BAVA | United Kingdom | British Airways Virtual

Senior Leadership Team

Our Staff

Hey I’m Matt and I’m the President of British Airways Virtual. I joined at the start as head of operations and having had numerous staff roles and some time out I am now here at the helm as President.

As President I mainly oversee everything that goes on behind the scenes. I am supported by a brilliant SLT of Nick, Finn and Ben who all do fantastic jobs. There is then the MLT who’s roles get more specific but each do an important part in keeping the VA running. It really does feel like a family a joy each time I log on and not a chore.

Why should you join? Well it is a true family and you’ll feel at home from day one. A friendly welcome awaits and endless opportunities to fly and chat about anything, and I mean anything. Give it a go. There’s nothing you won’t like. I promise ;)

Hey I’m Finn the Deputy President at BAVA! I joined BAVA when it started 2 years ago (I think, don’t hold me up on that!). At the time it was called Speedbird VA and from the beginning I was welcomed and within the first 10 seconds I knew I was part of a family not a community. Since then I’ve had many MLT roles and then I was promoted to Deputy President.

The first thing you’ll experience when you join BAVA is how active and friendly everyone is. Within seconds in a lot of cases one of our pilots has already said hi to a new member. I think you should join because, a lot of VA’s are very generic I’m not going to lie. You join, you’re greeted and then you go along and fly for the VA. I can’t stress enough how different we are. When we talk to you it’s not just about planes (although we love planes) it’s about other topics like sport, cars, anything really. This is because in real life you’re not always talking about planes and we want you to feel like a member of a family not a place where planes are the only available topic.

Finally the last thing I’m going to say is join. Experience the VA, join our family because you won’t be disappointed and you’ll never look back.

So my staff role is the basic overseeing of staff, hiring and recruiting staff to do the best job within Infinite Flight. I also oversee the basic running of VAs global front of its routes and aircraft operations for pilots to fly within BAVA. I thoroughly enjoy my time at BAVA as it’s a great community of pilots and staff for people to come and enjoy themselves

I started my BA life about a year ago as a pilot, in this VA I've learned proper ATC procedures, how to fly and gained some valuable friends all across the globe. I have learned so much about aviation just from being a part of this VA - and also the IFC - that when I look back at how much I knew a year ago, I cant believe the difference. That’s one of the things that makes this VA so amazing - our guiding and teaching spirit that welcomes anyone. It’s been an amazing so far…

I was first brought into the VA by Former Deputy President Joshua Fleming. He and I had built a quick friendship on the community and after a flight with him from KSAN to KLAX, he brought me in. That’s right, you guessed it - my first flight log was in the 747.

About 2 weeks had passed and I became certified as TSATC within the VA. A couple weeks later, I became the events manager, a role that had previously not existed within the VA. Advance to sometime in January, and I became chief pilot. I’ve also held roles such as flight supervisor, chief training officer, chief of operations, chief of staff, director of achievement, etc. But through all that, I’ve seen many great things come from this VA. We’ve endured tough circumstances, made wonderful memories, inspired many people, and so much more.