DECEMBER 2012
Winter has finally arrived - and damaged our broadcasting mast!
by Wather, published: 05/12/2012
SAN FIERRO - An unprecedented snowstorm has hit the state of San Andreas, disrupting our communications, and leaving us unable to deliver the news updates for the last few days. Luckily, most of the repairs have been completed, and we are happy to continue our regular updates - and should be really working fast - quite a lot has happened in the last few days!
The winter season has finally started, bringing 10 Christmas trees to the mainland. A competition already took place, with Peaccee being the first one to find and take a photo of each one. However, what matters the most is that 12 official events have been announced this December, all scheduled to start at 17:00 or 18:00 GMT, with almost every active organisation taking part in this massive entertainment programme. Two events already took place (the 3rd incarnation of the legendary SAPRC Escape Death Race, plus the open-entry SARX Offroad Day), followed by two more this weekend - A frosty farewell to JMX this Saturday, and Base Boogie on Sunday, hosted by SAP Hawks. Our own event, the SANA Seasonal Awards are coming back and also have a place on the list - don't forget to visit our website, we'll be opening the voting shortly!
SAN FIERRO - An unprecedented snowstorm has hit the state of San Andreas, disrupting our communications, and leaving us unable to deliver the news updates for the last few days. Luckily, most of the repairs have been completed, and we are happy to continue our regular updates - and should be really working fast - quite a lot has happened in the last few days!
The winter season has finally started, bringing 10 Christmas trees to the mainland. A competition already took place, with Peaccee being the first one to find and take a photo of each one. However, what matters the most is that 12 official events have been announced this December, all scheduled to start at 17:00 or 18:00 GMT, with almost every active organisation taking part in this massive entertainment programme. Two events already took place (the 3rd incarnation of the legendary SAPRC Escape Death Race, plus the open-entry SARX Offroad Day), followed by two more this weekend - A frosty farewell to JMX this Saturday, and Base Boogie on Sunday, hosted by SAP Hawks. Our own event, the SANA Seasonal Awards are coming back and also have a place on the list - don't forget to visit our website, we'll be opening the voting shortly!
4th SANA Seasonal Awards!
By Logan, published: 15/12/2012
SAN FIERRO - San Andreas News Agency is proud to announce the return of the highly anticipated SANA Seasonal Awards! This is the 4th ceremony, and thus, marks a whole year since the Awards originally began. It has not been a very busy season, but with the player count on the rise, and the forthcoming Flights 3.0 update, it has been an exciting one! Due to technical difficulties here at SANA, the ceremony has been announced very late in time. Introduced to the voting are some new categories, never before included in the SANA Awards. Follow this link to vote for your favourites!
SAN FIERRO - San Andreas News Agency is proud to announce the return of the highly anticipated SANA Seasonal Awards! This is the 4th ceremony, and thus, marks a whole year since the Awards originally began. It has not been a very busy season, but with the player count on the rise, and the forthcoming Flights 3.0 update, it has been an exciting one! Due to technical difficulties here at SANA, the ceremony has been announced very late in time. Introduced to the voting are some new categories, never before included in the SANA Awards. Follow this link to vote for your favourites!
Forum activity statistics - just how active is our community?
by Nodroz, published: 19/12/2012
[SAP]Nodroz, our statistics gatherer, has been busy collecting data about the forum's total member count. All of this has been compiled into a graph, for you to see, as shown below. Our findings are quite shocking indeed. Back in late 2010, when the new forum opened, the average registrations per month was around the 50 mark. However, now, it has dropped to below 12! This means that over the course of 2 years, the registration count has dropped to roughly 25% of what it used to be!
As you may notice, this drop has been rather consistent. The biggest increase was around December 2011, right up until early 2012. We can see quite a big increase around December 2011 and early 2012. This Winter period is also the most active on the server itself. We look forward to revealing early 2013's statistics. If our predictions are proven to be correct, this drop in registrations will certainly decrease even further. Can the Flights 3.0 update change this for the better? Only time will tell.
Unfortunately, it was impossible to collect data about the old forum, due to the software used on them not saving it, unlike the new forums. An example of these new data recording features can be seen here.
[SAP]Nodroz, our statistics gatherer, has been busy collecting data about the forum's total member count. All of this has been compiled into a graph, for you to see, as shown below. Our findings are quite shocking indeed. Back in late 2010, when the new forum opened, the average registrations per month was around the 50 mark. However, now, it has dropped to below 12! This means that over the course of 2 years, the registration count has dropped to roughly 25% of what it used to be!
As you may notice, this drop has been rather consistent. The biggest increase was around December 2011, right up until early 2012. We can see quite a big increase around December 2011 and early 2012. This Winter period is also the most active on the server itself. We look forward to revealing early 2013's statistics. If our predictions are proven to be correct, this drop in registrations will certainly decrease even further. Can the Flights 3.0 update change this for the better? Only time will tell.
Unfortunately, it was impossible to collect data about the old forum, due to the software used on them not saving it, unlike the new forums. An example of these new data recording features can be seen here.
4th SANA Seasonal Awards winners announced!
by Logan, published: 24/12/2012
PUFFIN ISLAND - As the curtains are drawn on the 4th SANA Seasonal Awards, some players walk away empty handed, and some with more than one title to their name. With a total valid vote count of 16, we have doubled the results of the previous awards. Despite a not so active season, the show must go on. 3 of the categories from the previous awards made a return in this ceremony. They were: 'The Craziest WIN', ' The Most Epic FAIL', and of course, 'SANA Employee of the Season'. Once again, the winners, as shown below, were given userbars to mark their achievements, and a cash prize, providing they were present at the ceremony. Our resident Media Director, [SAP]Nodroz, was on hand to film the event. We hope to see the footage shortly.
PUFFIN ISLAND - As the curtains are drawn on the 4th SANA Seasonal Awards, some players walk away empty handed, and some with more than one title to their name. With a total valid vote count of 16, we have doubled the results of the previous awards. Despite a not so active season, the show must go on. 3 of the categories from the previous awards made a return in this ceremony. They were: 'The Craziest WIN', ' The Most Epic FAIL', and of course, 'SANA Employee of the Season'. Once again, the winners, as shown below, were given userbars to mark their achievements, and a cash prize, providing they were present at the ceremony. Our resident Media Director, [SAP]Nodroz, was on hand to film the event. We hope to see the footage shortly.
People - The Most Visible New Player
5-Cunning 1-DeHavilland 1-Girafelong 1-JohnNascar 1-Jzeero 1-Peaccee 1-Rem_Jay 1-Sir_Gazza_McShannock 4-(none stated/invalid) People - Most Helpful Player 7-[SAP]John 1-Dimi 1-[SAP]DPhelps 1-[SAP]Nodroz 1-Joe 1-JohnNascar 1-Jzeero 1-NotGood 2-(none stated/invalid) People - Admin of the Season 5-[SAP]John 5-[SAP]Torran 3-[SAP]DPhelps 1-[SAP]Andy 1-[SAP]Gz0r People - Idea Generator 5-[SAP]Walther 1-Cunning 1-[SAP]DPhelps 1-[SAP]Egert 1-[SAP]John 1-JohnNascar 1-[SAP]Gz0r 1-Sgt.Mays |
People - Best Dogfighter
4-[SAP]Gz0r 3-[TDH]Tom 3-[SAP]Legend 1-[SAP]DPhelps 1-[SAP}Egert 1-Hinter 1-Joe 1-JohnNascar 1-Starfox 1-Trento People - The Craziest WIN 2-[SAP]Torran reaching 50,000 in-flight minutes 1-[SAP]Andy/[SAP]Legend winning 24h of SAPRC 1-[SAP]DPhelps reaching 50,000 in-flight minutes 1-[SAP]Evel getting promoted twice within a week 1-Hinter flying through LVAP tower without blowing up 1-Sgt.Mays knocking a player out of SF tower with a hydra wing 1-[SAP]Torran managing to avoid trees and kill Wild 8-(none stated/invalid) People - The Most Epic FAIL 6-CraHeX getting banned yet again 1-Cunning crashing into a bridge 1-[SAP]John loving rissoles 1-Wild being retarded 7-(none stated/invalid) The Greatest Event 8-24h of SAPRC 4-DFC #3 4-SAS Extreme Championship Most Active Organisation 9-Civil Aviation Club 7-Aerial Warfare Club SANA Employee of the Season 8-[SAP]Nodroz 4-Logan 4-[SAP]Walther |
SAP Reunion & Airshow a success!
by Logan, published: 30/12/2012
Many players were astonished by the daring tricks, manoeuvres and barrel rolls performed by some of the community's top pilots at yesterday's event. Drawing a crowd of 42 players, it is safe to say that the reunion & airshow were both a big success. All players were treated to an an astonishing show, featuring many stunts, and even a military face-off.
After the spectacular show, all players stood for the famous SAP Anthem. Some had speculated that the server wouldn't be able to handle so many players, but everything proceeded smoothly. Following on from the anthem, everyone hopped into an AT-400, which travelled to San Andreas Pilot's Island, where everyone gathered to listen to inspirational speeches from the three ex-commanders, [SAP]Andy, [SAP]Barry, and [SAP]Ontario. We managed to catch up with [SAP]Andy & [SAP]Ontario to ask them a few questions, which can be seen below. Unfortunately, [SAP]Barry was unavailable at the time of writing to answer any. After the speeches were given, the doors to the instructors' offices were briefly opened to the public to commemorate this special occasion.
Following a short explosion, everybody was back at Los Santos Airport, which lead to a spectacular ride on top of an AT-400, with over 20 players surfing on the wings and body. This plane was destined to Ontario International, aka ISL9, for a visit to the SAP Museum, followed by some shenanigans involving BMX's, Faggio's, Firetrucks, and whatever vehicle players could lay their hands on. Overall, each and every player seemed to thoroughly enjoy the event, and we hope that this will lead SAP into a new era of activity, teamwork, and respect. To see a full gallery of pictures of the day's events, please click here. Read on for our short interviews with ex-commander & founder [SAP]Ontario, and ex-commander [SAP]Andy.
Many players were astonished by the daring tricks, manoeuvres and barrel rolls performed by some of the community's top pilots at yesterday's event. Drawing a crowd of 42 players, it is safe to say that the reunion & airshow were both a big success. All players were treated to an an astonishing show, featuring many stunts, and even a military face-off.
After the spectacular show, all players stood for the famous SAP Anthem. Some had speculated that the server wouldn't be able to handle so many players, but everything proceeded smoothly. Following on from the anthem, everyone hopped into an AT-400, which travelled to San Andreas Pilot's Island, where everyone gathered to listen to inspirational speeches from the three ex-commanders, [SAP]Andy, [SAP]Barry, and [SAP]Ontario. We managed to catch up with [SAP]Andy & [SAP]Ontario to ask them a few questions, which can be seen below. Unfortunately, [SAP]Barry was unavailable at the time of writing to answer any. After the speeches were given, the doors to the instructors' offices were briefly opened to the public to commemorate this special occasion.
Following a short explosion, everybody was back at Los Santos Airport, which lead to a spectacular ride on top of an AT-400, with over 20 players surfing on the wings and body. This plane was destined to Ontario International, aka ISL9, for a visit to the SAP Museum, followed by some shenanigans involving BMX's, Faggio's, Firetrucks, and whatever vehicle players could lay their hands on. Overall, each and every player seemed to thoroughly enjoy the event, and we hope that this will lead SAP into a new era of activity, teamwork, and respect. To see a full gallery of pictures of the day's events, please click here. Read on for our short interviews with ex-commander & founder [SAP]Ontario, and ex-commander [SAP]Andy.
Logan: Ontario, has this community exceeded your expectations? Did you expect it to expand this much?
[SAP]Ontario: It did. Big time. I never imagined that it would last for so many years. I'm proud. L: Ontario, if you were to go back in time, is there anything you would have done differently toward the beginning? O: Yes. L: May I ask what that may be? O: I would spawn Rustler instead of Stuntplane as the first SAP plane. Apart from this, nothing. L: Thank you for your time. |
L: Andy, if you had to sum up SAP in a sentence, what would that sentence be?
[SAP]Andy: A flying server, putting the fly into pretty fly for a white guy. L: What has been your most memorable moment in the community? A: There have been too many memorable moments, it's difficult to pick just one. I think it was flying to SAPi for the first time with Hayabusa, when it was still a building site that Ont made as a test. That was the start of something new. L: Thank you. One final question. What makes the SAP community different to other communities out there? A: I see SAP as a preparation for peoples' future, it's fun but in a sensible way, but it's not a waste of time. You meet people and do lots of memorable things along the way. L: Thank you for your time. |
JMX waves farewell to the community with a hidden surprise
by HighFlyer, published: 30/12/2012
The flag carrier of the San Andreas Pilots community, JMX San Andreas, also known in the past as JMX Travel, announced it's last flight on November 29th, 2012 on the SAP Forums. The announcement was met with regret by many, however it was believed that it was the right moment for the carrier to depart. Ironically, the event had to be postponed until December 30th, 2012.
In 2007, back when the airline was founded by [SAP]Steveo91 and [SAP]Chris, nobody would have thought that the success of the airline would have been at all possible. Five years later, after many fond memories, the airline decided to part ways with it's employees and fans, after economical issues and low-cost market pressure were visible factors to the contribution of the carrier's demise. The flag carrier in a press statement, hopelessly admitted that "It was dying a slow death".
The airline grew and prospered since it's founding, having been through many staff changes and rebrandings. After attempting to cater for the low-cost model, and the trial of the airport ticket selling procedure, the airline failed to beat their low-cost competitors. It was therefore decided that the airline's legacy must come to an end - as all the good things do.
The final flight was originally scheduled for December 8th, but unfortunately, due to technical difficulties, had to be postponed until the 30th. It was JMX's Nevada registered G-JMSF that took off to the skies for a final time with it's full crew and passengers aboard, after the entire JMX fleet overflew Las Venturas Airport. Before departing, a picture was taken to commemorate the crew of the historic flight. Aboard the aircraft, JMX's constant high-quality service was represented by free food and Premium Class services, all of which were completely free of charge to the passengers. Experienced pilots tackled the furious snows of the North Pole Island, setting history once again for the airline, while serving the community.
North Pole Island (mapped by [SAP]Gz0r) is an island situated close to the borders of the San Andreas State. The furious winds of the closely situated North Pole, brought the snow into the outskirts of the state, and placed tons of snow which gathered on the sea over the years, building up chunks of ice and snow. The island has been found by an Estonian explorer, Gz0r, and soon developments began to take place on the island, so the island could be inhabited by the public for seasonal periods.
As the management realized that the slow death was "totally unacceptable for an airline with such a legacy", a visit to the newly developed North Pole Island created a perfect occasion to wave farewell to the carrier. Car rental on the island was extremely busy, renting out an entire fleet of Sandkings for passengers to explore it. Several prizes were won, a secret room and an island were found, a visit to the bar to do some dancing was at hand, everything free of charge, at a fantastic winter resort, next to a gorgeous setting of a gigantic Camelot castle.
To hand off the carrier in style, after presenting numerous surprises to the passengers, the management did not pause nor stumble for even a second with presenting the ultimate surprise, passing on the information of a newly formed 'JMX Club'. It is promised that the G-JMSF will not be sold, but instead moved to it's original home - Lightman Island (ISL4) where it will serve as a use for members and past members for flights. JMX's Executive Director, [SAP]Walther added that the club will offer information and advice to the new and upcoming airlines in the community. The nostalgic morals of the community weren't ignored, and the heritage of the carrier will remain with SAP for it's existence.
After 70 flights, having carried over 300 passengers to more than 20 locations in the state, JMX San Andreas' chapter has been closed - however, not entirely. The number of passengers carried lead to a significant contribution to the demise of the flag carrier, after it's low-cost competitor airBanana is soon expected to carry a 1000th passenger. There has been no official confirmation from the carrier, in regards to the future of the staff or the rest of the fleet it is maintaining.
The flag carrier of the San Andreas Pilots community, JMX San Andreas, also known in the past as JMX Travel, announced it's last flight on November 29th, 2012 on the SAP Forums. The announcement was met with regret by many, however it was believed that it was the right moment for the carrier to depart. Ironically, the event had to be postponed until December 30th, 2012.
In 2007, back when the airline was founded by [SAP]Steveo91 and [SAP]Chris, nobody would have thought that the success of the airline would have been at all possible. Five years later, after many fond memories, the airline decided to part ways with it's employees and fans, after economical issues and low-cost market pressure were visible factors to the contribution of the carrier's demise. The flag carrier in a press statement, hopelessly admitted that "It was dying a slow death".
The airline grew and prospered since it's founding, having been through many staff changes and rebrandings. After attempting to cater for the low-cost model, and the trial of the airport ticket selling procedure, the airline failed to beat their low-cost competitors. It was therefore decided that the airline's legacy must come to an end - as all the good things do.
The final flight was originally scheduled for December 8th, but unfortunately, due to technical difficulties, had to be postponed until the 30th. It was JMX's Nevada registered G-JMSF that took off to the skies for a final time with it's full crew and passengers aboard, after the entire JMX fleet overflew Las Venturas Airport. Before departing, a picture was taken to commemorate the crew of the historic flight. Aboard the aircraft, JMX's constant high-quality service was represented by free food and Premium Class services, all of which were completely free of charge to the passengers. Experienced pilots tackled the furious snows of the North Pole Island, setting history once again for the airline, while serving the community.
North Pole Island (mapped by [SAP]Gz0r) is an island situated close to the borders of the San Andreas State. The furious winds of the closely situated North Pole, brought the snow into the outskirts of the state, and placed tons of snow which gathered on the sea over the years, building up chunks of ice and snow. The island has been found by an Estonian explorer, Gz0r, and soon developments began to take place on the island, so the island could be inhabited by the public for seasonal periods.
As the management realized that the slow death was "totally unacceptable for an airline with such a legacy", a visit to the newly developed North Pole Island created a perfect occasion to wave farewell to the carrier. Car rental on the island was extremely busy, renting out an entire fleet of Sandkings for passengers to explore it. Several prizes were won, a secret room and an island were found, a visit to the bar to do some dancing was at hand, everything free of charge, at a fantastic winter resort, next to a gorgeous setting of a gigantic Camelot castle.
To hand off the carrier in style, after presenting numerous surprises to the passengers, the management did not pause nor stumble for even a second with presenting the ultimate surprise, passing on the information of a newly formed 'JMX Club'. It is promised that the G-JMSF will not be sold, but instead moved to it's original home - Lightman Island (ISL4) where it will serve as a use for members and past members for flights. JMX's Executive Director, [SAP]Walther added that the club will offer information and advice to the new and upcoming airlines in the community. The nostalgic morals of the community weren't ignored, and the heritage of the carrier will remain with SAP for it's existence.
After 70 flights, having carried over 300 passengers to more than 20 locations in the state, JMX San Andreas' chapter has been closed - however, not entirely. The number of passengers carried lead to a significant contribution to the demise of the flag carrier, after it's low-cost competitor airBanana is soon expected to carry a 1000th passenger. There has been no official confirmation from the carrier, in regards to the future of the staff or the rest of the fleet it is maintaining.
airAndreas is back!
by Logan, published: 31/12/2012
The once-defunct Class D airline known as airAndreas is currently in the process of being revived. Originally founded back in September 2011, the airline unfortunately was declared defunct on 5th February 2012. It is being brought back to life under a new image. The statement "airAndreas is changing it's image. We are rebranding to illustrate a new image in the upcoming year of 2013 hopefully meaning that changes taking place on the website will reflect our refreshed strategy and operations. We aim to bring you a high quality website which will incorporate the use of Online Booking and Check-In systems for your ease. It's time for changes. We're part of them." can be found on their new website, which is located here. CEO HighFlyer also had this exclusive statement to give: "Exclusively to SANA, we're able to announce that the first flight will be announced on the first week of January 2013 so the passengers should be on the lookout for a blue/yellow plane."
The airline's first plane, a blue & yellow Nevada with registration G-HKKB will be based on Puffin Island, also known as ISL8. How will they fare against the other players in the airline industry, airBanana, and BoNo Airlines? Only time will tell. We look forward to bringing you more airline-related news in the future. Stay tuned.
The once-defunct Class D airline known as airAndreas is currently in the process of being revived. Originally founded back in September 2011, the airline unfortunately was declared defunct on 5th February 2012. It is being brought back to life under a new image. The statement "airAndreas is changing it's image. We are rebranding to illustrate a new image in the upcoming year of 2013 hopefully meaning that changes taking place on the website will reflect our refreshed strategy and operations. We aim to bring you a high quality website which will incorporate the use of Online Booking and Check-In systems for your ease. It's time for changes. We're part of them." can be found on their new website, which is located here. CEO HighFlyer also had this exclusive statement to give: "Exclusively to SANA, we're able to announce that the first flight will be announced on the first week of January 2013 so the passengers should be on the lookout for a blue/yellow plane."
The airline's first plane, a blue & yellow Nevada with registration G-HKKB will be based on Puffin Island, also known as ISL8. How will they fare against the other players in the airline industry, airBanana, and BoNo Airlines? Only time will tell. We look forward to bringing you more airline-related news in the future. Stay tuned.