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The following is meant as a role playing aid for pilots to use when operating in Pier Glass Aviation. Role playing is central to the way PGA operates. This is our background. Welcome to our Virtual World.
PGA is a shoestring Charter Airline flying light, general aviation aircraft. We do not fly heavy jets across the continent or oceans. We fly small packages and groups of people along the western coast of the US.
We ain't American Airlines folks. Nor are we striving to be American Airlines.
Our pilots aren't dressed in nifty, dry cleaned uniforms. Well, Captains get a starched white shirt when they get promoted, but it usually doesn't stay white or starched very long. The rest of pilots dress in whatever they find comfortable. Management has asked that they try to wear something decent and look presentable, but we are happy if they shower occasionally. Stale doughnuts and old coffee mixed with oil is their daily bread.
Our planes aren't highly polished or pretty painted pictures of modern aviation. Some of them are held together with duct tape. Baldrick does the repainting and touching up with cans of Krylon spray paint, bought in bulk and at a discount.
Like most airlines, we are not cash rich. Everything that comes in is going right back out again. We don't have a lot of capital. We are making operating costs, but just barely. This means we can't buy every type of plane there is despite the pleas of some of our pilots. Most of our fleet was "acquired" in one way or another and not paid for in cash.
The PGA Attitude
Your prime directive as a pilot is "Deliver the Cargo!" If a customer needs to get anywhere right now, we'll get them there. If they have something nasty or possibly a shade on the wrong side of "legal" to be hauled to a remote spot, they can come to us and we will deliver it. We may scare the pants off of them (and ourselves) but we get the job done. Period. Bad weather doesn't stop us. Broken planes don't stop us. People don't stop us. And darn sure some words written on paper somewhere doesn't stop us. Our motto, "Anywhere you'll ride, we'll fly!" says it all.
Our History
Once upon a time there was Fred. Fred had a flight simulator program called "Flight Unlimited II" that he enjoyed quite a bit. After exhausting the adventures and general flying around that can be done in the Bay area for pleasure, Fred started looking to join a virtual airline. Only one problem… there were no Flight Unlimited based virtual airlines to join.
So Fred created one, and he called it Bay Area Charter, and it was good. So good, in fact, that no other Flight Unlimited II virtual airlines came to be, they simply weren't necessary. Fred did a great job. The airline continued to improve with each passing month, with the company eventually going public and the pilots able to purchase shares or used airplanes with the money they earned. Over 70 pilots affiliated themselves with the BAC name, starting a flight school to train the pilots, a flight line center to maintain their planes, even a credit union to help them through the lean times.
Then real life came along and interfered with the fun. Fred was called away by his "real" job more and more often, and one day he was promoted and the pilots arrived at work to find a "temporarily closed" sign and a padlock on the front door.
The suddenly unemployed pilots were stunned and milled about wondering what to do. But eventually a couple of pilots figured out the back door to the hangar had been left unlocked, and the former BAC pilots began to gather there. Then someone said they knew HTML, someone else said they would help, and suddenly the messages and e-mails were flying back & forth, no one wanted to quit flying, let's start our own VA to take care of the client base until Fred gets back, and later to provide a little friendly competition.
So it was Pier Glass Aviation came to be. Fred came back and sold us what was left of BAC, and he now flies for us when the urge takes him.
Employee or not, we all owe a lot to Fred and this airline is a testament to the success of his efforts -- he managed to create an incredible online community. But from here on out, BAC pilots and new pilots alike have a home here with PGA. Originally designed, owned, and operated by BAC pilots, PGA is the continuation of a good thing.
PGA Facilities
PGA's three main operating centers are located at:
San Jose is the our central headquarters. This is where the Boss and the PGA staff reside most of the time. We do travel up to Seattle area on a regular basis to keep an eye on things, so don't get too comfortable. The main office at San Jose International is an old caboose. That's right a railroad caboose, commonly called a "Crummy" among old railroad hands. It has been refurbished into the Boss's office space.
The office at Boeing Field is a clapboard building. Some disparaging souls might call it a shack. Others consider those souls generous. The sides of this building are adorned with graffiti spray painted there by some of the original pilots demonstrating their irreverent esprit de corps.
The “office” space in Valdez is a two room shack warmed by a wood burning potbelly stove. The front area is the domain of Peggy our dispatcher. Abandon hope all ye who enter it. Peggy’s work center is an old roll top desk that she keeps immaculately organized. No computer here. Just an old but serviceable Royal typewriter and Peggy’s unique filing system. There is a crude wooden counter top that separates the desk from the passenger waiting area. Peggy always has coffee going on the old percolator sitting on top of the wood stove. The back room is small and contains set of bunk beds. These are to be used only when extremely severe weather conditions cause the airport to close down. There is also an RV close by it, with the door to it falling off its hinges whenever touched. This RV is the office for whichever Board of Directors member is currently in charge there.
All sites have a main hangar. The Boeing Field and San Jose hangars are constructed from zinc sheet metal that have seen better days. Both hangars look somewhat dilapidated but are in fact sturdy structures. The Valdez hangar is an old wooden structure with wide doors that swing open. There is enough room to work on three aircraft inside the structure. A pilot rest area sits in the back corner around a small gas heater. The supervisor office spaces are partitioned off areas inside these hangars. There are some spatial vagaries and anomalies that occur inside certain areas of the hangar. Most PGA pilots have grown used to these and take them in stride. Newcomers are often disoriented. The PGA staff just use them to our advantage.
On a side note, whatever you do, do not open the big red tool box at the San Jose hangar. In case some of you take that as a challenge, let me remind you, that tool box belongs to the Boss. At least it doesn't smell too bad any more.
Another PGA facility is the TOOTSD HQs. The features of this facility may vary widely, depending on who (or what) is describing it, how much they've had to drink, and whether or not they've recently suffered any severe blows to the head.
Lukexcom, also known as the Grand High Mucky-Muck of TOOTSD, describes the facility thusly:
Back in the olden days, in the age of the Nuclear Fission Power Plants, there used to be one near to SJC. At the edge of the airport, there was a large "swimming pool" containing millions of gallons of water, to be used as coolant. Ever since they shut the plant down they put a thick, concrete "roof" over the pool, which was later turned into a parking lot, and when the airport expanded, they put hangars on top of it. One day, a stunningly capable and extremely hard working pilot, known as Lukexcom, discovered this. When he did, he promptly decided to move TOOTSD HQ into this "bunker", and to go with that he purchased HAL 9000 from Black Mesa Research Facility, which was his previous employment."
If he hadn’t at that moment heard The Boss heading in this direction and beat a hasty retreat towards his Baron, Luke likely would have gone on at great length to regale us with tales of advanced security systems, hotlines to every major political power, and a bank of equipment that would put the latest iteration of the starship Enterprise to shame.
Meanwhile, others have described TOOTSD HQ as a small sinkhole under the pad of the main PGA hangar with a piece of sheet zinc set up to keep the rain out, and at least one pilot has described it as "sort of a room done in that 1970s muted psychedelic décor, complete with black lights, bean bag chairs, and a large low, round coffee table that looks like it was cut down from King Arthur's Round Table... the room itself is not really round and not square, sort of a strange teardrop oval, but not really, with a bar at that end... or maybe it's the other end."
Again, perception depends on many factors. Baldrick simply describes it as "neat", which probably is everything the rest of us needs to know.
I would be remiss if I did not mention one other, very important PGA facility. That facility is Darby's Fishing Shack. Darby Willcox, a long time PGA pilot and very senior captain, bought and built this facility on the northeastern shore or Lake Berryessa. He has graciously opened it up for use by any PGA pilot. It is a great hideaway with a fishing dock, banana trees and a well stocked bar. It used by PGA as an informal meeting place and party spot. You can only get there by using a seaplane. The fish are always biting, the beer is always cold and the banana daiquiris are always smooth at Darby's Fishing Shack. The key is under the gas bottle on the barby.
There is a FU3 scenery package for at least most of these facilities (except for TOOTSD HQ) that will (someday) be once again available for download at the main PGA site. There are also X-Plane sceneries for them. Just send forth a cry on the forum if you are interested in them, and someone will likely be able to provide.
PGA Management
PGA is a private, closely-held corporation. This means that shares are not publicly available for purchase and trade. Ownership is as follows on the basis of actual capital contributions to the project:
The CEO of PGA is Shanya Damerval. She usually is simply referred to as "The Boss." The Boss is the original founder of PGA. She's been here since the beginning and knows all and sees all. She holds absolute veto on everything that happens in PGA. Everything. She speaks and it had better happen... She says "No" and it had better stop. That's why she is also called "She Who must be Obeyed." Her ready priming crank handle may also contribute to the nickname.
Cap'n Dave is the Vice President of PGA. He is in charge of all operational matters and the day-to-day functions of the VA. Grumpy and irascible, pilots usually try to stay out of Cap'n Dave's path. But his bark is much worse than his bite. He truly loves PGA and all her pilots and is dedicated to their success.
Philippe Damerval, aka Mr Boss, is PGA's VP of Finance. He is a bit quirky, absent-minded, and prone to the odd impulsive flight to faraway lands in search of the perfect wines to go with the improbable gourmet dinners he concocts in the most unusual circumstances. He is the one who updates the rosters and keeps our accounts. In other words he does the real work of PGA.
Lukexcom is the Chief Troubleshooter (Troublemaker?) of PGA. He heads up The Order of the Stale Doughnut (TOOTSD) and usually is the instigator of our SAR operations.
Michael Richards is one of the original founders of PGA and remains as a pilot and silent partner. He is usually found in the loft of the hangar at BFI. Unless he's been eaten by a grue.
Any owner may veto any action that is taking place in our world that is being generated by a pilot. This action usually only occurs if the pilot is trying to do something totally off of the established Matrix.
If a pilot argues for something to change in the virtual world, it must be properly setup, tying it into the established Matrix. It must pass a general vote of the PGA pilots. If it is a significant change, it may require a separate vote from the PGA owners as well.
The owners vote is weighted according to the amount of shares they own. The Boss also holds veto on what the other owners can do. In a very real sense PGA is her Virtual Airline.
What does all this mean? PGA operates somewhat like a cross between a democracy and a benevolent monarchy. We vote on things, but some votes count a more than others. One vote rules supreme.
PGA Aircraft
The following aircraft are in the PGA stable: (listed by company)
Cessna
deHavilland
Douglas
Lear
Mooney
Piper
Raytheon
PGA does have access to other planes, but their use is governed by the owners of PGA.
Pilots may attempt to purchase any type of aircraft they think they can afford. But PGA's stable of aircraft is limited to what is found in the above list. Essentially, almost all of these aircraft are the default aircraft found in:
Pilots may attempt to argue another type of plane into PGA's stable but a great deal of groundwork will need to be done before that can be accomplished. The argument will face a vote from the general pilot population of PGA and a separate vote among the owners of PGA.
Let's make this clear up front, PGA will not fly "heavies" on charters.. Nor do we fly schedules. We say this because it comes up fairly often. If you're flying a heavy, it will be presumed that you stole the plane, and consequences (also known as "havoc") may ensue.
There may be special charters that come around from time-to-time where a heavy aircraft is used. But this will be just that, a special charter. These are governed by the owners of PGA.
This all may sound blunt and intolerant, but there are literally thousands of VA's out there who fly heavies. If you have a hankering to do this feel free to sign up with them to get your fix.
PGA is unique and we are trying to keep her that way.
PGA Operations Areas
Pier Glass Aviation has three main operating areas, and the "Outer Regions" Operating Area:
San Francisco Bay Area of Operations is a 100nm x 100nm area. That's 10,000 sq. nm. The area has a northern boundary slightly north of Sonoma County (KSTS) Imagine a line drawn from Allen Ranch thru Callistoga Glider Park, Virgil O. Parret and Lake Berryessa. Sacramento is about as far east as the area goes. The southern boundary is around South County of Santa Clara (Q99) and Bonny Doon Village. And of course, the Pacific Ocean provides the western boundary.
Puget Sound Area of Operations is also a 100nm x 100nm area, also being 10,000 sq. nm. The Puget Sound area is defined by Flight Unlimited 3's area of coverage. The northern boundary is around Mount Vernon with Coupeville NOLF being the northernmost airfield. We go as far east as Easton State, as far south as Swanson and Olympia. Again the Pacific Ocean provides a good western border.
Valdez Area of Operations is a circle 250nm in radius originating from Valdez, giving you an area of 196349.5409 sq. nm. As you can see, that's quite a lot more area than the two above. Basically, that will allow you to go as far north as Fairbanks, as far west as Pedro Bay, and as far east as Yakutat. South of Valdez is the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean. Don't get lost, as we won't be sending out Search and Rescue teams to try to cover a third of the globe in search of you! All pilots possessing the rank of CPL and below are restricted to this area. Captains and above have the entire state of Alaska to play with.....except for the Aleutians. That area is absolutely and completely off-limits.
Outer Regions Area of Operations is defined as anything east of the San Francisco Bay and Puget Sound Operating Areas. However, the easternmost border of this area is a line running North to South, crossing Denver Intl., Colorado. The northern and southern borders are the U.S./Canada border, and the U.S./Mexico border, respectively.
FBO's
PGA has Fixed Bases of Operation (FBOs) scattered throughout its main operating areas.
In the San Francisco area these are located at:
The FBOs in the Seattle area are:
The FBOs in Alaska are:
PGA also has a Maintenance Facility located at Wax Orchards - WA69. There will eventually be a fine FU3 scenery package for this facility available at the PGA main site.
Dispatchers
PGA's dispatchers are all hardworking people who have been with PGA from the beginning. Most of them came over from Bay Area Charters (BAC) when it folded and PGA was formed from its ashes. Most of them aren't pilots but they have been working in the aviation business a long time and understand it completely. They are the ones that scare up our charters and therefore keep us in business. They are essential to our operation and are kings in their domains. Pilots are advised to treat them as such. PGA management certainly does. San Francisco Area
We'll start in the San Francisco area.
First off there is Al. Al is based at Santa Rosa and covers the following areas:
Al has been with PGA since it started and was with BAC as the dispatcher at Half Moon Bay before that. He is as he says, "on the wrong side of 50." He also knows that he is stuck out in what he calls this "back water" and that's where he will stay until retirement. With the exception of Napa he knows all his area is full of little and unimportant small airstrips but he is good at his job and more than capable. He tends to think that being stuck way out in the boondocks he gets forgotten and so sometimes gets a bit cross and angry when some "young go getter" of a pilot flies in and thinks he owns the world. Back to Dispatchers
Next up is Louie, based at Sacramento Exec and covering following areas:
Louie joined PGA after it started, transferring from Oakland Air Service. He is a young, twenty-something guy and nothing is too much trouble for him. He has a fairly large area to cover and handles a lot of freight. Although his domain is large area it is filled with small to medium airfields. He knows where he wants to go and will do anything and help anybody. The pilots like him. He always has a smile and lots of hot coffee or tea for tired pilots that turn up at his office day or night. He still has a lot to learn though and sometimes his keeness is used to cover up the odd mistake. Back to Dispatchers
Harvey is based out of Oakland Metro. His area of responsibility is:
Harvey has been with PGA since it started and like Al was with BAC as dispatcher before that (at Sacramento). He is in his late forties. He has the top dispatchers job with the company and he knows it. An outstanding worker he is where he is today by his own hard work and effort and thinks that everyone else should apply the same standards. "Anything less is not good enough," he tells young pilots who complain of long hours, bad weather and poor pay.. Another thing he says is "If you don't want to give 100% to the company, then go somewhere else." Harvey loves his job, often giving up his own free time to come in and help sort a problem out. He would work 24-hours-a-day and 7-days-a-week if he were allowed. He covers the very high profile areas and large airports in this central region. Being the top dispatcher however has made him a bit of an elitist. He has the greatest respect for pilots of Captain rank or above but the lower ranking pilots are looked upon with disdain and sometimes contempt. Back to Dispatchers
Junior is the dispatcher based at San Jose and covers following areas.
Junior has been here for what seems like forever. His father worked for BAC (based at Oakland) before his retirement and Junior has been running around airfields and dispatchers since he was a little kid. Junior has only one ambition in life and that is to be like his father and be the dispatcher at Oakland. He considers this to be THE job within the company. Junior's grandfather used to be a dispatcher on the railroad so its sort of in the blood. He is always willing to help and does other small jobs around the place as well as his own job. He is proving to be outstanding at his job. In his spare time he is studying for a diploma in Air Freight Logistics. He is well liked by everyone but some of the pilots get a little fed up with his repetitive sayings. There is little doubt that if things go as planned then he is being groomed to replace Harvey at Oakland in the future.
Back to DispatchersHere's the rundown for the Seattle area
Barney is stationed at Olympia (OLY) He controls dispatching at the following fields:
Barney is in his 60's. He has a fascinating past, having run away from the family farm when he was 15 to work as a wing-walker with a flying circus. Of course he learned to fly. By the late 50's through an interesting set of circumstances, which he is always glad to relate to anyone willing to listen, he was flying the mail in an old Lockheed Vega over the Amazon jungle. A very bad plane crash in 1961 put an end to his mail flying and has left him with a permanent limp. Back in the US, he flew for a commercial outfit in Alaska for a few years, but eventually was unable to pass the commercial medical exam and had to give up commercial flying. He still flies himself around in a homebuilt of his own design and crafting. He was good friends with the tower controllers at Merrill Field in Anchorage, and they talked him into becoming a controller. He quickly rose through the ranks and ended up at SEA-TAC for nearly 20 years before retiring a few months ago. Barney is well liked by ATC and pilots alike, and is not averse to pulling a string or two to get priority clearance for our pilots on occasion. Although he was ready to retire as a controller, he was not ready to leave the workforce and considers being a dispatcher for PGA to be just about the perfect job for him right now, although he really would rather dispatch out of Sea-Tac.
Back to DispatchersDiane works out of Tacoma Narrows. Her area covers:
Diane, who will tell you her age is none of your business, is one of the sweetest people on the planet. She grew up with an airport in her backyard and has always loved pilots and airplanes. Not many people know this, but that silk scarf, goggles, and leather aviation helmet sitting on top of her filing cabinet are accessories that go with an open-cockpit Stearman biplane. She has this gem of a plane tucked away in a hangar at a private field just outside of Tacoma. Her office is cluttered and she seems a little scattered and disorganized, but somehow she always seems to be able to put her hands on what she needs at any given time. Pilots love going in to see her, because she's always got fresh cookies or pie or some other homemade treat in her office for them. She is more likely than not to invite whatever PGA pilots are in town over to dinner each night (they rarely refuse, she's an excellent cook and no one will go away hungry). There's nothing the pilots wouldn't do for her, and woe to the person who would say anything against her in earshot of any PGA pilot!
Back to DispatchersHerbert is the PGA dispatcher at Sea-Tac International. His domain includes:
Herbert is an efficient, cheerful soul in his mid-40s who is always whistling and handles even the most busy and hectic days with a smile and astounding efficiency. You just can't help but like the guy. Nothing rattles him. He's never been seen to have a bad day. He was hired away from Looking Glass Aviation where things had started out great but then deteriorated to where he was working in a cubicle with Dilbert-like co-workers all around. His needs and wants are simple, all PGA had to do was offer him an office with a door, a window, and a view of the runway, and let him bring his CD player to work (he listens to a lot of Louis Armstrong). He knows the coffee and tea preferences of each PGA pilot and insists that the pilots stop in for a cup when they can. Herbert is the kind of person whom the pilots usually will go out of their way to accommodate even (and perhaps especially) when he asks the impossible of them.
Back to DispatchersWe've saved the best for last it seems. Walter rules Paine-Everret Field with an iron fist and a rough rongue. He pulls contracts in from:
Walter is in his late 20s and came to work for PGA after being laid off by Pacific Northwest Charters in the wake of their partnership with Oakland Area Charter. An OAC exec. had a daughter in Seattle who needed a job, and Walter was PNWC's Seattle dispatcher. He is an excellent dispatcher, but somewhat bitter over being stuck with all the small, private, out-of-the-way fields after having been in charge of dispatching for the biggest and most important hubs in Washington State. He tends to sarcasm, and doesn't hesitate to get in a jab about Herbert now and again. The pilots don't care much for him. This is primarily because he comes up with the most disgusting cargos for us to haul. But he is supremely competent and would be in line for Herbert's job if it weren't for his attitude. Of course, he doesn't realize that, and often grumbles about how management doesn't appreciate his skill.
The Alaska Area is not as crowded with dispatchers as the other areas are.
Peggy's kingdom currently covers the area of a rough circle with a radius of 250nm emanating from Valdez. Some of the more notable airports include:
Peggy is a true sourdough(ess). Peggy was the wife of a bush pilot who went down several years ago and is a pilot herself. She flies an immaculately cared for Cub when she wants to get somewhere. An ageless wrinkled face hides a quick wit and fast thinking mind. Peggy knows the territory forwards backwards and upside down. That includes its personalities as well as the country itself. She treats the newcomer pilots with motherly tolerance but is watchful. She is certain they are not ready for the territory since there is no such thing as a real pilot with less than 10,000 hours in the bush. They are kids until that point. But they are her kids. She believes experience is the ONLY teacher worth anything, but often kills its students, so she is careful to send them against gradually increasing challenges until they have learned. Peggy realizes the importance of air travel to the area and is proud of her role in providing it.
Back to Dispatchers
Other PGA Personalities
Baldrick. What can I say about PGA's simple minded, but lovable resepchonist, mentile hellth speshilist, poit lawerat, and go-for? Wherever there is an adventure, this slow witted fool is sure to be right there in the middle of it, lending his own special perspective on things. He spends a good deal of his time creating poetry, or as he calls it, poetree. All his verse seems to come out in limerick form, however. If you are up to a tow-cart race he will be happy to oblige. Just don't trust him to take messages for you. He will inevitably garble it, usually in embarrassing ways.
Marie Damerson is a red-headed mechanic that works for PGA off and on again. She's very good at what she does. Whenever she shows up our readiness rate increases dramatically. She only seems to show up when the Boss is on an extended leave and she does look remarkably similar to the Boss. Just don't speculate on those facts out loud. Marie wields as mean a crescent wrench (spanner to some of you) as the Boss does a priming crank handle.
Mac the Wrench is a curmudgeon of a mechanic with a shady past and even shadier present who inhabits Hangar 12. He loves airplanes and hates pilots on the grounds that pilots bend airplanes. He also has a twisted sense of humor combined with a highly devoloped sense of revenge. A pilot himself (the only good one, according to him), Mac often wanders off to distant lands where he finds odd airplanes, patches them together into flyable condition, and ferries them home for restoration. He finances these ventures through his booming eBay business in aircraft parts. Do not ask to borrow his tools, and do not mistake him for a baggage handler or you might not remember who you are when (if) you wake up.
Sergei and Alec are Elbonian immigrants who work for Mac and do most of the aircraft restoration and repair, with sometimes surprising results given their country's position as something of a technology afterthought. They recently won the "No Bell" Prize for breaking the sound barrier with an elastometric (rubber-band) powered aircraft. Their families are proud.
Marvin is the robotic creation of Mr. Boss, and is forever a work-in-progress. Resembling nothing so much as an old filing cabinet with either wheels or legs or perhaps an anti-gravity mechanism (no one is entirely sure), Marvin wanders around PGA collecting flight information and handing out paychecks to pilots as appropriate. Marvin operates mostly by voice command, although his operating system is Windows ME, and his understanding of verbal commands is less than perfect. He displays numerous unpredictable reactions to various things, and sometimes he just stands there and turns blue.
Our Mascots
First there is Kitty. Kitty started out as "Darby's cat," but the Boss fell in love with the cute, black kitten and adopted her. Kitty quickly grew into an 80 pound panther, probably due to her protein rich diet. Kitty is definitely the Boss's pet. No other pilot is quite comfortable with beast, except perhaps Darby. Most experience at least a little fear when the overgrown feline comes around, even if the animal just wants to rub against their legs.
Kitty's role in PGA is to dispose of the evidence.
If a pilot loses interest in PGA (I don't know how that can happen, but it does) and resigns properly by notifying the PGA management, he is removed from the active roster and his records stored. If he ever comes back to his senses and returns to PGA he will basically start right where he left off.
If, however, a disinterested pilot just stops flying and ignores repeated emails inquiring about his status he will be "fed to Kitty." He "becomes cat food." This means he is fired from PGA and removed from the roster. If he decides to return he will have to lay out a very convincing argument on why he should be resurrected. It's best to avoid this fate.
Lysander is another of the Boss's pets. Lysander is a 12 foot long boa constrictor. He prowls the PGA premises looking for rodents, sleeping pilots and other vermin. One of his favorite hangouts is on the fender of the beer/fuel truck. Please don't mistake him for the filler hose. He really doesn't appreciate it even when the truck is full of beer. His favorite food is single-malt scotch, so don't leave yours lying around if you want to keep it.
Rod Weiler hangs around the Boeing Field Facilities. He is the Security Manager there. Rod is a huge rotweiller who stands four foot at the shoulders and weighs in at about 180 lbs. He is well trained. He loves PGA pilots and likes to knock them down and lick their faces. FAA inspectors however, are greeted by a very different Rod. This probably has something to do with Michael, his original owner, using an FAA dummy as his potty training device.
Ted E. is a black bear that was raised from a cub by Peggy. Ted is fully house broken and cruises the facilities at will. Peggy has constructed a small shack off the tarmac where Ted hibernates every winter. Don’t go in there in search of adventure or you might find some. Ted likes to have its ears rubbed and be hand fed by pilots. He recognizes the sound of a plane taxiing up so you had better be ready or you might actually “hand” feed the bear. Oh, if you leave your flight bag lying around, it had best not have food in it. Bears are nothing if not perpetually hungry.
These are our official mascots. Pilots are free to have their own pets that join them in their adventures. Dondo's pet hedgehog, Daisy, and Peter's pet (?) dog, Grommit, are examples.
Non-PGA Personalities
Elizabeth Ricochet aka Bouncing Betty is the voice you hear directing you all over the sky when you fly a controlled flight plan. Behind that voice dwells an evil heart. No one knows why she loathes PGA so much. Many theories have been formulated, but none have been proven. But hate us she does. She takes every opportunity to torture us and she is quite imaginative in her routings. She also seems to be omnipresent. She's there in Seattle as well as San Francisco. How she does this remains a mystery. I'd say avoid her, but you really can't.
Olly Jimson and the San Jose Inquisitor. Olly and the rag he works for also dislike PGA. They wage a never ending print campaign against us. Most of what they print is just pure lies. At least we have deniability.
General Kayos of the US Air Force has lead many a campaign against PGA. His animosity started when he used PGA as a cats paw for one of his operations. The operation flopped and he tried to leave PGA holding the bag. Luckily we had resources he was unaware of. Since that time he has used his rank and position to punish us at every opportunity. Although he hasn't been seen in some time. Maybe he finally retired. One can hope.
Colonel Barbara Singleton is a US Air Force Criminal Investigations Officer. She and her cohort Major Boyington have attempted to smear our fine organization on many occasions. They have unlawfully arrested our pilots, had their planes and cargo seized and have held those pilots incognito without charges for extended periods of time. Their actions allowed PGA to successfully sue the Air Force on one occasion, which has served nicely to increase the animosity. Just don't mention Cap'n Dave's name in their presence.
Not all Air Force people hate us. Major Steve Riley is a good example. Currently serving at Travis AFB as a Special Operations (Intelligence) Officer, Major Riley is a pilot rated on almost anything. He is also a graduate of the Air Force Test Pilot Academy. Major Riley is one of the new breed of Air Force I.O's that are friendly disposed towards outfits such as ours... Has worked closely with and is friendly with our own Capt Flaps. Has new modern ideas, does not like the "Old Guard" and loves flying. He is a member of Travis Aero Club and owns a personal Cessna 172. The Boss jokes that she's keeping a locker for him in the hangar for the day they kick him out of the Air Force.
Lester Springem is one of the finest criminal law attorneys on the West Coast. And he is on retainer to PGA. Good thing because we often need his services. Lester is a tall distinguished looking gentleman. He carries himself with the authority born from confidence in his own ability. He is always impeccably dressed and groomed. Even when called out at the midnight hour.
Hyram Selachi is the trial lawyer PGA keeps on retainer. He is very similar to Lester except he is very short and has boyish looks. People often misjudge him because of his appearance. It's a fatal (legally speaking) mistake. He is a marvel to watch in the court room. He's a shark, but he is our shark. Whenever he smiles, you can swear you hear the theme from "Jaws" in the background.
Ulysses Grant, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton and other famous dead Americans. These folks, well their pictures on paper anyway, are PGA's friends. Usually. Applied to the right palm they have stopped many an incident from becoming trouble and many a trouble from becoming a disaster. PGA managers keep a roll of these people's pictures handy for emergency application.
Grues, Polar Grues are very mysterious creatures. No one has ever seen one before and lived to tell about it. That's why some people believe they don't exist. But those people usually are the ones that get devoured when they enter a pitch black or very dark corner. Grues live wherever it is pitch black, or very dark. They have the uncanny ability to devour anyone very quickly, and should a light be shone upon where they are, they can move out of the lighted area so quickly that all one can see is a nearly-instantaneous pitch black blur. Polar Grues, on the other hand, are pure white and live in snowbanks. They can be encountered anywhere above the 55th parallel line (Alaska, northern Canada). Many an adventurer has fallen prey to these creatures in the northern wildernesses. If you're ever in a pitch black area, or in a pitch white (not yellow) snowbank and all alone, beware, for you are likely to be eaten by a Grue.
Conclusion
I hope this description of our organization does not upset anyone. But this is the PGA that most of us grew up in. And that is the framework that we operate within today. The Matrix Game allows pilots a lot of leeway, but you should try to stay within this framework. The framework can be changed, but it will take a lot of preparation and successful arguing to do so. And you'll have to convince at least two of the owners of PGA that it is worth doing as well. One of whom must be The Boss.
It is a well developed world though and shouldn't need a whole lot of changing. I hope you enjoy playing in it as much as we have enjoyed making it for you. This is our Virtual World. Welcome to it.
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