Do I or Don't I

[Matthieu]

Hi Guys, 

I wanting to get more involved with a Va.  I'm not sure If I make my own or buy a already going Va. 

Would you be able to help me with some pros and cons, whats the average cost of setting one up or whats the average cost of buying one already going. 

Many Thanks 

 

 

 

[mischka]

well, since phpvms itself is free, all financial cost is the hosting. 

Then it depends on your coding skills. If you can't code at all you'll have to hire somebody who can. 

If you can code, the cost of a new VA is just time. Lots of time  Of course you can cut corners here and there by buying a website template already adapted to phpvms, or even downloading one of the free designs for phpvms kicking around the web. 

I've no idea how much an existing VA would go for, maybe somebody else can answer that

[Matthieu]

Hi Mischka, 

Thank you for your feed back it greatly appreciated. No i haven't learnt coding skills.

Is this something I can learn online or am i best to find someone to help me? Where do I find someone that can help me?  

Many Thanks

[CarlosEduardo2409]

I'm going to interrupt a little of your conversation ... it's up to you, I program a bit of java, so I have little skill in php, that is, I already know some things, so it's a little easier for me, I recommend, and this helps me a lot is W3schools, School of net, PHP, DevMedia, I also recommend YouTube, obviously you will find several videos of php.

I recommend one person, but some are catered for, so I prefer the online course because some are free, but that's in my opinion. The choice is up to you.

Edited November 5, 2017 by CarlosEduardo2409

[mischka]

Well, before pointing out where to learn to code (there are thousands of resources) its best to figure out if that's an ambition in the first place.

If coding seems something enjoyable to do and something you'd like to do in the future, then go for it! But expect a steep learning curve, a lot of cursing and frustration but also a great feeling of satisfaction when it works! I'm a programmer by profession but didn't touch php until I started my own VA. 

On the other hand, if you don't want to learn to code (for whatever reason) you have following options:

1) pay somebody to set up a new VA website

2) buy an existing VA

paying somebody to set up a new one might be slightly cheaper because the owner of an existing VA, if it runs well, will also want money to compensate him for the countless hours he put in to it. 

If you decide to pay for a new or existing VA, shoot me a PM I have options for you

Edited November 5, 2017 by mischka

[Matthieu]

Thanks guys. I have a look tonight and think on whats best for me. 

[magicflyer]

2 hours ago, Matthieu said:

Thanks guys. I have a look tonight and think on whats best for me. 

Everybody is going into the implementation, but let's start with this first: Should you launch a virtual airline? Many people drop hundreds of dollars on a VA over the course of a year only to find out they (1) Don't have the time to maintain a whole community (2) They're the only ones flying in it, in which case (3) They didn't need a virtual airline in the first place. Food for thought <3

 

[ProAvia]

You might also wish to look into applying for a management role with an existing VA. This will help you acquire a background into how a VA is run and how much time it takes.

If you decide to persue a role with an existing VA, think about what you have to bring to the table to help out that VA.

[mischka]

10 hours ago, magicflyer said:

Everybody is going into the implementation, but let's start with this first: Should you launch a virtual airline? Many people drop hundreds of dollars on a VA over the course of a year only to find out they (1) Don't have the time to maintain a whole community (2) They're the only ones flying in it, in which case (3) They didn't need a virtual airline in the first place. Food for thought <3

 

That's a fair point. There are so many VA's out there, many of them near dead and in need of resuscitation, why start a new one?

When starting a new VA, there's two questions you need to answer to  yourself - and be brutally honest. 

1) What would you be able to offer to the VA world that 19082298402840328402 existing airlines don't offer already?  

2) What is your prime motivation for starting a VA ie Why do you really want to do this? 

3) What skills do you have that make you suitable to run a VA? 

Uncomfortable questions, I know.. but they have to be answered when starting any company, even a virtual one that has no paying clients. 

 

[marpilot]

Hello,

I am also thinking about starting VA in Nepal for DHC-6 , Do-228 flights in challenging and beauiful part of the world.

Do you think it is a bad idea?