Banned by Alaska Adventures

[jsapair]

This should make Spud proud. I got banned in just over a week. My problem was with
 their new restrictions on descent rates over -600 FPM. Two of my PIREP's were rejected...and deservedly so. So I installed a Landing Rate Monitor and did another flight. I basically floated into PAJN in a C185 and the new LRM showed -181 or something...a perfect landing. Their PIREP (pilot report) showed -992. What? I may have bounced a foot or so off the ground...no big deal.
    So I sounded off on them...maybe a little too harshly...and was banned from accessing the site. That's OK. If a forum can't stand criticism then I don't want to be there anyway. I also want to say, this is only my own opinion.

                                            jsapair

[Stearmandriver]

That's hilarious.  I found their obsession with landing rate to be bizarre as well, and completely unrealistic.  I can't tell you how many landings I've made in the real world, in everything from J3 Cubs to 737s, but I can tell you I don't know the touchdown descent rate of a single one.  I mean that's just... bizarre.

Then there's the fact that fsx doesn't actually seem to do a realistic job of figuring this out in the first place.  I've seen a disparity more than once  in the reported "quality" of landing (based on landing rate), in that the report didn't match the landing that that sight picture and energy state would have yielded.  It's not a huge surprise.  Even a level D sim can't nail this precisely; it's certainly good enough to teach a new hire how to land the plane safely, but you'll never learn how to brush one on from a sim.  So to expect what really just amounts to a video game to be able to do that accurately is kinda silly.

So... Yeah.  Sucks that they're obsessed enough with it to ban you, though I guess there's a limit to how nasty you can get with folks in their forum before they toss you lol.

[Bradallen43]

Well, That's a shame. However I'm bothered by this. So let me sound off and maybe a bit too harshly!! Hopefully you can handle a little criticism.

I personally love Alaska Adventures and have not had any issues at all with their level of service, attention to detail and very much like the partnership/affiliation we share with them. Airing out your grievances here on our forum is not necessary or productive. And bragging about being banned? Really? Not very helpful.

How about working with them on your problem and coming to a solution so others might benefit from a possible and probable glitch or bug that their new software might have. Isn't that what we do here at RTMM over and over, thousands of times? Help people with their problems?

So you sounded off on them... maybe a little too harshly..  Over a landing rate where you bounced a little. You also said two other PIREPS were rejected. I'm sensing a pattern here, either you land too hard and need practice or there's a glitch with the software landing rate programs involved. I'm inclined to believe it's a little of both.

Especially in light of the last three days where their website is crashed and still down. There just might be a larger underlying problem. They've just done a major website redesign, they're just implementing a new landing detection software tool and interface and you don't think that maybe, just maybe it might be a bug or other software glitch that you could've helped them with. Sending them a report and giving them a notification of your problem and then having a little patience with working with them on a solution together would be better than sounding off on them and ending up banned.

Sorry but I'm inclined to think that maybe a better attitude on your part would be more helpful.

Brad

[Bradallen43]

Let me continue. First off, this forum is clearly stated that it's for General Discussion about RTMM content only. Keep things on that focus, etc. So airing out your grievances here is what set me off.

You're bashing a partner of ours here elevated my BP so I apologize if I came back at you with claws out. Anyway, aside from that, I feel that our hobby is taken way too seriously sometimes and maybe we all need to take a deep breath and not let small differences in interests affect our partnerships.

Doug and I have shared a few messages and it got me to thinking. Some people like structured flight and others don't. I enjoy having plans that I can use and we have thousands here at RTMM that are ready made structured flight plans that users can use if they like. Import the plans that Doug has just spent a lot of his spare time making for you to use, take off, set the autopilot and look out the window. Others like having check list's and exact simulations of real world operations to go through.

There are no rules here except have a good time and ask us for help if you need it.

My beef here is bashing a partner of ours on our forums. I feel that's bad form and don't like that approach. If you have an issue with a partner, please take it up with them and refrain from airing out your differences here. That's all I'm trying to say. We don't want to be one of those types of forums.

If you want to rant and bring up valid differences in the merits of Virtual Airline rules and procedures then let's put that to discussion over at "Misty's Place" and drink a few cold ones over it. I'm sure we could have a lively discussion and put a good virtual buzz on in the process.

Brad

[spud]

My two cents worth on the subject. 
Without a copy of the "offending" post and response it really is a matter between the two parties. 

As an example I was banished for 7 days on the ORBX site several years ago for replying to, what in my opinion, was a frivolous post, with the single phrase "Lord Love a Duck".  Apparently JV was unfamiliar with the phrase and took action. 

Without really knowing what Alaska Adventure took umbrage to I'm being neutral in the matter.  Although Alaska Adventure is indeed a partner site with RTMM I don't think Jsapair's post here at RTMM was so severe that taking him to the woodshed is really necessary unless and until the entire story is know. 

FWIW I was a member of a VA that adopted the reporting system that AA uses and frankly I dislike it immensely.  That of course is an individual opinion and I elected not to participate in the AA VA. 

Time for everybody to head to Misty's Place and grab a "Moosehead" and play darts! 

[nbrich1]

Nobody has ever been banned at AKA.

Please been informed that the service provider who hosts the AKA website has crashed at 0800 EST on
March23 and hasn't yet been recovered. We have been advised that many of our databases within the service provider server have been damaged and will have to be rebuilt.

No-one can excess the site until the host server is back up and running and our databases on their servers have been rebuilt. This am, we were advised by the site owner that the host server is again operational but our databases reinstall will take a few days - then hopefully the site should be back up and running. 

(Currently everyone is receiving this error:)

Fatal error: Uncaught <blockquote><font face=arial size=2 color=000099><b>Last Error --</b> [<font color=000000><b>Access denied for user 'flyaka_selTest'@'localhost' (using password: YES) (1045)</b></font>]<br />[<font color=000000><b></b></font>]</font><p> </blockquote><hr noshade color=dddddd size=1> thrown in /home/flyaka/public_html/core/classes/ezdb/ezdb_mysql.class.php on line 103

Hopefully the site will be up in the next few days.

[spud]

Well, I'm glad there has been some clarification by AA on the subject.  I assume Jsapair received the message outlined in the post by nbrich1.

Still time to jump over to Misty's Place and grab that Moosehead.

 

[nbrich1]

In all honesty Spud, a few knew that the site is down as they could not sign on or access and directly emailed me but with the site being down, for me, the majority of the listings for emails etc and our " email blast system" was unavailable/offline. What I should have done is posted here as to site issues but still didn't have any idea of the extent for return to service. 2 hrs, 1/2 day, 1 day? We had no idea.

It was only this am that we were advised by the web hoster that it would be a lengthly outage for us as their server had issues and our database files were also damaged and would have to be restored.

So now we wait.. In the meantime I'm heading to Misty's too for a double scotch single malt: straight up - no ice and double chilled Moosehead for a chaser!! 

Norm

[spud]

Looking forward to your announcement of the site being back up and running.  Provider problems are so annoying because there is absolutely nothing you can do to get back online but sit and wait.
 

[Doug]

Yes Norm, keep us posted. I figured something like this was happening.  I thought I was banned at ORBX for a few years .. turns out it deletes the cookie and you have to start over it you haven't been on for a while. So these things can "look" tricky sometimes. I would have been surprised if there was a ban from AKA. I know here, I only do that when there is SPAM involved or some OBVIOUS monkeying around with an new user or bot coming in. When folks get upset with us, there's usually a reason, and usually it is out of LEFT field! None of us really "ban" anymore ... I've sent out a couple warnings, but usually you or I don't do it.  If there's a problem, easier to work it out.

Let us know when it gets all fixed up. I know Dan tears his hair out here sometimes, not long ago he was upgrading something in the site, and the whole darn thing disappeared on him. He has an ongoing backup all the time and once again, it saved us.  It 's just the nature of this stuff. Amazing that it works as well as it does.

As for "structured" or "unstructured" flight plans ... it's simply choice.  I didn't use the FlyAKA structure but had a BALL flying the Snow Dogs Tour routes recently on TwitchTV. (In fact, I'd like to do more of this for you, it is a nice break from RTMM).  So it's choice.  You've seen me "fly" on Twitch ... not the best pilot, that's for sure, but I do so LOVE looking out the window.  What was amazing for me doing those, I saw parts of Alaska I'd never seen before ... loved it.

We'll get to the bottom of this one. Communications can be funny. Last night I watched a batter (who just struck out) almost get into it with the pitcher.  He yelled at the pitcher after the 3rd strike ... prob was, he was yelling at HIS team mate on 2nd (BEHIND the PITCHER) who had signaled the wrong "stolen" signal he had captured from the catcher. So they guy was yelling PAST the pitcher at the guy behind the pitcher for giving him bad info on the pitch... but the pitcher didn't know it and came at him when he thought he got called a bad name. And that's the MAJOR leagues?  :-)

I think all is well ... but it will be even better when your site is up and running in a healthy way. If there is anything we can do here, let us know.  I'm not so great on this stuff, but Dan might be able to chat with your guy and give you a hand?  Let us know.

Doug

[jsapair]

Yeah, I got the message, Spud. I over-reacted and I jumped the gun.  And I apologize for that. 'Nuff said.

[ualani]

If I would have gotten that error message I'd probably have taken it the same way that jsapair did and assumed the same thing.

[nbrich1]

Sat March 26th 0800 EST:

Although I have no official update, part of the site has been restored - (Don't know if it is temporary or if they have completed.

(It is clear that the host/provider server is up and running again and that some databases have already been restored). The main site is currently up however the forum side is still down. Hopefully they will get the full site up and running today.

Norm

[Bradallen43]

Norm,

Thanks for the update.

Lesson's learned.

Brad

[av8erjm]

Whew, now that we got that settled, let's get to something really important, Norm as you I am a fan of the peat, So w/o breaking the bank what is you fav  single malt, I was big on Bunnahabhain, but as of late I found a nice 10 year single malt named Speyburn, best thing here in Oregon it's only 30 dollars a fifth. OK back to regular programming