Twenty-five years after, I still feel the same excitment that started it all. We may have gone quiet on various ocasions, but the wind never stopped blowing.Back in March 2000, when the first website was launched, I hadn't a clue of what would happen; I just wanted to build a tribute to Alaska and bush flying, a virtual airline that felt like a cabin in the woods: warm, open, and shared - and that's how Alaskan Winds was born.

From the start (while we didn't knew it back then) it was about people. The first two pilots joined in April. Then came dozens. After a couple of months we were oh the hundreds! I still remember Dexter telling me "you created a monster.."Pilots came from all around the world, united by a passion for the Alaskan skies — by the challenge of bush flying, the weight of weather, the thrill of short fields and mountain passes. No matter where they came from, they all carried that same spark.

Together, we built hubs in Anchorage, Juneau, Ketchikan, Fairbanks, Nome, Valdez, and Kodiak. We added helicopters and all sorts of aicraft (and quite a few times, the wrong ones). Designed missions. Logged thousands of flights.More importanly - and that was always at the core - we shared stories.

And then, almost by accident, we created what became our most iconic tradition: the Alaskan Winds Virtual Iditarod.There was nothing quite like it. Flying supply runs for real-world mushers, tracking the race from the air, picking up dropped dogs, coordinating fuel, inventing challenges that mirrored the harsh terrain… It became a kind of ritual. A strange, beautiful connection between our world and theirs - and year after year, it brought us together in the best possible way.But it didn't stop there.

We also flew the Yukon Quest, joined A Season at Nome, and launched our own epic bush adventure: The Great Alaskan Tour. We joined forces in multiplayer events, mission packs, and spontaneous explorations. And yes — we were proud and slightly unhinged participants in one of the wildest events in all of flight sim history: The Battle of the Airlines (BOTA), where pilots from dozens — maybe hundreds — of virtual airlines raced, flew, navigated... and at one point, somehow, ended up on the Moon! And no, that’s not a metaphor...

And those Sunday afternoon multiplayer flights, still etched in our memories! 10, sometimes 15 pilots flying together across Alaska, chatting, joking, helping each other through bad weather, challenging landings, and frozen lakes. There was something magical about those sessions. No pressure, no egos. Just flying. Well... maybe some pressure on the last guy landing as the others watched, aligning their birds along the grass strip: "looking good!" they would say (although sometimes it didn't ;)

And while Alaskan Winds (AW, AWVA, AWVAS) was always at the core, we also built bridges with sister airlines like L’Air Azur (LAZ), Adventure Flights (AF), or the Flight Club Companies (FCC). Each had its own soul, its own pilots and stories — but together, we formed something that felt real.

So here we are, rebuilding what can be rebuilt. Not everything will come back, and we're not aiming for grandeur. But the heart of it? That’s still beating.If you were part of this before: thank you! You helped make it real.
If you're arriving now, curious about what this is: welcome. There’s a seat for you too.I'll be here—flying again. Slowly. Calmly. As it should be.João Paz AWCEO