No matter if you are new to flight simulation / virtual airlines or are an experienced virtual pilot - you're welcome at Fly UK!

If you're new to flight sim or maybe this is your first virtual airline, we have a dedicated Training Academy on hand to help you every step of the way. They provide pilot resource documents as well as one2one online training sessions. We'll have you flying in no time.

If you are an experienced virtual airline pilot, then we'll support you in every way possible to ensure you achieve your full potential as a virtual airline pilot.  

We operate a varied fleet of aircraft, from turboprops right up to the latest most technologically advanced jet airliners. Our aircraft are organised in categories class A - E.

Available soon: Ejets ERJ-170, feelThere/Wilco A320, PMDG MD-11F and FSX freeware MD-11F.

All our aircraft sport our modern Union Spirit livery. The livery is designed and painted on our aircraft by our in house fleet department who are responsible for maintaining the high standards of our fleet downloads for both FS2004 and FSX.

Freeware Download Packages

We strive to offer the very best freeware packages:

• Our fleet managers carefully search the internet to find the very best freeware models, sounds and panels available.

• All packages come with an auto self-installer program as standard, so you don't need to drag and drop files here there and everywhere!

• We thoroughly test each and every download before release and make sure we give our downloads version numbers so you know exactly which version you have installed.

Payware Repaint Downloads

• Nowadays there is an increased amount of highly detailed payware aircraft available featuring FMCs, and more realistic panel operations and features. We offer repaints for the majority of payware aircraft available for the aircraft types in our fleet.

• Wherever possible we try to include auto install files to enable you to install textures for payware aircraft. However sometimes it is necessary to add these manually, in which case we will provide full documentation, to make the process as easy as possible.

Our operations are split into three divisions:

• Mainstream
  (Scheduled, Cargo, Low Cost, Ad-Hoc & Codeshare)

• Tours

• Flying Club

We offer a realistic route network flying to 163 worldwide destinations from 8 UK bases. We have a fleet of 97 aircraft. Each individual aircraft is assigned its own flying programme.

• Scheduled flights operate from Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, Edinburgh, Leeds Bradford & Southampton.

• Low Cost flights operate from London Stansted and Liverpool.

• Cargo flights operate from London Stansted.

• Ad-Hoc flights are operated from time to time. We also have a contract with vRAF.

• Codeshare flights are currently being re-negotiated with our partner airlines and will be re-introduced soon.

Find out more about our mainstream division...

Discover and Explore. We understand that from time to time some pilots may want a break from our mainstream operations. We have therefore created a series of tours for each aircraft class which will take you on a journey, discovering different parts of the world in a series of variable legs using a whole variety of different Fly UK aircraft.

Find out more about our tours division...

The General Aviation Flying Club for Fly UK members. Take a break from airline flying and hop into a light plane or helicopter. Either go solo or, for more fun, join other members flying VFR online or on multiplayer. You'll have a personal log-book if you wish to log your flights as you go. We hold informal VFR meetings wherever FS will take us. Serious fixed-wing training is available from one of our qualified PPL instructors.

Find out more about our flying club division...

We fly online on the major IVAO and VATSIM networks. We also run our own 24/7 FSD server which can be used by members at anytime. This server is also used for training and our own 'in-house' events.

We're especially active on IVAO and have been for many years. We continue to build up our VATSIM pilot base. We also welcome pilots who are new to online flying or pilots who simply enjoy flying offline or do not have the facilities to fly online.

New to Online Flying?

You can add a whole new dimension and level of realism to your flight simulator experience here at Fly UK by carrying out your flight online. You will enter a whole new world with online flying and instead of flying with the same old computer-generated AI traffic you'll suddenly be surrounded by other aircraft flown by real people.

Contrary to popular belief online flying really isn't that daunting. It is meant to add another dimension to your flight simulator experience in terms of realism but also in terms of fun and the way you enjoy it, so believe us when we say 'once you get started you will never look back.'

The Fly UK Training Academy are here to help you every step of the way. We offer:

• Training Academy one2one online sessions.

• Pilot resource documents for IVAO & VATSIM software and procedures.

There's always something happening at Fly UK. We work closely with the online networks and encourage members to participate in events organised by IVAO and VATSIM.

We also host our own regular events for Fly UK including:

• A weekly group flight on Saturday mornings on IVAO.

• Monthly IVAO fly-in event.

• Monthly VATSIM fly-in event.

• In-house events on the Fly UK FSD server - including heavy weather sessions, advanced flight series, VFR adventures, long haul endurance series and special operations.

These events provide a great opportunity to meet and fly with other pilots in the airline.

Fly UK is not just about being a number in a database. When you join Fly UK you become an essential and valued part of the community.

We take pride in the fact that our most important asset is our active and friendly pilot community who'll give you a warm welcome and helping hand with any questions or problems.

The community here at Fly UK is about being part of a like minded and friendly group of individuals who are prepared to help one another and share a whole wealth of information.

The best part of Fly UK is that we bring real people together; people who share your passion for flight simulation, allowing you to create friendships which span the globe. Communication is the key and it's good to talk, you can do plenty of that using the following features:

• Forums - Get the latest news and views, post questions/problems, share information, post flight reports and take part in our monthly screenshot competition.

• Teamspeak - Communicate via voice using our 24/7 Teamspeak voice server. If you haven't used or heard of Teamspeak before, its a great little programme that allows you to talk to people all over the world for free.

• Crew Room - Allows you to share and upload screenshots, videos, reviews and flight sim news.

• Message Centre - It's easy to keep in touch and contact your fellow members with our website's integrated message system.

As well as events organised to take place over the internet on the online networks, we also host our own real world events.

Previous real world events include spotting and social weekends at Manchester, meet ups at Farnborough air show and annual flight simulator shows at Weston-Super-Mare and Sherburn Aero Club.

For full information on forthcoming events see the real world events page.

There are many members in the Fly UK community who have real world experience in aviation, travel and tourism. One of our founding members Gareth Richardson, as well as senior manager Tim Chambers, both work for NATs as air traffic controllers.

We also have many pilots who have, or are currently working towards their private pilot licence (PPL). George Shepherd is a member of our training academy team who holds his PPL and offers his training service to members.

We also have members who work in and around airports for companies such as Servisair and Aviance. In addition to this we also have members who work as commercial pilots and cabin crew.

If you are interested in pursuing a career in aviation all these people are on hand to share their stories, offer advice and point you in the right direction. We are also affiliated with the Aviation Academy, a specialist aviation college based at Leeds Bradford airport. A number of students from the college fly with us at Fly UK.

Fly UK actively promotes and supports the fundraising efforts of the World Flight Scotland, A300 simulator team during the global world flight event which takes place every year.

World Flight is a great fundraising event which involves 7 days solid flying taking in 45 destinations on 5 Continents.

In previous years members of Fly UK have visited the A300 sim in Glasgow to fly legs during world flight. We also release special logo jet repaints available to members for a small donation. We do everything we can throughout the event to raise money for the A300 teams chosen charity - ORBIS.

The Training Academy is here to help you. Unlike many other virtual airlines these days we provide a variety of effective training options. We realise that many pilots have different levels of flying skills and abilities and therefore aim to provide a custom training plan to ensure our pilots get the most out of our individual one2one training sessions.

Our aim is to provide Training and Help and Support to all Fly UK members in as many areas as we can, no matter what their ability may be. We want to help novice/new pilots get started and more experienced pilots develop their skills and build upon their existing knowledge.

Rank Scheme - As your total hours increase your rank level automatically increases, thus increasing the choice of aircraft and flights available to fly. More information...
 

Awards & Certificates - We have awards which recognise commitment to the virtual airline or skills improvement as well as awards for successful completion of tours and special events. As you reach your next rank or are issued with an award you will receive a personal certificate of achievement.
 

AI Traffic Packages - Ideal for offline flyers, our AI traffic packs available for FS2004 and FSX add plenty of Fly UK traffic to the virtual skies. The packages are based on active Fly UK schedules from the website.
 

Live Support System - Our live support system allows you to speak directly to a member of staff via instant text message chat.
 

Offers & Discounts - As a valued member you will be entitled to a number of exclusive discounts and offers from major flight simulator retailers and publishers.
 

Export pireps via FSP - Pilots who have the payware add-on FS Passengers can export their pireps automatically therefore eliminating the need to use the website pirep form. Don't worry if you do not have this software because, if you want it, we'll give you a 15% discount.
 

Personalised Dynamic Signatures - All pilots have a personalised dynamic signature to use on forums or external websites. This shows a few statistics and details which automatically updates as soon as pirep is filed. We also have personalised display pictures and avatars for pilots to use.
 

IFS - In Flight Services - You can browse aircraft checklists and take advantage of the in-flight entertainment available including movies, radio, music videos, TV programs and more. These are accessed the flight simulator kneeboard.
 

Skyways eMagazine - Skyways is the in-flight eMagazine exclusive to Fly UK. Released every three months, Skyways is packed with features including news, reviews, profiles, competitions and more.
 

Gates.to / FSX GameSpy - Nowadays it is possible to take to the skies in the same aircraft as another person, making multi crew, pilot and co-pilot flights possible. By using gates.to for FS2004 or shared skies in FSX, two people can connect into the same aircraft and will see each others changes to the aircraft panel and controls. This is something which we actively promote at Fly UK and have a separate Gates.to / FSX GameSpy roster listing members with the software who maybe interested in flying together.

As an online organisation our website is a vital part of our virtual airline. The Fly UK website has been developed over many years and has been improved and upgraded as our own skills have developed.
 

• Custom Built - We are proud to say that, unlike some other virtual airlines whose websites are generic template systems and sites, the Fly UK website and systems are completely custom designed and coded around the specific needs of this unique virtual airline and its members needs.
   

• Constantly Updated - Our website does not remain static. The content of the Fly UK website is constantly monitored, changed or updated thus giving you, the members, everything you could possibly need when you need it.
   

• Flight Dispatch - Our brand new, state of the art flight dispatch pages provide you with all the information you need for each flight. You can view geographical information, flight details, company information, a computerised flight plan (CFP) containing detailed routing and weather information and finally you are presented with flight briefing pages for the departure, arrival and alternate airfields. These link to scenery, charts, active ATC on IVAO/VATSIM as well as standard airfield information.
   

• Downloadable Flight Plans - You can also download flight plans for IVAP, FSINN as well as the PMDG, Level D & PSS FMCs.
   

How does your rank scheme work?

All pilots start as a Class E First Officer. Our aircraft are organised in categories A to E. Your rank is determined by your total flying hours. As your hours increase, your rank increases, as does the choice of aircraft and routes to fly. More Information...

How often do I need to fly in order to remain active?

You need to file one pirep per month in order to remain active. Our system automatically deletes accounts which have been inactive for one month.

Do you allow pilots to go on leave?

Yes. Pilots are permitted 90 days of leave per year. The limit is there to ensure people do not abuse the system. Requests for extended leave can be made. Pilots with 0.00 hours are not able to go on leave.

Do I have to fly online?

No, you can fly online or offline, the choice is yours.

How old to I have to be to join?

You must be 15 years or older to join Fly UK.

Do I choose which flights I fly?

Yes. You search and book the flights you want to fly. The flights available to book depend on your rank which determines which aircraft you are able to fly. Your rank increases as your total hours increase. We are hoping to introduce the option of having flights automatically assigned later in the year.

Do I have to fly flights at the exact time stated on the schedules?

You can fly flights at any time of the day. We do ask that you fly the flights on the days specified. For example you cannot fly a flight that only operates Monday - Friday on a Saturday or Sunday. If you want to be more realistic, you can fly flights at the times specified on the schedule. The other option is to set your  flight simulator 'world time' to coincide with the times specified on the schedule.

Can I transfer hours from previous VA's?

Previous hours from other virtual airlines can be transferred to Fly UK. These hours will not count towards your Fly UK rank or total hours. They will display as transferred hours on your public pilot profile.

Why do I have to start as a Class E First Officer even though I have many hours with another VA?

All new members to Fly UK start with 0 hours regardless of your previous skills, ability or experience. You can transfer hours from previous virtual airlines and these will display and your public pilot profile, but will not count towards your Fly UK rank. We believe it is only fair that everyone who joins Fly UK should start at the same place and work their way up the ranks.

Do you support X-Plane?

We do not provide any liveries, downloads or support for X-Plane. However users of X-Plane are welcome to join and fly with Fly UK, providing you use similar aircraft types to those stated in our schedules.