04-04-2017, 07:27 PM
Hey, all!
I'm back to simming (and back to Air-Source!) after a very long (10+ years) hiatus with one brief comeback about 5 years ago.
Unfortunately, I think I fell through a crack in how AirSource works, and I thought I'd point it out and pose a potential solution...
I signed up waaaay back in late 2002 or early 2003 after flying with WestWind since 1997, and was glad to finally have a reason to use all those various liveried planes I'd collected.
Eventually, though, World of Warcraft replaced FlightSim as my primary fun time sink, and I filed for vacation. No worries.
After I left WoW, I came back to simming and AirSource around 2010 or 2011 for a few flights, but then "life happened" for a while, my only internet access was from work, and the internet filter at work blocked my ability to come to the site to file for Vacation (blocked reason: "Gaming").
Now it's years later and I'm back, and...because life got in the way, and I couldn't log into the site to file for "Vacation", I lost AS95 as my callsign, my 500 hour ribbon, my ASHA ribbon, years of service badge, lots of (fake) money, and, most importantly to me, my hundreds of hours of AAS logged flight time from ages ago. =(
I'm looking at the roster and here's what I'm seeing.
* If you take the step of proactively filing for vacation, you're golden - forever. There are pilots who've been on vacation for over a decade (I was one of them), and it doesn't matter how many hours you've got. Ben Pearman (AS87) is a perfect example - 9 flights, 12.8 hours flown. Now on vacation for 8+ years.
* Conversely, if you somehow miss filing for vacation (for any reason), it doesn't matter how much time you've got on the books - your account is zeroed and your number recycled...unless people recognize your name enough that you get into the RPNA...
I'd like to propose a change in Policy (and code) (and Marketing).
* Pilots with less than 100.0 hours of AAS time logged are in a "probationary" period and if they don't file at least one AAS flight every 30 days, they are cut loose, and their pilot number recycled.
* Pilots with 100+ hours of AAS time (The 100 Club) no longer need to file for vacation.
* After 30 days with no AAS flights, The 100 Club will be automatically placed on vacation.
* AirSource will send an email letting them know they've been marked as Vacation, but their callsign and logbook will remain active indefinitely.
* AirSource will also send The 100 Club a "We Miss You At AirSource" email twice a year to try to actively re-recruit our once-active pilots back into the fold.
* The "We Miss You At AirSource" email should have "reply to unsubscribe and retire from AirSource" instructions at the bottom.
* Replies/Unsubscribe requests from emails sent to The 100 Club will release/recycle their pilot number for reuse.
Thoughts?
I'm back to simming (and back to Air-Source!) after a very long (10+ years) hiatus with one brief comeback about 5 years ago.
Unfortunately, I think I fell through a crack in how AirSource works, and I thought I'd point it out and pose a potential solution...
I signed up waaaay back in late 2002 or early 2003 after flying with WestWind since 1997, and was glad to finally have a reason to use all those various liveried planes I'd collected.
Eventually, though, World of Warcraft replaced FlightSim as my primary fun time sink, and I filed for vacation. No worries.
After I left WoW, I came back to simming and AirSource around 2010 or 2011 for a few flights, but then "life happened" for a while, my only internet access was from work, and the internet filter at work blocked my ability to come to the site to file for Vacation (blocked reason: "Gaming").
Now it's years later and I'm back, and...because life got in the way, and I couldn't log into the site to file for "Vacation", I lost AS95 as my callsign, my 500 hour ribbon, my ASHA ribbon, years of service badge, lots of (fake) money, and, most importantly to me, my hundreds of hours of AAS logged flight time from ages ago. =(
I'm looking at the roster and here's what I'm seeing.
* If you take the step of proactively filing for vacation, you're golden - forever. There are pilots who've been on vacation for over a decade (I was one of them), and it doesn't matter how many hours you've got. Ben Pearman (AS87) is a perfect example - 9 flights, 12.8 hours flown. Now on vacation for 8+ years.
* Conversely, if you somehow miss filing for vacation (for any reason), it doesn't matter how much time you've got on the books - your account is zeroed and your number recycled...unless people recognize your name enough that you get into the RPNA...
I'd like to propose a change in Policy (and code) (and Marketing).
* Pilots with less than 100.0 hours of AAS time logged are in a "probationary" period and if they don't file at least one AAS flight every 30 days, they are cut loose, and their pilot number recycled.
* Pilots with 100+ hours of AAS time (The 100 Club) no longer need to file for vacation.
* After 30 days with no AAS flights, The 100 Club will be automatically placed on vacation.
* AirSource will send an email letting them know they've been marked as Vacation, but their callsign and logbook will remain active indefinitely.
* AirSource will also send The 100 Club a "We Miss You At AirSource" email twice a year to try to actively re-recruit our once-active pilots back into the fold.
* The "We Miss You At AirSource" email should have "reply to unsubscribe and retire from AirSource" instructions at the bottom.
* Replies/Unsubscribe requests from emails sent to The 100 Club will release/recycle their pilot number for reuse.
Thoughts?
