New pricing plan suggested

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Simicro
Posts: 6
Joined: Fri Oct 12, 2018 1:26 pm

New pricing plan suggested

Post by Simicro »

Hi,

I just started today the trial plan.

After the trial period, I plan to take one monthly subscription now and then...
Because I cannot afford to pay the monthly subscription continuously or the annual subscription.
I'm not saying that it's too expensive, I simply cannot afford it.

Suggestion: PilotEdge could propose new pricing plans consisting in a credit of N, N+X, N+Y online hours that must be used for example in 2, 3, 4, 6 months.
I don't know what are your technical, organizational and financial constraints but I'm sure you can understand the advantages of such plans.
And I would add that you probably have already the log of who connected to the network, when, where and how long.

On a side note I would like to give you the following feedback.
I belong to a major french flightsim community.
I don't know how much you value flightsim pilots compared to real world pilots/students but this is what I can observe for french flightsim pilots:
- Showstopper #1 for going live ATC is fear for those who are not real world pilots (well you know... not specific to PilotEdge)
- Showstopper #2 for going live ATC outside of France is english of course (not specific to PilotEdge) but some french pilots speak english of course
- Appeals for PilotEdge in no particular order: quality, professional, real world procedures, real world pilots feel more "at home" and know what to expect in term of procedures, coverage, ATC organization and so on... just like in the real aviation life
- Showstoppers for PilotEdge are in no particular order: price, focused coverage, "not enough" pilots online to make it interesting for experienced simmers

Thanks for your attention.


-
Keith Smith
Posts: 9939
Joined: Sat Oct 09, 2010 8:38 pm
Location: Pompton Plains, NJ
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Re: New pricing plan suggested

Post by Keith Smith »

Hourly plans are not an economically viable subscription model. There is a reason that gyms generally offer monthly or annual programs rather than per-visit subscriptions. The reality is that the people who fly a lot (to the point where we lose money on those subs) are being subsidized by pilots who fly considerably less. If we had a pricing model to cater to the infrequent fliers, we'd need to increase the cost of the unlimited plan to make things work.

Regarding there not being enough pilots online, that is pretty much beyond our control. That said, with the recent audio change that allows you to hear pilots who are on approach or center frequencies when you are on an approach or center frequency, I would submit that there don't need to be hundreds of pilots online at once for it to be 'enough'. Many people compare the PE online pilot count directly against VATSIM/IVAO (which are global networks) and assume that PE is less busy. The simple reality is that pilots who are hundreds of miles away from you, who can't be heard on the radio, who aren't being worked by the controller you're talking to essentially have zero impact on your flight.

Case in point, on VATSIM right now, I count roughly 30 aircraft within the United States. Assuming every center was staffed (in fact, none of the centers are staffed right now, but I digress), if you were to take off from Salt Lake City, you would hear precisely zero other pilots, because all 29 pilots are outside of the ARTCC. PE, on the other hand, has 7 pilots online, most of whom are in Socal at the moment. On weekends and evenings there are typically 15-30 pilots online. I would agree that WUS can be a little quiet, but ZLA certainly gets very busy. If you look at the weekend ATC audio recordings, it's not uncommon to find recordings for a 1hr block that are 30-40 minutes in length, meaning that the radio was active > 50% of the time. WUS can have its moments, too. I'd also argue that having constant radio chatter is not required for a good sim experience.
Simicro
Posts: 6
Joined: Fri Oct 12, 2018 1:26 pm

Re: New pricing plan suggested

Post by Simicro »

Hello Keith,

I understand the rationale and you have good points.

Thanks for your time and answer.
opsman56
Posts: 1
Joined: Fri Mar 09, 2018 10:39 am

Re: New pricing plan suggested

Post by opsman56 »

Hello Keith,

Any thought on splitting payments in 1/2 for combined annual subscription?

Cheers!

AJ
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