Background and Philosophy

The Línies Aèries virtuals dels Països Catalans (Catalonian Airlines - CAT) is a virtual airline which develops its activities exclusively using the internet in VATSIM [1] network for users of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004. As soon as technology allows us to implement some necessary add-ons to future versions of Microsoft software making sure that these provide the same or better performance that FS2004, the association will decide the use of the optimal version at that time.

Catalonian Airlines is open to admit pilots using other simulators, specially X-Plane, as long as those may implement add-ons comparable to those used by the Microsoft software used at that time so that the flights of both types of pilots can be done in the same conditions.

Coat of Arms of Catalonia (year 1150)

Catalonian Airlines is born with the aim of simulate the existence of a virtual airline covering the territory of the Catalan Caountries -according to the cultural and linguistical sense of the term- and other places of the Earth where the Catalan culture or language may have a past or present relationship. Our starting point is the concept of Catalan Countries before the Pyrenees Treaty (1659) when the Kingdom of Catalonia and Aragon included Catalonia (north and south of the Pyrenees), Aragon, Valencia, Balearic Islands and the actual Alghero (Italy).

Map of the territories of the Kingdom of Catalonia and Aragon in the XIV century

The language of the Línies Aèries dels Països Catalans is Catalan and any document produced due to its activities will be written in it. The web site that VATSIM [1] requires to any of its partner virtual airlines may have versions in other languages (preferably in English as this is the official VATSIM language) but in our case the English version will be subordinated to the Catalan original. The association uses a mail list as the main communication system within its members and all of them must be registered to make sure they receive all information in the fastest way. The Catalan language is the one to be used in this list, but as an alternative only English is accepted.

The Catalan Countries in present time (l'Alguer, in Sardinia Island, is not shown in this map)

Catalonian Airlines will not restrict the admission of any person applying to become a member for language, birth or religion, but any applicant becoming a member of CAT will accept any condition at the time he/she joins the association or after that, and must be able at least to understand the Catalan language. In any case, CAT deserves the right to reject any of its members in case that VATSIM or Catalonian Airlines regulations are violated.

The members of the Línies Aèries virtuals dels Països Catalans must also comply VATSIM's regulations and any other conditions applicable in the areas where the airline develops its activities. In case that particular restrictions exist (fleet, routes, levels, etc.) these are detailed in the Reglament de Règim Intern and in the web site.