FEBRUARY 2013
San Fierro City wins legal battle against the billboard owners
[SAP]Legend on approach to SFC RW36
by Walther, published: 05/02/2013
SAN FIERRO - Airport-number-two saw an increase of traffic today, as the infamous billboard on runway 36 approach was finally demolished following an order issued by city planning authority. The awkward structure was causing significant delays in airport operations, as larger aircraft were only capable of landing on runway 18, and had to backtrack in order to reach the apron. Now, with aircraft up to the size of Nevada being able to use the runway 36, airlines can start considering moving more flights to the City.
The billboard owners, having received compensation money, vowed to "leave this crooked city for good".
Reactions on the ground were mixed. Plane spotting groups initially expressed regret about the loss of a convenient platform, but later admitted that approaches have become much more spectacular, with the aircraft flying Kai-Tak style over the nearby golf course. Obviously, the owners of Avispa Country Club were not as happy - due to jet exhausts burning down the grass, the annual San Andreas Swingers' Cup was moved to Yellow Bell Golf Course in Las Venturas.
SAN FIERRO - Airport-number-two saw an increase of traffic today, as the infamous billboard on runway 36 approach was finally demolished following an order issued by city planning authority. The awkward structure was causing significant delays in airport operations, as larger aircraft were only capable of landing on runway 18, and had to backtrack in order to reach the apron. Now, with aircraft up to the size of Nevada being able to use the runway 36, airlines can start considering moving more flights to the City.
The billboard owners, having received compensation money, vowed to "leave this crooked city for good".
Reactions on the ground were mixed. Plane spotting groups initially expressed regret about the loss of a convenient platform, but later admitted that approaches have become much more spectacular, with the aircraft flying Kai-Tak style over the nearby golf course. Obviously, the owners of Avispa Country Club were not as happy - due to jet exhausts burning down the grass, the annual San Andreas Swingers' Cup was moved to Yellow Bell Golf Course in Las Venturas.
SAP returns to Higher Command leadership!
by Logan & Walther, published: 07/02/2013
SAN ANDREAS PILOTS ISLAND - Following the stepdown of long-time Secondary Extreme Instructor and scripter [SAP]Mixcraft, a surprise announcement was made on the SAP forums a few hours later, stating that the SAP Council has been dissolved, and that the old Higher Command is being brought back in place, led by the new 4th Commander [SAP]DPhelps. When SAP Council was formed, a provision was made for it to revert to the Higher Command by a simple majority vote, which eventually happened yesterday. The changes are expected to improve the efficiency of leadership, and provide a higher degree of cooperation between those in charge of the clan, SAP members, and the community as a whole.
Being too large was a recurring problem for SAP Council - numerous members would become inactive over time, and it was not easy to find suitable candidates to replace them. It also effectively created two classes of SAP members - some were given more say in the decision-making process, while others were left out. Overall, one third of (and roughly half of active) SAP members were a part of it, creating an unhealthy division. To deal with the problem, the number of positions had to be reduced from 12 to 8: Commander, 4 instructors, Lead Developer [SAP]Chris, and two legacy members (founders of SAP) - [SAP]Ontario and [SAP]Kromeshnik.
As a result, some serious reshuffling of positions took place, with a few leaving their positions in Council/Higher Command. Secondary Instructors [SAP]John of the Civil Department, [SAP]Kabo of the Helicopter Department, and head of Extreme Department [SAP]Livisor have all resigned. [SAP]Legend, the Secondary Military Instructor took charge of the department as [SAP]DPhelps moved on to become the commander of the clan. With the Extreme department being left without anyone to take charge of it, [SAP]Torran, known for his stunting exploits, was put in place. The Helicopter Instructor position went to [SAP]SWilson, who is a qualified helicopter pilot in real life. [SAP]Evel remained in his position as the head of Civil Department.
Here at SANA, we congratulate the new Commander and department leaders, and wish to express gratitude to departing Council members for their hard work and dedication to this wonderful community.
SAN ANDREAS PILOTS ISLAND - Following the stepdown of long-time Secondary Extreme Instructor and scripter [SAP]Mixcraft, a surprise announcement was made on the SAP forums a few hours later, stating that the SAP Council has been dissolved, and that the old Higher Command is being brought back in place, led by the new 4th Commander [SAP]DPhelps. When SAP Council was formed, a provision was made for it to revert to the Higher Command by a simple majority vote, which eventually happened yesterday. The changes are expected to improve the efficiency of leadership, and provide a higher degree of cooperation between those in charge of the clan, SAP members, and the community as a whole.
Being too large was a recurring problem for SAP Council - numerous members would become inactive over time, and it was not easy to find suitable candidates to replace them. It also effectively created two classes of SAP members - some were given more say in the decision-making process, while others were left out. Overall, one third of (and roughly half of active) SAP members were a part of it, creating an unhealthy division. To deal with the problem, the number of positions had to be reduced from 12 to 8: Commander, 4 instructors, Lead Developer [SAP]Chris, and two legacy members (founders of SAP) - [SAP]Ontario and [SAP]Kromeshnik.
As a result, some serious reshuffling of positions took place, with a few leaving their positions in Council/Higher Command. Secondary Instructors [SAP]John of the Civil Department, [SAP]Kabo of the Helicopter Department, and head of Extreme Department [SAP]Livisor have all resigned. [SAP]Legend, the Secondary Military Instructor took charge of the department as [SAP]DPhelps moved on to become the commander of the clan. With the Extreme department being left without anyone to take charge of it, [SAP]Torran, known for his stunting exploits, was put in place. The Helicopter Instructor position went to [SAP]SWilson, who is a qualified helicopter pilot in real life. [SAP]Evel remained in his position as the head of Civil Department.
Here at SANA, we congratulate the new Commander and department leaders, and wish to express gratitude to departing Council members for their hard work and dedication to this wonderful community.
The truth revealed - what's really been going on behind closed doors?
A ceremony for departing Council members at SAPi
by SANA Council, published: 07/02/2013
It appears that not everything was as straightforward as we were led to believe, with the recent leadership changes. An anonymous insider revealed some interesting information concerning several ex-SAP Council members, and their true attitudes towards our community. [SAP]John, the former Secondary Civil Instructor, who served as clan spokesman in December, and the former head of the Extreme Department [SAP]Livisor did not handle their forced resignations very well. The latter went as far as to start a highly flammable topic on the forums, complaining about the way his demotion was handled, and announcing his departure from clan, followed by [SAP]John.
[SAP]Livisor stated that he is leaving "because of his hard work going to waste." He claimed that he was contributing a lot to the clan, having 'relentlessly worked' on missions when they were being introduced... almost a year ago? Hello! Hundreds more have been made by SAP Council members working on Flights 3.0 while he was barely showing up on the server. [SAP]Livisor did admit that he was busy preparing for final exams, and would return by mid summer - yet why should he be allowed to keep the seat? Sounds like power hungry? He doesn't think so:
"Never in my entire time during council have I been even hinted that I seek power.I became extreme instructor after seeing StreetKid's example and envisioned something completely different from this kind of backstabbing.I've been in this community far longer than you <DPhelps - edit.> so I know what I'm talking about."
If his idea of an example was getting demoted due to inactivity, the mission has been accomplished. Such heated up responses from the former extreme instructor drew heavy criticism from SAP clan members and other players alike. Many senior SAP members have pointed out that [SAP]Livisor had been neglecting his Extreme Instructor duties; the newly-promoted Commander [SAP]DPhelps summed it up:
"Okay... One, I tried to get a hold of you quite a bit of times. I sent an email to your personal hotmail account, and a PM on this website. I received no response, which is sadly not surprising considering your inactivity. And with all due respect, you hardly did anything as an instructor. Let's not lie here. I completely understand you probably have real-life commitments or a lack of interest, but I rarely recall you ever warning on inactivity. You'd simply fall of the edge of the earth, and would rarely contribute anything, even during meetings. The fact that we have cadets waiting for the extreme test, and no one answering was illuminating this major problem."
[SAP]John's case, however, is more controversial. Before the beginning of last autumn, he was not particularly active in the community, but then returned with a spectacular SAS Air Race. A few weeks later, he was promoted to the vacant Secondary Civil Instructor position, being chosen for being a strict, demanding, but also a capable instructor, having taught many pilots how to achieve safe and smooth flight. His experience as the leader of many organisations, including airBanana, SAS, and San Andreas Aviation Academy, as well as impressive mapping skills had the potential of making him a valuable member of the team working on SAP Flights 3.0. In December, he, acting as SAP Spokesman, was instrumental in organizing/promoting a series of events, that culminated with a spectacular airshow and SAP Reunion, something that was waiting to happen for more than two years. He was acting in a very friendly manner towards new players, and started an initiative to keep more newbies playing by showing them around the server, which earned him the SANA Most Helpful Player award.
Unfortunately, there were not enough spaces to keep all the active Council members in Higher Command. Helicopter, Military, and Extreme instructor positions were already filled by the best suitable candidates. [SAP]DPhelps, having effectively been a leading figure in SAP Council since September, was a natural candidate to fill the Commander position. Therefore, it was a choice between [SAP]John and [SAP]Evel, and this is when things became nasty. With the development of Flights 3.0 being on the top of agenda, it was important that every council member was contributing to the process. As it turned out, "Evel has been MUCH more valuable as a contributer to 3.0, in particular. Helping with vehicle system, he also came up with a really good word document with his idea of the airline economy system; and, unlike John, he attended pretty much all of the meetings."
Things get even more complicated with the evidence that [SAP]John's sometimes difficult attitude has been getting in the way. He had been 'credited' before for weakening airBanana by gradually pushing other senior SAP members out of leadership; he's been known to insert himself as the leading figure in as many organizations as possible, including SANA, which he used exclusively for promotion of his other projects. By winning the popular support of new players, he might have expected to gain influence within SAP Council, probably to become the Commander himself - something he already tried to do a few years ago. During the tenure as the spokesman, he was reported to overestimate the powers granted by the position. This did not help him build trustworthy relations with the rest of the Council, as his true intentions started to be questioned. In the end of the day, one person had to give way, and it was determined that [SAP]Evel would remain in Higher Command.
Naturally, [SAP]John reacted as if he was forced to resign. This may be true, but again, we never know how sincere were his attempts to revitalize the community - were they only a tool to gain influence? One of the first things he said after learning about the demotion was "Well I'm glad I didn't leave admin at TM <a trucking server - edit.>." According to our information, he is a prominent mapper in that community, having mapped a larger part of all the islands. On SAP, his talent has been less recognized, with only a few interiors and a small airfield having been approved as permanent locations, and at least a couple of islands had been rejected. He certainly has a place to go back to, and we wish him luck there. It's just sad to know that even if this capable player returns, we will never know long it will be before he leaves again.
It appears that not everything was as straightforward as we were led to believe, with the recent leadership changes. An anonymous insider revealed some interesting information concerning several ex-SAP Council members, and their true attitudes towards our community. [SAP]John, the former Secondary Civil Instructor, who served as clan spokesman in December, and the former head of the Extreme Department [SAP]Livisor did not handle their forced resignations very well. The latter went as far as to start a highly flammable topic on the forums, complaining about the way his demotion was handled, and announcing his departure from clan, followed by [SAP]John.
[SAP]Livisor stated that he is leaving "because of his hard work going to waste." He claimed that he was contributing a lot to the clan, having 'relentlessly worked' on missions when they were being introduced... almost a year ago? Hello! Hundreds more have been made by SAP Council members working on Flights 3.0 while he was barely showing up on the server. [SAP]Livisor did admit that he was busy preparing for final exams, and would return by mid summer - yet why should he be allowed to keep the seat? Sounds like power hungry? He doesn't think so:
"Never in my entire time during council have I been even hinted that I seek power.I became extreme instructor after seeing StreetKid's example and envisioned something completely different from this kind of backstabbing.I've been in this community far longer than you <DPhelps - edit.> so I know what I'm talking about."
If his idea of an example was getting demoted due to inactivity, the mission has been accomplished. Such heated up responses from the former extreme instructor drew heavy criticism from SAP clan members and other players alike. Many senior SAP members have pointed out that [SAP]Livisor had been neglecting his Extreme Instructor duties; the newly-promoted Commander [SAP]DPhelps summed it up:
"Okay... One, I tried to get a hold of you quite a bit of times. I sent an email to your personal hotmail account, and a PM on this website. I received no response, which is sadly not surprising considering your inactivity. And with all due respect, you hardly did anything as an instructor. Let's not lie here. I completely understand you probably have real-life commitments or a lack of interest, but I rarely recall you ever warning on inactivity. You'd simply fall of the edge of the earth, and would rarely contribute anything, even during meetings. The fact that we have cadets waiting for the extreme test, and no one answering was illuminating this major problem."
[SAP]John's case, however, is more controversial. Before the beginning of last autumn, he was not particularly active in the community, but then returned with a spectacular SAS Air Race. A few weeks later, he was promoted to the vacant Secondary Civil Instructor position, being chosen for being a strict, demanding, but also a capable instructor, having taught many pilots how to achieve safe and smooth flight. His experience as the leader of many organisations, including airBanana, SAS, and San Andreas Aviation Academy, as well as impressive mapping skills had the potential of making him a valuable member of the team working on SAP Flights 3.0. In December, he, acting as SAP Spokesman, was instrumental in organizing/promoting a series of events, that culminated with a spectacular airshow and SAP Reunion, something that was waiting to happen for more than two years. He was acting in a very friendly manner towards new players, and started an initiative to keep more newbies playing by showing them around the server, which earned him the SANA Most Helpful Player award.
Unfortunately, there were not enough spaces to keep all the active Council members in Higher Command. Helicopter, Military, and Extreme instructor positions were already filled by the best suitable candidates. [SAP]DPhelps, having effectively been a leading figure in SAP Council since September, was a natural candidate to fill the Commander position. Therefore, it was a choice between [SAP]John and [SAP]Evel, and this is when things became nasty. With the development of Flights 3.0 being on the top of agenda, it was important that every council member was contributing to the process. As it turned out, "Evel has been MUCH more valuable as a contributer to 3.0, in particular. Helping with vehicle system, he also came up with a really good word document with his idea of the airline economy system; and, unlike John, he attended pretty much all of the meetings."
Things get even more complicated with the evidence that [SAP]John's sometimes difficult attitude has been getting in the way. He had been 'credited' before for weakening airBanana by gradually pushing other senior SAP members out of leadership; he's been known to insert himself as the leading figure in as many organizations as possible, including SANA, which he used exclusively for promotion of his other projects. By winning the popular support of new players, he might have expected to gain influence within SAP Council, probably to become the Commander himself - something he already tried to do a few years ago. During the tenure as the spokesman, he was reported to overestimate the powers granted by the position. This did not help him build trustworthy relations with the rest of the Council, as his true intentions started to be questioned. In the end of the day, one person had to give way, and it was determined that [SAP]Evel would remain in Higher Command.
Naturally, [SAP]John reacted as if he was forced to resign. This may be true, but again, we never know how sincere were his attempts to revitalize the community - were they only a tool to gain influence? One of the first things he said after learning about the demotion was "Well I'm glad I didn't leave admin at TM <a trucking server - edit.>." According to our information, he is a prominent mapper in that community, having mapped a larger part of all the islands. On SAP, his talent has been less recognized, with only a few interiors and a small airfield having been approved as permanent locations, and at least a couple of islands had been rejected. He certainly has a place to go back to, and we wish him luck there. It's just sad to know that even if this capable player returns, we will never know long it will be before he leaves again.
Possibility of a C-47-like Nevada being discussed
A Douglas C-47 in flight
by Logan, published: 13/02/2013
SAP FORUMS - Over the past day or so, one of the hot topics on the forum was the discussion of the possible addition of Nevada aircraft with an interior similar to that of the Douglas C-47 airplane, which is a military transportation aircraft. It would mean having a hold similar to that of the well-known MI-1 Andromada, and would be used in the transportation of players for activities such as skydiving, and possibly even vehicles, should the interior be large enough. The idea was initially suggested by the player known as Schwarz, and has gained a substantial amount of interest since the initial submission. It was apparently also experimented with in the past, for the now-defunct YoChang Air Cargo airline, however, nothing became of it.
The suggestion has received nothing but positive feedback, with every player who has replied to the topic supporting it. Even SAP's Commander, [SAP]DPhelps has shown his interest, stating that he will look into it further. Will we be using a Nevada for parachuting any time in the near future? It seems likely. Stay tuned for more information!
SAP FORUMS - Over the past day or so, one of the hot topics on the forum was the discussion of the possible addition of Nevada aircraft with an interior similar to that of the Douglas C-47 airplane, which is a military transportation aircraft. It would mean having a hold similar to that of the well-known MI-1 Andromada, and would be used in the transportation of players for activities such as skydiving, and possibly even vehicles, should the interior be large enough. The idea was initially suggested by the player known as Schwarz, and has gained a substantial amount of interest since the initial submission. It was apparently also experimented with in the past, for the now-defunct YoChang Air Cargo airline, however, nothing became of it.
The suggestion has received nothing but positive feedback, with every player who has replied to the topic supporting it. Even SAP's Commander, [SAP]DPhelps has shown his interest, stating that he will look into it further. Will we be using a Nevada for parachuting any time in the near future? It seems likely. Stay tuned for more information!
BoNo Airlines announces immediate shutdown
by Logan, published: 20/02/2013
Yesterday evening, the founder of BoNo Airlines, [SAP]Nodroz, announced that he was shutting down his Class B airline, effective immediately. He stated that "From 2012 onwards, the organisation became inactive due to a server update (2.0 update) and a lack of player activity. We did very few flights in 2012, but became quickly fell into inactivity again. Days, weeks, months passed by without flights - most due to lack of time from my side. I wasn't able to call up all crew members and get on SAP to shout in the chat to join our flight."
The original idea for BoNo Airlines came about towards the end of 2010, and the airline received official status on March 30th 2011. Their original website is still online, and can be found here. The airline had a total of 8 staff members, who will have to start looking for work elsewhere, these staff members being; [SAP]Nodroz, [SAP]Egert, Logan, Royal, [SAP]Gecko, [SAP]Alex, Herman_berk and G0L14T.
It seems that the troubled airline has followed the path of JMX Travel, which shut down several months ago for a similar reason' lack of server activity. The only remaining airline of the 'Big Three' is airBanana, which also seems to be tumbling further into inactivity, and will most likely be shut down, due to CEO [SAP]John's supposed departure from the community a short while ago. What will version 3 of the SAP Flights gamemode offer to new airline startups? It has been rumoured that the update, and updates following, will bring new features to encourage airline activity, and make airlines and organisations a more integral part of the server.
Yesterday evening, the founder of BoNo Airlines, [SAP]Nodroz, announced that he was shutting down his Class B airline, effective immediately. He stated that "From 2012 onwards, the organisation became inactive due to a server update (2.0 update) and a lack of player activity. We did very few flights in 2012, but became quickly fell into inactivity again. Days, weeks, months passed by without flights - most due to lack of time from my side. I wasn't able to call up all crew members and get on SAP to shout in the chat to join our flight."
The original idea for BoNo Airlines came about towards the end of 2010, and the airline received official status on March 30th 2011. Their original website is still online, and can be found here. The airline had a total of 8 staff members, who will have to start looking for work elsewhere, these staff members being; [SAP]Nodroz, [SAP]Egert, Logan, Royal, [SAP]Gecko, [SAP]Alex, Herman_berk and G0L14T.
It seems that the troubled airline has followed the path of JMX Travel, which shut down several months ago for a similar reason' lack of server activity. The only remaining airline of the 'Big Three' is airBanana, which also seems to be tumbling further into inactivity, and will most likely be shut down, due to CEO [SAP]John's supposed departure from the community a short while ago. What will version 3 of the SAP Flights gamemode offer to new airline startups? It has been rumoured that the update, and updates following, will bring new features to encourage airline activity, and make airlines and organisations a more integral part of the server.