Question re: setting up your company

[clut]

This is question for the beta testers really, as you've actually used the program.

In some of the screenshots I've seen, Dan has actually shown us the screen where you can create your own company, or scenario and
you get to enter the starting amount of cash. In all of the screenshots like this that I've seen, the companies in the screenshot seem to
start with quite a lot of money.

I'd like to make it pretty hard on myself and start with just enough cash to buy a small GA plane, (either new or used) and that's it.
I'd have to fly pretty clean at first in order to afford maintenance, and slowely build up enough money to buy another small GA plane, which
will generate more income and then go from there.

Is this sort of thing do-able, or if I make a mistake early on and have to pay more maintenance than I can afford, is it pretty much 'game
over dude!' ?? what are your thoughts on this???

[pagir]

If you start with just enough money to get an GA plane, it will be loooooong before you'll be able to get a second plane. One flight can get
you as low as... loosing mooney. You can make 5 000 for a flight of medium duration. So if the second plane cost about 250 000$... And I
didn't mention maintenance or accidents...

I would suggest you to buy at first at least two or three plane (since they bring you money too) and be sure to have enough money to the
maintenance.

But I have to warn you: it will take a long time before getting enough money to buy a 737!!! For now, FSP don't allow loan from a bank, so
you have to pay all the plane (you didn't want a release in six months, did you???)

Pagir

[clut]

thanks, that's answered my question, I guess I'll set up a couple of dummy companies to test out how the system works and find a
balance.

Ideally, I'd like to be able to start having enough money to run small GA planes, but not yet afford turboprops, so I can sort of synchonize
my growth as a pilot with the growth of the bank balance.

For example, by the time I'm qualified to fly a turbo prop, I'd like to be close to being able to afford a turbo prop, which kinda leads me to
me next question....


If I'm qualifed only to fly single engine props, but I have enough money to buy something larger, like a lear45, does that lear earn money
for me while I'm off flying around in my C172?? (even though I myself and not qulifed to fly the lear)
This is the situation I'm trying to avoid. I'd like to company the grow with me while I grow as a pilot. When I'm capable and qualified to fly a
lear, that's roughly when I want the company to be able to afford a lear. I want to have to work for it.

I know you could just say, "even if you can afford it, don't buy planes that you can't fly!", but it's not the same just buying a plane when
you're qualified. If you get qualified and then have to earn a little more money to afford the lear, then it makes it more satisfying the
eventually get it. (a bit like saving money for the next payware aircraft.)

[pagir]

You won't get money from planes that no pilot is qualified for!

So if you buy a Learjet, it will stay on the tarmac "virtually". Just good for virtual spiders to make their virtual webs

Pagir

[Stringfellow]

I am pleased to announce that you got your wish. There are settings in your pilot's career that does just that upon formation. Even if you
have the money to actually buy the better plane, you still have to be qualified in your pilot's careeer to fly it to buy it. But for those that
prefer the opposite, just change the setting at the formation of your career. The program is very flexible. The company formation, in the
betas, gave us a short list of amounts of capitol to start with, so this may have better defined your first answer as well. I know that everyone
will be pleased with this program, I know we have, and it's not the final version yet.

[clut]

Thanks pagir and Stringfellow,

I'm REALLY impressed that if you own a plane that you are not qualified to fly it'll just sit and collect dust (with the right options ticked).
The attention to detail that has gone into this program is fantastic!!!! I owe you all a beer!!

[briansommers]

yes but you can have that plane flying as well, to simulate another pilot in the company.

[mach_one_man]

Sorry, im just slightly confused on this, so if I just create a scene here. So say im qualified to fly something a B737. I fly a flight from
Heathrow to Charles-De-Gaulle and I have 5 B737s, 5 Barons and 3 King Airs, what will I earn money from in my airline?

Do I just get the money from the 5 B737s have or do I get it from other aircraft or even no other aircraft. I know you can define the settings.
What I would like is to be able to fly a route in an aircraft type and then my "fleet" or 5 or whatever/howevver many other in that type they
generate the multiplier effect income from those 5 aircraft as well? Is this possible? Thanks. Sorry this is just somewhat a grey area in
my knowledge of FSP and after reading this thread and still am unsure.

As ift currently is it sounds like I can just about customise everything about my airline anyway, so I presume that I can vary the options to
my desire effect. Any response is appreciated.

Thanks

Edit: After reading this I also wanted to ask.

pagir wrote: But I have to warn you: it will take a long time before getting enough money to buy a 737!!!

But surely isnt there the 50x multiplier for each flight (or whatever desired setting) and there is fleet income so if flights are done properly it shouldnt take too long to earn to just by the next aircraft? Or am I wrong here.



Post Edited ( 07-04-05 20:05 )

[clut]

mach_one_man,

lets change your setup slightly, and go with five 737's, five Mooney Bravos and three King Airs:

If we put those in order of complexity, and qualifications needed to fly them we get :

1 - Mooney : available at the start, single engine prop.
2 - King Air : can be flown once you've upgraded a level or two
3 - 737 : probably one of the last levels of upgrade, a lot of work needed to get here (if you chose to start from the bottom)


Lets assume you have a company that owns those aircraft. the company can have any number of pilots, but here we will just talk about
the most experienced pilot. (the one you've given the most hours and who is at the highest rank).

IF your pilot is still a beginner, only qualifed to fly single engine props, then you'll only be able to fly the Baron. In addition to this, you will
only earn money off of the other 4 Mooney Bravos. The Kings Airs and the 737's will NOT generate income as there is no-one in your
company qualifed to fly them.

IF your most experienced pilot is at a level where they can fly multi-engine props/turbos then you'll be able to fly the Mooneys or the King
Airs, and whichever you fly, your company will earn money from the five Mooneys and the three king airs. the 737's will still be un-useable
because there is no-one in the company capable of flying it.

IF your most experienced pilot is capable of flying the 737's and other heavies, then ALL of your aircraft will earn money, regardless of
which one you personaly fly.


Dan/Beta people,
please correct me if I'm wrong in what I've said above. That is just my grasp of it so far. That is how I intend to setup my company. I think
it might be possible, by turning the career option OFF, that you can fly any plane, at any time, with any pilot. I guess this would mean that if
you own two 737's, and two C172's, if you fly the C172, your other C172 AND the two 737's will still earn money.


If for example (with career mode turned ON), you have five 737's and only 1 pilot capable of flying it, I not sure if the other four 737's earn
money or not. that's something either the offical folks can answer, or something we'll just find out ourselves when we get the product.
(which really won't be long now from what I hear!!!!)


Phew,
Hope that helped!!!

[DanSteph]

You cannot buy an aircraft if you don't have any pilot qualified for this type.

If you start a career pilot and plan to make it to jet
I recommend that you get about $20'000'000 at start .

the goal is now to buy bigger aircraft as soon as you are allowed to fly
them, so you carry more passengers and get more income, keep your "old
aircraft will give you additionnal income.

Doing like this you might get enough money to buy a jet when time come
but the low amount of cash (30 million) will render the game challenging.

I recall that you can transfert pilot beetween company.

Dan

[briansommers]

now this brings me back to my point that i made earlier in another post!

we need to be able to "hire" (buy) other pilots, the more qualified ones would cost more, etc but they would be able to fly the bigger jets.


this also brings up another point

are we the players the only one in the company?

suppose i setup my company, i want to buy a c182 and fly that then move up to:
piper navajo
c441
b1900c - freighter
atr 72-500
b727-200
b737-700 ng
b767-300
b747-400


how do the "other" pilots work? do i have to create a separate pilot? and if so do i have to work them up individually and separately?

[clut]

from what I've heard, we are the only people that actually fly the planes in our companies, but FsP simulates the income that we
would receive if all our planes were being flown.


Dan,

your explaination was much simpler than mine... "If you can not fly the aircraft, you can not buy the aircraft"

I have a few more questions regarding having to save a bit of money to buy the next plane, but I think I'll just leave it untill I get FsP and I
can have a look myself. The best anser is just to try it myself and see what I can do and what I can't do. I'll start with your suggested
20,000,000 and see how far it takes me. I want something that is quite challenging. for example, I don't want to be able to go out and buy
3 lears after getting promoted to that rank. I want to have to save up for a little bit in order to afford it.

[briansommers]

another question, can we set the amount of hours we need in each plane to advance?

for example this is what i would like in my company

c182 = 25hrs
piper navajo 50 hrs
c441 = 75 hrs
b1900c = 100 hrs
atr 72 = 250 hrs
small jet, etc etc

can we do this?

[mach_one_man]

Ahh thanks clut and Dan. Now I understand it a lot better and your detailed replies are very good - apart from the spelling mistake
saying "Baron" instead or Bravo.

Just one more thing, I know I probably should wait for the release - but do the other aircraft in the fleet generate the same amount of
money as your flight - say you have this scenario. A company with 5 737s. You have a pilot qualified to fly them and you fly a route where
you gain a total income of letes just say $40,000. Will you then recieve $40,000*5 = $200,000 or is the actual figure less as you didnt fly
the other routes. I ask this because in some flight reports it says "fleet income" and this income is actually less in total than the income
from the one plane. This might only be in an expample.

Also something else that confuses me is taht if you fly a long haul flight in a 777 or other large airliner - do you still earn money from the
small C182s and everything - even though they couldnt actually be able to fly the route IRL. This is something that I think would be more
suitable (and an option I would select in FSP if I could) to have only aircraft of the same type in that fleet generate income for that route.

If someone could reply explaining if I am correct on this or if even the only fleet income is possible. I know that its called fleet income
however from what clut said earlier on it sounded like you get money from all aircraft for whatever route you fly - even if certain aircraft cant
even fly the routes. Or did I just interpret it incorrectly?

Thanks for all the replies

[clut]

I think, that each time you complete 1 flight, all of the other aircraft in your fleet also complete 1 flight, (although not to and from anywhere
specific).

Each aircraft in your fleet earns money according to it's size/no. of pax/fuel usage etc. For example, if you fly your only 747, but also have 5
C172's in the fleet, you may earn hundred of thousands from the flight, wherease your fleet income from the C172's may only amount to
about 15,000.

Don't quote me on any of this, I'm just speculating based on what I've heard and discussed here on this forum.

I'm sure Dan or one of the beta testers could give a better, or at least more accurate answer, but if they don't, then that's not such a bad
thing as it probably because they're developing or beta testing.