we live by is "MINIMUM RULES - MAXIMUM FUN" All we ask is be helpful to others and most importantly - ENJOY YOURSELF!
  5. How hard do you work your virtual fleet of aircraft? Do you keep turnaround times to a minimum? Do you keep aircraft flying until the airport closes? Do you schedule time for regular maintenance? Thank you.
  6. Virtual Airline's come and go. Here today with grand plans and lots of enthusiasm but gone tomorrow! Airwego is a VA that started back in 2000 and is still going strong today. Perhaps not as grand as it once was in its "hey day" but still offering a home for virtual aviators who want to enjoy the hobby with minimal rules! The focus for the Management Team is to create a community of like minded individuals who are enjoy the hobby to whatever degree of realism they are comfortable with. Some of us are "CTRL+E" guys while others will have spent several hours (perhaps days) studying manuals to extract the maximum level of realism that you can from this fantastic hobby. So with fifteen years of operations behind Airwego and a growing pilot base the future looks bright. Thank you for reading.
  7. Gavin What a great looking VA! A nice tight fleet and a clear focus on the type of VA you want to be! Keep up the good work.
  8. Airwego is a UK based Virtual Airline originally formed in 2000. Our schedules see Airwego aircraft fly to destinations in both the UK and Europe from bases at Humberside and Bristol Airports. By some standards we are a small virtual airline in terms of the number of aircraft we operate and the number of destinations we fly to but...we are big in experience terms with a management team with over thirty years of Flight Simulation & Virtual Airline experience! Over this time we have come to appreciate that there are many types of virtual aviator of varying skills levels, time available to dedicate to the hobby and a infinite number of hardware and software combinations. However they all have one thing on common and that is to enjoy the hobby and have fun!. ...and fun we have had in our past... Airwego opened for virtual operations in March 2000. Planning and designing the virtual airline had started a few months earlier. While the name “Airwego†may sound strange at first it came about during a late night conversation between Ian and Richard. After several hours of brain-storming on several topics the subject of the what to call the new virtual airline came around. There we several suggestions from Lionwing Airways, Air Chester until Ian’s quizzed his daughter on the topic and the reply came back “Here we go" which very quickly morphed into Airwego! With this important piece of the planning in place a website and fleet livery could be designed! In 2000 web designing technology was far less sophisticated than it was to become. Automated flight reporting, fancy gizmo’s showing who was on-line or on-line voice communications…no…none of that. A counter showing how many visits to the page was pretty much the top of the tree in terms of website design! A early version of the website and the infamous 737 - "Purple Ronnie". But gizmo’s and fancy websites don’t make a virtual airline…the pilots do! So with a management team of three and a handful of pilots, who had left the global “we fly every aircraft ever made aren't we grand†airline, to stick with Richard, Ian & Bernie Airwego opened it’s doors and took off on a grand adventure in the virtual skies! The original policy of Airwego was to be a relatively simple operation with a sensible aircraft fleet and interesting list of destinations. Manchester Airport was the principle base but flights also operated from Liverpool and Humberside Airport. Destinations in the UK and Europe featured using Boeing B737’s, Airbus A320 & ATR42’s but with the expansion of the management team to include the legendary Steve “it wasn't me†Chase and Danny “where’s the runway†Cleavely the resources were in place to make Airwego more dynamic and unique. Steve’s passion was helicopter’s. With a day job as a helicopter engineer at Humberside airport he was in a very envious position which gave him a great insight into the daily operations of a airport and more importantly one that service the gas and oil fields located in the North Sea. With this in mind Steve was tasked with creating a scenery package for Humberside and also with replicating helicopter operations in the virtual world for the benefit of those virtual aviators who wanted their wings to rotate! Steve duly delivered a superb scenery for the airport and a virtual rotary operation that was supported with excellent repaints, detailed missions & schedules and program of constant development. Can you guess what we called it….VertiGo! The 2002 version of Steve's Humberside Scenery. An early version of the VertiGo logo. By early 2001 the management team of Airwego was settled with Richard taking the role of CEO (so pompous) Ian looking after the Aircraft Fleet (also assisted by a young creative chap called Adam), Danny dealing with new recruits and publishing press releases, Steve running VertiGo and a very smart fellow by the name of Chris Dale looking after Flight Operations. Alongside the introduction of VertiGo the fixed wing operations of Airwego also moved forward over the next couple of years with the introduction of long haul flights (and the 747), a special holiday charter livery called Sunspots, AWG Shuttle flying out of Humberside to small UK regional airports, a small Caribbean “retro†operation that flew the DC3, DC8 & Twin Otters and for a short period of time a small cargo division called..AirWeCarGo! The divisions of AirweGo. Despite the expanding operations the management team always kept the pilots point of view in mind when making any decisions with these decisions often taken at the Annual General Meeting – the AGM. The AGM was the opportunity for the management to meet up somewhere in the UK for a weekend and spend several hours of a Saturday afternoon discussing Airwego and deciding on what was working and what was not. A lot of progress was made in these meetings usually motivated by the fact that a night out had been planned on the back of it which would involve a meal and a few drinks. The following day would involve a aviation focused activity with notable tours around Humberside Airport, a few hours at Duxford Air Museum and aircraft spotting at Birmingham Airport. Times change and Airwego did. More depth was added to the operation with ready made flight-plans available, the Airwego Schedules recreated in Flight Simulator as AI traffic, the livery was updated, some automation of the daily flight reports and also personnel changes. Derek Jones joined the team after Danny moved on after several years of loyal service as did Richard with the expansion of his family. Ian assumed the reins of Airwego and continued to guide it very professionally for several years but the demands of the virtual aviator changed and newer, slicker virtual airlines appeared that slowly eroded away at the pilot bases of long established virtual airlines. Tragedy struck when Steve passed away which inevitably saw the closure of VertiGo. Airwego carried on until 2013 when through a combination of events the management team could no longer sustain the operation. Danny & Richard had remained friends after leaving Airwego and flew together with several virtual airlines but never quite felt the old magic. A conversation and the discovery that Brian Mason (ex Airwego pilot and now operator of Channel Express Virtual Airline) and preserved what remained of Airwego from 2013 sparked a idea that perhaps Airwego could be restarted with Danny & Richard at the helm. Brian was very supportive of the idea and assisted with repainting aircraft and using his contacts in development of the website. In the background Danny & Richard began to prepare for launching Airwego in the Autumn of 2014. So here we are. We have tasked ourselves with making being part of a Airwego as fun and enjoyable as possible! Please visit our website, Facebook or Twitter pages for more information. www.airwego.org.uk https://www.facebook.com/airwegouk https://twitter.com/Airwego Thanks for reading!
  9. Hello... Regardless of the day a flight has been set to operate can it be made bookable to a pilot? i.e...a flight operates to Berlin on a Monday be viewed by a pilot on a Wednesday. Thanks.
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