JCB Sorry if it seemed a bit sarcastic - forgot the
smiley! My point was that it pays to read the requirements very carefully, and not to make assumptions. Virgin is not a place to make too frivolous an application. That said, if you're close to the minimum requirements, likely to meet them soon, and you have a suspicion that recruiting is about to increase (not the case right now), sometimes it can't hurt to jump the gun a bit. Requirements change...
As for the BAe 146 chaps, I can't comment about any individual histories. The fact is that, for the moment, those are the minimum requirements. They have been 'lower' in the past (in terms of type and hours), and that has occasionally caused problems. The fact is that this airline is longhaul only, and there is no opportunity to brush up on large-aircraft handling skills. If you don't have them when you get here, you certainly won't have them 5 years later! One or two landings a month is the norm for an FO - and you will be one for 8 to 10 years. That's why the company insists you learn your trade elsewhere, get the aircraft enthusiasm bit out of your bloodstream, and come to Virgin when lifestyle means more than how many times a day you get it up...
Scroggs