Realistic VA Recommendations Needed!

[grips2 0]

Hi all!

I'm looking for some recommendations, as when it comes to VA's Google is not always your friend!

I have just two stipulations:

- Rank Progression through hours is a MUST. I like starting small and gradually working my way to bigger aircraft. Being able to jump straight into a 747 is a major immersion Killer for me (though I understand it for people with less time).

- Codeshares with other airlines, rather than just flights with a single airline, so the routes are constantly interesting and I can switch it up if I get bored.

There are only two airlines that come close that I have found! The first being AFVA - schedules are great as they have all of Air France's real life codeshare partner airlines, available to fly, BUT, the rank progression requires only 10 hours of flying time in your current class before you can do the checkride and progress to the next level and doesn't increase with the size of aircraft you are flying. Also, in the very bottom class, you are able to fly anything up to ERJ-195 size. That's pretty big for a new hire, if you ask me!

The other airline is MacAir Virtual (Millenium Aviation Company) - Now this airline has many code-shares, but the only part I am interested in is the professional division. It requires you to start off in a Cessna and rack up something like 1000 hours before you get into a 747, while passing countless tests and only being able to fly routes assigned to you. For me this would be perfect, the only issue is that all flights are to and from a single airport (Phoenix, which barely has any international traffic, total immersion killer in later stages) regardless of what aircraft you are flying, and none of the flights are based on a real airline.

That's pretty much it, if anyone has any recommendations for me, that would be FANTASTIC! Even if it doesn't quite meet my criteria, I'll still be very grateful and check it out.

I have XP11 and P3D4, but at the minute I'm in a P3D4 phase if that helps, but can fly both!

Many Thanks for Replies!

[kenz 33]

I'm not sure but something like http://www.simbitworld.ro/ could suits you. Or Projectfly career mode but it's not available yet...

Everything is based around your commercial pilot career. It will take you from the first steps of a junior first officer employed at a local small company, to a senior captain at a world-renowned airline. In the beginning you will be offered a job and you will generate your schedule. As you progress and complete the flights, you will earn virtual money and experience (XP) based on flight time and number of routes completed. After a while, you will advance in pilot rankings, receive offers from other airlines and most importantly, you will have fun doing this

 

Edited June 26, 2019 by kenz

[Captain Kevin 586]

5 hours ago, grips2 said:

- Codeshares with other airlines, rather than just flights with a single airline, so the routes are constantly interesting and I can switch it up if I get bored.

This is the part that's confusing me. You're wanting something of a realistic level, but then you add this part. You do realize this isn't how a codeshare works, right? A codeshare allows an airline to add their flight number and sell tickets on another airline's aircraft. Delta, for instance, might add their flight number to a KLM flight, so they would be selling seats on said flight, but it's still the KLM crew that's flying the aircraft.

5 hours ago, grips2 said:

Also, in the very bottom class, you are able to fly anything up to ERJ-195 size. That's pretty big for a new hire, if you ask me!

I mean, to be fair, as far as the airlines themselves are concerned, a lot of airlines generally don't have a fleet of Cessna 172s or similar size sitting around. JetBlue, for instance, doesn't have anything smaller than an E190. Even American Eagle/Envoy doesn't have anything smaller than an ERJ-140.

[skelsey 765]

<Plug on>

Depends obviously on where you would like to be based etc - but have you considered BAVirtual?

We would seem to tick most of your boxes. We don't do codeshares (for the reason Kevin mentioned - it's not very realistic!) but we do include the schedules of BA's subsidiaries (CityFlyer, Sun-Air of Scandinavia, Comair South Africa), a fairly varied selection of historical 'Classic' routes if that sort of thing floats your boat, and circa 2,500 BA mainline flights updated on a weekly basis to match the actual BA schedule, if that seems sufficient? All supported with a wide range of info and documentation based on the real BA flying manuals, an integrated flight planning and dispatch system supported by real-world data, an active and friendly community and much more.

Alongside that, we also have a (VFR) Flying Club and we're a VATSIM ATO offering training through the pilot ratings for those who wish to do so (and to progress through those courses you will indeed be starting off in a C172 for the basic training course and moving on to the Baron 58 for the advanced/multi-engine instrument flying course).

We're constantly evolving and upgrading our systems to enhance the experience and we've got a lot of plans in the pipeline to come over the coming months as well so exciting times..,

<plug off>

[threexgreen 3,139]

I've been with two which are deltava.org and united-virtual.com.

At Delta VA, you're put into an aircraft program based on an entry exam testing your knowledge about aviation. You can then accrue hours but that's not what gets you promoted into other, bigger aircraft. You have to take an F/O's exam (multiple choice) about the new aircraft and if you pass you have to complete a check ride. You are then in the next higher aircraft program as an F/O and can take the Captain's exam if you wish. Very realistic and fun if you're into that.

United Virtual requires you to accure 5 (I think) flight hours in small equipment until you can do a check ride which will make you a permanent pilot. After that, you advance by accruing flight hours.

[ckyliu 1,749]

Looks at signature below his post, clears throat www.viaintercity.com . Has rank progression although all types are available from the start, the largest of which is the A320 but you are welcome to self-restrict and start out with the PMDG JS41.

[grips2 0]

8 hours ago, kenz said:

I'm not sure but something like http://www.simbitworld.ro/ could suits you. Or Projectfly career mode but it's not available yet...

Hi Kenz!

I cannot believe I have never heard of project fly -- Career mode sounds like the greatest thing since bread came sliced! I can't believe I never saw it on Matt Davies Channel, or my extensive searches for Air Hauler 2 alternatives, as Just Flight gave me tech support after I bought it for 3 weeks, before giving up and offering me a refund, as the program would simply display an error message and CTD when I loaded it.

I did buy A Pilot's Life by Sim Bit World but I had two major gripes, and two minor ones (not that I'm too worried about it, as they seem to be constantly adding new features, so guess I'll just wait and they will likely add these in the future). If these few things I'm about to mention have no bearing on your disposition to purchase, the product itself is GREAT!

Major 1. No rank restriction for aircraft, just for the airlines you fly for. You could be rank zero, but luck out with a starting job offer for a big carrier and jump straight into a 777. I wish with job offers they also assigned you were also assigned to an aircraft, and from then on could request a type transfer with experience!

Major 2. All Airlines only have a single hub you can fly from (whereas in real life, even some regional airlines with a fleet size of less that 50 such as Alliance Air (Australia) have 5+ hubs!). -- In simbitworld you can apply, and subsequently be rejected from jobs in real world airlines. It would be nice to have the same thing for hub transfer requests if you get bored of the routes!

Minor 1. Smallest aircraft available in fleet is a Saab 340. 

Minor 2. Aircraft aren't assigned to certain routes, it lets you choose any aircraft in the airlines fleet for any route. I don't like this because I like to simulate the real life counterpart!

Anyway, thank you Kenz so much for the recommendations (I especially can't thank you enough for putting Projectfly on my radar!), just thought I'd put this up for the consideration of anyone who hasn't bought yet that has a similar mentality to me (if there's a better place to post what I just posted then let me know, because if I had known then what I know now I may have waited to purchase, but, at the same time I'm happy they have my money for development)

Happy Flights!

 

 

[kenz 33]

1 hour ago, grips2 said:

(I especially can't thank you enough for putting Projectfly on my radar!)

you're welcome ! Indeed they don't talk so much about the career mode yet, but it is on their roadmap. (my estimation would be Q2/Q3 2020 for a realease)

also under development their is two carreer/economy products coming :

https://www.onair.company/

https://fscharter.net/

Edited June 26, 2019 by kenz

[jschaper 25]

Hi Grips2 (real name?)

You could take a look at flyuk Virtual (flyuk.aero). Ticks most of your boxes I think, including rank progression and codeshare with some other VA’s. It’s been my goto VA for years now, although I also fly with BAVirtual and Delta VA.

Jack Schaper

[serguei909 0]

Did you try FS Captain ??? ... absolutely fantastic addon (P3D and FSX)  wich adds lot of immersion ! Give a look ;-)

[fluffyflops 1,858]

You need to find a good va run by adults and not destroyed by kids.  A good example is the air canada va it's outstanding and run by complete pros

http://www.vacanada.org/v6/en/

 

In contrast you have the virgin atlantic one which is run by completly inept kids and such like 

virvirtual.co.uk