City Bird virtual is the virtual airline based on Belgians quality airline, City Bird. Tis Va are based on the real Airline City Bird . CityBird was an airline founded in 1996 and based in Brussels, Belgium. It filed for bankruptcy in October 2001. City Bird virtually officially started operating on the 6th of June 2008.
What is a VA?
There are two sorts of VA 's (virtual airlines). You have the fantasy virtual airlines. These aren't based on a real world airline and are completely made up. The second sort are the real world virtual airlines... virtual airlines based on a real world (existing) airline. These VA 's fly the same flights as the existing airline does with the same planes on the same hours. But of course, at the virtual airline you fly the flights in a simulator.
Who joins a VA?
City Bird VA hires pilots. These are persons having a common interest in aviation and flight simulators. Age doesn't matter at the flying dream. Our pilots range from 14 to 70 years old. Flight experience doesn't matter either as we will train new pilots and transform them into a professional pilot. Most of our pilots joined us after they enjoyed the service on board of one of City Birds flights.
Do the pilots get paid?
Our pilots don't get paid for the simple reason that a VA is a non-profit organization and does not has the money to pay its pilots. The members of the group are able to buy stocks on the virtual stock exchange.
Who builds the airplanes?
There are some "painters" who spend their time painting aircraft for flight simulators. They have a basic model of an aeroplane and use a simple paint program to paint the planes for example in City Bird liveries. These painters don't get paid either for their services. It's their hobby to paint and test the planes for us.
Who decides the schedules?
City Bird VA tries to fly the exact same schedules as old City Bird. City Bird as a charter airline doesn't has a regular timetable so it's pretty difficult for us to create a regular timetable. However, we try to create one every month. Every month we request the schedules for one week at City Bird and we use those schedules for one month (or longer).
What about flightplanning?
That's another fun, but unrealistic part. Our pilots do not receive the flightplans, weather reports and NOTAMS from us just before T/O. Our members spend some time before the actual flight to make their flightplan, to search the net after weather reports etc.
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