Ryanair VA

[Guest nhritchie]

Does anyone out there know what happened to Ryanair VA of Ireland/Europe? I joined it about 4 weeks ago....and the server went down about a week later! And never came up again! I don't usually have this effect on VA's lol. It wa s quite big - about 45o pilots (tho how much activity was another matter) If anyone hears any rumours I'd be curious to know.Neil

[greggerm]

Although I have NO official idea - typically when a VA of that size just disappears, it would be due to the "parent" airline sending the lawyers in to pull the plug.Unless the VA was fully sanctioned by Ryanair, I would place my money on the REAL Ryanair getting the "trademark itch"...Many VA's have had their blocks knocked off due to this...-Greg

[Guest nhritchie]

Yep, that idea occured to me too. The website claimed that they had official sanction from Ryanair. However there was no date, quote or reference to any communication. I seem to remember somwehre that the sanction may have been time limited or reviewable, so maybe the "parent" pulled the plug. The day before the website went down I posted a note in the forum saying that one of the good things we had going for us was official sanction, since so many VA's have suffered from heavy handed legal attention. Also the website was "styled" exactly like the real thing, which gave you a real feeling that the VA was an extension the real thing. This was cool...maybe too cool to last!

[Guest BillTee]

Neil,Do a Google search using " Ryanair VA " and look at an announcement from them. I have been a pilot for them for years and hope that they will continue to fly.Bill T. RVA164

[Guest tufty]

I too was a pilot for Ryanair VA (RVA140) and I was with them for quite a while. They did say that they had authorisation from Ryanair to operate with their name. I was with the original Ryanair Virtual which then amalgamated into RyanairVA.I just went to the website last month to submit a pirep and whoah!!, it was gone. At first I just thought they had a technical website problem but after a few days realised that there must be something more serious. I tried in vain to determine what was happening and even asked on the Irish Flight Sim Design forum but nobody knew.If they have been forced to disband, then surely they could have at least done the decent thing and sent us all an explanatory email.If anyone does find out, I'd be grateful if they would let us all know.Dave

[Guest BillTee]

Hi Dave,Yes sir. Same for me, I first joined when Fred was the boss and have seen Ryanair go through closing and then merging and coming back to life. I check their web site every day in hopes that I can find out something. I'll continue to check every day or so and try to let you know. Should we exchange e-mail addresses ?Bill T., RVA 164

[Guest nhritchie]

Yes it does seem odd that the whole thing disappeared, like Atlantis, without a word from anyone, esp since they had server trouble and had moved to a new and apparently more stable server. I spent months looking at VA's since my former one fizzled out, before I eventually went for Ryanair. It did seema bit automated... none of the 3 e mails I sent to management were ever replied to, and I had the feeling numbers were a bit more important than people, but I couldn't resist the cool real-Ryanair-lookalike website, and the chance to fly the 737 on short haul routes for a real world based VA . I still fly Ryanair flights and callsigns on VATSIM. If anyone hears anything my e mail is [email protected]

[Guest Teacher]

Same as me. I belonged to Ryanair whose CEO was Fred. Then with the merge I staid a couple of months and left because I disagreed with some parts of the new "philosophy". I had always regreted the "hunt" the new CEO had started toward the 2 other virtual Ryanair, claiming he was the only one to have the official approval. I guess that some people suddenly removed their approval (or he may not have had it as he claimed, I dunno). But in the end, I really regret that this VA disappeared. I hope they'll be a solution and that we will be able to fly again in a Ryanair VA, whomever leads it.Best regards to you all and all former Ryanair VA members.Phil Tonin (former VR013, then RVA129)

[Guest BillTee]

Hello Phil,I joined the original Ryanar VA right after you did. My ID was VR014 and then RVA164 after the " merge. "I really hope that Ryanair comes back to life, it's great to fly in Europe.Bill Trinidad

[Guest nhritchie]

Yes, the lo cost sector has a lot to commend it, when it comes to inspiring a VA - simple structure, routes that vary from short domestic to medium. It does seem under represented in the VA world, at least in Europe. However I have thrown in my lot with Britannic Charter Airlines ( bcavirtual.com ) , which has a slightly different operational approach to most VA's, a strong community spirit and a management dedicated to providing a fun environment for FlightSim enthusiasts.

[Guest BillTee]

The Ryanair site is back on-line !Bill T.