Secrets to recruiting pilots?

[James142]

Anyone got any tips on recruiting pilots for your va? if you look at mine you

can see that its going downhill fast

thanks,

james

[TAV1702]

It is REAL hard from what I gather. I have saw some VAs open the doors and immediately get hundreds of people and then others work on their site for months and open the doors and fizzle out within a month or two.

People tend to stay away from fictional airlines and join real world cloned VAs. Why I don't know, it is just what I have observed over the years I have been doing this. I would say to go hang out at VATSIM or other big flying places and make some buddies then spread the word.

Back links on the net help too. Get your site as high up on google as you can.

Other then that, I don't know because I can never seem to get pilots either. I guess I still do this because I like working on websites. Other then that, I would have gave in a long time ago and just joined a VA and called it good.

[flyalaska]

With all the VA's out here, you will have to offer something that other VA's don't. Besides that you can drop your link on any and every related site you can find. For example AVSIM, Flight Sim, etc.

[Cor]

V-Bird has started in 2004 and still is very active. Our average age is maybe a bit higher then some other VA´s and when you get older you most of the time have other priority´s in life.

Also we organise some meetings every year where we do some workshops and 2 times a year we are going to spot the planes at Schiphol and every year un november we present ourself at the FSWeekend in Lelystad. Furthermore we are a VA with not to mucg rules or exams. A lot of people don´tlike exams, as to speak for one off my pilots (who is a real life pilot)"If I have to do exams it looks like working and then I better get paid for it"

And let people know your VA is out there and do a lot of PR. If people like your VA you will get mouth to mouth PR.

Regards,

Cor

[TAV1702]

V-Bird has started in 2004 and still is very active. Our average age is maybe a bit higher then some other VA´s and when you get older you most of the time have other priority´s in life.

Also we organise some meetings every year where we do some workshops and 2 times a year we are going to spot the planes at Schiphol and every year un november we present ourself at the FSWeekend in Lelystad. Furthermore we are a VA with not to mucg rules or exams. A lot of people don´tlike exams, as to speak for one off my pilots (who is a real life pilot)"If I have to do exams it looks like working and then I better get paid for it"

And let people know your VA is out there and do a lot of PR. If people like your VA you will get mouth to mouth PR.

Regards,

Cor

You bring up some very good points. I don't do exams either, maybe except for ATC but that would be it. And yeah, life does get in the way quite often. That is why time restrictions at VAs suck in my opinion. So I can't fly this month and I'm fired? Uhhhh no! Sorry.

I agree with your pilot Cor. When it looks and feels like work, it is time to get paid for doing it. After all this is just a video game. What we have here is nothing more than Mr Rogers and the land of make believe.

And like was said, drop links everywhere and do PR and cross fingers. The old Kevin Costner movie quote "If you build it, they will come" does not always come true sadly enough.

[James142]

I guess i just need to get something to offer pilots when they join, but the one thing i hate the most are the "fake registrations".

thanks for the reply's

[TAV1702]

Yep. Fake registrations really suck. I call them VA whores. They basically go around signing up to VAs so they can go and brag to their buddies about how many VAs they belong to. I got a plan up my sleeve for these guys.

[James142]

Yep. Fake registrations really suck. I call them VA whores. They basically go around signing up to VAs so they can go and brag to their buddies about how many VAs they belong to. I got a plan up my sleeve for these guys.

Plan?

[TAV1702]

Yeah the new plan is a new pilot has 7 days to file his or her first pirep. If nothing is filed within that time, they are deleted. I figure if they make an effort to register then something caught there attention. If they are not feeling the same after registering and do not fly within one week and file with an approved ACARS device, then TOOTLES!

Not much of a plan but it keeps a pilots list cleaner looking.

[Cor]

I already do that. They have to do a flight within 14 days after joining. 4 days before the deadline they will receive a mail and after the deadline

I receive a mail to delete the pilot.

The same with people who did not do a flight within 30 days after their last flight. They receive a mail that they have 14 days to do the flight and they automaticly will be set on active or 14 days after the deadline I receive a mail to delete them.

I use scripts for that and tahts working very good (for me).

Regards,

Cor

[mark1million]

Cor that would be a good addition here, definable mails.

[Cor]

As soon as the testing is over and I have some more time I will try to make a module orso,

but as I am not a real good scripter, it can take a while

Regards,

Cor

[James142]

I was also wondering if it was possable that before an admin can accept a registration, the pilot has to click on a link in a email they recive from us to prove their email is real, f you know what i mean.

[Cor]

I was also wondering if it was possable that before an admin can accept a registration, the pilot has to click on a link in a email they recive from us to prove their email is real, f you know what i mean.

That will be a good option. Maybe Nabeel can built that in, so a VA can choose if they want this or not.

Regards,

Cor

[mark1million]

I suppose what you could do is hide your registration page then replace it with a email validation script so when they put their email in to verify it then sends the actual link to register, Fake email then no link.

Simple

[James142]

I suppose what you could do is hide your registration page then replace it with a email validation script so when they put their email in to verify it then sends the actual link to register, Fake email then no link.

Simple

Yeah, but could'nt they just find the registration page and send in applications?

[mark1million]

Yeah, but could'nt they just find the registration page and send in applications?

Not if you modify the url to something different than www.yoursite.com/index.php/registration

Its not fool proof but its another layer of security

[James142]

Not if you modify the url to something different than www.yoursite.com/index.php/registration

Its not fool proof but its another layer of security

Sounds like a good idea actually

[mark1million]

Im off this week so among other things if i get time i will have a look at implementing this and post the mod.

[Jon]

To keep fake pilots out I just make sure they enter a VATSIM id making it compulsary then make sure their IP matches with their coutry etc before accepting them.

Jon

[flyalaska]

Yep. Fake registrations really suck. I call them VA whores. They basically go around signing up to VAs so they can go and brag to their buddies about how many VAs they belong to. I got a plan up my sleeve for these guys.

I call them roster squatters. I saw a thread on VATSIM that a few people were having a contest on how many VA's they can sign up for. Annoying little kids.