Jackson H - 820457 Posted December 4, 2015 Share Posted December 4, 2015 The VATPAC Board has become aware that a virtual airline active in our airspace has been calling for donations to help fund what can only be described as ludicrously high monthly operating costs. Additionally, this virtual airline operates a "loyalty scheme" which rewards those who donate money with advancement within the VA structure as well as public acknowledgement via their website. Whilst technically there is nothing wrong with a VA seeking donations from its members to help fund reasonable operating costs, in this case the stated expenses are so great that the Board have considerable trouble reconciling these expenses with our own experiences operating virtual airlines and indeed, operating VATPAC itself. The current VATPAC Board has somewhere in the vicinity of 50 years combined VATSIM experience and has been involved in the running of many a virtual airline. We remind our members that VATSIM.net policy prohibits charging for access to VATSIM.net services. VATSIM are currently investigating this virtual airline for possible breaches of the Code of Conduct and the User Agreement. We leave it to individual members to decide if they will make donations or not. This is a matter for their own judgement. However, we urge all members to consider the following before making monetary commitments to any virtual entity: * Where is your money actually going? * What are the actual expenses claimed? * Is there documentary evidence to support the claim of high operating costs? * Do you receive a tax invoice (including ABN/ACN) for your donation (for tax purposes)? * Are you being overly pressured to donate? The VATPAC Board will be closely monitoring the VATSIM investigation into the actions of this virtual airline. VATSIM investigation notwithstanding, it is our belief that this virtual airline is not acting in the spirit of either VATPAC or VATSIM. Members wishing to discuss any of the above can do so in writing via email to [email protected] Jackson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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