Since the beginning of the internet people have searched for ways to connect with one another online. Today “Way_Kill,” of PilotSpeak.net, has created a social-networking site for members of the aviation community that combine elements of the old-school interweb with on-topic forums and classifieds amid essentials of Web 2.0 like profile pages to engage visitors.

PilotSpeak.net makes it easy to create a profile and join the conversation quickly. But unlike large social sites like Facebook or MySpace, PilotSpeak.net delivers a more personal experience for members. The community is small, but friendly and quick to respond. It really is like a club. And if you come across any problems, you can get in contact with the owner Way_Kill himself.

We sent Way_Kill a list of questions via email about PilotSpeak.net, the community as a whole, and the benefits of his site. Here are his responses:

RA: Tell us a little bit about your background in aviation.

I grew up wanting to be a fighter pilot and that’s all I ever wanted! I flew F/A-18 Hornets in the Navy and retired in 2002. I was then hired as the Chief Pilot for a CAT tractor dealer in CA and still do that now. My boss owns many planes I get to fly: Cessna 210, P-51D, T-28B, C-1A, Pitts S-2B, T-2C, Beaver. We are building more! I am an ATP, CFI, CFII, MEI, with tail wheel, seaplane, many type ratings and warbird LOA’s. I also fly in air shows with the warbirds.

RA: You operate a social-networking site called PilotSpeak.net where members can join to discuss almost any aviation topic. Tell us a little bit about your site and what type of audience it attracts?

It’s like MySpace or Facebook, only better (in my opinion) and designed by a pilot (me), for pilots. It’s supposed to attract pilots, aviation enthusiasts or anyone having anything to do with aviation/flying/airplanes etc. Here is a list of some things you have access to on the site, all for free:

Your own Profile Page with pictures, work and bio information. You choose what information you want to show on your page

Your friends and family (connections) list which connects you to them. You can then easily see when they are online and what content items (blog, classifieds, reviews, gallery) they have published.

A Private Messaging System for direct interaction with other members.
A very robust, easy to use Forum with topics relating to aviation including various Pilot Affiliations, aviation humor and video links.

A categorized photo gallery including airplanes, member pictures and member’s pets!

Online calendar providing information for aviation related events and Pilot Hookup where you can meet other PilotSpeak members who may have the same interests as you.

A Classifieds section where you can buy or sell anything you want for FREE! That includes airplanes.
A user supported PilotSpeak Blog, organized by categories. Think of it as our own online magazine with articles on every imaginable topic in aviation, written or supplied by our members. Share your stories with the world!

Polls and surveys which will be regularly conducted on a myriad of topics including a professional salary survey.

A reviews page for FBO’s, Hotels and Restaurants supplied by our members, for our members, linked to the reviewer’s profile page with google maps included.

RA: What sets PilotSpeak.net apart from other social-networking sites of its kind?

1. There isn’t any other social networking site for pilots/aviation as far as I know. There certainly wasn’t 2 years ago when I made PilotSpeak.net.

2. It has everything you could want as a pilot, all in one location. It’s like Facebook, Ebay, Flicker, Yelp, Weather (working on a new weather module right now), Airnav, Blogging, Youtube and email websites all rolled into ONE site. Yes, you can even have a yourname@pilotspeak.net email as a member. It’s a very robust and complicated site, yet very easy to use.


RA: How long have you been operating PilotSpeak.net?

Two and a half years so far.

RA: How many active members are there?

Active? About 6 LOL! People get excited about the site, then fizzle away. I am by far the most active member but all it would take is a few people to start using it on a regular basis, get their friends on here and so on and this site could be an amazing all in one location for the aviation community. Instead of getting on Facebook they would come here (or do both perhaps as non-aviation friends would probably not use our site).

RA: You’re not just the operator/creator of PilotSpeak.net, but also an active member of the online community. What is your user name? What kind of people have you met or connected with through the site and have you forged any long term relationships because of it?

My Administrator name is “Way_Kill” and my regular user name is “Kila”. I have personally met 5 or 6 different people I met through PilotSpeak.net. Mostly local CA folks, but a couple from out of state as well. I am still friends with all of them. One of the ideas for PilotSpeak.net was that, as a pilot, I travel a lot and am often alone in a different city. I made a category on the calendar called “Pilot Hookup” that is to be used to “hookup” with other members at airshows, aviation events or just get together, meet and go do something fun when anyone happened to be somewhere where another member was. How much more fun would it be to go see a concert, while your stuck in Chicago for a few days, with a few members of PilotSpeak.net who happen to live there or are also there for work, instead of going alone? And you could forge many friendships that way as well. I think it’s one of the best things about my site and if it would start getting used, the aviation community would be better off for it.

RA: What’s the craziest thing that’s ever happened to you as a result of creating PilotSpeak.net?

Nothing really crazy has happened. I guess the one thing was/is having to deal with all the spammers out there. I was getting a LOT of porn spam in the old forum, LOL!

RA: What benefits will the rc airplane enthusiast find on this site?

Other than all the normal benefits that everyone gets, it would be a good way to integrate your hobby into the aviation community as a whole. I could easily make a category in the forum just for you guys. You could get advice for example from a C-17 pilot if you were designing a C-17 RC plane on the characteristics of it or the paint scheme or whatever. Many air shows I fly in have RC plane shows there and they are cool…you could put in the calendar where the RC shows were. Use the photo gallery to show off your work!

RA: Is there anything you would like to add about yourself or the website? Are there any facts that might be useful for the story?

Just that I listen to all users on the site, fix any problems, offer help and add/remove things they don’t like. I am always improving the site to make it better and easier to use. I check it nearly every day to make sure things are ok and no one is abusing the site in any way. Read the rest of this entry »