Well, a mixed bag of opinions. Let me see if I can answer some of the points made.
Nick Tyson, on Jan 16 2008, 06:02 PM, said:
I have talked to quite a few of Metro Air pilots on Vatsim and they all agree that you are getting to turn into a "big mistake....you are taking the fun out of everyone......
The comments made by our pilots on our forum appear to differ from what you have been hearing. See for yourself:
Click Me
Nick Tyson, on Jan 16 2008, 06:02 PM, said:
don't you think you just convened a few people by posting that comment... it explanes how you are bragging. and also there where over 4000 registrations and why is it that only 400 got in. i applied and i didn't get in. i have over 200 hours on vatsim within the last two months. so that also is a big reject of owning a virtual airlines
How does using statistics to counter your claim of "buying" pilots make us look like we are bragging? To answer your question, we have had over 4000 applications since we opened in January 2006. Since then, members have come and gone and at present, we have over 400 active pilots on our rosters. Our acceptance rate for applications is closer to 95% than 10%.
zrotzel, on Jan 16 2008, 06:02 PM, said:
I was very surprised by this because that is one of the big things Metro was known for, its class. I think this kind of tarnishes that a little.
Again, I fail to see how this tarnishes MetroAir's reputation in any way. Bare in mind that these oppertunities are only available to members who have been with MetroAir for more than 3 months. We are simply rewarding the loyalty of our pilots with these fantastic oppertunities by giving them the chance to sample the quality of payware products. Products, I may add, that would be recommended anyway by other members through our forums.
Will you be taking advantage of these rewards Roger?
monkey[aw201, on Jan 16 2008, 06:02 PM, said:
Agreeing with both Vince and Roger that it does put Metro in a different playing field from other VAs, and that Metro is straying (to say the least..) from the classic Virtual Airline, for better or for worse, we'll find out soon, but it does seem that Metro (agreeing with Roger) had class, and now that they are straying from what most expect in a VA.
Is Metro becoming a BETA test lab for the software producers? If so then it is a case of crossing from community to commercial.
Are we to be faulted for pushing the boundaries and trying to offer our members more realism? Just because we are offering these rewards does not mean that we are departing from the values and structure and integrity we have become synonomous with in the VA community. We are not forcing these products on anyone! Our members have the choice to use them or if they feel like it, to not. We are not forcing them to buy products from the developers either!
We most certainly are not turning into commercial operation.
There was nothing to stop any of the other respected VA's from trying something similar. If you don't ask, you don't get. Would other airlines turn down an oppertunity like this if it came along? Be truthful now.
As I mentioned earlier, the early response from our members has been most encouraging. Many of them are delighted with the chance to sample fully working payware as a reward for their loyalty.
I suppose, the success of this venture will be decided by the people who really matter, our members, and so far it's most encouraging. Let's wait and see shall we.
Edited by del steel, 16 January 2008 - 07:47 PM.
if you'll ever see PirateAir offer free stuff to get pilots. But we are just a little pimple on the gonads of the VA world. [did i spell "gonads correct?" i never use that word]
