Platinum Airways Visits Extreme Runways
Platinum Airways, the very virtual Open Skies airline, has revealed its September Destination of the Week theme. Extreme Runways will visit the world’s shortest and longest runways that have scheduled and non-scheduled service. Extreme Runways is bound to be an extremely challenging series.
Extreme Runways will offer exactly what it says: the world’s longest and shortest runways with and without scheduled service. The series will kick off with the shortest commercial airport: Saba (TNCS), with a length of 1,299 ft and its extremely challenging approach. Next up is the longest non-commercial airport: Edwards Air Force Base’s extended RWY 17/35, with a length of 39,907 ft, although only 15,000 ft is paved – the rest is on a dry lake bed. From there we’ll visit the shortest runway altogether: according to our research, it is 0WN5 or Potts Field in North Cape, Wisconsin, with its 150 ft turf surface runway. And we end the series with the longest runway with scheduled service: Qamdo Bamda (ZUBD) in Tibet, with a length of 18,045 ft and elevation of 14,219 ft or 4,334 m. ZUBD is extremely challenging, with the thin air at that elevation.
As per Platinum Airways DOTW routine, pilots will be offered navigational charts. In addition, links to scenery files (FS9, FSX and X-Plane) and other aids are provided. And when applicable, Platinum Airways usually succeeds in negotiating favourable conditions for its members for the specific destination’s duration. Pilots visiting a current DOTW are rewarded with a 5% bonus. Past DOTW’s remain available to pilots through an archive system. Continue reading
Platinum Airways Serves Its Pilots Food For Thought
As the northern hemisphere is less than a week away from its Summer holidays, Platinum Airways, the very virtual Open Skies airline, is preparing its next Destination of the Week theme, “Food For Thought”. The DOTW theme will take pilots to nine airports serving a town whose name was derived from a world famous food.
Food for thought will offer Platinum Airways’ pilots a full menu. Pilots are called to their table with an aperitif, the Boston Cooler (KBOS). For a starter, Platinum Airways will serve Parma Ham (LIMP). There is a wide choice of main courses: Peking Duck (ZBAA), Hamburger (EDDH), Chicago Deep Dish Pizza (KORD), and Kobe Beef (RJBE). All these main dishes are accompanied by a Bordeaux (LFBD) wine. For dessert, Platinum Airways suggests Wiener pastry and coffee (LOWW). Food for thought will be concluded with a digestif, Port wine (LPPR). Pilots flying to Food For Thought DOTW destinations will be able to download navigational charts, and will be provided with links to scenery files (FS2004, FSX and X-Plane) and other aids. If only payware additional sceneries are on offer, Platinum Airways usually succeeds in negotiating favourable conditions for its members for the specific destination’s duration. Pilots visiting a current DOTW are rewarded with a 5% bonus. Past DOTW’s remain available to pilots through an archive system.
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Platinum Airways Urges Its Pilots to “Stretch Your Legs”
Platinum Airways, the very virtual Open Skies airline, is facing a sporty month of June. Urging its pilots to Stretch your legs, the Open Skies virtual airline’s Destination of the Week will visit four major sports events in North America and Europe.
June promises to be an excellent month for sports fanatics and Platinum Airways’ Destination of the Week will fly them to their destination. Stretch your legs kicks off with the Canadian Formula 1 Grand Prix, held at Montréal (CYUL) on 10 June. Next on the calendar is the US Golf Open in San Francisco (KSFO) from 14 to 17 June. From there, Platinum Airways’ Destination of the Week theme crosses the Atlantic, to witness the start of the Championships at Wimbledon on the outskirts of London (EGLL) (25 June to 8 July). Stretch your legs ends with the Euro 2012 soccer final in Kyiv (UKKK) on 1 July. Pilots are encouraged to … stretch their legs during their stay at the DOTW.
As per usual, all DOTW destinations will be accompanied with navigational charts, links to scenery files (FS9, FSX and X-Plane) and other aids. If only payware additional sceneries are on Continue reading
Platinum Airways Ships Cargo!
Platinum Airways, the very virtual Open Skies airline, will ship Cargo! to the main hubs of the five leading global courier service providers over the next five weeks. Its latest Destination of the Week theme Cargo! will take pilots to some of the world’s most important freight hubs in the United States, Europe and Asia.
Cargo! will focus on the leading global courier service providers and their main hubs. The series will kick off with DHL and its main hub, Halle-Leipzig (EDDP). Next on the list is UPS and its main hub Louisville – KSDF. The third Cargo! destination will be FedEx’ Memphis – KMEM. For the fourth leg, we’ll return to Europe, to TNT’s main hub of Liège – EBLG. We conclude the series with Aramex, which is listed in Dubai – OMDB. Pilots will be able to fly the DOTW’s with the aircraft of their choice. However, Platinum Airways’ fleet includes both freeware and payware liveries for the B747F.
Cargo! pilots will be assisted with navigational charts, links to scenery files and other aids. Scenery links include X-Plane downloadable files where available. Pilots visiting the current DOTW receive a 5% bonus. Past DOTW’s remain available to pilots through an archive system. Continue reading
Platinum Airways Takes Trip Down Memory Lane
Platinum Airways, the very virtual Open Skies airline, has announced its next Destination of the Week theme. From 1 to 29 April, Platinum Airways pilots will be visiting four decommissioned airports. “Memory Lane” will touch down at Hong Kong’s Kai Tak (VHHH), Berlin’s Tempelhof (EDDI), South Africa’s Durban (FADN) and Johnston Atoll Airport (PJON).
Memory Lane presents Platinum Airways’ pilots with four airports that no longer have a valid ICAO code. The series starts with Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Airport (VHHH), whose code was taken over by the city’s new Chek Lap Kok Airport. Kai Tak has one of the most spectacular and technically challenging approaches for wide bodied aircraft, RWY 13. Next up is Berlin’s Tempelhof Airport (EDDI), one of Europe’s three iconic pre-World War II airports. The third trip down Memory Lane takes Platinum Airways to South Africa’s Louis Botha airport (FADN) in Durban, which was replaced by King Shaka Airport (FALE) in 2010. We end the series with the exotic Johnston Atoll Airport (PJON), idyllically located in the Pacific Ocean southwest of Hawaii on a 1.03 sq mi – 2.7 km² atoll.
As usual with Platinum Airways’ Destination of the Week airports, all trips down Memory Lane will be accompanied by navigational charts, links to scenery files and other aids to successfully approach the four decommissioned airports. Scenery links include X-Plane downloadable files where available. Pilots visiting the current DOTW receive a 5% Continue reading
Platinum Airways Serves Southern Comfort
Platinum Airways has revealed its next Destination of the Week theme: Southern Comfort. Over the next five weeks, the Open Skies virtual airline will present a tour of five major Southern hemisphere holiday destinations. Southern Comfort will be served in South America, Africa, the Indian Ocean and two destinations in Asia.
After having spent several weeks in Antarctica, the Alps and the Rocky Mountains, Platinum Airways is about to pay tribute to the Southern hemisphere’s summer. Under its new theme Southern Comfort, the Open Skies virtual airline will be Continue reading
Platinum Airways Flies Jet Setters to Ski Country Airports
Platinum Airways will be flying the jet set to its favourite ski resorts over the next four weeks. Private Delights, the Open Skies virtual airline’s next Destination of the Week series, will visit four smaller airports in ski country in the Alps and the Rocky Mountains.
Platinum Airways’ 2012 ski season DOTW theme differs strongly from last year’s Conquest of the Snowy Mountains, which visited the larger airports servicing popular ski resorts. This year, Private Delights is flying VIPs to their exclusive getaways in the snow. The series starts off with France’s Courchevel Airport (LFLJ), an extremely short and steeply sloped airfield of James Bond fame that can only accommodate smaller propeller planes. The other European Private Delight is Switzerland’s Lugano Airport (LSZA), very challenging with its 6.6 degrees approach – more than double the normal 3 degrees approach angle. In North America, both our Private Delight destinations are nestled in valleys in the Rocky Mountains. Glenwood Springs (KGWS) and Golden (CYGE) can be quite treacherous and are bound to provide a real test to pilots. This series is not Continue reading
