I know one ex-ERJ skipper who joined recently on the bus. I believe it was his only jet time.

Is there a preference for recruiting Airbus rated pilots at present? The reason I ask is because whilst several Boeing pilots I know have been recruited in the past, I know of only Airbus rated pilots being taken on of late.

Thanks

Yes, there is a preference for Airbus (particularly A330/340) rated pilots. As we are taking delivery of a fairly monstrous number of A340-600s, that should be obvious! There is, however, a small amount of recruiting for the B744, and we have recently taken pilots to both types without an appropriate rating.

any pointers to what to say/not to say at the interview?

Scroggs, Why has no-one from GSS (type rated) had an interview?

srjumbo, um, dunno! As it happens, through a chance meeting in Hong Kong the other day, this subject has come up. I've put the question to the relevant people (actually both on holiday at this moment), so I await developments. There may, of course, be factors I'm not aware of, but at this point I can't imagine what they could be.

I can only advise keeping your fingers crossed, and your CV updated!

Be yourself. Have some understanding of what Virgin is about, and be enthusiastic about the prospects of working there. Don't dis RB!

Update
 

Hello,

do you update by sending an e-mail to Janine Taylor? Unfortunately I lost my reply of Virgin HR because of computer trouble. Would anyone be so kind and post the e-mail.

Thanks a lot,

the Walter:O

sr jumbo - perhaps I can throw some light on the situation in answer your query. When Virgin were laying people off post 9/11, several of us who were rated on the 744 and below the redundancy cut wew interviewed by GSS and offered jobs. We were due to start early in 2002, but as G-GSSA took ages to put on the UK register, our start date got put back several times. However, as 2002 progressed - it appeared that our jobs with Virgin were likely to be safe and we wern't made redundant or put on unpaid leave, as the 744 had taken on most of the Classic's work and they couldn't afford to lose the 744 rated pilots. We also noticed that GSS was employing non type rated pilots ahead of us.

We suspected that as Virgin had realised that in the end that no 744 pilots would be made redundant, there was a 'no poaching' agreement between the chief pilots of the companys - as there often is in these events. It could be that the agreement (if there was one) is still in place.

Thanks, Dan, that may make a bit of sense...:suspect:

Chaps - an amendment to the e-mail addy I gave for Janine. To avoid blocking up her regular company mailbox (she does have duties other than recruiting!), please use [email protected]

Thanks

An informed novice
 

Apologies for resurfacing this thread after almost a year but I am but a stain on the y-fronts that is this business holding a puny FAA CPL/IR on 250 hours.

This post combined with one written by Pilot Pete and another by Localiser has convinced me I made the right decision back in January.

Its for that reason I now ask (please be aware of me viginity here) but can I assume the the relief/cruise/2 stripe pilots on the virgin fleet can expect to have the same minimum number of hours to be accepted?

The Virgin website states that 1000 hours jet experience required on BAe 146 or heavier.

The days of cruise pilots are gone and you have to join as a F/O.

You will not get a job at Virgin without at least 4000 hours, mostly on commercial jets (or military equivalent). We do not employ second officers or cruise pilots, nor do we run a cadet system.

You also need a JAA/CAA ATPL (not frozen).

So in essence you have to have accumulated quite a few hours with another airline, getting a few years of seniority under your belt and then there is a chance you move to Virgin and then start as being the two-tab 3rd pilot on a 747, only logging a fraction of the hours? Granted on a 747 and nice stay overs as Virgin only tend to go to the nice places in the world.

I'm beginning to see the value in a very good marketing/brading strategy by the Vir Atlantic execs :)

Don't get me wrong, currentlty I think if I was at that stage I'd be all over it if I had 4,000+, time will tell however.

Also would anyone currently working with Virgin please share with us who they use for type ratings? Just on the off chance I win the lottery

What is a 'two tab third pilot'? We employ first officers, not skivvies. When you go on line in this company, you are fully qualified on your aircraft type, and will operate on two-man, three-man, or four-man crews as required by your roster. You will operate as P1u/s (PF) from day one - when it's your turn. I repeat: we do not employ second officers or cruise pilots.

What do you mean by 'who they use for type ratings'? We do our own training in-house.

I think your sojurn in the USA has given you a US-centric idea of how airlines work. The UK is quite different from the USA in many ways.

Two tab maybe. F/O's are fully p1u/s from day one. We only use third pilot on the B744 fleet for West coast USA and Havana. Airbus use three or four depending on route. Does the number of tabs on your shoulder give you a complex? Here, after two years you get a third tab. No difference in the amount of flying you do though.

You seem to assume that F/O's are not allowed to touch the controls or something. Rubbish. We get to operate most flights just two crew and do PF and PNF alternately. On three crew, decide between ourselves who does relief on one sector while other does either PF or PNF.

Type rating is done in house so you might as well save your money as Virgin don't sell type ratings. Different sims are used but mostly Braincrank. From next year we will have our own.

As for hours, we do 750 a year and that's contracted. Very nice thank you. I'm now off to meet the rest of the crew for a night out in SFO.

Edited to add the Dummies Guide to Rank ID:
1 Tab - Second Officer (None in VS)
2 Tabs - First Officer
3 Tabs - Senior First Officer
4 Tabs - Captain
5 Tabs - Senior Captain

But you knew all that already didn't you?

Scameron - What you refer too is the 'Second Officer' and it's already been pointed out that Virgin no longer have SO's However with an SO yes your right. Yes they do have a limited rating called a P2X where they can only occupy a window seat for the cruise and yes they can only log a fraction of the time spent at the controls and most to my knowledge have 1 bar. From what I know CX, SQ and QF are the main carriers that have Second Officers, that being said they differ insofar that QF allow the SO's to actually fly the aircraft above a certain height.

I am in the hold pool with Virgin and I can assure you (not that one has too) that when I went along to the interview along with the other 5 pilots we were all there to be interviewed as First Officers, nothing less!

With regards to Virgins marketing? Are you suggesting they are being underhand? I disagree totally with you as this is actually costing not saving them money. Second Officers obviously are on a lower salary so when you do on the odd occassion act as relief Virgin are having to pay a fully qualified FO.

So as you can see only on the odd occassion when there is 3 of you will one have to be relief, I mean is there any other way it can be? Is it at all possible for all 3 to sit on 2 seats for take off? :) You are not Relief all the time but just occassionaly and anyway is being relief such a big deal? I do it as a Senior FO 90% of the time for another airline at present so cant wait to get some MORE flying in at VS :)

Hope this helps :)

Jeesie Chressie, I never thought I would have got all this from what I thought was a relatively simple question, can I remind everyone of what I wrote:

QUOTE]I am but a stain on the y-fronts that is this business holding a puny FAA CPL/IR on 250 hours.[/QUOTE]

My reasoning behind the post is this, During my last trip from the UK to LAX I noticed there was a relatively young female pilot wearing 2 tabs, on getting back and discussing it with people here THEY referred to her role as a 'cruise or relief' pilot. Possibly the thinking behind this was a former instructor based where we are on 1,500 hours got accepted by Air Philippines as a cruise pilot on a 747 three months previously.

I wondered if this 2 tab pilot would be accepted on less hours because of (what I perceived as) less responsibility and time logged in the cockpit. I stand corrected. If I have upset anyone because of this I apologise, I can only blame my expose to the aviation industry so far as being the inside of a Seneca II, a C172SP, Archers and Warriors.

I don't think where I do my training makes any difference to what I understand of airline operations. Its not part of the CPL/IR syllabus no matter where you study.

But isn't this what PPRuNe is all about, the ignorant are informed by the knowledgeable? Would you tell off a 4 year old for suggesting 'one plus five is fifteen?' In aviation terms I am that 4 year old when compared to a lot of you.

I don't apologise for not knowing what 'P1u/s' is what is defined by a 'sector' or the two letter identifiers for airlines etc. at my current level of education. However I am more than happy and welcome the opportunity to learn.

As for Virgin's marketing, no need to read too much between the lines, there is nothing to find. My opinion on Virgin is that its portrayed as being a 'fun' cutting edge employer, people aspire and warm to it, hence the amount of people who want to work there. That combind with their list of destinations, pretty cool places for the most part.

What they convey is that Virgin is the cheeky upstart, fighting the monstrous BA, funky, entertainment orientated, young, fun and vibrant - Isn't that what they try to put across to the general public? In the same way my friends in London who work in telly aspire to work for MTV, Architects want to work for Norman Foster and travel writers want to work for the Lonely Planet guides.

I also thought Virgin may have contracted out their TR's to another company as I was unaware if they had their own simulator or capability.

Sorry, you do seemed to have reaped the whirlwind!

When Virgin pilots refer to a 'relief pilot', we're talking about the First Officer (or sometimes a Captain) who is operating as third pilot on a sector (single flight) that requires three pilots due to flight duty time limitations. On these sectors, one pilot will operate as Pilot Flying (PF), one as Pilot Non-Flying (PNF) and one as relief. PF and PNF operate together for take-off and landing. The relief pilot will occupy one of the seats for the middle two thirds of the flight, while either PF or PNF is getting their head down. There will always be two pilots on duty.

I am operating as relief pilot on the Los Angeles flight I'm currently on. As this is a training flight for a captain who has been reassigned from the B747-200, I get the dubious pleasure of operating relief both ways. Normally, I would get relief one way and PF or PNF the other.

P1u/s is a CAA logbook designation for a First Officer operating as PF. It stands for First Pilot Under Supervision.

As for being a 'cheeky upstart', Virgin celebrated 21 years in business this year. I think we've moved on from that image now, though we still try to be fun and entertainment-focussed. Well, on the Airbus at least.

Virgin has always operated its own training system. Initially (21 years ago), Vigin used recently-retired ex-BA TRI/TRE pilots to start the training system. Currently, the training department includes something like 100 pilots. Ground training is carried out at Virgin's 'The Base' in Crawley. We don't have our own simulators at the moment; we use BA's for the B744, and GECAT and Lufthansa for the A340-300 and -600 respectively (though the training staff are always Virgin). From next year, we will have our own simulator complex at Burgess Hill, with both A340-600 and B747-400 simulators.

Hope this clears things up.

Scroggs

If you apply with a B757 rating and successful at interview, are you most likely destined for the 744 or is there a chance of getting onto the Airbus?

You could go to either type, but it will not be your choice.

Interviewing has resumed at the rate of three or four days a month at the moment, but we are now looking at courses well into 2006. The hold pool is being kept pretty full, though courses are pulling people out of it at a healthy rate. The delays are, from your point of view, frustrating, I know, but that's the way the company wants to run it.

It's the same salary irrespective of your previous type. VS do not charge you for a rating by paying a reduced salary to cover the cost.
The main difference would be the bond i assume, however i'm not sure about that either. I joined as an A330 pilot and just did a short CCQ course but was still bonded for the full amount. Not a problem if you're not planning to leave in the first three years of course.

There is no difference, either in bond or pay.

Hi there Scroggs, 8000 hrs total, 5000hrs jet over 40 tons, no bus time though. Been updating CV for the last 3 years every few months this time around and still no whisper of an interview.

Should I send Janine some flowers?;)

Try a box of Chockies, being the festive season and all that.:ok:

A box of choccies may work, who knows?! As for individual circumstances, I can't say why one individual is selected for interview and not another. All I would say is look very critically at your CV - and get someone else to do it too. If it's not crystal clear, limited to a single page, and has your experience and contact details clearly decipherable, you won't stand a chance!

This only applies to those who applied using a CV and are keeping it up to date (only once a year please, unless there are very significant changes!). All new applicants must apply online.

Scroggs

Re: Virgin Questions
 

Hi whats th take home pay these days for a year 1 FO. Looked back to 2004 and found a figure of £2500 but this must have gone up by now?
Many Thanks

Re: Virgin Questions
 

After paying 7% into pension, around £3000 give or take.

Re: Virgin Questions
 

The current starting pay for a Virgin FO is £54,869 including profit-related pay for the contracted 750 hours per year. This entire amount is pensionable. What you take home depends on your personal tax situation and the extent of your pension contributions.

Re: Virgin Questions
 

F/O basic salary is 44,624. Basic plus variable equates to 54,869. Variable rate is 13.66 per hour, so if you do the full contracted 750 hrs then you will achieve the figure of 54,869. Would imagine this would be achieved plus or minus 50 hrs.
Captains basic salary is 74,291. 750 hrs multiplied by the variable rate of 21.00 per hour equates to a basic plus variable of 90,041.
Captains have 14 increments and F/o's have 16. A bit more info than you asked for but sure others are interested. Rgds.

Re: Virgin Questions
 

Those figures are entirely up to date as of 6 January 06. Virgin does not pay 'per diem' rates, but pays subsistence allowances at rates appropriate to each destination. The profit-related element of pay has protections built in to ensure that you will receive the full amount even if the company has not rostered you the full 750 hours yet you were available. You cannot exceed your contracted hours (with a little flex) without your agreement, and there are contingency (overtime) pay arrangements for that circumstance.

Command pay rates are irrelevant to this forum as Virgin Atlantic do not employ direct-entry captains. Therefore the earliest such rates would be relevant to readers here is 7 to 9 years from now, assuming current time to command continues (this has been discussed on other threads).

Re: Virgin Questions
 

How silly of me, thanks for pointing that out scroggs. Rgds.

Re: Virgin Questions
 

Scroggs,

Of course Captain's pay is relevant to this forum - it gives anyone considering joining Virgin AN IDEA of how much extra they will be earning as a Captain in 9 years. Most guys I know check out the Captain's payscale when looking at a prospective new employer - (nearly) everyone wants to get in to the LHS eventually right?:ok:

Cheers

Re: Virgin Questions
 

Thanks for some excellent, informative posts here guys. I start with Virgin on 13th March and frankly can't wait !:ok:

Getting an interview with Virgin?
 

Does anyone out there have any infomation about getting an interview with Virgin (in Australia)? I've heard you have to know a few captains to even get a look in, is that true?

Sorry, wasn't meant to be a put-down!

Yes, true enough. I was a bit hasty in saying that the command payscale is irrelevant. I was really trying to make the point that they are a bit meaningless as command is a (relatively) long way away for any new joiner - and a lot can happen in the intervening years. In any case, you can make a reasonable judgement of the airline's pay rates from knowing the starting pay, and whatever extras and increments there are. Command pay is rarely less than 40-50% greater than FO's pay in the majority of airlines, and Virgin is no different.

Although I have just in fact applied for a Direct Entry Command with Virgin -

Virgin Galactic that is :ok:

Virgin Atlantic infos
 

Good day to all of you,

does anybody have an idea of where I can find infos concerning Virgin Atlantic recruitment process?

It seems like they have flight deck vacancies...

many thxs

Regards,
14L