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  • Sam L.

Inside the VA: easyJet Virtual (EZYVA)


Even if you’ve been a member of the Infinite Flight community for a day or two, you’re sure to have heard of Virtual Airlines (VAs) and Virtual Organizations (VOs). These groups are undoubtedly some of the strongest backbones of the community and are the main form of community engagement for many Infinite Flight members. VAs have been around ever since the beginning of Infinite Flight and have evolved over the years to the diverse selection that is available to community members today. Nearly every community member can find a VA that enhances their IF experience. There are large VAs, small VAs, fictional VAs, region-based VAs and everything in between. Over the years, some VAs have become more prominent and well-known in the community, such as BAVA, DLVA, UVAL and AFKLM to name a few. The VAs I have mentioned are “household” names and have been going strong for three or more years. If you know the work that is needed to maintain a VA, you know that’s an incredible achievement. However, what about the long-standing VAs that aren’t always in the spotlight? They deserve as much credit for operating long-term without the added benefit of being a legacy carrier or as popular with fliers in real life. There are more than a few smaller VAs that have been operating continuously and healthily for over two years without the added popularity and large scale membership that the aforementioned popular VAs enjoy. These lesser known VAs have just as much to offer as any other big player in the VA field, and have some of their own unique experiences that make membership just as enjoyable, if not more.


In this post, I’ve chosen to highlight easyJet Virtual (EZYVA) as one of these VAs that brings more to the table than you might think. EZYVA was founded in 2017 (even before I was a member of the community) and has grown today to a membership of 76 pilots. 30,971 hours have been logged, and 11,041,513 miles have been flown in the virtual skies since the inception of the VA. Top leadership has changed only once, with the former CEO Artem passing on the role to current leader Iyren. I’ve known Iyren since we were both pilots at BAVA back in 2018, and to others that have gotten to know him, the first thing you are struck by is his consistently outgoing and positive personality. To make it even better, Iyren works as cabin crew for easyJet in real life! As you’ll see in the interview below, his employment drives his passion for leading EZYVA.


I’ve interviewed Iyren, a senior staff member and two pilots at EZYVA in order to give you, the reader, a deeper look into this VA. Hopefully, their answers provide you with a more intimate look inside a VA you might not know a lot about.



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Interview with Iyren, CEO


Why did you start your involvement with the VA?


I started my involvement in the VA back in 2017 because I was looking for something to get me more involved with infinite flight. At first I used to do flights on my own without any engagement within the community which I found quite lonely at first so me & my wig decided to wander off onto the IFC & came across easyJet Virtual which Artem founded! I was very excited to get stuck in right away & I have been happy ever since!


How does your real-life job with easyJet inspire you to run the VA?


Working for easyJet in real life has inspired me in so many ways on running easyJet Virtual. It brings me that extra fulfillment of working for the airline itself & then coming home to flying it virtually! I get to base my ideas for the VA off the airline itself & of course I hope it keeps our wigs here entertained on which aircraft & destination I flew to. What inspires me more is that I can showcase how much I love working for the airline & running the VA itself. I wish nothing but success here & my love grows for it more & more each day!


What do you enjoy most about running the VA?


What I enjoy most about running the VA is the pilots or I like to call them my wigs. It’s like a family here; they never fail to put a smile on my face with their amazing personalities & that’s what makes us stand out! From the minute new pilots join it's our goal to make them feel welcome & at home right away. I also love coming up with new ideas with the staff team & engaging daily with everyone & having a laugh as that’s what it’s all about!


What keeps you motivated?


What keeps me motivated is change. I love when new things come in so that we have new goals to look at for example a new update for infinite flight keeps me motivated more as it makes me want to dig deeper in how we can implement it here & see how we can adapt! Also seeing new people join motivates me more so I can accommodate them so they feel comfortable here!

What’s your favorite memory here at EZYVA?


My favorite ever memory here was when we all had a group flight into Gatwick about 12 of us & the devs were there testing out some new aircraft and all our pilots for the VA had changed their callsign to (WIG NEW EZY LIVERY) was honestly the funniest time here ever I will never forget. Misha joined in on the fun & changed his name to (RYANAIR 4 EVA) which made it more funny. Was a great day & I would love to do that again!


Iyren at work



Interview with staff member, COO Adam Oyston


What’s been your favourite part of the EZYVA experience?


I would have to say that the favourite part of my EZYVA experience definitely has to be meeting the most amazing people and doing something that I love with people who have the same interest! I personally see this not just as a community but more of a family as we all get engaged with conversations in the general chat etc and have a great laugh!


How did you get to your staff position?


I joined easyJet Virtual on the 19th of January of this year and I was first a pilot for about 1-2 months before first applying to become an events manager for EZYVA. I got the role and became EZY8 and within this time I helped to start many incentives for pilots and staff to enjoy as well as hosting many events and competitions. However, I had to sadly leave the staffing team due to personal reasons. Despite this, after my rest period was up I decided to apply again for the staff team as an events manager again! After around one month Iyren (our CEO) offered me the role of COO here at EZYVA and as always I have been helping to run the VA to its full potential.


What do you enjoy most about your position?


I would have to say the thing I enjoy the most about my position at easyJet Virtual is being able to help to run the VA to its full potential by helping pilots and staff with any help/advice they might need, helping to keep spirits high within the VA when potentially times are tough, organizing events and incentives for our pilots to enjoy (Careers Mode etc) and getting involved with the operations side of the VA. However, the most important thing that I enjoy in my position is meeting new people and working with other VAs!


Do you have any memories about EZYVA that stand out to you?


Whilst being at EZYVA I have made a lot of memories that will stick with me forever. However, if I was to pick some I would say all of the events I attended/hosted and specifically the Halloween based events we hosted as they were a lot of fun and I didn't want them to end.




Interview with EZYVA pilots Saharsh and Danyal


What’s been the favorite part of your EZYVA experience?


Saharsh: My favorite part of the experience is the staff. They are always willing to help whenever you have a question. When I first joined, Iyren was quick to help me get all setup and got me in the air the same day!


Danyal: Genuinely my favourite part of being in EZYVA has been the community we have. It’s not strict on how you fly whether you are a pro or just getting started to the expert server. Everyone is welcomed warmly by the EZYVA staff. The staff and pilots make everyone feel comfortable and somehow everyone gets along then. I rejoined the VA in September because honestly since I left in June I haven’t been able to find a VA like EZYVA. The staff, the community and the events- it’s just a win and a excellent experience for all pilots.


What makes EZYVA unique to you?


Saharsh: Their routes and crewcenter are very unique to me. With the many codeshares and EZY routes, I haven't gotten bored. Their crewcenter is very simple and easy to navigate.


Danyal: EZYVA is unique because of the dedication of the staff members especially Adam and Iyren. Iyren is a real life easyJet crew member and since he is normally busy I seriously admire him for balancing a full time crew job and running a VA at the same time which I know is a real struggle but still somehow finds the time to fly on Infinite Flight and that dedication that he shows almost encourages pilots to fly. Whether they are adding or sponsoring new IFC events or adding Ultra realistic Career modes it’s just a unique experience for everyone!

Photos from EZYVA event flights



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After interviewing these VA members and spending a few days in the VA Slack, I truly feel like I’ve gotten a small taste of what it’s like to be a pilot or staff at EZYVA. The one thing that has stood out to me time and time again about this VA as I’ve taken a deeper look is the positivity that permeates the entirety of EZYVA and its members, and I think this shines in the answers to my interview questions. Both pilots I interviewed cited the friendliness and helpfulness of the staff and community of EZYVA as their favorite part of the VA, and that speaks volumes about the amazing culture that’s been established. It’s clear that the staff are dedicated to keeping every member happy and meeting any need that’s voiced. I think it is also incredibly significant that Iyren’s favorite part about running the VA is not that he has a top leadership position, or that his name is listed on the IFVARB website, but that day in and day out he gets to interact with his pilots, which he lovingly refers to as his wigs. An inherent culture of positivity starts from the top and drains downwards, and this is exactly what happens at EZYVA, creating a unique VA environment I have yet to find at any larger, more popular VA.




- Sam (Yacht)




Thank you to Iyren, Adam, Saharsh and Danyal for your responses!


You can visit EZYVA’s IFC thread here, and their website here


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