WELCOME TO THE NEWSROOM - Full update monthly,
Important News as and when it occurs.
This Full Update 10/01/01.
A Happy New Year to All
G-UKSA Climbs into a winter sky.
Have you flown a UK Ski flight yet ? See Dave's UK Sun site for these and more.
An Apology from the Editor
I'm sorry it's a late update everyone. I've been travelling a lot this last few weeks and have had only short spells of home to do anything of substance (nothing new there I here you say!) and I've kind of been losing touch with the little things that are the day to day running and development of UK Direct. It's all very well having a nice new rewarding full time job but the downside is the balancing of other things ! (Like relaxation and home life!)
So please forgive me for a less than startling news page this month.
Another Great Year for UK Direct
Christmas has come and gone and apart from pine needles sticking into your feet as you wander around the front room still half asleep in the mornings and the heavy thud of your credit card statement dropping through the letter box what do you have to show for all the hype and expectation ? Did Santa bring you that extra 256Mb of SDRAM that you're gonna need to fly the FS2K world ? Or did he deliver the latest all-singing-all dancing must have add-on ? Perhaps like me you've spent a Christmas Day limping around the Pacific in a short stubby fighter getting your ass shot to bits by AI planes that seem to be able to do all the things you're trying to do far more easily ! So what a relief it was to jump into the DHC6 and flitter off to St Mary's and back without some one screaming watch your six !
Anyway how was 2000 for you all ? If you take a little time to recall the events and dramas of the year I think you'll all join with me in saying a big thank you to our CEO Gary for UK Direct and his continued support of our va, his brainchild. It's come a long way from those early flights in the BAC1-11! I would also like to use my page to personally thank Mark Kidd for being bold enough to take the controls and his hours of often mundane tasks that he has to undertake. Thanks also to Dave Finney for his seemingly unlimited enthusiasm and output of quality work. I'm not going to continue to individually mention all of the hard working managers - we all know who you are. Spend some time looking at other va's to appreciate what a great team we have here !
All being well someone (if not me) will be writing a little editorial this same time next year. Right, now what time do I have to be back at Exeter for my next flitter......I just can't face having to tell my loved ones that I've been killed in action again !
Gary's Scenery gets another great review at Flightsim.com
Regular visitors to Flightsim.com will have seen a review of UK2000 by Andrew Herd. I think he liked it ! and he certainly put in some nice screenshots to show Gary's work off to good advantage. Go see for yourselves.http://www.flightsim.com/cgi/kds?EXvzf0c4=main/review/uk2000/uk2000.htm
Pilots Piccy
Pilot Mark (171) has been snapped sneaking out of Glasgow low and fast to avoid detection by the routes manager who would probably like to know what he was doing in Glasgow in the BAe146 ! Perhaps he was escaping from those ominous looking FS98 clouds....ah I remember them so well. Thanks for the pic Mark. The scenery is a new version of Glasgow - go see the scenery department for this and more !
Fleet Latest......
Dave Finneys paint splattered overalls have gone from his coat rack ! That can only mean he's up to something ! He has been overheard in conversation with a large Old English Sheepdog apparently complaining that some Woof paint was a bit Ruff or sumfin like that. Groan, did I really write that? (ed.)
Seriously, I think he's started work on the FS2K fleet. Good luck Dave ! In fact I know he's been hard at work !
Pirep plea(s)
Mark is really having to take some deep breaths and time to calm down after some duff Pireps were sent recently (again). We all know that the sheer adrenelin buzz that you can get after a good flight can lead to a bit of finger trouble during the rush to get your flight code recorded (!) but the very clever program that processes your efforts doesn't understand why you are so excited and gets easily confused when digits are missed off etc. Then Mark has to try to sort out the mess. Please take a little more care guys - after all you don't want to get a low percentage for an error free flight and a smooth landing do you ?
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