Delta Virtual Airlines Water Cooler | Airline Operations |
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DVA043
Senior Captain, MD-11
OLP
Joined on June 10 2001
Event Half Century Club
Online Double Century Club
50 State Club
DVA Twenty-Year Anniversary
Everett 1500 Club
Bi-Millennium Club
Four Million Mile Club
"Col. Panic" Marietta, GA
2,241 legs, 8,967.3 hours
240 legs,
553.9 hours online 1,899 legs,
7,760.4 hours ACARS 75 legs,
196.3 hours event 2,277 legs, 9,102.2 hours total 91 legs dispatched, 66.4
hours
CURRENTLY LOGGED IN
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Posted onPost created on
June 06 2004 17:29 ET by Luke Kolin
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One interesting feature of American politics is that every four or eight years, a President faces the inevitability of losing office for several months while he shares time with his successor. A new president gets eleced on the first Tuesday in November, but does not take office until the third Monday in January. The day after a new President is selected, you can feel a change in the air while the incumbent gets to spend some time reflecting and knowing that his time will come to an end quite soon. This is a somewhat unique situation. In Great Britain, a new Prime Minister usually takes office a day or two after an election brings his or her party to power. Canada draws things out somewhat, but even there it's no more than ten days or so.
I like the American model, not just because I can draw upon my substantial salary as your virtual airline's President for that much longer. I think it allows us the luxury of a gradual transition where people can grow into their new role, and I have the luxury of reflecting upon the years past since I joined Delta Virtual Airlines in May of 2001.
I will confess a significant ambivalence - both in assuming the role of your President and relinquishing it. Leading a group of individuals over 600 strong imposes a relentless, unending pressure and demands day after day. There are manuals to complete and publish, questions to answer and decisions to be made. The more successful you are, the more demands are placed upon you. I think my workload increased exponentially at that point, just at the time my daughter was diagnosed with a congenital brain defect.
I don't want you to think that I consider my past year to be negative. I've had the extreme pleasure of working with dozens of the finest flight simulation hobbyists in the virtual airline world. You've been a great group of people to deal with on a personal and professional level, and I wouldn't want to have missed such an opportunity. You're passionate, active, funny and some of you are downright crazy.
All of us have taken Delta Virtual Airlines to the point where we are the second largest virtual airline on VATSIM, with over 620 active pilots. I think DVA really needed what I tried to focus upon during my year - recognising that this virtual airline was large enough to need strategic thought as to what we wanted to do to make us different. It needed a focus on development of systems and management that would allow this entity to continue to grow. In some ways we're like a real business - as enterprises grow they run into their greatest challenges during certain steps. When a small virtual airline reaches 40 or so pilots, it's a challenge. When it hits 250, it's a challenge. At 600, we face challenges of organization too, and the leadership that took us here isn't always the best suited to carry us forward.
My greatest pleasures in the past three years with DVA have been to see people having fun and being happy, and hopefully I was able to contribute in some part to that happiness. On the opposite side, there have been times over the past three years when you weren't having fun. Those have been the most disappointing, and many of the names of those who left disappointed stay with me.
I am confident that Terry Eshenour, Mark McCauley, Ralph Snyder and David Schaum are the folks needed to take us to that next step. They've brought enthusiasm and reflection to their roles, and I've certainly seen an improvement in service and attention since a lot of it was taken out of my hands. DVA is going to face a bit of a crossroads; do we take the next step and become a "super airline" like BAV and Livewire with over 1,000 pilots, or do we decide that the next step is merely to stay where we are since that's our most effective size? I don't know, but I think the right folks are in place to lead us into that decision.
Several people have asked me if my involvement with DVA will cease next weekend. It certainly will not, if for no other reason than the server is currently hosted in the bonus room above my garage. I'm going to be stepping back into my old role of Vice-President of Technology, keeping the systems in place and providing effective service to you, the pilots. We have new Fleet Installers to push out, an ACARS server to finish and a fun new VA venture to complement DVA. I'll be busy for a while. The last computer-related hobby I got involved with kept me busy for 11 years, and I'm nowhere close to that yet.
The event folks have put together a nice little shindig for me this evening starting around 1930 Eastern Time. We'll be flying out of Atlanta into the small island of Bermuda, around two hours east of ATL. I encourage you to take some time to join all of us for an enjoyable flight and landing on a nice semi-tropical island in the middle of the Atlantic. If you haven't flown online a great deal, or have been looking for more traffic or ATC staffing, tonight is going to be the night where it all comes together. I hope we may even exceed our record turnout at the ATL-IAH event with Virtual Continental. Have an early dinner tonight and join us on the ramp at KATL at 7:30 Eastern time this evening.
I've had a wonderful time working with all of you for the past three years. I'm confident that with Terry, we're going to have an even more enjoyable time flying, learning and doing things together. As always, it has been a privilege flying with you.
Cheers!
Luke KolinSenior Captain, MD-11
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DVA953
Senior Captain, B737-800
E-MAIL
Joined on November 17 2002
50 State Club
Double Century Club
Online Double Century Club
"V1 means V1..." West Lafayette, IN USA
214 legs, 376.8 hours
211 legs,
373.0 hours online 117 legs,
223.6 hours ACARS
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Posted onPost created on
June 06 2004 17:44 ET by James Brickell
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The privelege has been, and always will be, flying with you Luke.
Glad to see a great turnout tonight (I was Delivery at Atlanta.)
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DVA822
Senior Captain, B777-200
Joined on September 05 2002
Quincentenary Club
Million Mile Club
"I love the smell of jet fuel" Northeastern United States
589 legs, 2,254.6 hours
47 legs,
112.9 hours online 97 legs,
400.7 hours ACARS 16 legs,
39.2 hours event
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Posted onPost created on
June 06 2004 19:12 ET by Trevor Fenimore
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Luke,
It has been a pleasure working with you, and I am glad to see that you will be sticking around. I know I can speak for myself and handfull of other pilots when I say you did wonders for this VA, and we are looking forward to continuned progression under Terry's command!!!!
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DVA1129
Senior Captain, B757-200
E-MAIL
Joined on March 10 2003
Million Mile Club
Millennium Club
Online Six Century Club
""never ever give up"" Ardmore, OK USA
1,210 legs, 3,192.7 hours
602 legs,
1,222.0 hours online 508 legs,
1,054.6 hours ACARS 15 legs,
27.7 hours event
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Posted onPost created on
June 06 2004 19:22 ET by Craig Davidson
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Luke you have been a great president, you have helped this airline so much. I remember back when i first joined over a year ago, there was hardly any online flying at all, i never saw more then 2 or 3 DVA pilots on at a time but you have turned that around and i think we are one of if not the biggest online flying VA, as JB said it has been a honor serving under you. I am sure Terry will pick up where you left off and countinue to make this VA the best! Thank you for all the work you have done for us.
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DVA057
Senior Captain, B777-200
COMM
Joined on June 02 2002
Events Century Club
Six Century Club
Online Quintuple Century Club
Everett 500 Club
50 State Club
DVA Twenty-Year Anniversary
"We Are ... Penn State!" Atlanta, GA USA
672 legs, 1,338.4 hours
531 legs,
1,076.4 hours online 392 legs,
786.1 hours ACARS 190 legs,
406.3 hours event
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Posted onPost created on
June 07 2004 13:36 ET by Terry Eshenour
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Luke,
Thank you for setting the direction, bestowing a sense of mission and purpose, providing the hardware, software, connection and energizing the organization.
Your attention to detail and succession made picking up the reins a joy and a pleasure.
Enjoy your new found time. I suspect it will fill quickly.
Terry EshenourSenior Captain, B777-200
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DVA1068
Senior Captain, B757-200
Joined on February 03 2003
Double Century Club
Midwestern United States
223 legs, 482.4 hours
13 legs,
23.0 hours online 1 legs,
1.7 hours event
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Posted onPost created on
June 07 2004 14:24 ET by Cody Martin
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Thanks for everything Luke! I tried to make it out last night, but my computer would not cooperate with me.
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DVA1320
Senior Captain, B777-200
COMM
Joined on August 29 2003
Online Six Century Club
DVA Ten-Year Anniversary
Everett Millennium Club
Flying Colonel
Three Million Mile Club
Arlington, VA USA
1,752 legs, 7,042.0 hours
610 legs,
2,627.6 hours online 272 legs,
966.9 hours ACARS 5 legs,
12.2 hours event
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Posted onPost created on
June 08 2004 13:34 ET by Daniel Ward
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I truly enjoyed the foight. It was a great send off for you. I am in your debt for providing a very positive environment for me (and all of us pilots). The VA has enough disclipline to enforce a professional, and safe, growth environment. Yet, it was still fun. A rare combination. I am fully confidant in the folks who have been charged to maintain this wondedrful. You have set the bar quite high. I am also very happy that you are remaining with us...
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DVA497
Senior Captain, A330-300
Joined on June 02 2002
Online Century Club
50 State Club
Globetrotter
DVA Twenty-Year Anniversary
Black Pearl Club
Everett 250 Club
Millennium Club
Million Mile Club
Hong Kong Island Hong Kong
1,125 legs, 2,807.5 hours
171 legs,
325.8 hours online 509 legs,
1,314.3 hours ACARS 7 legs,
13.5 hours event
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Posted onPost created on
June 15 2004 10:39 ET by Pablo Fraga
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Luke thanks ALLOT for your time!! im very happy to hear that you will stay around with us. Im also very sorry, cuz I couldnt fly the BDA flight. Well fly again in another occasion, thats for sure, I´ll pay the fuel ;-P lol
Glad you will continue with us!!
Pablo FragaSenior Captain, A330-300
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