Beginning April 1, 2011, Greenbrier Virtual Aviation (GVA) began a new phase in its flying life. GVA now offers scheduled flight service to various hub airport cities to and from Lewisburg WV KLWB and Hot Springs VA KHSP airports. The size and aircraft type limitations for this type of flight service will also be modified to reflect the type of aircraft used in this service. Following are the guidelines to be used in performing these flights:
1. This flight option is available only to those pilots who have completed the GVA flight training program and have completed three months active (two or more flights per month) charter flying service. All pilots who are included in the GVA pilot roster as of April 1, 2011 are grandfathered into the flight program automatically.
2. Aircraft passenger capacity is increased to 20 pax maximum plus crew. This will allow the use of aircraft like the Beechcraft B-1900 (B190)and the Jetstream 41 Executive configuration to be flown. Antique aircraft, defined here as those being built before the entry of the United States into WW II (Dec 8 1941) are subject to no size limitations. Note that smaller sized aircraft are allowed to be used in this type of flying if the pilot desires. Note further, no larger aircraft than the above mentioned B1900 and Jetstream J-41 will be allowed for scheduled or charter GVA flights unless those aircraft fall into the antique aircraft category. This size limitation applies to both factory and custom (executive) interior configurations.
3. All flights in scheduled service are to be no more than two (2) hours in length, gate to gate. GVA scheduled service flights connect to major hub airports and typically a large number of those airports can be found within two flight hours, gate to gate, of KLWB and KHSP.
4. All flights will terminate within the two hour limit and then will return (whether actually modeled or not) to either of the two local destination airports. No intermediate stop flights will be allowed. All scheduled GVA flights are to be non-stop to the major terminal airport.
5. Examples of destination airports for scheduled GVA flights include Roanoke VA, Richmond VA, Dulles and Reagan Washington D.C Airports, Lexington and Louisville KY, etc. This is only a limited list of example airports. Pilots are free to choose appropriate destination airports so long as they fall within the two hour gate to gate restriction.
6. Pilots may reposition between major airports so long as the return flight to LWB or HSP does not exceed the two hour restriction.
7. Note that although LWB & HSP are not towered, they are open for service 24/7, weather providing of course.
8. Pilots completing their flight report (FR) forms should include wording similar to “GVA scheduled service non-stop to/from...”
9. As part of our reciprocal flight service agreements with Bluegrass Airlines, GVA pilots who are also members of Bluegrass Airlines may choose to fly Bluegrass liveried airplanes into/out of either LWB or HSP and may post screen shots and flight reports using Bluegrass airplanes so long as those airplanes reflect the passenger and flight length limits as written into this set of guides.
10. As with all other GVA flights, the scheduled service flights are voluntary and you as a GVA member are free to choose your destination (within the above noted limits) and routing.
