News
| Assignment Flights Are Back! ( Show Article ) |
20 Feb 2012 01:16:59z | ||
| For the domestic pilot, in celebration of President's Day we are flying a regional size jet (737, CRJ, etc) back and forth from Houstan Intercontinental and the challenging Reagan National (KDCA) across the river from the National Mall and the White House. If you get lucky enough to have a south easterly wind at DCA, try shooting the river visual 19 avoiding contact with the restricted airspace beginning on the north bank. ;-) For the international flight lovers, we're celebrating the Chinese Year of the Dragon with flights between Hong Kong (VHHH) and Beijing (ZBAA). The flights list the B747-400, but as this is Catfish, you are welcome to fly whatever aircraft you wish. Don't forget to take a peak up in the mountains north northwest of Beijing where stretches the Great Wall of China. This is world tourism our way, from the comfort of our computer chair at home! Though, I do have to plan for cooking Chinese cuisine to eat when I fly this one. ;-P | |||
| WEBSITE BACK IN ACTION AFTER OUTAGE ( Show Article ) |
16 Feb 2012 08:59:04z | ||
| Hi All, The account was suspended earlier today for a period of several hours. The web hosting service said they "noticed a lot of cron jobs running" which were taking up quite a bit of the CPU on their server. After many hours, we determined that we did have the cron jobs running too much. This has been rectified and the site has been allowed to "fly" on. One big change you might notice is that awards were being given immediately upon completion of a tour. We had to change that to awards being given only once per day. So, awards earned during the day will be given at midnight (server time) instead of immediately. I apologize for the change, but in order to keep the service provider happy, we had to change that setting. Everything else will remain the same. I apologize for the interruption of service today and I will continue to try to tweak these cron jobs so they do not strain the server anymore. Thanks to all who dropped a line trying to inform me of the outage. Take care and happy flying. | |||
| New Charters For KIAH, KMSY ( Show Article ) |
15 Feb 2012 14:50:16z | ||
| You can fly the Tulane Ski Trip out of KMSY to KIMT Or you can get the chocolate with the Chocolate Express out of KIAH to KMDT. Thanks for these charters Christina Waters | |||
| POSITION OPENINGS ( Show Article ) |
09 Feb 2012 07:10:34z | ||
| Hi Everyone, We are currently looking for pilots who are interested in filling some crucial spots on the management team. We are in need of an assignments manager. The assignments manager would be responsible for choosing and assigning the assignment flights each month. Assignment flights are flights which can be as creative or as generic as the manager wants. These flights are worth an award once a certain number is reached and they are usually fun to fly. If you wish to take on the role of assigning flights once a month, simply contact the administrator and express your wish to fill the slot. We are in need of an events manager. Catfish Air is currently doing quite well in allowing pilots to fly independently and earn awards for their accomplishments. We currently need an events coordinator who could schedule Catfish Air events where as many pilots as possible can fly together and chat it up on the teamspeak channel. If you would like to schedule events (and 100% creative freedom will be yours), and help post Houston ARTCC and other VATSIM events into our calendar, simply contact the administrator to express your interest to fill the slot. As always, thank you for giving Catfish Air a try. If you have any suggestions that might make us better, never hesitate to contact the administrator. The airline was built solely on suggestions from members and that is the direction we intend to stay on. Take care and happy flying. | |||
| New NAS New Orleans Tour available !!! ( Show Article ) |
04 Feb 2012 01:15:08z | ||
| Catfish has been awarded a contract with the United States Navy to transport upper-level VIPs among many of the country's Naval Air Stations. This Tour is designed for smaller corporate type aircraft, but in true Catfish spirit you can select any aircraft you like from your hangar, including transports, fighters, whatever! The bases served in this Tour are located in Milton FL, near Corpus Christi TX, Jacksonville FL, Meridian MS, Washington DC area, NAS Corpus Christi TX, Pensacola FL, Fort Worth TX, and Key West FL. Support your country and fly. Haze-grey and underway is the only way! | |||
| New Houston Commuter Tour available !!! ( Show Article ) |
02 Jan 2012 18:25:23z | ||
| Choose your favorite commuter aircraft to transport Catfish Air's Houston passengers in comfort to and from surrounding airports of the region. The cities served by this Tour are San Angelo, Baton Rouge, College Station, Little Rock, Brownsville, Alexandria, Del Rio, Mobile, and Midland-Odessa. Use a Beech 1900, ATR, or any commuter-type aircraft. | |||
| CATFISH AIR CELEBRATING 2 YEARS AS A VIRTUAL AIRLINE!!! ( Show Article ) |
01 Jan 2012 11:11:20z | ||
| Hi Everyone, Catfish Air would like to announce that it will be turning 2 years old on January 10. As a special celebration of this milestone, we will be offering a special birthday route which will cover most of the original flights Catfish Air took on VATSIM. We will also be offering a special birthday celebration ribbon that will be awarded for flying the New Orleans to Houston flight on January 10. Also to mark this milestone, Catfish Air will be offering four more ranks above Senior Master Chief. These will be admiral ranks and will be added this month. Flight assignments will be coming out shortly, so be on the lookout for these as pilots can earn ribbons for flying these special assigned flights. This month, in honor of Catfish Air's second birthday, the assignments will be a New Orleans to Houston assignment and a special deployment flight from Ali Al Saleem to Balad Airbase. The deployment assignment flight will celebrate not only Catfish Air's second birthday, but also celebrate the exit of American troops from Iraq. Thanks to all of you for giving us a try. From everyone here at Catfish Air, here's wishing you a great January filled with fun and excitement in the virtual air. Scott | |||
| HAPPY HOLIDAYS ( Show Article ) |
01 Jan 2012 11:03:33z | ||
| Hi Everyone, Catfish Air would like to wish everyone a very happy and prosperous New Year. May this coming year bring you all the best that life has to offer. Thank you all for being a part of this organization and I look forward to seeing you in the air real soon. Scott | |||
| New Houston RJ Tour available !!! ( Show Article ) |
25 Dec 2011 15:27:31z | ||
| Designed for the RJ, but use any aircraft! From KIAH fly to Harlingen, Shreveport, Monterrey Mexico, Lafayette, Austin, Jackson, Corpus Christi, Dallas (Love Field), and San Antonio. Enjoy! | |||
| New Detroit RJ Tour available !!! ( Show Article ) |
30 Nov 2011 18:35:07z | ||
| Hi Everyone, Catfish Air is proud to announce a new tour available for pilots to enjoy. The tour is called the Detroit Regional Jet Passenger Tour. As with all tours, pilots can earn an award upon completing the tour. Let's get going, the passengers are waiting! Cities served: KPIT - Pittsburgh Int'l KSTL - St Louis Lambert Int'l CYYZ - Toronto Pearson Int'l KSDF - Louisville Standiford Int'l KLGA - New York LaGuardia CYWG - Winnipeg Int'l CYUL - Montreal Dorval Int'l KMKE - Milwaukee Int'l KCRW - Charleston Int'l, WV | |||
| New Lafayette (KLFT) Tour available !!! ( Show Article ) |
30 Nov 2011 14:34:49z | ||
| Hi Everyone, Catfish Air is proud to announce a new tour available for pilots to enjoy. The tour is called the Louisiana IceGator Hockey Tour. Located under "General Tours", take a look and give it a try. As with all tours, pilots can earn an award upon completing the tour. What are you waiting for? Get in the air and earn those awards. Take care and happy flying. Cities served: FAY - Fayetteville FireAntz HSV - Huntsville Havoc GPT - Mississippi Surge MEM - Mississippi RiverKings AGS - Augusta RiverHawks PNS - Pensacola Ice Flyers CSG - Columbus Cottonmouths TYS - Knoxville Ice Bears CLT - SPHL (Southern Professional Hockey League headquarters) | |||
| NOVEMBER FLIGHT ASSIGNMENTS: CELEBRATING THANKSGIVING ( Show Article ) |
15 Nov 2011 22:32:15z | ||
| Hi Everyone, This month for flight assignments, we will be celebrating Thanksgiving by visiting Plymouth, Mass. Come on out and get some of this Thanksgiving celebration by flying your favorite aircraft to our nation's "birthplace". The default aircraft for the assignment flights is the CRJ 700, but as always, pilots may use any aircraft he or she desires. The only thing with this particular flight is that the runway in Plymouth is extremely short, so take the 747 if you dare...ha ha. If you are interested in flying an assignment flight this month, please either contact your hub manager or contact me using the "contact us" tab on the home page. Take care and happy flying. Scott Bourque | |||
| OCTOBER FLIGHT ASSIGNMENTS ( Show Article ) |
18 Oct 2011 00:32:19z | ||
| Dear Fellow CFA Pilot, This month’s flight assignment is based on a suggestion by CFA pilot John Atraides. In October we celebrate Columbus Day and the founding of the New World, so John suggested a series of flights that would bring us to each major destination Columbus visited on his historic journey. His itinerary begins and ends in Miami (seemed like a better place to start than Spain) and includes Columbus’s stops in the Bahamas, Haiti and eastern Cuba. I took the liberty of using as CFA flight assignments only two legs, to match our usual plan for assigned flights. I also restricted the assigned flights to runways long enough to accommodate turbojets. Of course, you may choose to fly either October’s assigned flights or John’s historic journey – your choice. ---------------------------------------------- October CFA Flight Assignments (Turbojet or Prop): Miami International to/from Cockburn Town on the Bahamian island of San Salvador. These flights are listed as CFA9001 and 9002 on the Non-Hub Schedule page of this website. 1. KMIA to MYSM [SKIPS1.SKIPS RAJAY BR55A ZQA] FL310, 2. MYSM to KMIA [ZQA FOWEE.FOWEE5] FL300 -------------------------------------------------------- Commemorative flights suggested by John Atraides – not official CFA assignments but should be fun and historic to fly on your own: Depart : KMIA - Miami International SKIPS1.SKIPS Y587 RAJAY BR53V PRUNE BR55V HINZY BR53V ZQA BR55V SEAAN DONEZ FORRK /FL350/CRJ700 Arrive: MYSM - San Salvador Int. Depart: MYSM - San Salvador Int. ZSJ BR2L DUKKY A756 ROSEA M331 GHANN UMO /FL340/CRJ700 Arrive: MUNC - Nicolás de Bari Airport Depart: MUNC - Nicolás de Bari Airport UMO BYGON NOSOX JAQUZ /FL230/CRJ700 Arrive: MTCH - Cap-Haitien Int. Depart: MTCH - Cap-Haitien Int. JAQUZ G504 ALBBE Y589 FORST Y586 KFFER FLIPR2.HODGY /FL340/CRJ700 Arrive: KMIA - Miami International | |||
| SWAMPIN' SUNDAY EVENT 9 OCTOBER 2011 ( Show Article ) |
05 Oct 2011 09:45:13z | ||
| Hi Everyone, This is just a reminder that Houston ARTCC will be hosting a Swampin' Sunday event this weekend, 9 October 2011. The event will be held at KMSY (New Orleans), which will be fully staffed. All Catfish Air pilots interested in participating in the event can click on the events tab for the specific details as well as sign up. Everyone is welcome to get on the Team Speak channel and chat it up with either the controllers or the other Catfish Air pilots. Anyone who participates in this event will earn a one-time, special ribbon. We will start in New Orleans, fly to Houston, and then back to New Orleans as a group. I certainly hope to see as many pilots as possible there because this event was set up with Catfish Air in mind. Take care and happy flying. | |||
| NAIROBI HUB WARMING FLY IN ( Show Article ) |
23 Sep 2011 14:17:57z | ||
| To celebrate the opening of our new hub in Nairobi all Catfish pilots are invited to a hub warming fly in. It will take place on Sunday October the 24th at 19:00z. The vatsim fly across Africa will be going on at the same time so there should be plenty of atc online for us. We will be flying from Addis Ababa Ethiopia HAAB to Kenyatta Intl HKJK. As always with Catfish you can fly any aircraft you like, I will be flying the BBJ. Hope to see you there. I will upload the flight plan in the lobby of Team Speak. Bill Thomas Nairobi Hub Mgr. | |||
| INACTIVE PILOT ROSTER DELETIONS SEPTEMBER 15, 2011 ( Show Article ) |
06 Sep 2011 02:26:24z | ||
| Hi Everyone, In an effort to keep the pilot roster from becoming choked with inactive pilots, we are forced to set a date to clean it up. All pilots should be aware that the only rule of Catfish Air is that we make at least 1 flight every 90 days. If a pilot does not fly 1 flight in 90 days, the system automatically places the pilot on inactive status. If a pilot does not fly a flight for over 120 days, the account is automatically frozen and set for automatic deletion. On September 15, 2011, the inactive pilot roster will be purged. If you have not flown 1 flight in 90 days, please either fly a flight or contact me via email as to whether you would like to remain with Catfish Air or not. Thank you all for your cooperation in this matter. As always, take care everyone and happy flying. | |||
| SWAMPIN' SUNDAY EVENT OCTOBER 9, 2011 ( Show Article ) |
01 Sep 2011 00:47:33z | ||
| Hi Everyone, Houston ARTCC has created an event in KMSY (New Orleans) on October 9, 2011 with Catfish Air in mind. I (Scott) and Houston ARTCC would sincerely appreciate a large Catfish Air turnout for this event. Houston ARTCC has the friendliest and most helpful air traffic controllers on VATSIM and if you can make it out for this event, you will be awarded a special one time award for the event. This is the first VATSIM event created specifically with our airline in mind. Let's show some support. If you are interested in the event, go to the events page and select Swampin' Sunday. Once there, select join event and select any of the times available. I hope to see you there. | |||
| TOUR CHANGES AS OF 1 SEPTEMBER ( Show Article ) |
28 Aug 2011 19:17:38z | ||
| Hi Everyone, Several tours will be changing as of 1 September 2011. The Mark R. Vecchione Tour will be going away on the first of September and Vince's Victory Lap will also be ending. Some tours will be turned into routes rather than tours. This means the pilot will be able to fly the route as many times as desired but will no longer get a ribbon after only one completion. Routes will require a different level of completion for an award. This is being done in order to make tours, routes, and charters more uniform in length. The new formula for tours will be 18 flights long. The new formula for routes will be 6 flights long. The new formula for charter flights will be 2 flights long. Some tours exempt from this formula will be the hub hopper tours, which will remain at 10 flights long. The awards will be given as such: Tours will earn an award after one completion. Routes will earn an award after 3, 6 and 9 completions. Charter flights will earn an award after a particular number of flights. If you had your heart set on flying one of the tours on the chopping block, please contact me and I will extend the time you have to fly it. Take care and happy flying. | |||
| REMINDER: PILOTS CAN FLY ANY AIRCRAFT EVER MADE ( Show Article ) |
13 Aug 2011 01:36:54z | ||
| Hi Everyone, This is just a reminder that Catfish Air pilots have the unique freedom to fly any aircraft he or she desires. Pilots can do this on timetable flights, tours, charters, or routes. The aircraft indicated for the flight is simply a guideline. So, if you own a beluga, a concorde, the space shuttle, or even fighter jets, all may be substituted in place of the aircraft indicated for the flight you want to fly. Any questions regarding this information can be directed to your hub manager or to the administrator. Pilots may now also open a trouble ticket in the knowledge base. Whatever your preferred method, we will get back to you within 48 hours, although usually within 12 hours. As always, take care and happy flying. | |||
| REMINDER: WAIT FOR ON BLOCKS STATUS BEFORE DISCONNECTING ( Show Article ) |
12 Aug 2011 01:09:13z | ||
| Hi Everyone, Just a friendly reminder that you should make sure to wait for your flight status (under the flight map) to change to "On Blocks". Sometimes when pilots do not do this, the system credits them with 0:00 for the flight. This status change should occur only minutes after you taxi to the gate and park your aircraft. The system updates every two minutes, so after two minutes a pilot should see his or her status change from "Landed" to "On Blocks". Another reminder is that if you move the plane even a little after the status changes to "On Blocks", the system will think you are going to fly again and will not credit your flight if you disconnect. So, practice arriving at your destination airport, parking, and waiting for your status to update. If you do all these steps, your flights will all be accepted. If you do not wait for the status change, your flight might get credited 0:00 hours. Take care and happy flying. | |||
| NAIROBI HUB MANAGER NAMED ( Show Article ) |
10 Aug 2011 22:06:29z | ||
| Hi Everyone, The new Nairobi hub has a hub manager. Flights are being worked on and the hub should be completely operational in the coming weeks. Bill Thomas has been named as the Nairobi hub manager. Congratulations Bill! Pilots are not restricted to flying flights to and from their own hub. Pilots may fly any flight from any hub he or she desires. If you are interested in a change of scenery, take a look at flying in Africa. The scenery changes drastically, and no two flights are the same. As always, take care and happy flying. | |||
| TIMETABLE FLIGHT SEARCHING CHANGE ( Show Article ) |
10 Aug 2011 02:16:26z | ||
| Hi Everyone, In an effort to do away with duplicate flights and speed up searching through the timetable flights, many of the flights covered by multiple aircraft were done away with. For the time being, pilots should search through the timetable flights using the following aircraft: B747 - for all heavy aircraft routes B737 - for all large aircraft routes CRJ7 - for all regional aircraft routes B350 - for all local prop aircraft routes C130 and C17 flights remain intact UH60 and Chinook flights also remain intact Pilots can use any aircraft he or she wishes to fly any route, but for now until we can get a Heavy, Large, Regional, Prop...etc classification for easier searching, we can just use the above aircraft for searching - but flying can be done in any aircraft. For instance, a pilot can fly a route suggested for the B350 in the B747 or Space Shuttle if desired...ha ha. Take care and happy flying. | |||
| BILL THOMAS - UNDISPUTED CATFISH CHAMPION ( Show Article ) |
07 Aug 2011 04:04:31z | ||
| Hi Everyone, I just wanted to recognize the amazing accomplishment Bill Thomas has been able to achieve. Through his hard work and dedication to Catfish Air, he has won Top Pilot for four months in a row! This is truly amazing. Bill joined up with us in April of 2011 and has been our top pilot for April ,May, June, July, and is on track to take August as well. Great Job Bill! Take care and happy flying. | |||
| PROPOSED CATFISH AIR HUB - NAIROBI, KENYA ( Show Article ) |
05 Aug 2011 22:23:55z | ||
| Hi Everyone, In repsonse to recent interest in flying in Africa, Catfish Air is preparing to open a new international hub on the continent. This new hub would service all of Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and India with passenger and cargo operations. Pilots would also have the opportunity to fly United Nations relief missions to such famine stricken areas as Ethiopia, Sudan, Somalia, and Rwanda. The Nairobi hub will need a hub manager capable of spending time setting up routes, charters, tours, and timetable flights. Applicants should be able to spend at least 5 hours per week dealing with the hub. Any pilot (Senior Captain or higher) who is interested in running the new Nairobi, Kenya hub should apply by clicking the "contact" button and typing "Nairobi Hub Position" in the subject line. More specifics can be discussed if needed. Catfish Air hub managers enjoy the freedom to run his or her hub however he or she sees fit. So, if you have ever been interested in running a hub, you should apply. Take care and happy flying. | |||
| SPECIAL THANKS: MIKE BURKE, BOB KOHLER, AND ALL PILOTS ( Show Article ) |
05 Aug 2011 19:22:04z | ||
| Hi Everyone, You may have noticed several changes with the website lately, which have made the site look and feel much better. This has all been done by one of our own Catfish Air pilots. Mike Burke has graciously volunteered to make these changes for us. I want to take this time to personally thank Mike for all the hard work he has done. I would also like to personally thank Bob Kohler for his work on the flight assignments. I don't know how many of you flew the assigned flights over in Africa, but I can say that personally, I enjoyed these particular flights more than many I have ever done. So, thank you Bob for all you have done. Finally, how can I forget the pilots who fly and maintain a Catfish Air presence on the network. If it were not for any of us, Catfish Air would certainly not be what it is today. So, thank you to everyone who has flown and continues to fly. Please know that Catfish Air wants your feedback. This is not my (Scott Bourque's) airline. This is YOUR airline, and all I want to do is make it so you have fun and enjoy flying. If you have ANY tour, route, or charter suggestions, please email me directly and I will get the ball rolling on it for you. I just wanted to take this time to personally thank everyone for all you have done for Catfish Air. Without you, we wouldn't be anything. Keep up the good work, and as always, take care and happy flying. Scott | |||
| NEW PROMOTION INCENTIVES FOR MASTER CHIEFS AND SENIOR MASTER CHIEFS ( Show Article ) |
26 Jul 2011 05:30:04z | ||
| Hi everyone, Catfish Air will be implementing a pilot program in order to increase the worth of some high level promotions. Effective immediately, any pilot who has achieved the rank of Master Chief will have the option to become a Catfish Air administrator and will be allowed the following: 1. The ability to become a site manager 2. The ability to create tours, routes, charters, and edit timetable flights 3. Final authorization from Administrator needed Effective immediately, any pilot who has achieved the rank of Senior Master Chief will automatically be given the opportunity to create, operate, and or maintain a Catfish Air hub. This will include the following: 1. The ability to become a site manager 2. The ability to create tours, routes, charters, and edit timetable flights 3. The ablility to create awards (and award parameters) 4. The ability to create and maintain a hub page 5. The ability to become a forum administrator 6. The ability to create and coordinate Catfish Air events. 7. No authorization from Administrator needed Catfish Air feels that if a pilot spends enough time and effort in reaching these top ranks, the pilot should have the opportunity to have more authority within the airline. Any feedback is welcomed and as always, take care and happy flying. | |||
| SGT MARK R. VECCHIONE WEEKEND ( Show Article ) |
15 Jul 2011 10:13:52z | ||
| Hi everyone, On July 18, 2005, the United States lost an excellent soldier when he was killed by an improvised explosive device just outside of Ramadi, Iraq. Help Catfish Air honor the memory of this fallen hero by adding a simple line in your flight comments as you file your VATSIM flight plan. In the comments section, please add "In honor of SGT Vecc - July 18, 2005" for all of your flights flown from Friday July, 15, 2011 through Monday July 18, 2011. Also, there was an event scheduled for July 16, 2011 and Jul 17, 2011. Due to lack of interest, this event can be flown alone or interested pilots may contact the administrator in order to save the event. No matter how this event is celebrated, please keep SGT Vecc, his family, and his friends in your thoughts as you fly this weekend. SGT Vecc paid the ultimate sacrifice and this sacrifice should never be forgotten. Catfish Air honors all who serve, have served, and will serve in the United States Armed Forces. Take care and happy flying. | |||
| NEW TOUR AVAILABLE!!! ( Show Article ) |
29 Jun 2011 22:26:51z | ||
| Hi Everyone, Catfish Air is proud to announce a new tour available for pilots to enjoy. The tour is called the San Diego Mainline Tour. Take a look and give it a try. As with all tours, pilots can earn an award upon completing the tour. What are you waiting for? Get in the air and earn those awards. Take care and happy flying. | |||
| WELCOME NEW MEMBERS!!! ( Show Article ) |
29 Jun 2011 22:24:56z | ||
| Hi everyone, Catfish Air is proud to welcome all new members. Help me in giving them all a warm welcome. If you see any new pilots in the air, please be sure to say hi. As always, take care and happy flying. | |||
| FLIGHT ASSIGNMENTS ( Show Article ) |
16 Jun 2011 01:33:47z | ||
| Hi everyone, I recently accepted Scott's invitation to handle Catfish Air's assigned flight program. "Assigned Flights" are a special feature of Catfish Air that can add interest to your virtual flying, take you to interesting destinations you might not otherwise visit, and offer CFA Assigned Flight awards. What assigned flights are NOT is a requirement. If they don't interest you, feel free to "reject" your assigned flights on the CFA website or just wait 30 days and they will expire. If you never want to receive flight assignments, just let me know by email. I will sometimes be offering flight assignments to several pilots to the same destination. If you like, you might consider arranging with one or more fellow CFA pilots to meet online at the departure field and fly the route together. How will you know about your assigned flights? Flight assignments appear at the top of the page when you click on any category on the "Schedules" page of the CFA website. I'll also be sending out some email messages about them. As in the past, we'll use flights from the regular CFA timetable. Others will be new routes that will be listed under a new category on the Schedules page called Assignment Flights. I hope you will enjoy booking and flying assigned flights once in a while. I am open to suggestions about routes we might want to consider for future assignments. Bob Koehler, CFA221 | |||
| VATSIM SERVERS ARE BACK UP ( Show Article ) |
14 Jun 2011 20:42:10z | ||
| Wednsday, June 15, 2011 at 05:49 zulu Hi Everyone, The VATSIM servers are back up and running. The site will now be able to record and log all of your flights properly again. I understand many of you were affected by this outage, but there was nothing Catfish Air could have done about this. If you have any questions or concerns about this outage, please direct them to me at [url=mailto:admin@catfishair.com]admin@catfishair.com[/url] and I will try my best to answer. As always, take care and happy flying. ***************ORIGINAL MESSAGE************************** Tuesday June 14, 2011 at 20:20 zulu Hi everyone, the VATSIM servers appear to be down at this time. Pilots can still fly their flights offline. Simply fly your flight offline then file your PIREP with the site. I will accept all offline flights flown today - until the servers come back online. Take care and happy flying. | |||
| SITE UPGRADES ARE HERE!!! ( Show Article ) |
13 Jun 2011 20:56:37z | ||
| Hi Everyone, In an effort to keep things fun and fresh, we have now included several new options to keep pilots flying for a purpose. Below is a list of the newest site upgrades: 1. Charter Flights - Fly charter flights (to and from anywhere someone requests an aircraft). These charter flights are similar to the existing tours except that once a pilot books the flight, no one else will be able to. If the person who booked the charter does not complete it, the flight will return to the pool for someone else to fly it. Once the charter flight is completed, it will disappear. 2. Routes - These route flights will be to and from cities Catfish Air normally serves with passenger or cargo service. The routes are similar to tours except the pilot may fly the route as many times as desired. 3. Tour Progress Bar - Below the tour details, pilots can now see his or her progress in the tour. Pilots can now see who else is flying or has flown the tour. Will you be the first to complete the tour? 4. Inactive Pilots Page - In an effort to show inactive pilots that they are still welcomed members of the team, we have a page devoted to inactive pilots. Pilots who do not fly the required 1 flight in 90 days will be moved to the inactive pilot page and will not clutter up our active roster and will remain members of the team. Keep your eyes open for new upgrades coming soon. Catfish Air responds to the requests of its pilots, so if you would like to see something added, simply email the administrator by clicking the contact us button. Any tour ideas, charter flight ideas, or route suggestions can also be directed to the administrator by using the contact us button. I hope these new upgrades are fun and exciting for you. As always, take care and happy flying. | |||
| NEW X-PLANE DOWNLOADS AND PAINT SCHEME! ( Show Article ) |
13 Jun 2011 00:00:33z | ||
| Hi Everyone, The X-Plane civilian aircraft section in the downloads section has been reloaded. The new aircraft feature the following: New Catfish Air Paint Scheme Better Aircraft Models More Realistic Flight Controls 360 Degree Cockpit Views New Challenger CL60 Business Jet Much Improved Boeing 737-800 Pilots can find these new aircraft in the downloads section under X-Plane Civilian Aircraft. These aircraft should me more realistic and much more fun to fly...unless you enjoyed hitting speeds of almost 600 mph in the 737. Take care and happy flying! | |||
| NEW SITE UPGRADES COMING SOON!!! ( Show Article ) |
10 Jun 2011 23:18:50z | ||
| Hi Everyone, I just want to let everyone know about some new site upgrades coming soon. We are including a couple of new modules and a new page. Here they are and a brief description: 1. Charter Flight Module - Charter flights will be available for pilots to choose from. These charter flights will be one or two flights in length and as always, will earn awards depending upon the number a pilot flies. 2. Routes Module - Routes will be flight patterns Catfish Air serves. These routes will be from each hub and fly to and from cities Catfish Air serves with regular passenger service. An example will be the regular passenger route from New Orleans to Lafayette to Lake Charles to Alexandria back to New Orleans. Routes are almost identical to tours except pilots can fly routes as many times as he or she wishes. Again, routes will be worth awards depending upon the number of completions. 3. Inactive Pilots page - In an effort to keep a clean pilot roster free from pilots who join and never fly, after 90 days of inactivity, pilots will be moved from the active pilot roster to the inactive pilot roster. This will be more to prove that inactive pilots are still welcomed members of the airline. If a pilot finds his or her name on the inactive pilot roster, all he or she will have to do is log in and fly a flight to be moved back to the active pilot roster. 4. Tour Module Upgrade - The tour module is extremely fun and is popular with many of you. In an effort to keep things fresh and new, the tour module will undergo a slight modification. In the tour details, pilots will be able to see all who have flown or are flying the tour. We will include a progress bar at the bottom so pilots can monitor his or her place in the tour. Well, that is everything. I sincerely hope you are all enjoying yourselves with Catfish Air. It truly is my pleasure to provide pilots with a fun and interesting reason to fly. Any questions, concerns, or comments can be directed to me at [url=mailto:admin@catfishair.com]admin@catfishair.com[/url] . I will be happy to provide you with more information if you wish it. Take care and happy flying to all! | |||
| NEW PROMOTIONS AND AWARDS ( Show Article ) |
05 Jun 2011 22:37:19z | ||
| Hi Everyone, The following pilots have been promoted: Pilot Michael Burke has been promoted from 'Flight Officer' (13:12) to 'First Officer' (17:24). Pilot David Buderim has been promoted from 'Flight Officer' (13:24) to 'First Officer' (16:55). Pilot Sean Fox has been promoted from 'Ensign' (4:23) to 'Flight Officer' (5:47). Pilot Elbert McCormick has been promoted from 'First Officer' (24:18) to 'Lieutenant Captain' (25:23). Pilot Chris Honkakangas has been promoted from 'Flight Officer' (13:43) to 'First Officer' (18:27). Pilot Tom Harrison has been promoted from 'Flight Officer' (14:18) to 'First Officer' (15:36). Pilot Jesus Gomez has been promoted from 'Flight Officer' (13:49) to 'First Officer' (16:01). Pilot Bob Koehler has been promoted from 'Flight Officer' (14:52) to 'First Officer' (18:36). Pilot Justin Spotts has been promoted from 'First Officer' (22:57) to 'Lieutenant Captain' (26:52). The following pilots have earned a new award: - Pilot Bill Thomas has been awarded the 'New Orleans Caribbean Tour Ribbon' award. - Pilot Bill Thomas has been awarded the 'Endurance Ribbon' award. - Pilot Michael Burke has been awarded the 'New Orleans Hub Ribbon' award. - Pilot David Buderim has been awarded the 'LA King Air Ribbon' award. - Pilot David Buderim has been awarded the 'New Orleans Hub Ribbon' award. - Pilot Scott Bourque has been awarded the 'TFT C-17 Tour Ribbon' award. - Pilot Scott Bourque has been awarded the 'TFT Master Ribbon' award. - Pilot Christian Ybarra has been awarded the 'Prop Plane Master Ribbon' award. - Pilot Chad Krueger has been awarded the 'Detroit USO Tour Ribbon' award. - Pilot Chad Krueger has been awarded the 'Endurance Ribbon' award. - Pilot Scott Bourque has been awarded the 'C-17 Master Ribbon' award. - Pilot Bill Thomas has been awarded the 'New Orleans Southern 9 Tour Ribbon' award. - Pilot Justin Spotts has been awarded the 'Houston Hub Ribbon' award. Excellent work guys. Keep up the good work and more good things will surely come your way. As always, take care and happy flying. **If you want to gain awards for yourself, you can do so by flying tours, service in certain types of aircraft, and by many other means. To gain perspective of the awards Catfish Air offers, visit our awards page for a complete list. Thanks to all and as always, take care and happy flying. | |||
| AWARDS, PROMOTIONS, AND NEW MEMBERS ( Show Article ) |
28 May 2011 03:02:45z | ||
| Hi Everyone, The following pilots have been promoted: Pilot Michael Burke has been promoted from 'Ensign' (2:42) to 'Flight Officer' (5:48). Pilot Brian LaFleur has been promoted from 'Captain' (98:14) to 'Senior Captain' (100:21). Pilot Chad Krueger has been promoted from 'Senior Captain' (193:30) to 'Chief Captain' (204:17). Pilot Bill Thomas has been promoted from 'Senior Captain' (198:00) to 'Chief Captain' (200:20). Pilot Geoff Lisch has been promoted from 'Lieutenant Captain' (43:30) to 'Captain' (51:01). Pilot Jesus Gomez has been promoted from 'Ensign' (4:00) to 'Flight Officer' (6:24). The following pilots have earned a new award: - Pilot Tom Harrison has been awarded the 'Detroit Hub Ribbon' award. - Pilot Brian LaFleur has been awarded the 'New Orleans ZHU Hub Feeder Ribbon' award. - Pilot Brian LaFleur has been awarded the 'New Orleans Hub Expert Ribbon' award. - Pilot Scott Bourque has been awarded the 'Military Aircraft Master' award. - Pilot Phillip LeCrenier has been awarded the 'Service Ribbon' award. - Pilot Chad Krueger has been awarded the '100 Hour Service Ribbon' award. - Pilot Chad Krueger has been awarded the 'TFT Service' award. - Pilot Kevin Copeland has been awarded the 'Prop Plane Master Ribbon' award. - Pilot Michael McNew has been awarded the '747 Ribbon' award. - Pilot Scott Bourque has been awarded the 'San Diego Hub Hopper Ribbon' award. - Pilot Bob Koehler has been awarded the 'San Diego Hub Ribbon' award. - Pilot Christian Ybarra has been awarded the '100 Hour Service Ribbon' award. - Pilot Chad Krueger has been awarded the 'New Orleans Hub Expert Ribbon' award. - Pilot Scott Bourque has been awarded the 'Detroit Hub Ribbon' award. - Pilot Tyler Warren has been awarded the 'Service Ribbon' award. - Pilot Geoff Lisch has been awarded the 'New Orleans Hub Hopper Ribbon' award. - Pilot Brian LaFleur has been awarded the '737 Expert Ribbon' award. Excellent work guys. Keep up the good work and more good things will surely come your way. As always, take care and happy flying. **If you want to gain awards for yourself, you can do so by flying tours, service in certain types of aircraft, and by many other means. To gain perspective of the awards Catfish Air offers, visit our awards page for a complete list. Please help me in welcoming our newest pilots to the Catfish Air family: A new user has just registered at Catfish Air: Phillip LeCrenier A new user has just registered at Catfish Air: Tyler Warren Please make them feel welcome and help me send them a warm welcome. Thanks to all and as always, take care and happy flying. | |||
| NEWS MODULE PROBLEMS ( Show Article ) |
18 May 2011 01:51:18z | ||
| Hi Everyone, We are experiencing problems with the news module. Some of you have been awarded some awards and been promoted. The news module is being funny, so congratulations to those who have been doing great things. Take care and happy flying. | |||
| AWARDS, PROMOTIONS, AND NEW MEMBERS ( Show Article ) |
08 May 2011 02:09:31z | ||
| Hi Everyone, The following pilots have been promoted: Pilot Justin Spotts has been promoted from 'Ensign' (4:09) to 'Flight Officer' (5:28). Pilot Elbert McCormick has been promoted from 'Ensign' (3:28) to 'Flight Officer' (5:14). Pilot Geoff Lisch has been promoted from 'Ensign' (4:18) to 'Flight Officer' (5:44). Pilot Elbert McCormick has been promoted from 'Flight Officer' (12:47) to 'First Officer' (15:34). The following pilots have earned a new award: - Pilot Christian Ybarra has been awarded the 'Small Jet Expert Ribbon' award. - Pilot Scott Bourque has been awarded the 'Small Jet Master Ribbon' award. - Pilot Kevin Copeland has been awarded the 'Small Jet Master Ribbon' award. - Pilot Christian Ybarra has been awarded the 'Small Jet Master Ribbon' award. - Pilot Scott Bourque has been awarded the 'Small Jet Master Ribbon' award. - Pilot Kevin Copeland has been awarded the 'Small Jet Master Ribbon' award. - Pilot Bill Thomas has been awarded the 'New Orleans Southeast Service Ribbon' award. - Pilot Chad Krueger has been awarded the '737 Master Ribbon' award. - Pilot Tyler Milligan has been awarded the 'Service Ribbon' award. - Pilot Scott Bourque has been awarded the 'Trans Pacific Tour Ribbon' award. - Pilot Scott Bourque has been awarded the '747 Master Ribbon' award. Excellent work guys. Keep up the good work and more good things will surely come your way. As always, take care and happy flying. **If you want to gain awards for yourself, you can do so by flying tours, service in certain types of aircraft, and by many other means. To gain perspective of the awards Catfish Air offers, visit our awards page for a complete list. Please help me in welcoming our newest pilots to the Catfish Air family: A new user has just registered at Catfish Air: Zac Adam Please make him feel welcome and help me send him a warm welcome. Thanks to all and as always, take care and happy flying. | |||
| AWARDS, PROMOTIONS, AND NEW MEMBERS ( Show Article ) |
03 May 2011 00:06:22z | ||
| Hi Everyone, The following pilots have been promoted: Pilot Bill Thomas has been promoted from 'Captain' (95:18) to 'Senior Captain' (101:51). Pilot Dan Daubendiek has been promoted from 'First Officer' (24:12) to 'Lieutenant Captain' (25:27). Pilot David Buderim has been promoted from 'Ensign' (2:24) to 'Flight Officer' (6:54). The following pilots have earned a new award: - Pilot Scott Bourque has been awarded the 'New Orleans ZHU Hub Feeder Ribbon' award. - Pilot David Buderim has been awarded the 'TFT Service' award. - Pilot Bill Thomas has been awarded the 'SGT Vecc Ribbon' award. - Pilot Elbert McCormick has been awarded the 'Service Ribbon' award. - Pilot Geoff Lisch has been awarded the 'Service Ribbon' award. - Pilot Scott Bourque has been awarded the 'Alaskaganza Ribbon' award. - Pilot Kevin Copeland has been awarded the 'Alaskaganza Ribbon' award. - Pilot Christian Ybarra has been awarded the 'Alaskaganza Ribbon' award. - Pilot Brighton McMinn has been awarded the 'Alaskaganza Ribbon' award. - Pilot Geoff Lisch has been awarded the 'Alaskaganza Ribbon' award. - Pilot Bill Thomas has been awarded the '737 Ribbon' award. Excellent work guys. Keep up the good work and more good things will surely come your way. As always, take care and happy flying. **If you want to gain awards for yourself, you can do so by flying tours, service in certain types of aircraft, and by many other means. To gain perspective of the awards Catfish Air offers, visit our awards page for a complete list. Please help me in welcoming our newest pilots to the Catfish Air family: A new user has just registered at Catfish Air: Elbert McCormick A new user has just registered at Catfish Air: Varun Venkat Please make them feel welcome and help me send them a warm welcome. Thanks to all and as always, take care and happy flying. | |||
| CATFISH AIR ALASKAGANZA EVENT SATURDAY 30 April 2011 ( Show Article ) |
28 Apr 2011 19:52:21z | ||
 Catfish Air will sponsor an airline-wide event up in the breathtaking state of Alaska. Join us in flying from Anchorage International to Bethel and/or back. Come on out and experience the beauty of the terrain, the unpredictability of the weather, and the friendliness of the Anchorage ARTCC controllers. Team Speak server information can be found in the forums. Pilots can choose to hang out in the Catfish Air Pilot's Lounge or with the Houston ARTCC controllers. Fly any prop driven or regional jet on this flight you wish. Come on out and support Catfish Air with this event. Fly, laugh, learn, teach, and enjoy being one of the fastest fish on the planet. Take care and happy flying. | |||
| AWARDS, PROMOTIONS, AND NEW MEMBERS ( Show Article ) |
27 Apr 2011 09:26:12z | ||
| Hi Everyone, The following pilots have been promoted: Pilot Dale Bessant has been promoted from 'First Officer' (24:52) to 'Lieutenant Captain' (27:55). Pilot Chad Krueger has been promoted from 'Captain' (98:52) to 'Senior Captain' (102:28). The following pilots have earned a new award: - Pilot Bill Thomas has been awarded the 'New Orleans Florida Service Ribbon' award. - Pilot Bill Thomas has been awarded the 'Spirit Ribbon' award. - Pilot Brian LaFleur has been awarded the 'New Orleans Hub Hopper Ribbon' award. - Pilot David Buderim has been awarded the 'Service Ribbon' award. - Pilot Chad Krueger has been awarded the 'New Orleans ZHU Hub Feeder Ribbon' award. - Pilot Justin Spotts has been awarded the 'Service Ribbon' award. - Pilot Scott Bourque has been awarded the 'C-17 Expert Ribbon' award. - Pilot Scott Bourque has been awarded the 'TFT Re-Supply Ribbon' award. Excellent work guys. Keep up the good work and more good things will surely come your way. As always, take care and happy flying. **If you want to gain awards for yourself, you can do so by flying tours, service in certain types of aircraft, and by many other means. To gain perspective of the awards Catfish Air offers, visit our awards page for a complete list. Please help me in welcoming our newest pilots to the Catfish Air family: A new user has just registered at Catfish Air: Tyler Milligan A new user has just registered at Catfish Air: David Buderim A new user has just registered at Catfish Air: Jesus Gomez Please make them feel welcome and help me send them a warm welcome. Thanks to all and as always, take care and happy flying. | |||
| AWARDS, PROMOTIONS, AND NEW MEMBERS ( Show Article ) |
21 Apr 2011 18:50:58z | ||
| Hi Everyone, The following pilots have been promoted: Pilot Bill Thomas has been promoted from 'Lieutenant Captain' (34:39) to 'Captain' (53:48). Pilot Brian LaFleur has been promoted from 'Lieutenant Captain' (49:19) to 'Captain' (54:09). Pilot Dale Bessant has been promoted from 'Flight Officer' (14:38) to 'First Officer' (19:28). Pilot Bill Thomas has been promoted from 'First Officer' (18:25) to 'Lieutenant Captain' (26:29). The following pilots have earned a new award: - Pilot Chris Honkakangas has been awarded the 'Service Ribbon' award. - Pilot Bill Thomas has been awarded the 'Motor City Madness Ribbon' award. - Pilot Chad Krueger has been awarded the '737 Expert Ribbon' award. - Pilot Kevin Copeland has been awarded the 'Endurance Expert Ribbon' award. - Pilot Chad Krueger has been awarded the 'Spirit Ribbon' award. - Pilot Brian LaFleur has been awarded the 'Spirit Ribbon' award. Excellent work guys. Keep up the good work and more good things will surely come your way. As always, take care and happy flying. **If you want to gain awards for yourself, you can do so by flying tours, service in certain types of aircraft, and by many other means. To gain perspective of the awards Catfish Air offers, visit our awards page for a complete list. Please help me in welcoming our newest pilots to the Catfish Air family: A new user has just registered at Catfish Air: Chris Honkakangas A new user has just registered at Catfish Air: Geoff Lisch Please make them feel welcome and help me send them a warm welcome. Thanks to all and as always, take care and happy flying. | |||
| AWARDS AND NEW MEMBERS ( Show Article ) |
16 Apr 2011 16:13:23z | ||
| Hi Everyone, The following pilots have earned a new award: - Pilot Adarsh Venkitachalam has been awarded the 'Service Ribbon' award. - Pilot Bill Thomas has been awarded the 'Detroit Hub Hopper Ribbon' award. Excellent work guys. Keep up the good work and more good things will surely come your way. As always, take care and happy flying. **If you want to gain awards for yourself, you can do so by flying tours, service in certain types of aircraft, and by many other means. To gain perspective of the awards Catfish Air offers, visit our awards page for a complete list. Please help me in welcoming our newest pilots to the Catfish Air family: A new user has just registered at Catfish Air: Adarsh Venkitachalam Please make him feel welcome and help me send him a warm welcome. Thanks to all and as always, take care and happy flying. | |||
| NEW PROMOTIONS ( Show Article ) |
15 Apr 2011 11:15:54z | ||
| Hi Everyone, The following pilots have been promoted: Pilot Gus Heinze has been promoted from 'Ensign' (3:11) to 'Flight Officer' (5:03). Pilot Bill Thomas has been promoted from 'Flight Officer' (13:05) to 'First Officer' (15:43). Pilot Dale Bessant has been promoted from 'Ensign' (2:27) to 'Flight Officer' (6:17). Keep up the great work guys. Before you know it, you will be a Senior Master Chef. Take care and happy flying. | |||
| AWARDS, PROMOTIONS, AND NEW MEMBERS ( Show Article ) |
14 Apr 2011 00:13:07z | ||
| Hi Everyone, The following pilots have been promoted: Pilot Bill Thomas has been promoted from 'Ensign' (2:54) to 'Flight Officer' (6:27). Pilot Kevin Copeland has been promoted from 'Master Captain' (393:40) to 'Lieutenant Chief' (404:48). The following pilots have earned a new award: - Pilot Dale Bessant has been awarded the 'Service Ribbon' award. - Pilot Gus Heinze has been awarded the 'Service Ribbon' award. - Pilot Bill Thomas has been awarded the 'Service Ribbon' award. Excellent work guys. Keep up the good work and more good things will surely come your way. As always, take care and happy flying. **If you want to gain awards for yourself, you can do so by flying tours, service in certain types of aircraft, and by many other means. To gain perspective of the awards Catfish Air offers, visit our awards page for a complete list. Please help me in welcoming our newest pilots to the Catfish Air family: A new user has just registered at Catfish Air: Bill Thomas A new user has just registered at Catfish Air: Gus Heinze Please make them feel welcome and help me send them a warm welcome. Thanks to all and as always, take care and happy flying. | |||
| AWARDS, PROMOTIONS, AND NEW MEMBERS ( Show Article ) |
10 Apr 2011 19:26:03z | ||
| Hi Everyone, The following pilots have been promoted: Pilot Loren Gaskin has been promoted from 'Lieutenant Captain' (43:10) to 'Captain' (50:32). Pilot Brian LaFleur has been promoted from 'First Officer' (24:00) to 'Lieutenant Captain' (25:01). Pilot Wiley Murray has been promoted from 'Ensign' (3:32) to 'Flight Officer' (5:36). Pilot Christopher Lane has been promoted from 'Ensign' (3:22) to 'Flight Officer' (5:09). The following pilots have earned a new award: - Pilot john lewis has been awarded the 'Service Ribbon' award. - Pilot john lewis has been awarded the 'TFT Service' award. - Pilot Loren Gaskin has been awarded the '737 Ribbon' award. - Pilot Chad Krueger has been awarded the 'New Orleans Hub Hopper Ribbon' award. Excellent work guys. Keep up the good work and more good things will surely come your way. As always, take care and happy flying. **If you want to gain awards for yourself, you can do so by flying tours, service in certain types of aircraft, and by many other means. To gain perspective of the awards Catfish Air offers, visit our awards page for a complete list. Please help me in welcoming our newest pilots to the Catfish Air family: A new user has just registered at Catfish Air: Dale Bessant A new user has just registered at Catfish Air: john lewis Please make them feel welcome and help me send them a warm welcome. Thanks to all and as always, take care and happy flying. | |||
| NEW SCREENSHOT GALLERY IS HERE!!! ( Show Article ) |
05 Apr 2011 01:43:08z | ||
| Hi Everyone, The new screenshot gallery is here. You can find it under the home tab at the bottom. Let's get those screenshot pictures posted. Take care and happy flying. | |||
| AWARDS, PROMOTIONS, AND NEW MEMBERS ( Show Article ) |
04 Apr 2011 11:17:58z | ||
| Hi Everyone, The following pilots have been promoted: Pilot Chad Krueger has been promoted from 'Lieutenant Captain' (46:02) to 'Captain' (52:33). Pilot Brian LaFleur has been promoted from 'Flight Officer' (13:04) to 'First Officer' (18:48). Pilot Scott Bourque has been promoted from 'Chief' (842:45) to 'Master Chief' (850:33). The following pilots have earned a new award: - Pilot Christopher Lane has been awarded the 'Service Ribbon' award. - Pilot Brian LaFleur has been awarded the '737 Ribbon' award. - Pilot Tim Grant has been awarded the 'Service Ribbon' award. - Pilot David Mitchell has been awarded the 'LA King Air Ribbon' award. Excellent work guys. Keep up the good work and more good things will surely come your way. As always, take care and happy flying. **If you want to gain awards for yourself, you can do so by flying tours, service in certain types of aircraft, and by many other means. To gain perspective of the awards Catfish Air offers, visit our awards page for a complete list. Please help me in welcoming our newest pilots to the Catfish Air family: A new user has just registered at Catfish Air: Christopher Lane A new user has just registered at Catfish Air: Tim Grant Please make them feel welcome and help me send them a warm welcome. Thanks to all and as always, take care and happy flying. | |||
| AWARDS, PROMOTIONS, AND NEW MEMBERS ( Show Article ) |
01 Apr 2011 23:07:46z | ||
| Hi Everyone, The following pilots have been promoted: Pilot Brian LaFleur has been promoted from 'Ensign' (4:18) to 'Flight Officer' (5:29). Pilot Christopher Page has been promoted from 'Flight Officer' (13:37) to 'First Officer' (15:41). Pilot David Mitchell has been promoted from 'Ensign' (4:52) to 'Flight Officer' (6:02). The following pilots have earned a new award: - Pilot Michael Burke has been awarded the 'Service Ribbon' award. - Pilot Wiley Murray has been awarded the 'Service Ribbon' award. - Pilot Chad Krueger has been awarded the '737 Ribbon' award. - Pilot Brian LaFleur has been awarded the 'Service Ribbon' award. - Pilot Brian LaFleur has been awarded the 'LA King Air Ribbon' award. Excellent work guys. Keep up the good work and more good things will surely come your way. As always, take care and happy flying. **If you want to gain awards for yourself, you can do so by flying tours, service in certain types of aircraft, and by many other means. To gain perspective of the awards Catfish Air offers, visit our awards page for a complete list. Please help me in welcoming our newest pilots to the Catfish Air family: A new user has just registered at Catfish Air: Wiley Murray Please make him feel welcome and help me send him a warm welcome. Thanks to all and as always, take care and happy flying. | |||
| NEW: APRIL EVENTS ( Show Article ) |
28 Mar 2011 20:12:22z | ||
| Hi Catfisher's, April will be a month of the Catfish Air event. There are three new events pilots can choose from or participate in all three. First, we hope to have you down in Houston ARTCC airspace to support the ZHU March Madness. Next, we hope to have you there when we do the Catfish Air Little Rock Overload event. Finally, we hope to have you with us when we move on up to the great frozen north and fly in the Alaskaganza event. Pilots wishing to learn more about these events can click on the events tab located under the main menu bar. Pilots can join these events to pledge their support or just so CFA can have an idea of how many may be present. If you wish to learn how to join an event, see the knowledge center for more details. As always, take care and happy flying. | |||
| AWARDS, PROMOTIONS, AND NEW MEMBERS ( Show Article ) |
26 Mar 2011 01:38:06z | ||
| Hi Everyone, The following pilots have been promoted: Pilot Chad Krueger has been promoted from 'Flight Officer' (14:43) to 'First Officer' (17:41). Pilot Chad Krueger has been promoted from 'First Officer' (23:27) to 'Lieutenant Captain' (27:56). Pilot Grant Beattie has been promoted from 'Ensign' (4:11) to 'Flight Officer' (5:41). The following pilots have earned a new award: - Pilot Nick Rizzo has been awarded the 'Houston Red Eye Ribbon' award. - Pilot Mark Savard has been awarded the '737 Expert Ribbon' award. - Pilot Chad Krueger has been awarded the 'SGT Vecc Ribbon' award. Excellent work guys. Keep up the good work and more good things will surely come your way. As always, take care and happy flying. **If you want to gain awards for yourself, you can do so by flying tours, service in certain types of aircraft, and by many other means. To gain perspective of the awards Catfish Air offers, visit our awards page for a complete list. Please help me in welcoming our newest pilots to the Catfish Air family: A new user has just registered at Catfish Air: Paul Govier Please make him feel welcome and help me send him a warm welcome. Thanks to all and as always, take care and happy flying. | |||
| AWARDS, PROMOTIONS, AND NEW MEMBERS ( Show Article ) |
18 Mar 2011 01:19:53z | ||
| Hi Everyone, The following pilots have been promoted: Pilot Chad Krueger has been promoted from 'Ensign' (0:00) to 'Flight Officer' (6:05). The following pilots have earned a new award: - Pilot Chad Krueger has been awarded the 'Service Ribbon' award. - Pilot David Mitchell has been awarded the 'Service Ribbon' award. - Pilot Scott Bourque has been awarded the 'Aerodyne Tour Ribbon' award. - Pilot Ben Tucker has been awarded the 'Service Ribbon' award. - Pilot Christian Ybarra has been awarded the 'Endurance Expert Ribbon' award. - Pilot Christian Ybarra has been awarded the 'Iron Pilot Master Ribbon' award. Excellent work guys. Keep up the good work and more good things will surely come your way. As always, take care and happy flying. **If you want to gain awards for yourself, you can do so by flying tours, service in certain types of aircraft, and by many other means. To gain perspective of the awards Catfish Air offers, visit our awards page for a complete list. Please help me in welcoming our newest pilots to the Catfish Air family: A new user has just registered at Catfish Air: Chad Krueger A new user has just registered at Catfish Air: Justin Spotts A new user has just registered at Catfish Air: Brian LaFleur A new user has just registered at Catfish Air: Michael Burke Please make them feel welcome and help me send them a warm welcome. Thanks to all and as always, take care and happy flying. | |||
| NEW EVENT: March Madness Comes to Charlotte ( Show Article ) |
17 Mar 2011 02:00:19z | ||
| Description: ZTL and ZHU are inviting us to support their Friday Night Ops. Date: 03/18/2011 Start Time: 0:00 Zulu End Time 04:00 Zulu Come on out and fly from either KMSY New Orleans or KIAH Houston (which will be fully staffed) to KCLT Charlotte. Participation in this event will earn you a one time award. To join this event, click on the events tab, click on the event on the calendar, and select join event. Then select an open time slot. I hope to see you there either on the scopes or in the air. Take care and happy flying. | |||
| AWARDS, PROMOTIONS, AND NEW MEMBERS ( Show Article ) |
11 Mar 2011 20:53:34z | ||
| Hi Everyone, The following pilots have been promoted: Pilot Nick Rizzo has been promoted from 'Captain' (96:43) to 'Senior Captain' (104:33). The following pilots have earned a new award: - Pilot Nick Rizzo has been awarded the '737 Expert Ribbon' award. Excellent work guys. Keep up the good work and more good things will surely come your way. As always, take care and happy flying. **If you want to gain awards for yourself, you can do so by flying tours, service in certain types of aircraft, and by many other means. To gain perspective of the awards Catfish Air offers, visit our awards page for a complete list. Please help me in welcoming our newest pilots to the Catfish Air family: Ben Tucker has decided to give Catfish Air a try. Please make him feel welcome and help me send him a warm welcome. Thanks to all and as always, take care and happy flying. | |||
| AWARDS AND NEW MEMBERS ( Show Article ) |
08 Mar 2011 03:17:27z | ||
| Hi Everyone, The following pilots have earned a new award: - Pilot Tom Huben has been awarded the 'Service Ribbon' award. - Pilot Kevin Copeland has been awarded the '737 Master Ribbon' award. - Pilot Grant Beattie has been awarded the 'TFT Service' award. - Pilot Caleb Rappel has been awarded the 'Service Ribbon' award. - Pilot Scott Bourque has been awarded the 'Military Aircraft Expert' award. - Pilot Scott Bourque has been awarded the 'TFT C-130 Tour Ribbon' award. Excellent work guys. Keep up the good work and more good things will surely come your way. As always, take care and happy flying. **If you want to gain awards for yourself, you can do so by flying tours, service in certain types of aircraft, and by many other means. To gain perspective of the awards Catfish Air offers, visit our awards page for a complete list. Please help me in welcoming our newest pilots to the Catfish Air family: Tom Huben, Grant Beattie, Jeff Stanton, Carson Page, Christopher Page, Jesse Pierce, Caleb Rappel, and David Mitchell have all decided to give Catfish Air a try. Please make them feel welcome and help me send them a warm welcome. Thanks to all and as always, take care and happy flying. | |||
| PROMOTIONS AND AWARDS ( Show Article ) |
04 Mar 2011 00:20:03z | ||
| Hi Everyone, The following pilots have been promoted: Pilot Adam Johnson has been promoted from 'First Officer' (20:34) to 'Lieutenant Captain' (25:46). Pilot Christopher Page has been promoted from 'Ensign' (4:38) to 'Flight Officer' (6:53). The following pilots have been awarded a new award: - Pilot Scott Bourque has been awarded the 'C-130 Pilot Ribbon' award. - Pilot Christian Ybarra has been awarded the 'Prop Plane Expert Ribbon' award. - Pilot Grant Beattie has been awarded the 'Service Ribbon' award. Excellent work guys. Keep up the good work and more good things will surely come your way. As always, take care and happy flying. | |||
| FEBRUARY SUMMARY ( Show Article ) |
01 Mar 2011 19:55:50z | ||
| Hi Everyone, February was an amazing month for Catfish Air. We were accepted as a VATSIM certified partner airline, which in itself is a truly amazing accomplishment. Since the humble beginnings of Catfish Air just over a year ago, it was a dream to be able to call ourselves a VATSIM partner. I offer a special thank you to all who made this possible for us. Special thanks to Houston ATC Center, without whom Catfish Air would have never taken its first flight. Pilots, if you want to have a great flight you can enjoy with superb air traffic control, I urge you to fly in Houston's airspace. These guys "Love happy pilots!" Special thanks also goes out to Kevin Copeland, Christian Ybarra, Ron Kildebeck, and Nick Rizzo, who's tireless efforts have helped make Catfish Air what it is today. From the creation of Task Force Thunder in Ali Al Saleem Air Base, the route fixing, the idea throwing, and the all around effort, Catfish Air has grown from 1 pilot (me) to over 30 pilots. Without the dedication of these pilots, we would certainly not be what we are on VATSIM. Our little airline has completed its mutation from a mess of free stuff thrown together to make a two bit airline into what it is today. February saw the completion of months of planning, work, and testing. Catfish Air now offers things which no other airline can boast and that is truly amazing. To illustrate this fact, I was browsing other airlines websites to find that someone had simply copied and pasted my words onto their site. It really is no problem, but to me it is a testament of all we are doing here in our little nook of VATSIM. Jasper Bussemaker of IPS has put in countless hours coding, testing, and having to deal with me everyday the passed few months. Catfish Air will be in his debt for quite a while...or until I think of something else fun we can do (in which case, I will just have him build that too). Finally, I would like to thank every single pilot who took the time to see what we are about. I think other airlines might act like they do not need you or that they are too good for you. It is my sincere hope that no matter how many pilots come to our doors that we welcome them in as though they are family. Let us all never forget that what we do is supposed to be fun and relaxing. Let's all make Catfish Air exactly that...fun and relaxing. I make this promise for the February's to come...we will never impose any strict regulations or rules which will take away from any fun you want to have on the network. Now, I say that only keeping in mind that we still have to obey the rules and guidelines of VATSIM, but our little airline will remain a place pilots can come, fly, and relax. I am confident that together we will continue to grow and get better for you. As always, take care and happy flying. Scott | |||
| PROMOTIONS AND AWARDS ( Show Article ) |
28 Feb 2011 12:06:24z | ||
| Hi Everyone, The following pilots have been promoted: Pilot Christian Ybarra has been promoted from 'Master Captain' (395:40) to 'Lieutenant Chief' (411:54). Pilot Mark Savard has been promoted from 'Lieutenant Captain' (45:09) to 'Captain' (50:09). The following pilots have been awarded a new award: - Pilot Scott Bourque has been awarded the 'C-17 Pilot Ribbon' award. - Pilot Scott Bourque has been awarded the 'Military Aircraft Ribbon' award. - Pilot Scott Bourque has been awarded the 'TFT Expert Ribbon' award. - Pilot Carson Page has been awarded the 'Service Ribbon' award. - Pilot Christopher Page has been awarded the 'Service Ribbon' award. - Pilot Scott Bourque has been awarded the 'Assignment Ribbon' award. Excellent work guys. Keep up the good work and more good things will surely come your way. As always, take care and happy flying. | |||
| NEW!!! AUTOMATIC AWARDS!!! ( Show Article ) |
27 Feb 2011 15:16:52z | ||
| Hi Everyone, Catfish Air is proud to announce the newest upgrade to our site--Automatic Awards. In the past, we were forced to guess at the number of flights and keep track of our own stats in order to apply for awards. Well, this is no more! Catfish Air now has a script that runs in the background every hour and checks to see if we have earned an award. The script will automatically award you for your deserved and earned ribbons. Once again, I hope everyone enjoys this new function. Some of the other new functions are the tours module. In order to fly a tour, visit the knowledge center for a quick lesson. Another new function is the flight assignments. You can earn awards for flying these, so contact your hub manager and request some flight assignments. Well, once again I hope you all enjoy the new modules and especially I hope you are enjoying your stay at Catfish Air. Take care and happy flying. | |||
| Recent Awardees ( Show Article ) |
25 Feb 2011 11:48:51z | ||
| The following pilots have earned awards. Here is a list of the pilots and the awards they have earned: - Pilot Carson Page has been awarded the 'Service Ribbon' award. - Pilot Christopher Page has been awarded the 'Service Ribbon' award. - Pilot Scott Bourque has been awarded the 'Assignment Ribbon' award. Congratulations to all. These awards are a result of your hard work and dedication. Keep up the good work and more will follow soon. | |||
| Recent Awardees ( Show Article ) |
23 Feb 2011 22:20:44z | ||
| The following pilots have earned awards. Here is a list of the pilots and the awards they have earned: - Pilot Michael McNew has been awarded the 'Small Jet Ribbon' award. - Pilot Kevin Copeland has been awarded the 'Small Jet Ribbon' award. - Pilot Kevin Copeland has been awarded the 'Endurance Ribbon' award. - Pilot Christian Ybarra has been awarded the 'Endurance Ribbon' award. - Pilot Scott Bourque has been awarded the 'Endurance Master Ribbon' award. - Pilot Kevin Copeland has been awarded the 'Iron Pilot Expert Ribbon' award. - Pilot Christian Ybarra has been awarded the 'Iron Pilot Expert Ribbon' award. - Pilot Scott Bourque has been awarded the 'Iron Pilot Master Ribbon' award. Congratulations to all. These awards are a result of your hard work and dedication. Keep up the good work and more will follow soon. | |||
| Recent Awardees ( Show Article ) |
19 Feb 2011 21:36:19z | ||
| The following pilots have earned awards. Here is a list of the pilots and the awards they have earned: - Pilot Tim Grant has been awarded the 'Service Ribbon' award. - Pilot Zach Morales has been awarded the 'Service Ribbon' award. - Pilot Ron Kildebeck has been awarded the 'CH-47 Pilot Ribbon' award. - Pilot Christian Ybarra has been awarded the 'Prop Plane Ribbon' award. - Pilot Kevin Copeland has been awarded the 'Prop Plane Expert Ribbon' award. - Pilot Ron Kildebeck has been awarded the 'Prop Plane Expert Ribbon' award. - Pilot Ron Kildebeck has been awarded the 'TFT Master Ribbon' award. Congratulations to all. These awards are a result of your hard work and dedication. Keep up the good work and more will follow soon. | |||
| Catfish Air is now a VATSIM Partner Virtual Airline ( Show Article ) |
13 Feb 2011 03:14:14z | ||
| Hi Everyone, Catfish Air has now gained partnership status with VATSIM! This is an exciting and momentous occasion for us all. After three failed attempts, all the hard work and dedication of all the pilots and staff have now been validated. Congratulations to all of you. Without your participation in our organization, there would not only be no VATSIM partnership but there would be no Catfish Air. Take care and happy flying. | |||
| Catfish Air -- One Year Celebration ( Show Article ) |
17 Jan 2011 02:40:48z | ||
| Hi Everyone, Well, Catfish Air has reached a milestone that only a fraction of new virtual airlines reach. Catfish Air is celebrating its one year anniversary! That's right, on January 28, 2011, Catfish Air will be one year old. We are asking all of our pilots to fly somewhere in the vicinity of Houston ARTCC on that day. All pilots who log at least one flight in the Houston airspace will receive a special Catfish Air one year celebration ribbon. So, come on out on Friday, January 28, 2011 and log some Catfish time. I hope to see you there to help us celebrate this monumental milestone. Take care and happy flying. | |||
| New Knowledge Center ( Show Article ) |
05 Jan 2011 04:27:29z | ||
| The new Knowledge Center can be found under your Crew Center tab. This new area is intended to be a knowledge store where pilots can learn about the new IPS system and how Catfish Air works. Please take a look at the new area and contact the administrator with any thoughts which might make this new area better. Hopefully this knowledge center contains some information that will help you navigate the site as well as learn some of the ins and outs of the New Catfish Air. Take care and happy flying. | |||
| **** Not Arrived Status **** ( Show Article ) |
14 Dec 2010 16:44:28z | ||
| Hi All, In an effort to make sure everyone is being credited for their flights, please make sure that once you have completed your flight that you sit at the gate for a minimum of four minutes. Pilots need to wait for their status to change from "Landed" to "On Blocks". Once your status has been updated to "On Blocks", you can disconnect from VATSIM. If you disconnect from VATSIM or IVAO before your status is updated to "On Blocks", the system will give you a not arrived status and possibly not give you any hours for your flights. You can monitor this status directly from the "Current Flights" page of the website. Take a look at your flight and you will see your status. Some of the statuses are "Departing", "Climbing", "Cruising", "Descending", "Initial Approach", "Landed", and "On Blocks". Please make sure you see the "On Blocks" status before disconnecting from VATSIM or IVAO. This is a minor glitch and will be fixed shortly. If you have flown a flight and were not credited your full hours, simply file a manual PIREP to make up for the lost time. Please make sure to enter the departing and arriving ICAO in all caps and all should be good. Any questions can be emailed to me directly or you can use the contact us button at the top of the page. Take care and happy flying. | |||
| New website ( Show Article ) |
27 Nov 2010 16:00:56z | ||
| Hello all, Welcome on the new website of Catfish Air, powered and built by Integrated Pirep System! Greetings, Jasper Bussemaker  | |||
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Current Flights
Last Flights
| CFA1022 | Geoff Lisch | 4 min ago |
| CFA3034 | Mike Burke | 12 min ago |
| CFA3034 | Mike Burke | 2.2 hrs ago |
| CFA1022 | Geoff Lisch | 2.2 hrs ago |
| CFA732 | Christina Waters | 2.7 hrs ago |
Pilot Updates
 | VATSIM Controller Ribbon Earned by Christina Waters - 10.6 hrs ago |
| Small Jet Ribbon Earned by Chris Honkakangas - 2 days ago |
 | San Diego Regional Jet Tour Completed by Chris Honkakangas - 2 days ago |
| NAS New Orleans US Navy VIP Tour Completed by John Atraides - 2 days ago |
| 747 Ribbon Earned by Jason Diket - 3 days ago |
| Service Ribbon Earned by James Burns - 4 days ago |
| Small Jet Ribbon Earned by John Atraides - 4 days ago |
 | KDTW - Detroit Hub Joined by James Burns - 4 days ago |
| Houston Hub Master Ribbon Earned by Bill Thomas - 5 days ago |
| Anchorage King Air Tour Southeast Completed by Scott Bourque - 5 days ago |
Top pilots
Last 30 days:
All time:
| Christina Waters | 93:53 |
| Jason Diket | 88:33 |
| John Atraides | 49:04 |
| Brian LaFleur | 48:01 |
| Scott Bourque | 46:08 |
All time:
| Scott Bourque | 1747:47 |
| Bill Thomas | 1335:18 |
| Kevin Copeland | 681:01 |
| Christian Ybarra | 611:24 |
| Brian LaFleur | 577:46 |
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