Before You Join, Please Read the Following Thoroughly
This page is a brief rundown of our general operational requirements and policies. More detailed information is available after joining.
vASA has no relationship with Alaska Airlines or any of its affiliates and subsidiaries. We are an independent group of hobbyists and are in no way endorsed by Alaska Airlines.
vASA Is Part of the Fusion Virtual Airline Alliance
Note: Not all vAMSYS VAs are part of FVAA.
vASA is a member of the Fusion Virtual Airline Alliance (FVAA), a group of virtual airlines which utilize vAMSYS.
FVAA VAs all benefit from being run by a single group of volunteers, and our members enjoy the convenience of similar policies and benefits as well as one big, active community on Discord.
The other FVAA VAs are: vAAL, FDXvirtual, vspirit, Piedmont Virtual Airlines Historical Group, and VirtUAL.
We hope you'll check out the rest of the VAs in our network soon!
What's vASA?
We are a virtual airline based on the real-world Alaska Airlines, utilizing the vAMSYS software platform and its Pegasus ACARS client. We incorporate selected historical schedules from both Alaska and operators that became part of Alaska, like Virgin America and Hawaiian, as well as updated and accurate modern schedules.
What's vAMSYS?
vAMSYS (Virtual Airline Management System) is a platform to which we, vASA, subscribe as a customer.
Each VA on vAMSYS is a separate entity and are operated by different owners and volunteers.
Supported Simulators
We do not and cannot support any mobile or console based simulators.
Our software supports the desktop version of MSFS 2020/2024, FSX/P3D, and X-Plane 11/12.
The Pegasus ACARS client is compatible with PC and Mac (Intel and Apple Silicon).
Activity Requirements
We require one (1) accepted PIREP filed via Pegasus within ten (10) days after joining.
Thereafter, we require one (1) accepted PIREP filed via Pegasus every one hundred and twenty (120) days, with a ten (10) day grace period.
Rejected PIREPs count towards the activity requirement.
PIREP Claims count towards the activity requirement.
Invalidated PIREPs do not count towards the activity requirement.
After completing the initial activity requirement, 180 days' worth of "holiday" time is available.
If you are marked inactive, you can rejoin and your prior pilot ID and PIREP/points history will be restored.
If you have any questions about the activity policy, please contact us via Discord or email before you are deactivated.
Livery Requirements
In order for your PIREPs to be accepted, we have the following requirements for liveries:
The booked aircraft type must match the flown aircraft type. This extends to sub-variants: you cannot book a B738 and fly a B739, or book an A319 and fly a A21N. They must match. This extends to sub-variants, such as Airbus CEOs vs NEOs or Boeing NGs vs MAXes.
The booked airline must match the airline of the flown livery. An Alaska flight must be flown with an Alaska livery, a Virgin America flight with a Virgin America livery, etc.
Historical liveries are allowed so long as the aircraft you are flying wore that livery. For example, Alaska's MD-80s never wore the current livery and thus a fictional livery for the MD-80 in the current livery cannot be used.
Fictional liveries are not allowed in general. Neither are blank liveries or "house"/manufacturer liveries.
Prohibited Aircraft Add-ons
We understand that by prohibiting certain add-ons, we may disappoint some users. We also understand that these prohibitions exclude several aircraft types entirely from MSFS at this time. An aircraft type being included in our schedules does not mean that any add-on representing that type is approved for PIREPs.
The vASA team wants these aircraft types to be represented as badly, if not more so, than our users do. We have a certain standard of realism and quality that we want to promote, and so for add-ons that we feel fall outside of these standards, or add-ons that we think take advantage of the flight simulation community, we chose to exclude them so that we are able to deliver on one of our goals: maximizing realism where it counts.
The following aircraft are prohibited from use at vASA; any PIREP filed with them will be invalidated.
MSFS Fenix A321ceo: Alaska/Virgin America did not operate the A321ceo (A321), so it is not an acceptable substitution for an A321neo (A21N). It is obviously an immensely high quality add-on, the prohibition is due to aircraft type and not add-on quality.
MSFS FlyByWire/Default A320neo: Alaska/Virgin America did not operate the A320neo, so it is not an acceptable substitution for an A320ceo.
MSFS iniBuilds A320neo: Alaska/Virgin America did not operate the A320neo, so it is not an acceptable substitution for an A320ceo.
MSFS Bravo Airspace/Horizon/Kuro 787-8: Hawaiian/Alaska do not operate the B788 and it is not a valid substitution for the B789.
MSFS Default/HeavyDivision 787-10: Hawaiian/Alaska do not operate the B78X and it is not a valid substitution for the B789.
MSFS LatinVFR Airbus Family (even when combined with the Horizon mods): This add-on's quality is too poor to be approved.
MSFS Bredok3D Boeing 737 MAX: This add-on's quality is too poor to be approved.
MSFS Virtualcol ERJ-170/175/190/195: This add-on's quality is too poor to be approved.
XP11/12 Toliss Airbus A320neo: Alaska/Virgin America did not operate the A320neo (A20N), so it is not an acceptable substitution for an A320ceo (A321).
XP11/12 Toliss Airbus A321ceo: Alaska/Virgin America did not operate the A321ceo (A321), so it is not an acceptable substitution for an A321neo (A21N).
Miscellaneous Requirements
Members must comply with our Bylaws and Code of Conduct at all times.
Our Discord is restricted to people eighteen (18) years of age and older.
Time Acceleration during flights is strictly prohibited.
In-flight Refueling is strictly prohibited.
We do not require all flights to be flown on online air traffic control networks like VATSIM, but pilots who do fly on the networks are expected to be competent, knowledgeable about their aircraft, and familiar with the regulations and procedures of the country in which their simulated flight is operating.
All information, manuals, checklists, and resources provided by vASA are intended for hobby use only. No information provided by vASA should be used for real world flight operations. Instead, refer to the operational data and approved procedures for your aircraft provided by the relevant manufacturer, operator, and/or regulatory body.
The technical information and operating procedures in our resources have been compiled from publicly available documents found online and by compiling information collected from speaking to subject matter experts within the larger flight simulation community. None of the information made available to our members has been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by regulatory officials, the relevant equipment manufacturers, any airline or air carrier, or engineers.
Attempting to utilize any information found in our documentation for real world flight operations could be catastrophic, involving potential revocation of licensure, personal liability, injury, or death.