A bad thing happened in last nights FSO and I'd like to clear it up.
Earlier in the week, we had offered a guest a slot to fly with our squad in FSO. When he came on, he typed in country channel a question of whether or not Walk Ons were allowed.
Knowing that he was an invited guest (vice a freelancer, aka "Walk On"), I replied "Yes" (meaning it was OK for him to be joining us for the night).
Quickly thereafter, an exchange challenging whether "Walk Ons" were allowed ensued on country channel.
My statement of "Yes, they are" was dead wrong (what I meant, and what I said were different).
The CMs for FSO have a very well-written explanation of what a "Walk On" is, and why they are not allowed (
http://ahevents.org/fso-related/fso-walk-ons.html).
The CMs that run FSO devote a lot of time and effort to making it a fair and fun event for all of us. They have a well thought out and time-tested process. We need to stay within the rules. I meant no disrespect to them, I hold them in high esteem.
Bottom Line for FSO is this: If you are not an invited Guest to fly with a squadron (through prior coordination), then you are considered a "Walk On". Walk Ons are NOT allowed in FSO for good reasons.
If you have an invited guest coming to play in an event, have them PM you to coordinate getting into uniform (vice asking on country channel, "who needs a player?"). In doing so, you will avoid giving the appearance of taking on a "Walk On".
I am sorry if I have caused anyone confusion WRT "Walk Ons". They are decidedly NOT ALLOWED in FSO.
-Rodent57