September 15, 2000 marks the birth of Tradewind Caribbean Airlines, 5 years ago. It isn't the largest virtual airline in existence but it is one of the most looked at airlines operating today. Creator and CEO, Rainer Labie, wanted to pursue his interest in virtual flying at a time when there weren't fancy tools and there was a very limited flight simulator world to fly in. His love for the splendor and romance of the Caribbean Islands gave him the idea to share his dream with others and so began a journey that's still going strong today.
TCA started with this announcement on the FsFan bulletin board.
In the beginning, the participation in an airline was accomplished through bulletin board services. You dialed a phone number of the service you wished to view in your computer and you saw lists of text files on the topics the bulletin service was related to. Some services had many topics and some specialized in only one interest. The World Wide Web as we know it today was only available to a few colleges and universities that were sharing data bases. You might have heard of the web but only a priviledged few actually had access to this limited connection of computers. All flying was shared by writing a message and posting it to a common meeting place, like FsFan bulletin board. The first month of operation, Rainer sent flight assignments to 12 pilots.
Microsoft's Flight Simulator 4 was on the store shelves and for those readers new to the flight sim world, to say that the virtual world was crude would be an understatement. There were only 5 major cities highlighted in the program and they didn't have much detail to represent them. There were a few roads and a few buildings or boxes to represent buildings and as soon as you flew outside of the city's region the world became a huge expanse of blue, if you were over the ocean, or green, if you were over land. In the U.S. for instance, there were the Great Lakes, the Mississippi River and the Great Salt Lake as the only features of landscape in the entire country. Rivers were ribbons of blue and lakes were irregular blotches of blue on a flat green plane. Mountains were represented by peaked polygons looking like funnels turned upside down and clustered in a group.
The five aircraft in the simulator had rectangular boxes at the bottom of the screen which were panels with just the basic instruments to fly the plane. There were only navigation aids in the areas of the cities. To fly across the U.S. meant you guessed the general direction of Los Angeles or Chicago and off you went. There were no winds, no clouds, no sun. There was night and day. Still, it was flying and every one of us who loves planes, were logging hours by the hundreds.
During this 'pre-dawn' or 'pre-reality' era, a few users of flight simulator were already experimenting with programming tools available at the time. They were trying to make this virtual world better. Offering more variety and challenge to the simulator. Microsoft's Flight Simulator 5 came onto the scene and the progression toward a better world began in earnest. Commercial add-on scenery for part of Europe was available as well as Japan and New York City. Freeware developers were making little bits and pieces to add on also. 

One of TCA's first members, Marcel Ritzema, created the now famous, Myria Cay, scenery. He uploaded the scenery to the bulletin board and Rainer discovered it. He contacted the designer to find out more about him and his work. The two of them have been friends ever since and Marcel is still an active member of TCA, creating scenery and aircraft for use by TCA. Four of the original starting pilots are still active: Bert van Halteren (#1002), Carsten Broehl (#1003), Peter Jansen (#1005) and Franco Aimasso (#1012).

TCA was thriving and the World Wide Web, also known as the Internet, had become a reality. In September of 1997 Rainer closed the bulletin board service airline and opened Tradewind Caribbean Airlines on the Internet at a 'Compuserve' web site that is still in existence today.
Rainer says goodbye to the bulletin board connection and moves TCA to the Internet.
Pilots desiring to pursue a bit of the excitement of the Caribbean came to TCA and its relaxed atmosphere and the airline grew. There is no ranking system in TCA. There are no 'hub' captains. Each month a list of suggested flights is offered to the pilots and each of the flights has a recommended aircraft to accomplish the flight. A pilot is free to accept this assignment or to choose another. The only requirement is for a pilot to show flight activity within any three month time period or be removed from TCA's active rolls. This allows for the replacement of 'inactive' pilots with other excited pilot applicants from the waiting list. TCA does not have unlimited enrollment and this keeps the airlines membership within the limits of the staff which allows the airline to operate very smoothly. Pilots are encouraged to participate in the airline at whatever level of involvement they desire. Just flying their assignment or digging into the actual operation of its many departments and increasing the depth of the TCA 'experience'. Rainer is emphatic that TCA's members not just employees but a team. A family.
Other airlines have come and gone and yet today, we have 546 active pilots and another 34 in our partners in Alaska, Greece and Venezuela. The airline serves nearly every part of the globe and has its own aircraft, scenery, tools, information, mailing list, chat site and more. TCA's organization is made up of active flightsim enthusiasts who in real life are policemen, firemen, pilots, lawyers, software developers, students, military personnel, retired, disabled and more. They range in age from teenagers to retired veterans, yet in their hearts they are all kids having a good time.
Today's flightsim world is much closer to the real world with terrain mesh scenery, photo-real bitmaps, real aircraft sounds, paint schemes and flight dynamics modeling real world aircraft. The flight simulator of today can be as difficult or as easy as the user wants it to be yet a TCA pilot doesn't have to be a 'Chuck Yeager' to succeed here. Everyone in the airline gladly offers help to solve problems and teach the skills to become a Senior Captain, if that is what you desire. You can move the big cargo haulers across the oceans or take a couple bags of mail and a passenger to that island on the horizon.
The message that Rainer has believed from the very beginning and that is stronger than ever today, is, that it is not important to be the largest virtual airline in existence. It IS important to be the best airline in existence by making friends and having fun. 
New look. Same feel. Relax in the warm tropical sun with TCA.
The simulated Caribbean is taking on a look and feel more like the real Caribbean. In the next generations of flight simulator, we can only hope to smell the perfume of tropical blossoms, feel the warm breezes of the trade winds and perhaps hear the tinkle of a steel drum band in the distance. And just like today, the only way to fly the Caribbean is with Tradewind Caribbean Airlines.
Happy Birthday TCA!!
.