Happy Birthday, TPC!
This week we are celebrating three years of TPC. As we celebrate our birthday by doing what we do best - flying, I would like to take this opportunity to talk about the State of the Club.
When I first did a flight with a buddy who needed help getting started with Vatsim, I had no idea it’s going to grow into what it is now: one of the best flightsim communities with 4,000 Members. And we’re just getting started.
From the very beginning, our goal was to create a place to share experiences with other flightsimmers, to help folks who are new to flightsim, and to fly group flights together. I quickly realized that in order to do that we would need a solid crew to run the organization: group flights hosts, admins, IT, media and public relations, and of course - pilot training instructors. The staff at TPC is a special group of folks who put their time and energy into running the Club - for that I am grateful.
The Pilot Club is all about Teamwork, Passion, and Community. These are our values and pillars, which guide us in everything we do in the Club.
One of the key things that attracts people to TPC is the variety of activities that Members can do in the Club. There’s something to do for every Member.
Sunday-Funday Group Flight was our very first group flight three years ago. Today, it continues to be very popular, and folks are joining to fly together in a friendly atmosphere that encourages participation and learning.
TPC General Aviation Program has grown tremendously, with our GA Tuesday group flights are now more popular than ever.
Our Fly-In Thursday group flights, organized together with our Partner Sky Blue Radio, are busy and exciting, with new destinations and innovative planning.
As an official partner of Vatsim, our Friday Night Operations (FNO) group flights for more experienced Pilots take flying with friends to the next level in super busy airspaces!
For those who seek an adventure in remote locations - our monthly Bush Wednesday group flights offer exploration and excitement for exploring places less traveled.
Our monthly Discovery Flights are aimed at less experienced flightsim Pilots and designed to provide a supportive environment for your first Vatsim flights.
If you aren’t into flying group flights, we offer our Explorer and Long Haul missions, which can be flown off the Network and by yourself without a group. These missions allow Members to experience the wonderful hobby of flight simulation and to expand their flying schedule, visiting new places.
TPC Training Department has reached new heights by offering P1 (Private Pilot), and P2 (Instrument Rating) training courses, enhancing realism and bringing real world aviation knowledge into the flightsim hobby, taught by real world flight instructors. With over 2,000 students, TPC continues to be a leader in flightsim Pilot training as an Authorized Training Organization (ATO) for Vatsim.
Our Virtual Airline - TPC Charters - continues to thrive with dedicated Pilots flying routes daily. With quarterly events and great Pilot engagement by the Management Team, the airline offers a friendly and realistic airline environment and a purpose for your flights!
Earlier this year, TPC Media Team relaunched our weekly video podcast called “TPC Hangar”, which aims to inform Members about weekly events in the Club. We are working on some cool new segments for that show, so stay tuned! And our IG and FB showcases your flightsim pics daily!
Our Dev Team has made tremendous strides in bringing tech innovations to the Members, including launching our Flight Crew Portal, which provides Members with a personalized profile site, plus many more cool features, like live operations map, callsign assignment database, and more. On the Discord side, the dev team continues innovation by bringing custom bot commands tailored for flightsim and aviation. These features greatly enhance the Club environment.
We have accomplished a lot in three years, but we have much more to look forward to:
Later this year, TPC will participate in the Flighsim Expo in Las Vegas, NV as an exhibitor. This will be a great opportunity for the Club to network with other flightsim communities and vendors, meet other flightsim enthusiasts, and check out what’s new in flightsim.
We continue to innovate by bringing more activities to our Members and in May 2024 we’ll be introducing our newest feature - Airplanes and Coffee Hangout & Fly-Out (stay tuned on the Blog for the announcement next week).
Our Flight School will be bringing P3 and P4 training courses to the Club soon, allowing experienced Members to take their flightsim skills to the next level.
More TPC Discord features are being developed by TPC Dev Team.
There are a few more things we are working on, which we are unable to publicly disclose just yet, so stay tuned. I will give you a hint: TPC is an aircraft addon developer? Also, TPC Coffee, anyone?
As we celebrate the Club’s birthday, I’d like to thank all of our Members and Staff for making TPC a great place for flightsim enthusiasts to thrive! We also would like to thank our Partners for supporting us in collaboration! Additionally, we couldn’t have done this without the financial help of our Donors; their help goes a long way with giveaways and developing TPC Ecosystem. Here’s a list of all who helped the Club financially over the last three years. Thank you!
If you are not a Member yet, click the JOIN button and let your flightsim adventures begin!
Small favor, big impact: If you are enjoying the Club, consider a small monetary donation. It helps the Club with giveaways and developing TPC Ecosystem. Donate today! Thank you!
