Lynx Airways Worldwide, Flying Virtually Everywhere! (Lynx Information Package, Version: 2014) Mission Statement

Transcription

1 LYNX AIRWAYS WORLDWI DE Lynx Airways Worldwide, Flying Virtually Everywhere! (Lynx Information Package, Version: 2014) Mission Statement Our mission is to provide every member of Lynx Airways Worldwide with an environment that allows for an enjoyable experience in virtual aviation.

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Lynx Airways Worldwide... 3 What is a Virtual Airline... 4 Our History... 5 Story Tellers... 6 A Tour of Lynx Airways Worldwide... 7 Lynx Administration Department... 8 PIREP Input... 8 How-To... 8 Lynx Operations Department... 9 Scheduled Flights... 9 Unscheduled Flights... 9 Lynx Adventure... 9 Charter Flights... 9 Special Operations... 9 Lynx Hangar Passenger Aircraft Hangar Cargo Aircraft Hangar Lynx Restaurant and Lounge Pilot Flight Assignments Pilot Promotion Chart Join Lynx Airways Worldwide Lynx Headquarters'

3 LYNX AIRWAYS WORLDWIDE Lynx Airways Worldwide is the second oldest virtual airline in the World. Geoff Bergey, founder and first CEO, opened our hangar doors on July 1, Since then, Lynx has provided uninterrupted services to our Pilots and our virtual aviation community. Continuing today, we at Lynx Airways Worldwide provide an experience challenging your imagination. The Lynx Airways experience begins before you turn on Flight Simulator and continues through your Pilot Report (PIREP) after you exit. That experience, of flight simulation, is different for everyone. Some may want to use this experience as a hobby or, for real pilots, to enhance their skills, or both. Regardless, Lynx Airways Worldwide provides a place to let that experience come to life. We are a unique virtual airline; I would even suggest that Lynx is one of a kind. Yes, we fly from here to there and everywhere and on VATSIM. And yes, we are a structured virtual airline with Flight Schedules, promotions, Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) all providing a reallife airline structure. Yet from the very beginning when Geoff Bergey created Lynx, his vision was to begin telling a story: the Lynx Story. It started on July 1, 1992 with Once upon a time there was a virtual airline named Lynx Airways Worldwide ; the rest of the story well, that s up to you, the Lynx Pilot. Today, the story continues, filled over the past 21 years with PIREP S of adventure, crew dynamics, and personality. Each Pilot at Lynx Airways brings to the table their own story line in the form of a crew or a particular aircraft they enjoy flying or even just themselves. As they are promoted through the ranks: what happened during the flight, how did your crew or passengers react, or what did you find when you flew into Madagascar: why are you flying to Antarctica? The story told by the Pilot adds to the overall story of Lynx Airways Worldwide and becomes part of our history. Lynx Headquarters (HQ) is where the daily action is happening. Lynx provides Scheduled Service flights for Passenger and Cargo, Special Operation flights, Charter flights, and even Adventure flights. And if you just want to climb to FL210 and take a right: we provide Freelance flights for that experience as well. Whatever you re in the mood for, we have it in place and ready to go at Lynx Airways Worldwide. Lynx HQ is also the place to read our Pilot Reports: that s where Lynx Airways Worldwide lives: in the Pilot s imagination as told through their PIREP. Because Lynx Airways is a story with a beginning and a continuing presence, the future is yet to be written. That will be your job as a Lynx Pilot; to write the future of Lynx Airways. Since 1992, Lynx Pilots have been telling our story. That is why our logo is a flying pen: Pilots at Lynx Airways Worldwide are quite the storytellers. It makes sense, as your imagination is where we virtually exist. 3

4 WHAT IS A VIRTUAL AIRLINE In May of 1992, Jim Swanson founded the first Virtual Airline (VA) on the Prodigy internet system. The name of that first VA, as it remains to this day, is SunAir Express. Since then, literally thousands of people have enjoyed the community of VA s across continents shared through the Internet. Though concepts and operations may differ from virtual airline to virtual airline, most VA's have one thing in common: they all provide some sort of flight structure for flight simmers. Virtual Airlines, to some degree or another, simulate the operations of real airlines and maintain operations on-line. In the Old Days it was on Prodigy, AOL and even on a Bulletin Board System (BBS): today Virtual Airlines are directly on the internet and accessible regardless of what service provider you have. Particulars aside, the most important aspect of any Virtual Airline is the community it spawns: people with a common interest, learning from each other, communicating, being creative, and having fun. This is the essence of Lynx Airways Worldwide: it s our foundation. Upon it, one of the oldest VA's in the world continues to blossom. The distinguishing feature about Lynx Airways Worldwide is its personal touch. In our Pirep Division of Admin., Pilots are able to share in each other s flight adventure. No other virtual airline does this; we focus on your virtual flight stories not statistics: your adventure becomes our adventure and part of the history of Lynx Airways Worldwide. We couple that sense of adventure with a dynamic Operations Department which keeps us pretty busy with a variety of flights. All designed to accommodate a wide range of Pilots. From Anchorage to the Caribbean, across the pond to Europe and east to Japan: Lynx Airways Worldwide is Flying Virtually Everywhere! 4

5 OUR HISTORY Lynx Airways Worldwide formed on July 1, 1992 through the efforts of Geoff Bergey, our founder and first CEO. In 1992 members of virtual airlines had to use a specific flight simulator program. When SunAir, the first virtual airline, came into existence the FS Software package Pro-Flight was the only game in town; Pro-Flight was then the leader in Flight Simulation gaming. ComAir express, another early virtual airline, which spawned from SunAir, also used Pro-Flight. Then came Microsoft Flight Simulator and change everything (as Microsoft always does). As more and more virtual Pilots began using MSFS instead of Pro-Flight a move was made by Geoff Bergey, a Pilot at ComAir express, to form his own virtual airline based on Microsoft Flight Simulator rather than Pro-Flight. On July 1, 1992 Geoff Bergey officially detached from ComAir express and formed Lynx Airways Worldwide. That s when Lynx Airways Worldwide came into existence. Lynx Airways Worldwide was the first virtual airline to support virtual Pilots who used Microsoft Flight Simulator rather than the popular Pro-Flight. Lynx remained on Prodigy for a few years more until March of 1994 when it moved to America On-Line (AOL) message boards. By March of 1994 Lynx was growing in leaps and bounds within America On-Line (AOL). More and more people were leaving Prodigy, CompUSA and other internet service providers and moving to AOL. The message board system provided by AOL was more robust (for the technology of the day) and provided Lynx with a message board area exclusive to Lynx Airways Worldwide. We grew and grew during those years with Hubs in Las Vegas (LAS), Seattle (SEA), and New York (JFK). Eventually Lynx Airways Worldwide grew into a five (5) HUB operation with over 250 pilots providing commercial and cargo services spanning the globe. By the turn of the century and with the introduction of the World Wide Web, virtual airlines began leaving AOL. Lynx was among those that left AOL because our Pilots were also leaving AOL. We, like other virtual airlines, moved directly to the World Wide Web. Some virtual airlines did not make that transition and eventually closed their hangar doors and faded into the virtual aviation history books, among them was the original ComAir express: our Mom. In May 2000 Lynx Airways completed its move to the World Wide Web. Pilots now had the opportunity to fly a wide variety of scenarios, from guiding a "Jumbo" through the intricate approaches of Hong Kong, skimming the beaches of the Caribbean in a biplane, or going on assignment wherever current world events took them. Lynx staff developed comprehensive Standard Operating Procedure manuals outlining the Lynx business and operation structure and business plan. We developed and published a full set of flight schedules (timetables) for our six (6) virtual HUBs continuing to span the globe. In between scheduled flights, Pilots would challenge themselves with everything from commuter routes, charter flights and special operations as well as Freelance flights. Today, our staff, with input from our Pilots, are constantly updating the Flight Schedules, initiating Special Operation flights to coincide with current world events and providing Charter flights to the Super Bowl, the Olympics, and other local or worldwide venues. One of our growing areas is the Lynx Cargo Division where we have both scheduled Cargo flights and Special Cargo requirements based on world events. In 2013 alone, the Lynx Cargo Division through our Lynx Pilots, provided over 9,000 hours in cargo traffic around the world in support of various relief efforts such as the earthquakes in Japan and brush fires in Australia. That is quite extraordinary for a hobby. 5

6 STORY TELLERS Lynx Airways Worldwide is a unique virtual airline. As mentioned earlier: Lynx is one of a kind. Yes, we fly from here to there and everywhere. And yes, we are a structured virtual airline with Flight Schedules, Promotions, Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) and all of that real-life airline structure. Yet from the very beginning when Geoff Bergey created Lynx, his vision was to begin telling a story: the Lynx Story. It started on July 1, 1992 with Once upon a time there was a virtual airline named Lynx Airways Worldwide ; the rest of the story well, that s up to you, the Lynx Pilot. Today, the story continues, filled over the years with PIREP S of adventures, crew dynamics, and personality. Each Pilot at Lynx Airways brings to the table their own story line in the form of a crew or a particular aircraft they enjoy flying or even themselves as they are promoted through the ranks: what happened during the flight, how did your crew react, or what did you find when you flew into Madagascar. The story told by the Pilot adds to the overall story of Lynx Airways Worldwide and becomes part of our history. Example: From 1992 through 2004, Lynx Airways HQ was virtually located in the old Pan-Am building in Manhattan, New York. We were there all the way up to our AOL days. Then it came time to move to the World Wide Web. We designed our own web page and began our new Forum. It s been updated over the years with a major revision this year in According to our Pilot stories, in 2000 there was an arson fire which destroyed all the available working spaces in our Pan-Am building location. We had no place to go so our virtual Executive Secretary, Tuesday, hired Jason Steele Construction Company to refurbish Terminal #1 at JFK and transform it into the new Lynx Airways Worldwide Headquarters. In the meantime, as the arson investigation continued, it was found that our very own Financial Officer had embezzled Lynx money and was trying to destroy all the financial records by burning the place down. Luckily, unknown to the Financial Officer, Data, our virtual Network IT Guru, had made electronic copies of all Lynx records. On May 30, 2004 Lynx Airways moved to the newly refurbished Terminal #1 at JFK with much fanfare. All Pilots wore their dress uniforms and Captain Tony; our HUB Commander gave a rousing speech. The above summary of our move from downtown New York City to Terminal #1 at JFK came from several PIREP S that were submitted during the May 2004 timeframe. This is when we actually moved Lynx Airways from AOL to the World Wide Web and to our very own Message Board. That story and the virtual events that occurred as told by the Pilots is now part of our history. There was another exciting set of Pirep s when Lynx HQ was refurbished in That is our distinguishing feature: the Pilots at Lynx are story tellers. When you join Lynx, stories are not a requirement for all flights. You can enjoy following the flight schedule and tallying up your hours all the way to Eagle Captain and never once spin a yarn or talk about the weather. But if you land in Hong Kong and you re met at the tarmac by Max or Mr. Jadi, each holding an attaché case full of cash ready to talk you into diverting your next destination: that s OK too. No matter what story happens to be spinning in your brain at the time: go ahead and put it down in your PIREP and let everyone read it. You can even tag on to another Pilot s story. You take Max on his adventure and the other Pilot will take Mr. Jadi. What happens in route: well, that s the story: that s Lynx Airways Worldwide. 6

7 A TOUR OF LYNX AIRWAYS WORLDWIDE Pilot Reports (PIREP) are available for viewing by all Pilots and guests to Lynx Headquarters (Lynx HQ). Input of the Pirep is through the Pirep Input Division located in the Administration Department. Because the Pirep Input Division is viewable to all, members and non-members, everyone gets a chance to read what is happening at Lynx Airways Worldwide on any given day. It is not unusual for a Lynx Pilot to mention another Lynx Pilot or their crew in their story line. They might virtually meet at a destination airport or at some remote part of the world providing assistance during a Special Operations flight. Whatever the reason, story lines are an integral part and the fingerprint of Lynx Airways Worldwide and why the Pirep Input Division is opened to everyone: to share your Imagination with ours. For any scheduled flight, there is no requirement for Pilots to write a story in their PIREP. However, for Special Operation Flights, Charter Type Flights, Special Cargo Flights and Freelance Flights; a story line is required. Pilots of all walks of life are welcome to join Lynx Airways Worldwide. We are a virtual airline whose fundamental goal is to provide entertainment to those who join. Our staff is integrated with real Pilots as well as very experienced people in the VA world. Our goal is to expand this hobby for the pure enjoyment of all members. Our success depends on the Pilot. Lynx Airways Worldwide does not use a stepladder approach, such as a ranking system, to fly certain type aircraft. Our ranking structure is purely a reflection of an individual s accomplishments in the number of hours they have contributed. However, we have included into our airline a ranking structure of pay and promotions for your enjoyment and use within your story line. What does it feel like to walk through the terminal on your way to your aircraft: sunbeams reflecting off the embroidered gold Captain stripes on your uniform sleeve? Regardless of your rank, all Pilots have the same privileges within Lynx Airways Worldwide: you fly what you want, when you want. So, whether you're a seasoned veteran who started out flying FS3 on a Commodore 64, or a relative newbie who just discovered the wonders of Flight Simulator, Lynx Airways Worldwide has something to offer. Lynx Airways Worldwide has three (3) separate Departments and seven (7) Divisions. The following is a tour of each of them. 7

8 LYNX ADMINISTRATION DEPARTMENT Lynx Administration Department is the busiest Department at Headquarters. It consists of two (2) Divisions: the PIREP Input and the How-To Divisions. The PIREP Input Division in particular is where our Pilots spend most of their time. This is where they file their Pireps or view the End-of-the- Month Report. Tuesday, our virtual Executive Secretary, keeps a tight rein in this area. She checks to make sure all Pirep s are in correct format according to the SOP: tallies all the hours at the end of the month: and post the results with appropriate promotions via the End-of-the-Month Report (EOMR). The goal is to ensure our Pilots get paid with the appropriate amount they earned. PIREP INPUT: Lynx Airways Worldwide has designed and implemented a Pilot Report (PIREP) System like no other in virtual aviation: every Pilot can read the other Pilot s PIREP. But most uniquely, the Pirep is presented as a story rather than a statistic. This allows our Pilots to share their adventures and even be part of someone else s story line. The PIREP Input Division is used exclusively to file a PIREP and is available to both member Pilots, Rookies, and guests. HOW-TO: This Division contains easy to follow instructions on procedures that are sometimes difficult to accomplish without some sort of checklist. They could be aviation related or not. The topic for many of the How-To checklists come from our very own Pilots. Our virtual Art Department ran by Lynx Art Director Yoshi, is in charge of soliciting ideas from our staff or, keeping eyes and ears open looking for areas where the Pilot might be having difficulty, then developing the appropriate How-To addressing that specific issue. 8

9 LYNX OPERATIONS DEPARTMENT Our Operations Department is another busy place at Lynx HQ. Through the years our pilots have contributed to a robust series of flight schedules which have allowed Lynx to be truly worldwide. Lynx Airways Worldwide flight operations are integrated into six (6) major Hubs with three (3) U.S. International Airports and three (3) out of CONUS International Airports. Our current Flight Schedules reflect scheduled flights from HUB to HUB as well as to other neighboring destinations. Our six (6) HUBs are as follows: New York-John F. Kennedy International Airport Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport San Francisco International Airport Brussels National Airport European HUB Hong Kong International Airport Asian HUB Luis Munoz Marin International Airport Caribbean HUB SCHEDULED FLIGHTS: The Ops Department provides a variety of Flight Schedules with scheduled flights around the world. From domestic to international flights, our flight schedules connect our passenger and cargo fleets with airports from the east coast of the United States to Hong Kong and back around. All passenger flight schedules are located in the Operations Department in the Scheduled Flights Division. Our six (6) Flight Schedules are as follows: 1. Domestic/International 2. Euro Lynx 3. Lynx Caribbean 4. Lynx Orient 5. Travel UK 6. Lynx Cargo UNSCHEDULED FLIGHTS: Passenger Operations is not our only business. Lynx also has a variety of unscheduled flights: LYNX ADVENTURE: Imagine taking a select group of passengers to dangerous airports around the world. Or a camping adventure circling Alaska. Or maybe a few passengers on a trip through the French or California wine countries. Those adventures and more are available to our Pilots through Adventure flights. Our Adventure flights have a theme with many provided as suggestions by our Pilots and developed by our Staff. This ensures each adventure is exciting and provides the Pilot with the opportunity to spin a yard or not. CHARTER FLIGHTS: Is there a group going to the Super Bowl or maybe to some world event like the Olympics: maybe even Spring Break. We handle those requirements by posting limited charter flights giving the Pilot the opportunity to provide us with a story line. Of course: any Charter flight to Vegas must abide by the privacy rules. SPECIAL OPERATIONS: Lynx Airways is virtually under contract with DoD to provide support when needed to various military operations. While our Pilots do not go into combat zones on purpose that is we do supply transportation for military units. We also provide non-military assistance to events around the world and relief effort support during Hurricane season or California Fires. These Special Operation flights are focused on one event and expire at a pre-determined date. 9

10 LYNX HANGAR: Lynx Airways Worldwide continues to build its worldwide fleet. The Lynx aircraft fleet is capable of handling every conceivable type of flight from passenger delivery to Special Operations. The two Lynx Hangars allow for Pilots to download passenger and Cargo aircraft with the Lynx Airways Worldwide paint Scheme. All aircraft paint schemes were designed by our Lynx Art Department with the help of our very own Pilots. In addition, all aircraft go through a vigorous flighttesting program and are certified Safe-for-Flight by our virtual FAA Representative. PASSENGER AIRCRAFT HANGAR: Lynx has been providing passenger service from the very beginning. As our passenger flight schedules became more robust: so did our passenger aircraft fleet. Our passenger hangar maintains aircraft for Flight Simulator 2000 and 2004 and is virtually located at JFK. CARGO AIRCRAFT HANGAR: Lynx Airways has a tradition of providing a Helping Hand and responding to events around the world. Floods in Pakistan, Fires in Australia, and Earthquakes in Japan: a lot of cargo is needed in those types of situations and Lynx Airways Worldwide takes that for action every time with our Cargo aircraft. Many of our Pilots love to haul everyday cargo: our Cargo Hangar provides them that opportunity. Each cargo aircraft, from our to our C-17A, are available for downloading by our Pilots at our new state-of-the-art Lynx Cargo Hangar. 10

11 LYNX RESTAURANT AND LOUNGE Lynx Airways has two distinct Lounges each virtually located at John F. Kennedy International Airport Terminal #1. Nuttwing s Restaurant and Lounge is virtually opened to all passengers, Pilots and their guests and is located inside the security gate area across from Lynx Airways Worldwide Headquarters. As a visitor to Lynx Airways HQ, you have access to read all posting at Nuttwing s. However, as a visitor, you cannot post messages. Nuttwing s in some form or fashion has been with Lynx Airways for as long as any Pilot can remember. Even our oldest Pilot remembers Nuttwing s: this is where Pilot s chew the fat, express their opinions or just make comments on anything on their minds. The Pilot s Lounge is our second lounge and accessible only to our Pilot Member with the exception of Rookies. This is a very robust lounge and while the Pilot s Lounge is not a Restaurant, it does contain eating areas where Pilot s can make food or beverage orders from Nuttwing s. Both lounges meet within their middle portion by sharing a bar and kitchen area, a glass wall unit separates each side. Personnel cannot cross from one lounge to the other without leaving the respective lounge. However, you can sit at Nuttwing s and listen to the Lynx Pilot s telling their tales of flight. Just be careful as the Pilots have a tendency to have their arms and hands flying all over the place as they explain a run- in with a storm or a dramatic landing on a snowy distant runway. Juan and Chloe, both registered and certified chefs and bartenders, operate both lounges; Nuttwing s and the Pilot s lounge. Their staff provides excellent meals on a routine basis. During special flights such as Adventure flights or Special Operations and Charter flights, the staff of our Lynx Pub provides onboard meals and box lunches as requested by the Pilots in their story line. Juan can also arrange special in-flight meals for remote locations, almost anywhere around the world. Come visit Nuttwing s, pull up a stool: but remember, what s said at the bar, stays at the bar. 11

12 PILOT FLIGHT ASSIGNMENTS Flight assignments at Lynx Airways Worldwide are at the discretion of the Pilot. Yes, that is correct you heard it right. You chose your flight, when you want. Lynx Airways Worldwide does not use the Bidding process for assignment of flights. Pilots are free to choose the type of flight they wish to fly at any time: from their very first work day to retirement. You want to go on an Adventure Flight: go for it. Take off is at 0800Z or 2116Z: your choice. How about a Cargo run to the South Pole or a Special Ops flight to the Middle East: go for it. You chose when you want to go and where you want to go. Wait a second; this is way too much fun, what s the catch? The only requirement a Lynx Pilot has to fulfill is to meet a 2-hour monthly flight requirement from one of our Flight Schedules. Each Pilot must fly a Scheduled Flight totaling up to at least 2 hours per month: that s it. Take a quick hop from JFK to KJAX: or from Memphis to Chicago. If you take a longer scheduled flight, let s say from Orlando to San Francisco: that s OK too. As long as 2-hours of your monthly total flight hours comes from one of the six(6) Flight Schedules, you re good to go: the rest is up to you: the Pilot. Lynx Airways Worldwide has been making progress in the virtual world of Air Traffic controlled flights. Several of our Pilots have joined and are active members of the VATSIM community. This is an exciting addition to virtual aviation and Lynx Airways Worldwide is making steady progress towards becoming a full member. Our registered ICAO code for ATC with VATSIM and other ATC organizations is LYX. PILOT PROMOTION CHART 12

13 JOIN LYNX AIRWAYS WORLDWIDE The Mission of Lynx Airways has never changed since July To provide every member of Lynx Airways Worldwide with an environment that allows for an enjoyable experience in virtual aviation. Lynx Airways Worldwide has always maintained the tradition of hiring Pilots who want to enjoy the virtual aviation hobby and enjoy the aviation tale. We realize that real life events take precedence so we don t put any undue burden on requirements. However, Lynx has a set of traditions and standards dating back to the very beginnings of our organization: July 1, These traditions and standards are our cornerstone and our footprint and have allowed Lynx Airways Worldwide to remain a viable virtual airline providing uninterrupted service for more than 21 Years. Pilots applying for employment with Lynx Airways Worldwide are asked to read and follow the directions on the Terms of Service (TOS). Because of the uniqueness of Lynx Airways Worldwide, not all Pilot applications are accepted. We are a small group who still do many of the daily Administrative tasks manually. So we try to keep our numbers at a reasonable level to ensure all Pilot needs are met. If your application is accepted, your first assignment will be as a Rookie. As a Lynx Rookie, this designation limits your access at Lynx HQ until you achieve the rank of First Officer (125 flight hours) at which time full access to Lynx HQ is granted. The Rookie status are your training wheels as you go through Lynx: filing Pireps, getting familiar with our Operation, and honing your story telling skills. To apply as a Lynx Pilot, go to our Lynx Airways Worldwide web site, take a tour, then make your way over to Headquarters' where you can select the Join Lynx button. I know that once you become a member, you will enjoy the camaraderie, but most importantly: the Adventure. The stories from your imagination will contribute and become the history of Lynx Airways Worldwide. 13

14 LYNX HEADQUARTERS' Lynx Airways Worldwide 14