Welcome to the CVPA!

The scene happens every weekend at an airport near you. A group of eager aircraft owners, pilots and hang-arounds will usually assemble around a warm coffee pot in the flying club's lounge (or in the biggest private hangar) and finalize the morning flight.

It can be for a greasy breakfast somewhere not too far, or for a longer trek if the weather is nice. From all walks of life, they share one passion: general aviation. They can be plumbers, teachers, retirees, or even airline pilots, but once the week's (or the day's) work is over, they all put on their flying cap.

Their planes might be of all shapes and sizes, but they are often their most prized possession and they take care of them with pride.

This is what the Cascades Virtual Pilots Association (CVPA) is all about. A group of like-minded GA pilots that share of common passion for both the VATSIM network and the Pacific Northwest region of the United States.

Launched in late October 2005, its purpose is to create a camaraderie amongst the many virtual pilots who enjoy flying in this beautiful area, and to create and promote GA flying opportunities.

Another of our goal is to promote general aviation on the VATSIM network, and in the Seattle ARTCC in particular. An increasing number of pilots have discovered that VATSIM (and especially ZSE) is great for general aviation! With this increased level of GA traffic we plan to work with Seattle ARTCC to have some Class D airports in the area staffed on regular basis.

The CVPA is NOT a virtual airline. Pilots don’t have to fly any planned route nor any specific airplane. You will not be rewarded with any virtual money, or progress in rank. What we are trying to achieve, is to recreate the mood of a flying club, in the structured and realistic environment of the VATSIM network. The Pacific Northwest area is a great location to do just that, with a large number of flying opportunities, and some medium sized controlled airports.

Please take a few minutes to register in the forums at the left of this page. That will be the only mandatory thing to do in order to join the CVPA. After that… see you in the skies!