Red Mountain Airlines

Epitaph

2011-12-10T11:06:00.001-08:00

Just when I think that I have written all that I could ever hope to write about this VA, the muse strikes again. With the original carrier spanning 1956-1982, I took into account the recession of 1982, and the rise of America West Airlines, the following year. My latest bout of creativity took into account the demise of Frontier Airlines, in 1986, and the pending closure of Denver Stapleton Airport, and the exhorbitant landing fees that were planned for the new Denver International, at that time. There is now a firmer story for the livery change to the golden tail, and the new 1990-1994 continuity has the hub and base at Colorado Springs, due to the heavy competition in Phoenix. Once again, an economic downturn forces the closre of the carrier, just before the real world rise of Western Pacific Airlines, at KCOS, in 1995.

The modern day concept got a re-working, as well, with another resurrection of the 717 (at last, a decent FSX panel has been found!) and 737-600. I'll have to get the download packages back up on AVSIM, soon.

No plans exist for revival as an active VA, just yet. There would have to be alot of work done with the timetables, and life pulls me in other directions. RMA, like a good piece of music, just keeps on giving inspiration, and, as now presented, offers a kind of US airline industry history lesson, by presenting a plausible carrier that never was (but could have been).

Moribund?

2011-05-05T09:50:00.000-07:00

Once again, it is time to examine whether to renew the domain name. It will go on. Red Mountain Airlines, the VA, shall remain dormant. What had looked like a ramp-up to a return to full operations is merely some final housekeeping. Modern RMA is a "what would it look like now" situation; it is "historic" RMA that is the bulk of the story, and it is already written. This looks to be the final post of this blog; Feliz Cinco de Mayo to those who celebrate.

Mauna Rua Air has been written anew, but will not be returning to operation. After much deliberation, it was decided to keep the DC-10 paint buried forever (it's kinda hideous, to my eyes, in the wake of refining my painting skills). Further deliberation has served to keep the A330-200 paint under wraps. The 767 is the perfect choice, and the aforementioned concept of linking Seoul-Incheon to Ontario and Las Vegas via the Kona hub are the only regularly-scheduled flights.

Pele's Around the World

2011-04-01T10:26:00.000-07:00

Work continues on getting the Level D and Captain Sim paints done for the 767, but the turtle decal on the engines, along with a nebulous period in RMA history had me fleshing something else out; a DC-7B in a Mauna Rua livery that does not contain the Pele image. The story is already on the Mauna Rua page of the RMA website.

Meanwhile, before a MRA timetable is finalized, in time for the end of the school year, and summer vacation season, I have developed a pair of "Pele circumnavigation tours" of magical islands around the world to coincide with a low period in our scheduled services. The Southern Hemisphere around the world route is flyable westbound only, between now and May 15th, which is the target date to begin MRA scheduled services.

Click on the map to enlarge.

The routings for these 9-filght tours visit islands of magic and mystery. For the Southern Hemisphere Tour, with a focus on exotic beaches and wildlife, we visit Fiji, Bali, Mauritius, Zanzibar, Sal (Cape Verde Islands), Baltra (Galapagos), Easter Island, and Tahiti, before returning to Kona. Our 767 can fly it all in comfort and style, and the aircraft used is having a special seat pitch installed for pure luxury service for a lucky 112 people (among the world's wealthiest), who will literally be able to sleep on the plane. Each tour is designed to last 45 days, giving the travellers an average of five or six days at each stop. Look for these around the world tours to become annual features. The Northern Hemisphere Tour has a more intensive party vibe, and flies eastbound from Las Vegas, and visits Jamaica, St. Maarten, Iceland, Ireland, Rhodes, Phuket, Macau, and Kona, before finishing.

Paint Shop Dispatch

2011-03-22T19:22:00.000-07:00

Pele now adorns the tail of a CLS 767-300ER (N767RM "Kilauea"), as well as an Overland model (N763RM "Hualalai"), and the call has gone out to the FS community at large for help in painting the Captain Sim and Level D paywares (which would use the names of Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea, respectively). Gone is the winged mountain on the engines, however, since I found a cool Hawaiian turtle design that looks like it has wings. I have a flexible operational situation to work with, in terms of the Mauna Rua Air services redesign, so we'll see about whether or not it'll happen. Like modern RMA, the emphasis looks to be on payware aircraft. The files should be available soon enough.

Dreams of Pele

2011-03-21T13:58:00.000-07:00

She's in my head again, dammit.

RMA is finally how it should have been all along, and once again, thoughts turned to the Mauna Rua concept, despite declarations to not revisit it. The 737-600 was one of my better paints, and the VC works in FSX, making the aircraft attractive to keep, but it is the 767-300ER that captures my imagination. I have begun to paint the CLS bird, and would also try the Overland, Captain Sim, and Level D, although I would need a paint kit and tester to help me with the latter two, as I do not own them.

As for services, it's all about going where present real carriers do not. Once again, Kona is the hub, but the destinations are limited to CYVR, KLAS, KONT and RKSI. Japanese carriers already serve RJAA and RJBB from PHKO, although RJTT service remains a possibility for later, since Tokyo-Haneda is expanding the international terminal, and Hawaiian Air begins Honolulu service soon.

Don't rule out the Q400 either. I'd have to paint the PAD bird, but that would mean VC's in both FS9 and FSX. I like the idea of the inter-island plane being freeware, and the long-haulers being payware.

No pictures yet, but I already know who would be smiling at the news.

737-200s available

2011-03-09T09:44:00.000-08:00

The re-work of the VA's past into a museum is now complete. The 732 packages became available on AVSIM a short time ago. The site has reverted to its' prior format. I had withheld the 732's until they had changed, so that RMA might have a small part in the celebration, but there are glitches afoot, and we wish AVSIM well in getting them addressed.

If you enjoyed trying the Mardi Gras charter, try some extra runs to KIWA-KBOI-KLAS, for spring break. Our next event-specific charter shall be out of Vegas for the Kentucky Derby.

New Downloads, and the first MD-87 Charter

2011-03-02T10:21:00.000-08:00

The MD-87 liveries for CLS and JCA payware craft were released to AVSIM over this past weekend, and the DC-6B livery has just been uploaded. The 737-200 packages will come soon.

Meanwhile, try flying the MD-87 out of KLAS to KMSY this weekend, to enjoy Mardi Gras in New Orleans, returning Wednesday the 9th.

We'll add additional flights to/from Boise for spring break, as we have put some nice packages together that cater to college students at Boise State, and other area universities. Try hopping the Horizon Air Q400 in Montana Grizz paint to/from Missoula, for additional feel, and a little variety.

Free at Last!

2011-02-18T16:14:00.000-08:00

RMA is now disentangled from SimFly (well done, Jack), and the paint is completed for the JCA MD-87, as well, but I have not done any test flight for beauty shots. A paint kit for the SGA freeware MD-87 has been found, and work will start on an RMA paint. I will start getting the website tweaks going, as well. It would make perfect sense to have all of the changes to into effect concurrently, as the month ends. No plans for active operation, and PIREP tabulation, just yet.

Five & Flying

2011-02-11T22:46:00.000-08:00

At this time, in 2006, I first began getting into the Flight Simulator hobby. The initial designs for RMA soon followed, and the launch came with the warm Arizona summer. There was a lot to learn about the underbelly of airline managment, both real and virtual. Somewhere along the way, it became more fun to write the story than to run the carrier. Eventually, one does come to a point where there is the feeling that all proper creative efforts have been expended. I have felt for some time that I have created a proper past for RMA, but now comes the feeling that a proper present has also been realized.

Behold the MD-87; essentially an extended-range update of the DC-9 Series 50. It is the newest payware from CLS, and is FSX-only. The paint is in the final evaluation stages (yes, I made the mountain on the V-stabilizer darker) There is also a completed paint done for the Jet City Aircraft payware for FS2002/FS2004 (and it works fine in FSX, too). Under whole ownership, the MD-87's economics make sense, given what RMA is trying to do, which is to be a complimentary service to the real world operations of Allegiant Air, with business-friendly service to Southern California. A look at the modern era RMA route map (click to expand) shows that we are not looking to go head-to-head with the big boys in their hubs, but are focusing on unique point-to point market niches. Detroit is an exception, being a Delta hub, but the proximity to Canada is also a factor, much like the Canadian market is for Allegiant at Bellingham, WA.

Modern RMA operations would thus be limited to a trio of MD-87 aircraft, with a charter destination of the month, seasonal and event charters, and other goodies to make the VA a bit more interesting. With Nebraska joining the Big Ten, and the conference's strong alumni presence in the KIWA catchment area, look for some great college football charters to happen, this fall. Destinations like Iowa City, Madison, and Minneapolis are all within the Allegiant Air service area, but not directly served. RMA service would be for football charters only, with regular service to Chicago and Detroit offering more Big Ten fun. We would also run charters from KONT, which has emerged as a critical aircraft operations base for the airline, while the actual offices remain in Arizona. 2 aircraft would be based at KONT; one at KIWA.

The KONT charters would be mostly the event-oriented; Mardi Gras in New Orleans, spring break (or Christmas) in Los Cabos, or Cancun, (and even more KIWA-KBOI & vv flights for the Pacific Northwest kids to enjoy AZ spring break), Kentucky Derby in Louisville, an Indy 500 charter, a Calgary Stampede charter, etc. While there are no actual plans to run the VA diligently, I will continue to publish charters, so that those who have taken the time to download and read may experience the modern RMA as intended. With the MD-87 no-longer in real-world production, even modern RMA has a vintage feel to it. Yes, the seed is thus planted for a return of the VA to a more active role at FS Vintage AIR, should there be enough of a market, and synergy to support it.

Nothing gets released until we are done with SimFly, and the SFEU management seems content to do nothing, while the sale of the site is pending. The 737NG collection presently available for download will give way to the 737-200, used in retro operations, and the MD-87, the sole modern type. The DC6B will also become available as the 737NG relevancy ceases. I like the certain cachet of the modern facet being payware-exclusive, with the CLS and JCA products being the entire gamut known. The CLS MD-82 paint that I had done in the beaver-tail modern livery will not be released. There has been the release of the cone-tail MD-82 retro livery to the CLS livery manager, and there are no plans to paint the JCA MD-81.

The stories, pictures and downloads are all ready to go, when we finally cut ties with SimFly. The RMA name shall continue onward, with the real ulterior purpose (the winged mountain on a bass drum head near you) perhaps finally becoming realized.

MD-82 Livery Available

2010-10-19T09:39:00.000-07:00

The RMA cone-tail livery is now available via the CLS Livery Manager online. SimFly has yet to purge us for inactivity (c'mon & just delete the pilots & close the VA, Jack), but I have the "museum pieces" ready to remake the RMA site when they do. I like the history, and will call it a day, in terms of trying to continue operations as an active VA.

The Saga is Summarized

2010-09-13T08:48:00.000-07:00

Here is the official RMA story (fictional, of course, but based on real history):

1956 -RMA founded with a pair of used L-049's, offering ad-hoc charters from Phoenix to Los Angeles and Chicago Midway, but winning CAB approval to become a scheduled carrier.

1959 -RMA has expanded to a fleet of 6 Connies, including L-749's, and has federal approval for connecting the west coast and upper Midwest via Phoenix.

1960-The first fleet modernization begins, but RMA is not big enough, or profitable enough for jets yet. The DC-6B becomes the standard type.

1965 -The last of the Connies have been sold, and the operation is all DC-6B service. Albuquerque has emerged as a second hub. The 727-100 is considered, but the cost analysis is not entirely favorable (mostly due to the backlog of orders on Boeing's book at the time). RMA executives are told that Boeing is also working on a twin-engined regional airliner that might be more suitable to the RMA operation. Brief leases of other jets are explored (I am leaving this open for the forthcoming Comet Professional from Just Flight).

1967-RMA recieves their first jet, late in the year, with others following in early 1968, when 737-200 service is launched. This type begins the RMA tradition of red engine pods, with the winged mountain logo, (the Connie paints featured the logo on the rear fuselage, and the DC-6B had it on the front, just below the cockpit).

1970 -RMA recieves its' first 727-200, due to high demand on the flights to the Midwest, and the DC-6B is retired, but RMA is stymied by the FAA in getting approvals to expand the route network.

1978 -The US airline industry becomes deregulated. RMA's ambitions are now unfettered, but the financials had already begun to suffer, with increased fuel costs, over-capacity, and competitive pressures. RMA management remains optimistic about future growth, and looks to acquire the MD-80 to replace the fuel-hungry 727.

1981 -The first MD-82 arrives as the year ends, and begins RMA service, which, for the first time, has expanded to a first international destination, Acapulco.

1982 -The debt, competitive pressures, and recession combine to render RMA insolvent. Due to bad economics industry-wide, there is no merger or buyout to be found, and RMA folds on May 31 of this year; one day shy of the 26th anniversary of the carrier's launch.

Thus far, I have managed to create 1959, 1964 and 1979 timetables, with only the 1982 timetable left to finish. The possibility of the modern revival at KIWA (which was the original RMA concept in 2006) is still left open. The modern livery of "Euro-white," no cheat lines, and gold on the tail thus signifies the KIWA hub.

Of course, the real history of RMA is a bit more concise. Conceived in March of 2006, and launched on the first of June that year, RMA began as an ode to the promise of KIWA. Originally conceived as a regional carrier with a business-friendly schedule and route network, RMA went through several permutations and adaptations. The cargo division was launched in the summer of 2006, and had a life of its' own. 2007 saw us finally getting on-board with ePIREP (now defunct), and the birth of Mauna Rua Air, a Hawaiian division, but in reality, a carrier all its' own.

2008 saw the end of ePIREP, and the first retirement of the RMA concept, and Mauna Rua forged ahead as its' own entity, using the RMA website. The retro RMA concept was established in 2008, with the first Connie paints.

2009 saw operations on SimFly begin, only to see everything shut down later in the year; the VA had run its' course.

2010 saw longtime pilot, Jack Morris seek permission to revive the VA, with SimFly being a natural choice for a flight tracker program. Alas, many pilots have issues with the AFTS client, and the revival is a disaster. My mind never stopped creating, however, and it became apparent that RMA might not be a VA, but could be a unique form of participatory history lesson, and here we are.

What's next?

VOILA!

2010-09-11T13:29:00.000-07:00

The paints for the 737-200 and MD-82 are done:

The CLS MD-81/82 does allow for the original "cone tail," as well as the "screwdriver tail," which became a standard in later MD-80 models. I have chosen to represent an aircraft that would be period-correct for 1982.

Done With Musings (for now)

2010-09-09T08:51:00.000-07:00

1964 has continued to take shape in my mind, including a re-work of the DC-6B paint (now appearing in a prior post). The signature run to Midway would have been re-shaping at the time. Chicagoland air traffic had become centered at then-relatively-new O'Hare, but Midway was still conveniently close to downtown, and made for propliner traffic. Adding Milwaukee, only 90 miles to the north, as a destination, gives RMA'64 ample coverage of the greater Chicagoland area. The Phoenix and Albuquerque markets were not major ones, but offered enough traffic back to the Pacific coast and Midwest to keep a regional carrier going. I've worked out a 1964 timetable based upon the fleet having four DC6Bs and a pair of Connies. There is no motivation to even address the 1982 or modern Q400 operations yet. Maybe that's the point. With RMA ceasing to be an active VA again, perhaps I should simply finish the page for'64, then call it a day, letting the website function as a museum.

Yes, it almost seems proper to simply tie up the history of RMA in 1982; no subsequent rebirth at KIWA. The L-749, DC-6B, and 727-200 paints all look great, and represent 1959, 1964 and 1979 respectively. It makes much more sense to adapt the 737-200 to the 1979 schedule, and painting the CLS MD-82. The 1959 schedules remain intact, and the 1964 schedule was easy to complete. The differences? 1959 still has service to XDEN, and 1964 exchanges that defunct airport (I use the 1958 scenery for FS2004) for KMKE and KDTW. The 1979 schedule will remain intact, but the 732 may be woven in. The 1982 schedule would be the 1979 schedule with the 722 beginning phase-out, in favor of the MD-82 and the then-on-the-drawing-board 737-500. The depiction of 1982 would be on the eve of fiscal collapse, with the addition of the Acapulco, Seattle, Boise and Colorado Springs services to the 1979 schedule.

Thus, the master RMA fleet list, once the VA reverts to being a historical representation only, shall be as follows:
L-749 freeware Manfred Jahn/Team 749
DC-6B freeware Cal Classic
B737-200 freeware Vistaliners
B727-200 freeware Vistaliners/HJG
MD-82 payware CLS (not definite; let's see if I can paint it)

The modern operation, still alive at SimFly, as of this writing, will be allowed to wither on the vine. Eventually, the paints will be taken down, and only the historical ones will remain. For the curious, here is a master list of everything that's had an RMA or Mauna Rua Air paint job, to date:

A300-600R payware CLS/Overland
A310 payware CLS/Overland & Abacus
A318 freeware iFDG, payware Wilco
A330-200 payware CLS (Mauna Rua only)
A340-500 payware CLS/Overland
ATR72 payware Flight1
B717-200 freeware Jet City Aircraft
B727-200 freeware Vistaliners/HJG, payware Captain Sim (freighter only)
B737-200 freeware Vistaliners ('twas an easy paint)
B737-600/700/800 freeware POSKY
B747-200F freeware Ready for Pushback (FS2004 only)
B757-200 freeware POSKY (RMA only), payware Captain Sim (RMA & MRA)
B767-200 payware CLS
B777-200F payware PSS (FS2004 only)
C130 payware Captain Sim
CRJ-200 freeware POSKY
CRJ-700 freeware PAD
CRJ-900 freeware POSKY
Dash 8-200 freeware Dreamwings
Dash 8-300 payware PSS (FS2002/2004 only)
Dash 8-Q400 freeware Dreamwings
DC-6B freeware Cal Classic
DC-7F freeware Cal Classic
DC-10-30 payware CLS
ERJ-135/Legacy 600 freeware POSKY, payware Wilco
ERJ-140 freeware POSKY
ERJ-145 freeware Dreamwings
E170 freeware Dreamwings
L-049 freeware FSDzign
L-749 freeware Manfred Jahn/Team 749
MD-81 payware Flight 1/CoolSky

Since this seems to be a post about lists, I also want to list my personal favorites to fly, as of today (with the CLS MD-81/82 due to be debuted this weekend):

L-749 -the definitive RMA Connie
DC-6B -uniquely classic RMA look
B717-200 -billboard livery (v3 of my JCA paint)
B737-600 -love the VC in FSX, and the turning radius
B767-200 -very satisfying to fly, once you learn it; should have been a Mauna Rua craft
DC-10-30 -classic bird looks great in RMA or Mauna Rua schemes
A330-200 -looks great in Mauna Rua livery, but never flew officially

The above list of favorites is based upon my use of FSX as my primary sim, and does not take into account other aircraft that have no business ever wearing an RMA or Mauna Rua livery. I still love the CLS A300/310 and Dreamwings Q400 in FS2004, but rarely fly in that sim any more. I recently took the CLS A300/310 and A340-500/600 off of my FSX machine, to make room for the MD-81/82 and other newer aircraft. I am having a great time flying modern & real with Phoenix Virtual, and retro with BOACv and the PanAm & American Airways VA's on FS Vintage Air, and that is why only the creative aspects of RMA seem to be fulfilling now.

I suppose that the B747-200F could see an eventual paint for the CLS model, since I have it. Ditto a Mauna Rua paint for the 767-200, or even a cargo paint for the 767. There is no urgency, motivation or timeline for these. If they happen, so be it. The idea of RMA having a 1956-1982 lifespan appeals, with Mauna Rua never having happened at all. A modern RMA may never be, or be easily reborn with Q400 or B736 service from KIWA, should RMA the band ever get going.

More Musings

2010-09-06T14:54:00.001-07:00

That DC6B paint sure looks purty. Yes, it's a variation on the short-lived Capital Airlines scheme of 1960. With the United merger announced in May of 1960, it was indeed, a very short time span that saw this style, and I have chosen to honor it by retaining it, but with the mountain in full size on the tail, and the wings logo forward. The DC6 fleet would see the last of the Connies retiring in 1967, with the last DC6 flight in 1970, as the 732 came online.

In fact, in thinking things through, I realize that the 732 paint might have to be similar to this, or be exactly like the 722 (which is more probable). The MD-81 paint might have room for a little bit more license, but I want to avoid the golden tail for the historic RMA, and billboard liveries were not part of the milleiu of the early 1980's. We could see a return to the red belly (original RMA livery from 2006), however. RMA 1982, all single-aisle jets, is shaping up to have 2 freeware and one payware, if I actually go through with the paints.

The re-imagining has gone to the modern era as well. Modern RMA would be lean and business-friendly, while complimenting what Allegiant Air is doing at KIWA. The Q400 would make a return, and I'd have to get busy painting the magnificent PAD freeware that has truly surpassed the venerable Dreamwings freeware. The long-haul aspect of RMA Modern already has the CLS 762 ready to go, running RJAA-PHKO-KLAS-MMUN. Meanwhile, the Q400 route map would look like this:

There was an agonizing process involved with not using the 717 again. I do love the Jet CIty Aircraft freeware, but there were issues with getting a good FSX panel that would work consistently. The 736 could still remain in modern RMA, doing the signature KBUR-KIWA-KMDW run, and jaunting to PHKO on the weekend. This would give modern RMA a freeware turboprop, freeware single-aisle jet, and a payware widebody jet.

It is retro RMA that has really captured my imagination the most. The Connie and DC6B paints have seen the most care, and the retro world of Cal Classic and Early 60's Sceneries in FS9 makes the whole thing almost hermetic. Only time will tell what will be done with the VA, or the band, for that matter. Until SimFly officially pulls the plug, the RMA site will reflect operational status there. Once the SimFly tracking is officially kaput, I will restore the 1959 and 1979 pages, with a 1964 page as well. The 1979 page would eventually turn into the 1982 page, but could still remain the same. The modern page might be brought back more slowly, with the Q400 appearing first, and the jets, if used, to follow.

1964 & More Imagined

2010-09-05T21:37:00.000-07:00

Yes, writing this VA is the funnest part. We're dying on SimFly, once again, and will never try that client again. We thus go back to a state of dormancy, but that lets me get to painting, and imagining what other periods of RMA might have looked like.

In my last post, I examined what direction the airline would have taken, moving forward in 1960. The carrier is a young, regional phenomenon, not positioned to go after the big boys yet, and the bread & butter run remains back to the Midwest. In 1960, the Connies would have started looking dated, but were still serviceable. I have now imagined what a transition to DC6Bs would look like:

The route map of 1964 has been re-imagined too:

In writing the story of RMA in the 60's, it was easy to settle on the DC-6B, but with a view towards transitioning to turboprops. The Britannia would have been a great next aircraft, mid-decade, but there would still be tremendous pressure to get into jets, and the 727-200 by the start of the 70's. I have given thought to a 737-200 paint. The 722's (and possibly 732's) would carry the 1970's, and the first MD-81 (the new CLS payware model for FSX) would be in service at the time of the recession of 1982, and the collapse of the original airline. Here's the route map for that era:

I did not stop there. I went with an artist's rendering of the CLS 767-200ER:

This lovely beast is part of a modern expansion, and may be seen as the aircraft that began the transition to Mauna Rua Air, the fabled Hawaiian division of RMA. There are no plans to paint Pele on the tail...yet. I have envisioned this bird running RJAA-PHKO-KLAS-MMUN, in a modern RMA. Thus, the next incarnation of RMA might be some sort of amalgamated time-warp, as we tried doing on SimFly, with a balance striving for one freeware craft, and one payware craft per era.

Mid-summer Musings

2010-08-25T20:53:00.000-07:00

1960; a time of tremendous change in the civilian air transport industry. Pure jets were coming into service, changing the entire operational landscape. With RMA having a backstory, I began to think of how it got from L-749's to 727's in greater detail. The Arizona market was not big enough in 1960 to support larger aircraft, and the Lockheed Electra was a problem child. The Bristol Britannia is a serious consideration, but would have been a very expensive acquisition for the RMA of 1960. The Vickers Viscount lacked the range to reach Chicago, and the Vickers Vanguard was too big. Logic thus began to point to the DC6 or DC7 families, and indeed, there was an RMA DC-7 freighter paint done for the Cal Classic model a few years ago. Tom's really brought his Cal Classic propliners into payware quality, complete with VC's, much like our 749's. After careful consideration of what the economics of the day would have dictated, the DC6B emerged as a logical transition aircraft for the RMA of the early 60's.

Thoughts did not stop there, however. By 1965, RMA would have been feeling higher pressure to go turboprop or pure jet, but the options would have limited us to the 727-100. I seem to recall writing previously that we would have seen -100 series craft in the late 60's, but standardized the fleet in the 70's to the -200 series.

There are no plans to paint a 727-100, but I might be persuaded to paint the DC6B in a livery like our 722, but with "Red Mountain Airlines" on the fuselage, like our Connies. Naturally, I would use the Cal Classics DC6B, which I have been enjoying lately on FSVintageAir. FSV has recently opened a classic American Airlines VA that pays homage to the prop era, in addition to operating a classic Pan Am VA.

Meanwhile, our second sojourn on SimFly has us languishing again. There's been some enthusiasm, but nobody other than myself is flying. I'd hate to have to tell Jack to pull the plug, but I am also brand-conscious, and RMA the band still remains a possibility, depending on what I do musically for the coming heavy gig season in Arizona. If we do remain on SimFly into September, and fail to meet our quota of flight hours, I would hope that Jack would pull the plug. If not, then I will invoke my rights as copyright-holder and have SimFly pull the plug. I would rather leave SimFly as September begins, since it would allow all sorts of RMA re-working. Did I mention that I have the modern operation re-worked with 717's and a 767 (which is already painted) expansion option? I would rather see RMA go back underground, as I'd had it earlier this year. I an RMA band manages to take off, the plan would be to go onto VAFS for flight tracking, and virtual economics. I had deemed VAFS to be too expensive, but if there is an RMA band, then VAFS becomes a marketing expense.

Also, look out for some delicious new VA-friendly payware, in the form of Just Flight's A320 and CLS's MD-81 (which JF is releasing in boxed form this week). The MD-81 would have been a consideration a few years ago, but the real world sees the type predominant at KIWA, due to the Allegiant Air operation there. I want RMA to be different. The 717 re-work is complimentary to Allegiant, and the 767 expansion would be an homage to the past Mauna Rua and RMAtours and VIAC divisions, running RJAA-PHKO-KLAS-MMUN. I have painted the CLS 767-200 like the 737-800, and harbor no ambition to give it the Mauna Rua paint. The MRA concept is a good one, but it's a VA that had its chance on SimFly and did not work. The focus thus remains on running a modest-but-interestingly-fun RMA that is true to both its' pilots, real world history, and real world market realities; essentially the initial vision of RMA in early 2006, anyway. I suppose that I could modify the backstory a little bit, and paint the CLS MD-81. Since RMA is written to have gone under during the recession of 1981-82, we might have only one MD-81 as part of a possible "RMA '81" operation similar to the present '79 operation. The RMA of '79 is written to very much fill the void left by Hughes Airwest merging into Republic, prior to the start of America West Airlines in 1983, and also illustrating the effects of the airline industry deregulation of 1978.

Writing the story of this VA is still more fun than actually running it.

Re-modernization?

2010-05-21T20:52:00.000-07:00

As the FS landscape continues to evolve, along with the real world of commercial aviation in trying economic times, I have continued to re-evaluate modern RMA operations. Much of what some of the early envisioning about future operations at KIWA entailed in the history of RMA has come to pass, in terms of Allegiant Air's KIWA service. RMA was offering direct service to points north and east, with a leisure and business focus, and was running 757's to Hawaii long before Allegiant began purchasing the type, with a view towards the Hawaii travel market.

With Allegiant VA's out there, including Phoenix Vitrual, the newest, biggest conglomerate VA (for which I have been flying lately), the thinking turns to making modern RMA ops complimentary to those of Allegiant, or leaving KIWA altogether, and making modern RMA into an all-cargo operation out of KPHX.

Several different modern configurations make sense, but factor in how they would integrate with other RMA aspects, and the clear favorite becomes a pax operation at KIWA, serving a combination of leisure and business markets in a fashion complimentary to Allegiant, who will be starting KLGB service soon (but not KLGB-KIWA yet; only Bellingham, WA). Thanks to the emergence of a great freeware FSX panel, the billboard livery on the 717 is a likely aircraft, but a strong case may also be made for a return to the Q400-only operation that was in place for a time in 2008-9. I have been sitting on a complete Dreamwings Q400 FS2004/FSX download package for over a year, and it would be released in conjunction with textures for the new PAD freeware Q400 released in February of 2010 (with full VC!) for both FS2004 and FSX. There is thus some precedent for doing this.

As always, reality comes first, and I seem to be going through another transitional episode, but this one is upward, unlike the one of last autumn, during which the VA ceased active flight tracking and PIREP collection. RMA the band is still a mere pipe dream, despite some promising signs over the past winter that it might have been on the cusp of coming into being.

Stay tuned.

RMA 2010: '59, '79, '09

2010-04-11T08:26:00.000-07:00

Greetings, fellow flight-simmers and airline enthusiasts. It seems like it has been forever since I have had significant enough time to devote to the hobby. As usual, it began with the mind wandering creatively.

Between the 1959 and 2009 incarnations of RMA, I realized that there was still room for filling in the gap. What would have an intermediate evolution of the airline look like? I tried to imagine that first year of deregulation, and remembered my own travels in the spring of 1979. The RMA of that time began to take shape as a progenitor of the present Midwest Airlines, with the signture run still being a connector between Burbank, Phoenix and Chicago. Taking into account the then-extant major carriers, and their hub operations, I put RMA of 1979 into service, using a quintet of 727-200s, with the Constellations being phased out during the 1960's. This particular type was the backbone of most US domestic fleets, and would have been a state-of-the-art replacement for the propliner in the mid-60's. The 727-100 would have been a more likely choice, or even an early 737, as well. We can perhaps imagine that these were indeed types in service with RMA during the late 60's and early 70's, with the standardization to the 727-200 serving to put the carrier into a tight cash position at the dawn of deregulation. Competition at KDEN (still Stapleton then) between Continental, United and the original Frontier has driven RMA out of the market there by the late 70's, with the airline's niche being the linkage of California & Las Vegas to the Midwest, via a Phoenix hub.

Many destinations are in common with both the 1959 and present day imaginings of RMA, but the livery represents a transition between the eras. 1979 would still have operations based at KPHX, and the white-tail represents that. Only the golden tail represents the evolution of operations at KIWA. Indeed, it is easy to imagine that the RMA of 1979 was a few years short of collapsing, with the recession of 1981-82 fitting into the timeline nicely. It was 1983 that saw the birth of America West Airlines, which hubbed out of KPHX. This plays well into the 2006 "rebirth" at KIWA scenario.

Meanwhile, I set about painting the Vistaliners B727-200 Adv and fitting it with the best FSX panel that I could find. HJG's own panel offerings for FS9 would still be the way to go in the older sim. The soundset for both sims remains the same. It won't be too long before the download appears at AVSIM, but, in deference to HJG, for being so kind in hosting the Vistaliners files, the RMA AVSIM download will be FSX-oriented, and feature everything but the aircraft model. Thus, FS9 users will simply have to install the HJG files, then add the RMA livery.

Does this mean that there are plans to revive the VA? Perhaps; there has been inquiry from a few people about such a thing. The RMA band concept is on-hold (again) for now, despite looking near-ready to launch over this past winter. Simply put, it would have been a splinter group of a band that I was in, but the splintering has taken a different shape. Gigs begin to slow down for the brutal Arizona summer, and virtual aviation once again begins to get more of my attention.

A Most Dark and Bitter Day

2009-05-13T18:39:00.001-07:00

AVSIM is gone; hacked into, and effectively destroyed, according to their CEO. The flight simulation community has lost a giant.

It gets worse: SimFly has been implicated as a malefactor of some type. My words are carefully chosen, and suggest, dear reader, that you employ a dictionary and thesaurus if you are having trouble with divining my meaning. SimFly is innocent until prooven guilty, but the timing of some unsolicited spam listing SimFly as the source, coupled with the AVSIM situation, casts a very long shadow.

The SimFly AFTS still has some kinks to iron out. I have not been able to get a 737 flight to load passengers. That's OK, since more pilots seem to want the long-haul stuff anyway.

Once again, right after the decision is made to continue VA operations, events transpire that make me second-guess my decision. After a careful budget analysis, I have decided that the wait and see approach is still warranted, but also that VAFS is becoming a viable and likely option.