It has been a busy few weeks here at Virtual United. We have made several changes to our Executive Management and our various departments (i.e. airline operations, technology, and communications).

These changes are the embodiment of our commitment to our pilots to provide the best in regards to staff professionalism and pilot experience.  Here at Virtual United, we are constantly looking for ways to improve the pilot experience; bringing creativity and innovation to new heights and most of all – creating strong, lasting bonds between pilots and staff within our community. We invite to come and be a part of our growing community of pilots; come and experience Virtual United for yourselves. For the pilots that are, and have been with us through it all; we extend a heartfelt thank you.

Airline Operation consist of our seven Hubs. Chicago, Houston, Newark, San Francisco, LA, and Denver and its not just about flying its about having fun flying, challenging each other, pushing the limits of your training. This can be done through numerous ways including Group Flights, difficult approaches or landing rate initiatives not to mention numerous giveaways. One of the best ways been Battle of the Hubs. It begins with the group stage, final four, two Hub enter one Hub leave. Its an opportunity you cant miss. We have put together some of the brightest and game changing Pilots as Domicile Manages who lead the Hubs into
unchartered territories. This is where you want to be, let your mind lead and your body will follow.

Only virtualua.org can offer this much prize for an Event. Coming this Summer to the skies near you we have Gex, Utx, Payware Aircraft, payware regions for Gex and lots more giveaways for our Fun in the Sun Summer Event. Details soon so keep your engines spooled up.

The Virtual United Airlines Technology Department is continually improving our platform and enhancing the pilot experience. This spring a refreshed main website and ACARS updates are in the works. Most importantly, the main website will also feature an enhanced partner show case demonstrating our commitment to renew our community partnerships.

The United Virtual team has several community outlets via social media.
We invite everyone to check those sites out. These sites include …
▪ Facebook​: https://www.facebook.com/groups/virtualunited/
▪ Twitter​: https://twitter.com/virtualunited
▪ Instagram​: https://instagram.com/virtualunitedair/

Blue Skies
Virtual United Social Club | Virtual United Airlines

A few big changes are underway here at Virtual UA, perhaps none larger than the rollout of our new ACARS program currently undergoing Beta testing. We will be rolling out ACARS v3 on November 1st, 2014, alongside an ACARS launch event currently in the making. ACARS v3 is not only an upgrade or simply a bug patch. It’s a complete rework from the ground up and represents the countless hours we spend behind the scenes making this VA better for you.

The ACARS is but one of many things underway here at Virtual UA. We’re currently working on content for our Pilot Shop and Discount Store, Pilot Recognition Programs i.e Best Landing Rate, Most Hours, etc., Awards to Compliment those Programs, A re-rejuvenated Events Department, and a complete sweep of our website to fix any existing bugs or to just add new content and make it as pilot friendly as possible.

We know you have choices in the flightsim community, so we offer our deepest, most heartfelt thank you to all of you help make our VA the best out there. We certainly wouldn’t be here doing all this if it weren’t for you, so THANK YOU.

Until next time,
Kind Regards,
VirtualUA Corporate Communications

Virtual United Airlines (virtualua.org) is excited to announce changes and improvements to our community in an effort to provide the best experience possible for our current members, and to share the Virtual United experience with non-members as well. Change is not always negative, and in our case, it’s a great thing. We believe change is making the appropriate decisions and alterations in order to improve and become better. We recognized that in order to lead the world of virtual aviation, we had to improve. That’s what we’re doing.

The following changes will be seen immediately:

Our Founder, Robert Sayles, has returned as CEO and will be involved in all day-to-day operations. His vision for our community is greatly needed and his leadership will take our community to new heights.

Michael Hendon has returned to the Management Team as COO. Michael has had much experience in the virtual airline community and with Virtual United, and is eager to help lead these changes and facilitate our progress.

These major management realignments, along with others, such as the hiring of an events director and creation of a new communications and marketing department, are much needed improvements. Our community’s progress has already become evident and we’re excited about the future.

We’d also like to announce our ACARS Beta Testing program. A Beta team such as this has never existed at Virtual United as it will allow community members to give direct feedback to our ACARS Manager, Keith Lovell, as he perfects vuACARS 3.0 so that, upon its release, it meets the standards of our members. A common theme within Virtual United is providing the best experience for our members, and our ACARS Beta Testing program is consistent with that theme.

Lastly, we’ve hired a Director of Events, Eric Kollat. Mr. Kollat has been charged with energizing our community through online (VATSIM) events, both planned and impromptu. Our most important goal for Eric is that our community always has opportunities to become involved with each other, and that our Teamspeak server, forums, and our social media pages are just another avenue for our members to interact and plan impromptu events with each other. We have no doubt that he will accomplish this goal, and that he will be a perfect fit in his new role.

These changes come with the whole support of our Management Team, as well as our community members. We’re proud of the heights Virtual United has already reached, and we’re excited for the new heights that we are quickly approaching. Of course, we always have room to grow, progress to make, and we invite you to join us! Visit us at www.virtualua.org and experience what it means to be a Virtual United member.

Blue skies!

Tyler McBee
Executive VP of Corporate Communications & Marketing
tmcbee@virtualua.org

Connect with us on social media!
Facebook: www.facebook.com/virtualunitedair
Twitter: www.twitter.com/virtualunited

Welcome to 2014 here at Virtual United! We have some big news to start you off with so let’s get started!

The first thing you probably noticed is our new logo. Yes, we are still the same www.virtualua.org but we decided to undergo a new corporate rebranding to provide a more modern and sophisticated look. This new logo comes with several alternate versions for publications and forum signatures so stay tuned. We also created several new features for our members. These include a brand new forums, a pilot welcome package with desktop wallpapers and FS splashscreens, and lots more on the way for the new year!

Speaking of development, we are starting off the year with a bang. In the coming weeks, we will release another promotional video as well as some videos in coordination with our awesome partners. Probably the largest item on the agenda is a new face for Virtual United. We will be starting the process of revamping our current site to make it more functional and even give our pilots some features never before seen at a virtual airline. Stay tuned for more!

So the question rises, why all of these new updates? Is it just a bunch of new year resolutions? Of course not! Today we would like to announce some BIG news. After several months of negotiations and hard work, we have received official recognition from United Airlines, Inc. What does this mean for you, our pilots? Well it means now we have more resources to continue providing what we have done in the past year, just expect a lot more of it! This will include: product giveaways, contests with great prizes, discounts to our partners’ websites, and maybe even a real world convention for all of Virtual United’s staff and members!

Now the numbers. We are getting down to business here at Virtual United and our numbers are reflecting it. As of today, we have 326 ACTIVE pilots in our system and we average 60+ PIREPS per day! We also have launched weekly events and hub battles so be sure to check those out! As United does in the real world, we will be flying Team USA to Sochi for the Winter Olympics starting January 25, 2014.

With all of this news to track, these press releases may not be enough. Even if you aren’t a member yet, which you should be, come check out our Facebook page. We post daily to keep you updated with the organization’s status. You surely will not want to miss out on the big things coming for Virtual United. https://www.facebook.com/virtualunitedair

None the less, have a great day and blue skies, we hope to see your soon here at www.virtualua.org!

Virtual United Airlines

“Moving the world of virtual aviation forward”

www.virtualua.org

Our community appears to still be growing as we now have ~250 ACTIVE pilots and ~40 PIREPS per day. Just as a reminder this marks the half-way point to our 500 pilot cap so join now before we have to close the registration! We will also be launching a new recruitment campaign which will likely double transferable hours and a starting balance of 10,000+ vUnited Reward Points!

Our events department has been busy at work planning both major and minor events for our members. vUnited pilots can enjoy a wide range of weekly fly-in’s over the VATSIM network. The next major event for vUnited is Christmas in Chicago (December 15, 2013). Even if you are not a pilot, we invite you to come join us at O’Hare Airport that day for a chance to win several prizes from our generous partners. Sponsors will include: REX Game Studios, Aerosoft, Majestic Simulations, BluePrint Simulations & more!

Want the flexibility of creating your own charter flights and equally rewarding points program? With our Executive Platinum Rewards program, you can ‘purchase’ your own flights through our pilot shop. Say you want to fly your new PMDG 777 from two city pairs not in the schedule, now you can with our new rewards program!

vUnited has also announced that we are going to be hiring several new members including: Domicile Managers, Editors and Writers for vUnited Contrails, and more! Please visit www.virtualua.org?content=careers to apply!

The 2014 Go Forward Plan will itemize all of our short term and long term goals for the coming year. This will include: the vUnited Pilot Council, web/ACARS development, staff training programs, and more! We will be releasing the detailed version of the Go Forward Plan this coming week to the community.

Thanks for your continued support and we hope you chose to come fly with us if you aren’t already a member here!

“Moving the World of Virtual Aviation Forward”

Website:
471 Pilots
4786 Flights
15348 Hours

Social Media:
2757 Facebook Likes
140 Twitter Followers
41 Instagram Followers – For our hipster members
26 YouTube Subscribers

With our statistics out of the way, we would like to take a look at our milestone events in the month of July. On July 21st, vUnited held its first major event, Fun N’ Sun 2013. This event brought in over 80 operations to Houston Intercontinental Airport and we were fortunate enough to have several sponsors which donated products for the event!

Last month, we stated that vUnited was in the process of attaining its ATO status with VATSIM. As of today, we now offer a solid training program with P1/P2 ratings available (P3 and up soon to come).

Now is the best time to join vUnited if you have yet to join! Our executive department has decided to cap pilot registration at 500 pilots so get here quickly as we only have ~30 spots left. For those who join this month, they will receive 150 FREE transfer hours and 5000 vUnited Reward Points. In addition, vUnited is holding its second major event just weeks after Fun N’ Sun. On August 17, 2013, vUnited will be hosting the First Annual VirtUAL Flight Sim Expo. This event will be a showcase of the flight simulation community and the best part is everyone is invited! The conference will be held on a public TeamSpeak server (connection info to come), and we will have several guest speakers ranging from our partners to real world pilots! Afterwards, we will host a fly-in to Washington Dulles (KIAD) with special thanks to ZDC and ZBW (who will be hosting Boston! LIVE that day as well).

For more info, be sure to check out: www.conference.virtualua.org

There is much to look forward to in the coming months here at vUnited. Our theme for Fall 2013, “Fall back with vUnited” will feature many new programs and incentives for pilots to get the most out of their flight simulation experience. These programs will feature customized training programs, more fly-ins, charter programs, and more!

Sadly enough, the school season starts in just a matter of weeks and we are sad to see summer go! This summer was a fantastic growing phase for vUnited and we hope that we can continue to provide an extraordinary experience to our members!

“Moving the world of virtual aviation forward”

This quarter was surely a growing phase for vUnited. We are proud to announce several improvements and additions to our strong platform ranging from an improved website to professional staff training.

We are pleased to show you the progress of the airline so let’s get started! As of now, it is safe to say we are one of the fastest growing virtual airlines in the community. Since opening three months ago, we have achieved the following in terms of members/followers:

-370 Pilots
-2889 PIREPS
-2707 Likes on Facebook
-8669 Hours flown

vUnited is also proud and thankful for our many partners which provide the support needed to keep our community running smoothly. This quarter, we rolled out several new partnerships and are continuing to reach further into the community

Our new website and ACARS client have put us one step ahead of the competitors in the community. vUnited 2.0 brings our members an innovative and original platform to make virtual aviation all the more fun and exciting! Our technology team continues to make minor updates to optimize all of our members’ experiences.

This quarter, vUnited held its second pilot survey and the results yielded much improvement. We received over 40 responses to the survey and were able to draw some conclusions on where and how we can make their experience more enjoyable. Most users are happy with the light and easy-to-use platform of v2 and are satisfied with customer service and communication. (More details below)

Looking forward to the next quarter, vUnited has even more in store! Our recent partnership with VATSIM has been promoted to ATO (Authorized Training Organization) status and we are creating our official training center with a comprehensive curriculum. Pilots will gain the skills needed to enhance or supplement their skills to become better pilots both virtually and in the real world.

In the month of July, vUnited is running an additional recruitment campaign for our pilots. Any new applicant will receive 10,000 vUnited Rewards Points; any member who has been on the roster for a minimum of thirty (30) days will be placed in a drawing to win the eagerly anticipated PMDG Boeing 777!

vUnited is sure to see much success as we dive into summer! This summer, our theme is Fun N’ the Sun and we will be hosting several events and competitions. These events will feature product giveaways from partners and online fly-ins. This summer will conclude with a virtual convention on our TeamSpeak server. This convention will include keynote speakers, presentations on upcoming products in the community, and a large fly-in with full ATC coverage!

We hope you have enjoyed our progress so far in building vUnited and hope to see you here for the months to come!

We experienced much improvement to our front-end product in the month of May. This month’s highlights include an exclusive partnership with REX Game Studios and the release of vUAL 2.0 (a new ACARS and web­site platform). With these upgrades we are making several improvements and coordinating with our pilots for an optimized virtual experience. Our efforts as we look forward are to best suit our pilots needs and to create a unique and engaging environment.

vUnited 2.0 www.virtualua.org
Our staff team took the time to sit down and rethink our website/ACARS platform in order to renovate and create a modern design while improv­ing usability. Please find the linked feature article on the new website and ACARS (http://www.virtualua.org/contrails/Special%20Edition%20(Final).pdf). This new site will bring our members more eye-candy and functionality for all stages of virtual aviation from preflight to filing your PIREPS.

Partnerships
The cornerstone of vUnited’s values is creating a strong relationship with other developers and organizations in the community. We would like to thank our numerous partners and their efforts to help benefit both of our organizations! This month vUnited rolled out a new partnership with REX Game Studios. This new agreement will give our pilots access to company discounts through the vUnited Pilot Shop. We are also continuing to work towards ATO status with VATSIM upon the upcoming release of our Training Center.

Star Alliance Codeshares
Our pilots asked and we delivered! vUnited is currently in the process of acquiring and implementing Star Alliance timetables to increase global reach in the simulator. We will be rolling out the different codeshares in stages. The first airlines to be released into service with vUnited are: Lufthansa, Air Canada and ANA. We will continue to release codeshares monthly until they are all in the system!

Growth and Development
It is incredible how fast this virtual community has taken off the ground. vUnited started operations less than three months ago and has grown to a 300+ member community with pilots all across the globe. A majority of our pilots are active VATSIM users and represent some of the most dedicated and skilled pilots in the virtual community. We will continue to adapt to the growth to best suit the needs of our pilot so no member’s question or issue goes unanswered.

Monthly Announcements

·         We are giving free vUALReward Points to pilots on their birthdays!

·         The 787 enters service and our timetables now reflect their re-entry to service.

·         We are continuing to hire staff mem­bers for the airline.

·         vUnited now averages 50 PIREPS per day!

·         We are currently hiring staff, please email hqhrs@virtualua.org for more information.

·         We are seeking new pilots so check us out at www.virtualua.org

It is with my pleasure to announce the release of vUnited Airlines version 1.1! Since our opening late last week, vUAL’s staff has been at work to bring our pilots the forefront in cutting edge technology and realistic operations. Version 1.1 brings users the same abilities with added modules including:

Improvements to ACARS and new Custom Dispatch Center
Our custom-built ACARS client seamlessly integrates with the website and booking system. The technology department has fixed the landing rate bug and made improvement enhancements in the latest release. We recently released our custom dispatch 1.0, where our pilots can get a touch of the real world aviation.

vUAL Enhanced Rewards Program with Pilot Shop
vUnited Pilots will now be rewarded for their flights in our new reward program, vUAL Rewards. The system is based off of a 1 point per nautical mile flown and pilots can use accumulated points to buy gift cards to flightsim.com or badges for our TeamSpeak 3 server and much more. As pilots gain more and more points, one can be promoted to the Silver, Gold, Platinum, or Platinum Plus in which they receive 3, 5, 8, 10 vUAL reward points per nautical mile respectively.

Knowledge Center
vUAL Knowledge Center is an optional feature of the website which allows pilots to gain access to basic aviation techniques and take tests to determine their level of proficiency. More information to come in the April release of vUnited Contrails.

Monthly PIREP Performance and Incentive Program
We have added some competition at Virtual United. We have created our own Performance Incentive program, basic on filing a percentage of PIREP’s.  We have set a monthly target goal of 80% or better, where pilots would need to file a PIREP and receive a payout.  If we achieve our monthly target goal, every active pilot on our roster will receive 500 vUAL reward points in their vUAL Reward account.  We will continue to engage our pilots to participate in our growing community.

Pilot Resource Center
Every good flight starts with proper planning and situational awareness. Pilots can utilize our Pilot Resource Center to gain access to the essentials of the aviation community. From support forums to charts and more, pilots will have all the tools needed to have a safe and enjoyable flight!

International Passport Program
When you travel abroad, it is no doubt you will get your passport stamped with the flag of the country you are about to enter. At vUAL, we offer pilots the same experience. Our International Passport Program will put a stamp on each pilot’s virtual “passport” for each country they visit!

In-Flight Entertainment System (IFS)
Do you ever get bored on long flights? Our technology department has found a solution through our customized IFS. The system will be integrated into the Pilot Center and pilots will be able to watch movies, listen to the radio and play games.

vUnited Contrails E-Magazine
Our monthly magazine is published every first week of the month and gives our members an overview of the virtual airline and current/future projects. In addition, members can find other interesting articles such as payware reviews and staff interviews. Pilots may also submit screenshots to be displayed throughout the e-Magazine.

vUAL Discount Program
The discount program is an added benefit that is offered to our pilots and staff. We look for ways to provide keep member retention through discounts from our partner vendors including Working Advantage which provides discounts for perks such as movie tickets and shopping offers through our own vUnited member code. vUAL is still in the process of signing more agreements with partner vendors (stay tuned for more information).

Statistics Center
vUAL’s comprehensive statistics center includes all the necessary data to view information pertaining to flights, domicile operations, and top pilots. In addition, pilots can view day to day statistics on the Virtual Network Operations Daily Status (NODS). NODS includes the same features as the main statistics page but is based off of a daily basis.

Looking Forward
We will continue to push forward with our Technology plan on enhancing our website and add more features that are competitor to the flight simulation and virtual airline community. Recently, the staff completed our 2013 Go Forward Plan Orientation, vUAL organization goals for the year. It was a mandatory training which staff would be trained on the organization agenda for success. We are currently hiring Senior and Operational staff, if you are interested on becoming a staff member, please visit http://www.virtualua.org/?content=staffapp . Our virtual pilot recruitment status is currently open for all vUAL hubs, please visit http://www.virtualua.org/?content=register. We are running a launch promotion and the first 100 pilots will be receive 1000 vUAL Rewards points and be place in a drawing for a $25 e-certificate at our partner Flightsim.com Pilot Shop.

We are looking forward to welcoming future pilots and staff to the latest, greatest and fastest aviation network.

Robert Sayles
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
rsayles@virtualua.org | www.virtualua.org

CHICAGO, Mar. 24, 2013 –Virtual United (vUAL) is pleased to announce the official launch of our customized virtual airline name Virtual United Airlines (vUAL) at www.virtualua.org. As we have recently received permission from United Airlines along with a legal agreement to proceed with the development of vUAL1.0. Virtual United Airlines commenced operations on Sunday, March 24, 2013. “It’s been a fun ride during our development stages,” said Robert Sayles, Chief Executive Officer.  ”I am so proud of every staff member at Virtual United,” said Sayles. Each virtual pilot will be able to enjoy the United global schedule that connects to our ten virtual Hubs. vUAL will offers its members the most innovative technologies and an enhanced award and recognition system. Each applicant will be required to pass a basic aviation exam prior to admittance to Virtual United Airlines.

vUAL Features and Services:

Customized ACARS Client
Award and Recognition Program (Pilot of the Month, Hub of the Month and much more)
Forum Community (IPS Board)
Professional and State of the Art Website
Professional and Friendly Staff Members
TeamSpeak Server to communicate with members
More additions to come (points system, pilot shop and much more)

Virtual United Airlines has created several departments which consist of the following: Executive, Corporate Operations (Legal, Human Resources, Corporate Communications, Community Relations/Events,  Marketing and Member Relations), and Flight Operations (Hub Management, Training, Flight Standards, Routes/Schedules and Fleet Operations).

Though we are still in the progress of hiring some operations staff, we are pleased to announce that some of our current staff and Board Members are real world airline employees. We will continue to search for and bring on committed professional staff members, both airline employees and flight simulation enthusiasts alike. If you are interested in a staff position please visit our Staff Application Center at http://virtualua.org/apply/index.php to find out which positions are still open. The only requirement is a love for aviation and a willingness to help others.

vUAL Background and History

Virtual United Airlines (vUAL) will provide the flight simulation community with some of the most advanced simulation technology. While utilizing both Microsoft Flight Simulator X and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004, those at vUAL will take advantage of our customized automation system. Our new customized system provides its users complete aircraft, and pilot statistics, a flight and schedule search, complete fleet management, pilot registration and profiles, and an advanced live ACARS integration. VUAL1.0 allows for us to have complete and realistic operation of the virtual airline.