So, what is this?
Quimby IV has just started and finally a chance for me again to relive some old-fashioned server startup mayhem. :lol: In this place I'm going to post whatever I like about my airlines I'm going to operate, showcase some design studies and I will comment on what's happening around this gameworld.
Who are you?
Some of you might have already read posts of mine in the last few months and some might even still know me from before that. Fact is, the first time I got in touch with AS dates back to April 2007, when, after months of observation of the website, there finally was an open beta available. Public playing rounds would only last for three to four weeks until the server broke down or major incompatible updates were launched. Those were exciting times. A completely different dimension to those minor server timeouts we sometimes experience now. I remember the time when the maintenance ratio didn't exist yet and everyone was wondering why their planes got grounded after a week. :D
If you are along for such a long time, why haven't I seen you in the last years?
I do have to admit that my attention span can be rather short, so airlines usually don't last very long for me, even when they work perfectly and profitably. My most successful airline, Sofia Airways back in 2008 (!) lasted about half a year or so. It was a great time in the Connected Sky Alliance on Devau (in a period where the alliance feature didn't exist ingame) and I could learn a lot from its members. Then I got inactive and returned after a long time in 2011 to see what has changed (the merger of the German and international worlds), returned for a couple of months and disappeared again. But now, I think there are exciting times coming for AS with a lot of new features, and I'd happily be part of this development.
What are your intentions for the next months?
I'll try a few things with a number of airlines, mostly some for which I already created some corporate identities. I'll start with Winnipeg Jet in Central Canada, as I'm the most comfortable with that at the moment. Furthermore, I'm going to apply for the next User Advisory Board at the next upcoming election. I was member of the first German UAB in 2008 and the first international UAB in 2011 and would like to readopt my efforts to hunt down cheaters and slotblockers again (I'm watching you, Argos Air :angry: ).
Why are you even writing this? Presenting your airline would be quite sufficient, wouldn't it?
When I started with AS - as already mentioned, nine years ago - the community was really enthusiastic and looking forward to finally get this online-game, that was already in development for several years by then, into their hands. They came from different areas: Pilots, airline or aircraft manufacturer employees, aviation enthusiasts or just the random guy that found the idea of building an airline cool. People were all pretty unexperienced and just trying to get the game mechanics sorted. The community was smaller, but more active, enjoying the discussions in the forum, was always nice and helpful to beginners (as most were beginners themselves not long before) and the link to the team was much closer. People were fans of AS.
When the gameworlds of today launched, things changed. People became customers, as playing was no longer for free. When seeing at the forums today, it looks like the game is played more by accountants than aviators. The only thing people would discuss about is whether the fuel consumption of aircraft A is 1% higher or lower than aircraft B, and this spreads out to ten threads over five different boards in both languages. I understand that people, as they pay for playing the game, demand a perfect product, but they need to acknowledge that this needs time. The team is small and progress will be made, even if it might take longer than one might wish.
Your final statement for the start of Quimby IV?
People might take all of this too seriously here. Let's have more fun in the forums and ingame again! Bring back the public PR wars, bombastic airline and alliance presentations, discuss about which airline has the most disgusting toilets, post your trip reports (I miss kraven for all of these points somehow). I remember a guy once who professionally designed an 8 page pdf leaflet just to promote his IPO. Play AS more with your heart, less with your excel spreadsheet. ;)
I'm looking forward to the next eight months with all of you. See you around!
But a dense network wasn’t possible with so few planes and for point-to-point the airport wouldn’t have sufficient demand. So now I’m half a day behind the rest, but that’s okay. 
