Hello all,
First of all, for those that don't know yet, I am responsible for the process of updating and adding aircraft data into the Airline Mogul database. Lately, there has been a lot of confusion, discussion and personal attacking because of the updates on our Boeing 737 data. This upgrading was done in order to improve the accuracy of our database. Especially in the case of the 737 series, this data correction had been on the shelf for several months before we had the time to actually do something about it. With multiworlds having arrived, and the number of private worlds being extremely high, there would be no good time to implement the changes, at least not with the systems that were in place at the time of the editing. Therefore, some players may have experienced issues with aircraft they had bought and had created routes for. Though I don't want to sound too inconsiderate, at that time it was the only option we had and the fact that some players had these issues didn't weigh up to the fact we had inaccurate data. If you don't understand that, I highly recommend you to read it over and over again until you do. Especially when considering that the 737NG (Next Generation) aircraft haven't even been updated yet. That said, there is a system in place now that should prevent issues as described above.
Second, let's take a look at our current aircraft database. Mostly due to the fact we have been using many different sources and have had many different people working on aircraft data, there are several known places where data is plain inaccurate. Mostly, this is because previously, data officers haven't been using the exact same kind of data for all of our aircraft. Take, for instance, the number 1 issue in most of our data debates: seats. Some aircraft have been using the 1-class seating, others have the FAA exit limit while others have the maximum seating or even the typical 2/3-class seating. The same argumentation applies to range. Also, engine names haven't been entered using a proper naming system. I've seen PW, P&W, P W, PrattWhitney, Pratt&Whitney and Pratt & Whitney for the exact same engine. Needless to say, finding these inaccuracies and then correcting them to something that does check out is a process that takes a lot of time and effort, and simply cannot be completed by AM Staff only. Therefore, I'd like to thank all the users that started these debates, or added anything to them. It is important though to know what data we would be using, and from which sources it is coming. For seating, for instance, we use the 1-class seating, while for range and speed we use the loaded range/speed. Our sources are rarely the manufacturer's website, simply because data coming from there is rarely accurate enough. If possible, we crosscheck data from multiple sources, including JAWA's, and use that.
Third, I appreciate it when users show us inaccuracies in our aircraft database. What I don't appreciate is other users attacking the topic starter simply because he/she was kind enough to assist us in updating our database. Do note that there is no good time to update aircraft data when there are over 200 worlds running at the same time. If you don't understand that, try, as one forum member put it, shooting a pea through a ceiling fan. Chances are the pea's gonna get hit. So try to look ahead and especially, try to understand the other party's point of view. We don't just put on a blindfold and update our data based on what a user tells us, we do crosscheck their and our sources and then, when we have properly researched the data, update it. If you want to discuss this, feel free to do. I'd be more than happy to see what you have to say. Just don't cross the line.
Regards,
MrOrange / Rens den Uijl
Game Data & Development
The following aircraft have been reported to have incorrect data in our database:
Airbus
- A330-200
- A340-x00
ATR
- 72-500
Boeing
- 707-120B
- (717)
- 727-100,-200
- 737-x00
- 747-400,-400ER
- 757-200,-300
- B720, B720B
Convair
- 880, 990
Douglas
- DC-8
- DC-10
McDonnell-Douglas
- MD-8x
- MD-9x
Ilyushin
- IL-18
