Ryan Badger Posted April 28, 2021 at 02:44 AM Posted April 28, 2021 at 02:44 AM (edited) For those who follow this forum space regularly, the Cloud9 name should not be new. My good friend Andrew has been posting about the VA for over a year now. Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on how you look at it!), Andrew has finally been able to get back into the air in the 'real world' and has left me with the keys to the VA - and I have plenty to announce this evening! Attached is a brief rundown of our updated operations! Our History Founded by real-world aviators, Cloud9 began its history operating the Boeing 717 out of St. Louis (KSTL). Following a rebrand, the organization moved to Phoenix (KPHX) where it began operating a fleet of Boeing 737 and Embraer E175 jets on premium routes across the United States. After acquiring low-cost carrier CoastJet in 2020, Cloud9 Holdings began dedicating its fleet of 737 aircraft to CoastJet, while purchasing new A320NEO aircraft for the ownership group's flagship carrier, Cloud9 Airlines. In 2021, Cloud9 Holdings announced its latest acquisitions. Cloud9 Airlines would begin operating a second base of operations at Washington Dulles Airport. This expansion would see the airline add the CRJ-900 to the fleet operating out of Washington DC. CoastJet Airlines acquired a second focus city in Portland, Oregon, and received the final Cloud9 B737. Finally, the ownership group began operating a part 135 fractional ownership group called Cloud9 Jet Management. The overall goal for C9 is to balance realistic operations with a fun and laid back atmosphere. Part 121 Operations C9 Holdings operates two Part 121 airlines - Cloud9 Airlines and CoastJet Airlines. Together, we serve markets across the US based on market research (and some personal preference on behalf of our admin team!) with a growing fleet of aircraft. Cloud9 operates out of KPHX and KIAD with a fleet of Airbus 320NEO, Embraer EMB175 and Mitsubishi CRJ900 aircraft. Cloud9 Airlines is the full service, flagship carrier for C9 holdings. In addition, we operate CoastJet Airlines which offers no frills travel around the western USA operating Boeing 737NG and Bombardier Q400. Ranks Pilots at C9 enter as first officers, regardless of experience/hours. When company need arises, First Officers will be given upgrade class dates where they will complete a short written exam and then be promoted to captains. This all follows the airline's seniority list, which each new pilot is added to at the time of registration. Monthly Bids Every month, pilots have the option to 'bid' for trips in the coming month. Every month pilots fill out a simple form and then based on seniority, trips are assigned to pilots. These assigned trips are not required to be flown exactly as per the schedule (or flown at all), though plans to award prizes to pilots who fly their assigned lines are in the works. Part 135 Operations For those more interested in business jets, C9 now operates Cloud9 Jet Management (CJM) a fractional ownership Part 135 operator. CJM is a more rigorous option than our part 121 operations. As we only hire two CJM pilots for every aircraft, spots as an executive pilot are rare and require extra training. New CJM hires come from our pool of Cloud9 Pilots and each new recruit will complete a type rating for one CJM aircraft type. This extra work gives pilots access to an entirely separate bidding/ schedule system and a whole new set of routes, hand designed using real world 135 data to create realistic executive trips. Because CJM flying is limited, we do allow CJM pilots to continue to operate CoastJet and Cloud9 flights as well, with the added ability/ responsibility to operate our executive fleet. Our Goals/Future With our full relaunch set for June 6th of 2021, we are in the final stages of preparing our new operations. Almost all of the functionality is set, we are just verifying everything works smoothly and accurately for everyone who joins our team. Over the past year, major steps have been taken by myself, Andrew and the rest of our staff to make Cloud9 Holdings an even better and more innovative airline and we don't plan on stopping here. Between additional training, new routes, new aircraft, etc. Cloud9 is set to continue growing into the future under the guidance of our pilots and leadership staff. If you are interested in jumping in now, before June, we are looking to fill a few extra positions around the front office: -Director of Crew Scheduling (managing pilot bids and assigning trips each month) -Event Coordinator/ VATSIM Liaison (Create/post events for cloud9 pilots and maintain the relationships between C9 and VATSIM) -Test Pilots (early members who can help test systems/ website functions) If you are interested in joining us, please join our discord and say hello, we look forward to meeting you! https://discord.gg/4z7t9q3s9e Edited April 28, 2021 at 02:48 AM by Ryan Badger 1299696 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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