Welcome to the British Airways Virtual IFC Thread
President: Chris Wing
Voted as the Infinite Flight Community’s ‘Best Virtual Airline’ for three years running in the IFC Awards.
OneWorld Virtual Alliance | IFVARB | Application Form | Promotional Video
British Airways Virtual: The Infinite Flight Community’s Leading VA for over Five Years.
At British Airways Virtual, you take us further…
Over 45000 flights flown. 340,000 hours. The world circumnavigated nearly 52000 times. 2,900+ routes. And we’re not done yet. British Airways Virtual is one of the most established and groundbreaking virtual airlines within the Infinite Flight Community, breaking barriers since its certification over five years ago, and even before then as “Speedbird VA”. With over 65 aircraft in our mainline and codeshare fleet, and routes stretching to every continent, the entire world has been opened up, and is ours for the flying. Over 250 Pilots, united together, as one, with the British Flair in every nautical mile we fly. We embody that spirit everywhere we grace, and make experiences and memories that will last a lifetime, indefinitely, all within Infinite Flight.
We have a strong history going back to our formation in September 2015 as Speedbird VA, and later when we took on the flag of British Airways and became BA Virtual. Although we are not officially affiliated with BA, we try our utmost to maintain the high real-life standards that BA offers its customers and its staff. Through the community we have formed, pulling together a mutual love for British Airways and Infinite Flight, we really do our utmost to represent British Airways in the IFC to the best of our ability. I hope that following your visit to our thread, you feel that BA Virtual is the right Virtual Airline for you and that very soon you join us in our mission 'to Fly to Serve’.
Since its formation, I have always wanted to see this VA succeed and I have no doubt under the wonderful leadership team at BAVA, we shall continue to grow!
LouDon
Founder of British Airways Virtual
A warm welcome to the British Airways Virtual Infinite Flight Community Thread.
Hello, future BAVA pilots! I’m delighted that you’ve taken the time to have a look at our multi-award winning VA. It is my pleasure to be serving as the 7th President. I joined BAVA as a pilot back in late 2017. Over the past few years I have flown as a pilot, servered as staff in multiple positions and now I’m here as President. I’ve met people in this VA that I’m proud to call friends and have indeed met up with in person. Since we were founded back in 2016, we have seen exponential growth and progress take place in our VA. We now pride ourselves for providing a professional and enjoyable experience that no other VA can provide. Over 3 years of innovative and clever leadership has led us to become one of the biggest, most successful and respected VAs on the IFC. I can happily say that I think we have one of the best staff teams. So, prospective BAVA pilots: I encourage you to join our large and thriving community. An experience unlike anything you’ve ever experienced before awaits you in British Airways Virtual Airline!
Please browse and enjoy our site to see all the things we offer our professional virtual pilots and we hope to hear from you soon!
Come and join us in the skies. To Fly, To Serve.
Chris Wing
Proud member since 2017
President and Owner
British Airways Virtual Airline
We are a community, a family and a safe place to practice our mutual love for British Airways, Infinite Flight and aviation as a whole.
We currently have over 250 active pilots and over 2,900 different routes available to fly with our Mainline and Codeshare fleet consisting of over 60 different aircraft. Thanks to our strong community spirit, we continue to grow and our success continues to spread around the IFC. We host events both on the IFC and Internally frequently, and are one of the most, if not the most active and well established virtual airline within Infinite Flight.
Leadership positions are very popular and everyone who works hard within the team is in turn recognised, developed, and rewarded.
Below you can see our staff members who are continually focused on providing the best for our members.
Senior Leadership Team
C. Wing | @Chris_Wing | President & Owner
L. Labrosse | @Louis1 | Deputy President
M. Elphick | @Matt | Senior Advisor
A. Williams | @Adam_Williams | Senior Advisor
N. Petranek | @Nichalas_Petranek | Senior Advisor
B. Tyson | @BenTyson | Senior Advisor
D. O’Donoghue | @Darragh_ODonoghue | Senior Advisor
Operational Leadership Team
Ben Wright | @Benjwri | HR Manager
Rhys Vale | @Rhys_V | Co-Recruitment Manager
Oliver Pitcher | @Oliver_P | Co-Recruitment Manager
Alfie Bowen | @if.wales | Events Manager
Harry Xu | @Hazza68 | Co-Flight Supervisor
Ruan Maass | @Average_Gamer | Co-Flight Supervisor
There are a number of things we can offer you as one of the leading VA’s within the IFC, one of which is our exceptional leadership team. Our Recruitment Department, who will be your first point of contact when you apply, our wonderful and supportive mentors who can help you throughout your time here, and a great events team creating fantastic and groundbreaking events for the whole Infinite Flight Community to take part in! Although we have those departments, our members form quite a substantial knowledge base. A fantastic group of IFATC qualified members, members who have a great knowledge of the airports and hubs we have as a VA and some phenomenal photo editors. We are a really well rounded VA and would love for more people to come and join our team.
We have over 60 aircraft within our fleet, 2,900 routes to choose from spanning almost every continent, we host regular events both on the IFC and internally, and are comprised of over 250 pilots already within our Virtual Airline.
We have a brand new, fully mobile optimised website, from which you can file flight reports, plan flights with real-time weather information and route information, review aircraft performance details and even more.
Still not convinced we’re the right virtual airline for you? Read what our pilots have to say about us below.
“For anyone who wants to join BAVA, go for it because it will be one of the best decisions you will ever make. Everyone here is like family, where we have fun chatting with each other and we also enjoy learning how to hone our pilot and ATC skills with each other. Every member of the staff does their absolute best to make sure each pilot who joins feels welcome , and they help each pilot with whatever they need. Every single question asked always gets an honest answer, and there is regular feedback. Joining BAVA was the best decision I ever made in October 2018 because since that time, I’ve gained a lot of new skills, and I have also met fellow pilots who I consider really good friends. You’ll definitely enjoy your time here because they are fun, and also professional.”
@TRIavgeekMandy, former BAVA Pilot
“BAVA is an absolutely fantastic place to be, since I’ve joined my passion for aviation has grown, and I’ve made so many friends who also have a passion for aviation and infinite flight.”
@Beau_Giles, BAVA Presidential pilot
Entry Requirements
- 13 years of age or older
- Grade 3 or higher within Infinite Flight
- Have a valid Infinite Flight Community (IFC) account
- Have an active Infinite Flight Pro Subscription
- Have a minimum of 100 total flight hours on Infinite Flight
- Have a minimum of 20 landings in the last 90 days
- Have a maximum of 20 violations in 1 year and 2 ghosts/reports in 1 year
Members joining must also hereby accept our “Joining Agreement” and all IFVARB Policies.
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Upon completion of the initial application form, you will be messaged on the Infinite Flight Community by our Recruitment Team, with a link to a written test. Our test can be regarded as challenging, so applicants are advised to hold extensive knowledge of aviation procedures and protocols along with some general knowledge of ATC procedures within Infinite Flight before attempting our written test. We recommend the use of the #tutorials category for revision.
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The test consists of 20 questions with a time allowance of 10 minutes, and a pass mark of 85%. In extenuating circumstances, this time allowance may be increased, to help applicants who may not perform well during timed conditions. This must be pre-approved by the Senior Leadership Team.
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Don’t worry if you don’t pass on your first try. You may re-take the test in 7 days. If you fail the re-test, you can re-take the test in one month.
Interested in joining? We can’t wait to have you aboard! You can apply via our website or head directly to our application form.
At British Airways Virtual, we pride ourselves on having the most up-to-date route database within the Infinite Flight VA Community, with over 2,900 mainline and codeshare routes taking you to every continent on the globe bar Antarctica, and more being constantly added in line with real-world route expansions…
These routes are now easier to find than ever, with an integration allowing routes to be searched directly from our Discord server.
Are you wondering where you can fly as a pilot with us? Follow the links below to gain a better insight into our routes database!
BAVA Routes Database
Number of Aircraft in Fleet: 62
Our Fleet is one of, if not the most extensive within Infinite Flight. There’s something for everyone, and it is ever increasing with the release of new codeshare routes and expansions to British Airways’ Destination list.
Our Mainline Fleet
Rank One
The Embraer 190 is the backbone of British Airways’ main subsidiaries fleet. BACityFlyer operate 16 E190s which fly to many short-haul destinations within Europe and beyond, from their hubs in London City, Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Bristol, Dublin and London Stansted.
Airbus A319-100
Our A319 Fleet is a part of the backbone of short-haul aircraft that British Airways use at their Heathrow and Gatwick hubs, with routes stretching to Cyprus and Northern Africa.
Rank Two
The Airbus A320 is the mainstay of British Airways’ short to medium haul fleet. Again, operating out of London Heathrow and London Gatwick to many international and domestic locations.
Rank Three
The Airbus A321, being the largest of the A32X series of aircraft, expands the routes you can fly even further. Explore the middle east and even further afield!
The Comair Boeing 737-800 is one of the freshest aircraft within Infinite Flight, livery wise. Fly this beauty with its astounding split scimitar winglets around South Africa and beyond with Comair, a franchisee of British Airways.
Rank Four
British Airways B767-300
The recently retired British Airways B763 currently remains within our fleet, as a homage to the beauty and versatility of the aircraft. The 767 serves British Airways’ most in-demand routes around Europe, and OpenSkies also operated the B767-300 on its daily service to New York Newark Airport, from Paris Orly.
OpenSkies B757-200
OpenSkies, a fully owned former subsidiary of British Airways operated two B757s originally from BAs main fleet on its route between Paris Orly and New York John F Kennedy Airport. A firm favourite route with our pilots.
The retro McDonnell Douglas DC-10 can be operated from London Gatwick to countless international destinations worldwide. A true globe hopper, destinations include San Diego and Colombo.
Rank Five
At Rank 5, you gain access to the backbone of British Airways’ long-haul fleet, the Boeing 777-200ER and B777-300ER. Carrying you as far as Sydney, Australia and Lima, Peru, the routes available to fly with the B777 are almost endless…
Rank Six
British Airways’ fleet is changing, as a new era of high range, highly efficient commercial airliners take hold. The Boeing 787 is the epitome of this, with British Airways currently having 30 in their fleet. You can fly the B789 and B78X on 25 routes worldwide.
Rank Seven
Quite possibly the most iconic airliner in history, the Boeing 747-400 is still an integral part of British Airways’ long-haul fleet. Operating to 22 destinations around the world and being in British Airways’ Fleet since 1989, the “Queen of the Skies” is a firm favourite within our Virtual Airline.
Rank Eight
Airbus A380-800
Undeniably the largest aircraft within the British Airways fleet, this super jumbo operates our most in-demand routes, to destinations such as Los Angeles, Boston, Singapore and Johannesburg, with a maximum capacity of 469 passengers.
The Airbus A318-100 is the most exclusive aircraft within our Virtual Airline. Operating only one route, LCY - SNN - JFK and the return as JFK - LCY, in a 32-seat full business class configuration. This route takes over from Concorde’s route with the callsign “Speedbird 1”.
Our Codeshare Fleet
All of our codeshares are real-world codeshare agreements with British Airways. This gives a vast expanse of routes available for our pilots to fly.
Aer Lingus
| Aircraft | Number of Routes Available with Aircraft |
|---|---|
| A320-200 | 45 |
| A321-200 | 4 |
| B757-200 (Generic) | 3 |
| A330-300 (Generic) | 9 |
Alaska Airlines
| Aircraft | Number of Routes Available with Aircraft |
|---|---|
| DH8D | 3 |
| CRJ-700 | 6 |
| B737-800 | 2 |
| B737-900 | 6 |
American Airlines
| Aircraft | Number of Routes Available with Aircraft |
|---|---|
| CRJ (All Variants) | 145 |
| A320-200 | 15 |
| B737-800 | 98 |
| A321-200 | 43 |
| B757-200 | 4 |
| B767-300 | 24 |
| B777 (All Variants) | 15 |
| B787-9 | 1 |
Bangkok Airways
| Aircraft | Number of Routes Available with Aircraft |
|---|---|
| B717-200 | 8 |
Cathay Pacific
| Aircraft | Number of Routes Available with Aircraft |
|---|---|
| A330-300 | 6 |
| B777-300ER | 4 |
Finnair
| Aircraft | Number of Routes Available with Aircraft |
|---|---|
| A321-200 | 15 |
| A330-300 (Generic) | 7 |
Iberia
| Aircraft | Number of Routes Available with Aircraft |
|---|---|
| CRJ-1000 | 6 |
| A321-200 | 4 |
| A330-300 (Generic) | 16 |
| A340-600 (Generic) | 4 |
At Rank Eight, the Boeing 747-200 may be flown as a replacement to the Generic Liveries on LongHaul Routes.
Japan Airlines
| Aircraft | Number of Routes Available with Aircraft |
|---|---|
| CRJ-200 | 12 |
| B737-800 | 9 |
| B777-200ER | 7 |
| B787-9 | 2 |
LATAM
| Aircraft | Number of Routes Available with Aircraft |
|---|---|
| A319-100 | 12 |
| A320-200 | 12 |
| B787-9 | 1 |
| B787-9 | 2 |
Qantas
| Aircraft | Number of Routes Available with Aircraft |
|---|---|
| DH8D | 2 |
| B717-200 | 5 |
| B737-800 | 12 |
| B787-9 | 5 |
Qatar Airways
| Aircraft | Number of Routes Available with Aircraft |
|---|---|
| A319-100 | 13 |
| A321-200 | 14 |
| B787-8 | 19 |
| A340-600 | 1 |
| B777-300ER | 8 |
| B777-200LR | 1 |
| A380-800 | 4 |
S7 Airlines
| Aircraft | Number of Routes Available with Aircraft |
|---|---|
| A319-100 | 11 |
Want to feast your eyes on more eye opening statistics? Thought so! Here’s some for you!
Our CrewCenter gives us a fantastic insight into our most popular destinations, aircraft, and how much and how far we’ve flown!
British Airways Virtual Statistics
Total Miles Flown: 112,178,278
Did You Know?
That’s over 5,100 times around the Earth’s equator!
Total Hours Flown: 337,616
Did You Know?
That’s almost 38 years of collective flight time!
Total No. of Flights Flown: Over 45,617
Did You Know?
That equates to one flight a day for approximately 124 years!
Busiest Hub: London Heathrow (EGLL)
Top Three Hubs
| Position | Airport |
|---|---|
| 1. | London Heathrow (EGLL) |
| 2. | London Gatwick (EGKK) |
| 3. | London City (EGLC) |
These are British Airways’ Three Main Hubs.
Most Used Aircraft: Airbus A320 (British Airways)
Most Flown Route: BA1 (EGLC - KJFK) (Flown over 450 Times)
Number of Active Pilots: 300
Stats Last Updated 120750ZJAN22
The OneWorld Virtual Alliance
The OneWorld Virtual Alliance
OneWorld is an airline alliance founded on 1 February 1999. The alliance’s stated objective is to be the first choice airline alliance for the world’s frequent international travellers. It was founded by 5 different companies; American Airlines, British Airways, Qantas, Cathay Pacific, Canadian Airlines.
Currently, OneWorld currently has 13 different airlines; American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, LATAM, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Royal Jordanian, S7 Airlines, SriLankan Airlines.
Within the IFC, we like to try and keep to realism as close as possible and jointly we have created a OneWorld Virtual Alliance with our other VA partners to allow all of our pilots to have access to an extensive range of routes to enjoy!
Infinite Flight Aviation Experts & Global Air Forces
British Airways Virtual and IFAE-GAF have had a longstanding relationship since the start of our partnership, nearly one year ago.
British Airways Virtual pilots can look forward to an event with IFAE every sixty days, often with upwards of 30 pilots attending the events with a combined total. We alternate these routes between Europe and America, to expand both organisation’s horizons, and deepen our already thriving relationship.
British Airways Virtual pilots may also be enlisted to fly “chartered” flights for the Global Air Force division of IFAE-GAF. Whenever troops require transportation to a BAVA destination, the route and flight details will be advertised and a pilot selected to fly the chartered flight. A link to track the pilot in the skies of IF will be given, and a report of the flight given to the members of IFAE-GAF that requested it.
IFAE-GAF also have a route sharing agreement in place, where its pilots can fly select BAVA routes as a part of Infinite Flight Aviation Experts.
We here at BAVA are very proud of this deep and intimate relationship that we have forged with the Infinite Flight Community’s leading Virtual Organisation, and the benefits that it brings to our pilots.
| Infinite Flight Aviation Experts Official Infinite Flight Community Thread |
| IFAE Global Air Forces Official Infinite Flight Community Thread |
Here at British Airways Virtual, we use a free application called Discord to stay in touch. It’s a great way in which our members from all over the world can have a chat to get to know each other, share stories and even plan a group flight. For the staff members, we use it to keep everyone informed about things going on in the VA community; large events, new features and routes.
We update the wider community regularly via our social media outlets, and of course, the Infinite Flight Community. Follow us to keep in touch and find out what’s been happening recently.
Further information on our communication outlets can be provided upon direct requests.
Here’s a few handy ways of keeping in touch with us and keeping up to date with what’s going on!
Social Media:
Formal Methods:
contact@bavaif.com (You can find personal emails for our team in our “Staff” section)
www.bavaif.com
@BritishAirwaysVA
Media Enquiries
Any press and media related enquiries can be directed to our Public Relations Supervisor, Chris Wing.
| @Chris_Wing | cwing@bavaif.com |
High quality images, logos, and promotional material can be provided upon request. We ask that no such material be used without the permission of British Airways Virtual, to ensure the standard of resources used.
British Airways Virtual reserves the right to comment on any news article or publication made about or relating to the operating Virtual Airline; British Airways Virtual Airline of the Infinite Flight Community.
Continue to monitor our thread for more updates, special features and happenings within our Virtual Airline.
Thread information | Disclaimer
Thread details:
This thread has been created by the Senior Leadership Team and will be monitored regularly.
This thread was last updated on Thursday, April 1st 2021, at 0650Z.
British Airways Virtual Airline, abbreviated as ‘BAVA’, has no affiliation to British Airways PLC, OneWorld LLC, or any other real-world airline or airline partner.
The safeguarding of young and/or vulnerable people and our members:
The President and by extension, the staff of British Airways Virtual take its responsibility to safeguard our members from online bullying, sexual exploitation, extremism and those with mental health issues very seriously. We will actively support, guide and direct those whom we believe are at risk or require assistance to a suitable external agency based in their home country. We have UK DBS (formally known as CRB, more info here) cleared staff who can assist our members; Your privacy and safety are always our priority.
For further information or to report a concern, our safeguarding leads are Mr B. Tyson and Mr A. Williams.
UK DBS Cleared Staff Members
| Name | DBS Check Cleared | |
|---|---|---|
| @Adam_Williams | awilliams@bavaif.com | Enhanced DBS |
| @Matt | melphick@bavaif.com | Enhanced DBS |
Corporate Information:
Mr C. Wing, the President and Owner of British Airways Virtual, supports the below legislative statement. Any concerns or questions are to be addressed in writing to @Chris_Wing within the IFC or via email.
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