BA have already been approached with regard to taking us on or even allowing us to attend selection.
The response was I understand, something along the lines of No, not now, not ever, not in a million years so go away and stop making the place look untidy.
The vocal efforts of at least one of their number amongst us to paint GSS pilots as something worse than useless possibly didn't help. Not true either I might add.
The fact is that the 747 is a dying fleet within BA. And Virgin for that matter. They will only recruit type rated guys and there is a dwindling need for folk with the 744/8 on their license outside of the Far East and I have already pointed out ad nauseam, they won't consider anyone over 50.
In six months, we will have been forgotten about, another victim of circumstances. Those who think we deserve it or those who are just starting out and feel themselves to be bulletproof and who cares about a bunch of washed up old farts anyhow, think carefully. One day this could easily be you. As airline managements seek to classify professional pilots as little more than semi skilled shift workers, those nice secure jobs will vanish, to be replaced by short term contracts with no benefits or protection. And then one day, you too will get the axe and you will suddenly find all the doors are firmly slammed shut because of your date of birth. GSS was almost unique in the UK in that it would accept older first officers. No one else does. They may pretend they do but they don't, they prefer youngsters. and what is more, they get away with it.
I am almost certainly finished as a professional pilot and am looking outside of aviation. The nicest discovery I have made to date is that beyond our ego infested, tight little bubble, experience is actually valued and it is illegal to discriminate on the basis of age. There's hope yet.Will I miss it? certainly, I love the job. I loathe the industry though and on that basis I feel quite confident of being able to move on.