Ops Manual
PGA is a unique Virtual Airline in that there is more than one way to contribute. You can either fly and make money for us as part of the FS Economy world, or you can contribute to the storyline by posting detailed stories of your flights on the forums.
Better still, you can do both. That's The Boss's favorite option, and hence the most direct route to promotion. Those who do neither may find themselves demoted to Kitty Chow, so beware!
Flying with FSE
In general, PGA ops are conducted in FSE. Hours, money, and all those details are handled in-game through FSE. If you're not already a part of FSE, you can go get set up here: http://www.fseconomy.com/
PGA is a very new entity in FSE, and that means we have nothing but the FBO on our back. We don't have local fuel, so fuel has to be flown in along with everything else. So if we want PGA to survive, we have to play under certain rules. It's quite possible for an unscrupulous or simply clueless pilot to take down an FBO single-handedly.
When flying in FSE, you have two options:
Flying for PGA: The first option is for you to fly your flights directly for PGA (in which case PGA picks up your fuel, rental, and other fees) and split the remainder with us. If you choose this method, we ask that, for the time being, at least (and this may change as we get more pilots), you split the revenue with PGA at least 20/80, with the larger share going to the company. This will help ensure our continued existence.
"Freelance": The second method is for you to fly for yourself, then kick back some cash to PGA. This means all of the risk for a flight is on you, because you will pay the fuel, rental, etc. out of your earnings, and afterwards pay whatever you like to support the company.
This method has a certain shade of grey undertone that works well with the PGA philosophy (WE know you're working for us, YOU know you're working for us, but for everyone else there's a certain plausible deniability that can be invoked in the event things go south), but also helps ensure that pilots feel they're getting a fair shake. You ultimately put into PGA however much money you feel it's worth for you to participate.
Flying outside of FSE
If you are not inclined to fly in FSE, then you're welcome to fly on your own. The down side to this is there will be no formal method for tracking your hours or money earned, and you will not be able to contribute to the online economics of PGA. However, you can still contribute to the storyline by writing up your adventures on the forum.
Good forum participation and story development will go a long way towards attracting new pilots, at least some of whom will fly in FSE, so if that's what you can give us, we'll take it.
Forum Participation - Being Part of the Story
A key component to participation in PGA and what makes it different from any other VA out there is the storyline. PGA is, in essence, an ongoing exercise in collaborative fiction.
Ideally, we expect you to write up your flights. Tell us what happened. Tell us about the rude pax. Tell us about the smelly load, or the chickens that got loose in your plane on final. Tell us about how you used a screwdriver and duct tape to pin the nosewheel back on, and what series of events led up to your having to do that to begin with.
Interact with the other pilots. Hide from The Boss, but know you can always call on her when you're in a jam. She may be mad at you, but she'll never fail to move heaven and earth to save your ass if at all possible.
But remember also that this is collaborative, which means someone else can jump into your storyline and throw a monkey wrench in the works. And you can do the same to other pilots as well. The only rules are:
- 1. You cannot directly control another real person's actions (other pilots, The Boss, Mac the Wrench, etc.) without their express permission. You can only affect the things that occur around them. For instance, you could place a banana peel in someone's path, but you cannot make them step on it. Think of yourself as writing a series of cliffhangers when interacting with other real characters.
- 2. You must generally work within the defined personality of any "stock" imaginary characters you encounter. With an imaginary character, you can put the banana peel in their path and have them step on it, fall, crack their head, and wake up thinking they're Elvis. But you can't have Baldrick suddenly start writing good poetry and spewing advanced calculus without some good reason behind the dramatic change.
- 3. You cannot kill off any stock characters. That includes in particular The Boss's pets. Seriously. Don't even go there. But if you want to create your own character who dies during a flight or in a particularly Darwinian way, knock yourself out.
The Boss reserves the right to edit or delete posts that have any of PGA's characters, real or imagined, operating too far outside of their personalities. However, she is much more likely to intervene and manipulate the storyline, where possible. Most often this takes the form of you waking up from a dream where the character was behaving so oddly.
We understand it can take time to get the feel of these characters, and we're pretty forgiving about it.
Promotions
Promotions within PGA are merit-based, and given entirely at the discretion of The Boss. All new pilots start out as Scud Runners and their participation either through FSE, the Forums, or both will inspire the Boss to bump them up or down in rank.
All new pilots are issued a can of WD-40 and a roll of duct tape.
After your first Scud Runner flight, you'll be awarded a LeatherHombre multi-purpose tool.
On promotion to Captain, you probably will be given a clean, starched "whyt" shirt, or maybe even a white shirt, depending how the budget looks and what luggage the pax have left on the plane as they fled in terror..
On promotion to Senior Captain, you will be issued a pair of Roy Ban sunglasses. Wear them with pride. Other benefits may be revealed to you on promotion.
TeamSpeak
PGA has its own TeamSpeak server, where you can hang out and talk live with other pilots who are online. The Boss even hangs out there.. To get set up on TeamSpeak
For those unfamiliar, TeamSpeak is a Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) system that allows users to talk to each other in real-time using an internet connection.
What you will need to use this service are the following:
A computer headset with a microphone available at just about anyplace that sells computer stuff.
The TeamSpeak 3 Client Software available here.
The connection and password information for the PGA server. This you get from The Boss by emailing or PM-ing her on the forum and letting her know you want to connect.