What was the first VA and when was it created???

[populousste]

Just wondering what was the first VA and when was it created? Also is it still in operatons?

Thanks
Stephen

http://www.geocities.com/centraleuropeanva/

[jonf82]

That's an impossible question to answer. The VA has been around longer than the internet (as we know it today). A friend and I used to pretend to be PanAm pilots using a simulator designed on the Timex Sinclair back in 1985 (1986?). Find out the date that the first flight sim was ever designed and that's probably as close to the correct answer as you can get.

-Jon Finch
http://www.livewireairlines.com

[populousste]

well would it be easier if I ask what was the first VA that recruited pilots over the internet?

Stephen

[jwenting]

That too would be quite impossible to answer.
At the time the internet was young and wild and the people involved may not be with us anymore.
Personally I know only something about the history of the VA I fly for, and we are one of the oldest having celebrated our 7th aniversary last month. We're also still under the same management (another remarkable feat seeing the volatility of VAs) and still have quite a few of the original members from those early days (which don't include me, I've been with them for the last 20 months or so).

http://www.hornet.demon.nl/sigfile.jpg

[Dodger]

Atlantic Skies is currently, as far as I know, the oldest continuously operational VA on the Internet, although I'm sure having posted this someone will step up to dispute it. Having the sme management for more than a couple of years is certainly an achievement, and unfortunately not one we can lay claim to. Management changes were always relatively smooth, however.

We began operations on January 4th 1993, and just celebrated our 10th anniversary. There's a complete history of the airline on our website.

Patrick Riley
Chairman, Atlantic Skies
http://www.atlanticskies.com

[jonf82]

LAST EDITED ON Mar-06-03 AT 05:29PM (EST)[p]I always thought that WestWind was the oldest continuous running VA

[Dodger]

WestWind is certainly one of the granddaddies of the VA industry, but their history is somewhat up in the air. The founder seems to think the airline started up around 1995. Atlantic Skies, on the other hand, has a detailed history, updated as required over the years, that begins in '93.

Now, our history is one I was made privy to when I first joined as a line pilot, so I cannot claim first hand knowledge of its validity. However I've been in contact with previous CEO's, Chairmen, and line pilots who have confirmed it for me. I believe it to be a true and accurate account.

Cheers,
Patrick

[brian777]

nope, im going to disagree with all of you, not sure about the first but do you all remember noble air? there still going today and there was another one as well, uhh... WAW, but i cant think of what is stood for

Brian S

[Dodger]

Noble opened shop in 1994, a year after Atlantic Skies. Never heard of WAW, but it may well have opened before us. If it's not still in operation, though, it doesn't really count!

Patrick Riley
http://www.atlanticskies.com

[brian777]

MMMMM.. well then i guess waw is out

i thought for sure there were some back in the 80's ?? or maybe not, wasnt there a lot when fs98 came out? so then was there any back in the version 4 days, before fs95 and the fs95.1?

[salzinger]

Hi jwenting...

One question, are you by chance the same jwenting who also post on the a.net forums? I'm there as s.p.a.s. but don't post quite often..

Cheers,

Renato

[Cactus]

The oldest virtual airline that I'm personally aware of is Sun Air Express (Sun Air). It was originally a SubLogic ATP based VA.

http://www.sunairexpress.com/index.html

SunAir Express was started by the late James Martin Swanson (1936-1995) on the Prodigy Online Service in May 1992. SunAir was set up as a regional airline serving some 20 cities in the south-eastern United States and has expanded to cover the entire United States including parts of Europe.

Regards,

Michael Collier
Dispatcher
System Operations Control
America West Airlines

[Dodger]

Yeah, I've seen that site, I tend to take it with a grain of salt that they've been in contuous operation from the get-go.