Founding intake
Become a founding pilot.
Air India Virtual has not launched yet — which is exactly why now is the interesting time to arrive. The founding roster shapes the schedule, the standards and the events, and keeps its founding status permanently.
Why join
What you get out of it
An honest summary. Some of this exists today, some of it arrives with the phases on our roadmap — nothing here is oversold.
A network worth flying
A published timetable across India and out to Europe, the Gulf, South East Asia and North America — city pairs chosen because they are interesting to fly, not to pad a route map.
People to fly with
Group departures, shared arrivals and a community server where somebody is usually planning something. Flying alone is optional, not the default.
Somewhere to progress
A rank structure from your first domestic sector through to wide-body command, earned through flying rather than time served or fees paid.
Tools built for you
A pilot portal, booking system and ACARS client written specifically for AIV, shipped in phases and shaped by what our pilots ask for.
Founding pilots only
Four things that stop being available once we launch.
Permanent founding pilot status
A founding marker on your profile that cannot be earned again once the intake closes.
First through the portal
Founding pilots are onboarded before general registration opens, with the lowest pilot IDs on the roster.
A say in how AIV flies
Direct input on the schedule, fleet plan and operating standards while they are still being written.
A seat on the inaugural
A place on the first flight from Delhi to Mumbai, flown together by the founding roster.
The rank ladder
Every hour moves you
up the ladder.
Ranks are earned on logged hours alone — no exams, no interviews. Founding pilots start at Junior First Officer.
- Junior First Officer
- First Officer
- Senior First Officer
- Captain
- Senior Captain
- Training Captain
- Maharaja
What joining the founding intake means
The founding roster shapes the schedule, the standards and the events.
Why now is the interesting time
How joining works
Three steps, and only one of them exists today
There is no application form yet, and we are not going to pretend otherwise. Right now, joining means telling us you want a place.
- 01Community server
Register your interest
Join the community server and tell us you want a founding pilot place. This is the whole application at this stage — there is no form to fill in yet.
- 02Pilot Portal, next phase
Receive your portal invitation
When the Pilot Portal launches, founding pilots are invited first. You create your account, pick your callsign and receive your AIV pilot ID.
- 03Booking phase
Fly your first sector
Book a flight from the published schedule, fly it in your own simulator and file your report. Your career at Air India Virtual starts there.
The community invite goes live with founding registration.
Requirements
What we ask of you
Four things, none of them onerous. We do not set an age limit, we do not require a particular online network, and we do not ask you to buy anything.
A supported desktop flight simulator
Any desktop simulator you can fly our aircraft types in. We do not mandate a specific title or a particular payware aircraft.
A stable internet connection
Enough connectivity to stay online for the length of a sector, particularly for group events and long-haul flights.
Respectful community conduct
Courtesy towards other pilots, controllers and staff — on our server and on any network you fly.
Willingness to follow our standards
A readiness to fly reasonable operating procedures: sensible flight plans, published routes and honest flight reports.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
If something is not answered here, ask on the community server once the invite is live, or email us.
No. AIV is a non-profit community project. There are no membership fees, no paid ranks and no premium tiers — everything we build is free for our pilots.
There is a seat with your name on it.
Join the community server, say hello, and you will be on the founding roster when the Pilot Portal opens.