Good to see scroggs back with some insight to life within VS. Anyone who wants to know more about the airline should research the Virgin Atlantic Master Threads which were running around the time that the airline last recruited. Scroggs contributed a lot of info, and while some of it may now be longer be applicable, it's still an informative read.
Somebody asked about 'burn out' within the pilots at VS. Now I'm not at VS, however the I remember info in the master threads suggesting VS pilots were contracted to 750hrs per annum. This all may have changed after the recent reshuffling, especially if management felt 900hrs per pilot per year equaled greater productivity??
As for a Flybe/Virgin tie-up to aid future VS recruitment and in return have command ready VS SFOs fly the left seat of the Dash? Doesn't honestly add up to me?
There won't be many upgrades at VS for quite some years imo, so is there an immediate need for command ready SFOs? Plus a large number of VS SFOs would be on pretty equivalent or indeed better money to Flybe Dash Captains. Plus something says to me that a 8-12 year 744 or 340 SFO wouldn't be too enthusiastic to jump at a job on TPs - even if there was command attached. I know a few guys who were only at VS for a few years prior to their recent restructuring. They are all back in the LHS of short/medium haul jets.
As for recruitment ties from Flybe. A big prerequisite was jet time; and lots of it. Preferably wide body, Boeing or Airbus. Flybe doesn't offer much of this. Although over time things change. Who knows in the end; however, as scroggs admits, it's going to be quite some time before we find out how VS recruits its next batch of FOs