Virgin America

Most recent captain interview experience with Virgin.

Build up to interview (year back or so):
Virgin HR: "Great, come on in for an interview, thanks for applying!"
Interview:
Virgin CP: "So I'm missing something on your resume, where's your jet experience?"
Mesaba CA: "I don't have anything for jet pic, just the Avro SIC time, but I've got about 3k hours in the Saab 340 Tpic and it's a challenging airplane."
Virgin CP: "Right, I don't think this is going to work out."
Not even a thank you or an apology.

Like Charlie Brown, this CA gets his -900 CA experience and updates resume.
Build up to second interview:
HR: "We had a spot open up for an interview, lets have you come in on such and such a date!"
Mesaba CA: "Great I'm so excited!"
Mesaba CA can't get time off so takes LOA for interview and, like everyone else, is prepared to pay for his hotel for the interview and training. ~week later....
HR: "Hey we can't do the day we said, just come in day after tomorrow."
Mesaba CA: "I'm afraid I can't do that, I want to make this work, do you have another date? I'd love to come out!"
HR: "Obviously your not really interested, take a leap off a cliff."

Good luck with the Virgin interview experience everyone! I know I can't wait to sign up for a quality group like this.
 
DE727UPS said:
Weird business. TPIC seems like a big deal, but if I got through training without any jet PIC, I would think anyone else should be able to.
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I agree.

Personally I went cargo to get that TPIC so I had it in my back pocket in case I got stuck as an FO somewhere. Sure it is currently in a BE-99 however many guys on hiring boards flew the BE-99 or SA-227 when they were flying at the commuter level. Gives something to talk about.
 
highspeed said:
For him, his ego and his pride won't let him see it fail.
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A quick review of Branson's past business ventures will show that to be false. Most of his businesses end up failing and being shut down. He's successful because the few successes he has are really big successes, and they cover for the plethora of failures. One need only look at Virgin Express, a small European airline that he started, very similar to Virgin America, to see how Branson will cut his losses and run when needed. He took huge losses and the airline was eventually absorbed by SN Brussels Airlines.
 
Sorry about your experience jynxjoe, but I personally know several people that have gone over there that only had experience flying the Brasilia. They all said it was one of the most enjoyable experiences they've ever had.
 
ATN_Pilot said:
A quick review of Branson's past business ventures will show that to be false. Most of his businesses end up failing and being shut down. He's successful because the few successes he has are really big successes, and they cover for the plethora of failures. One need only look at Virgin Express, a small European airline that he started, very similar to Virgin America, to see how Branson will cut his losses and run when needed. He took huge losses and the airline was eventually absorbed by SN Brussels Airlines.
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Still even with Virgin Express he didn't just let is shut down. The airline and its employees still had jobs at the end of the day. It's much different that what happened to skybus.
 
GypsyPilot said:
Sorry about your experience jynxjoe, but I personally know several people that have gone over there that only had experience flying the Brasilia. They all said it was one of the most enjoyable experiences they've ever had.
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Had plenty of your ex brasilia in the jumpseat going to SFO when we did those runs. Some of them like it some of them don't, they all seem like good people who want to a good job. I wasn't talking about the pilots though was I?

Any HR and CP (ex CP now) who jerks around the potential hires like that needs a reality check. You are virgin, you're not even Spirit, be nice. Leaving behind a Mesaba guy from the bankruptcy, I should say who could PUT UP with the scamruptcy, who still comes to work every day smiling because he's actually happy and full of life, is a silly move but one anyone can make. Jerking him around twice without apologizing? Clean up your act, apologize, do better. The guy I'm talking about is immensely popular at work and up where he's from (done about 5 marathons for charity) and is a shining star is a vast sea of angry bastards like myself. I just hope Southwest or someone good picks him up, he's an asset.
 
skyw82 said:
Still even with Virgin Express he didn't just let is shut down. The airline and its employees still had jobs at the end of the day. It's much different that what happened to skybus.
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Make no mistake about it, Branson wasn't looking out for his employees. It was just that his easiest way out happened to include a merger. Had no merger partner come along, those employees would have been screwed as he bailed out.
 
jynxyjoe said:
Most recent captain interview experience with Virgin.

Build up to interview (year back or so):
Virgin HR: "Great, come on in for an interview, thanks for applying!"
Interview:
Virgin CP: "So I'm missing something on your resume, where's your jet experience?"
Mesaba CA: "I don't have anything for jet pic, just the Avro SIC time, but I've got about 3k hours in the Saab 340 Tpic and it's a challenging airplane."
Virgin CP: "Right, I don't think this is going to work out."
Not even a thank you or an apology.

Like Charlie Brown, this CA gets his -900 CA experience and updates resume.
Build up to second interview:
HR: "We had a spot open up for an interview, lets have you come in on such and such a date!"
Mesaba CA: "Great I'm so excited!"
Mesaba CA can't get time off so takes LOA for interview and, like everyone else, is prepared to pay for his hotel for the interview and training. ~week later....
HR: "Hey we can't do the day we said, just come in day after tomorrow."
Mesaba CA: "I'm afraid I can't do that, I want to make this work, do you have another date? I'd love to come out!"
HR: "Obviously your not really interested, take a leap off a cliff."

Good luck with the Virgin interview experience everyone! I know I can't wait to sign up for a quality group like this.
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I know a guy in OE right now at VA who was a CA at Colgan on the Saab for a few years. He has never touched a jet. He does have over 1000tpic, check airman, military and a degree.
 
MikeD said:
Ill deflect some of that haterade for you.....

Having flown single-pilot and single-seat jets most of my life, my TPIC isn't much less than my TT. I don't see why it's so difficult for people to gain TPIC? Been gaining it from day 1 post-UPT in the jet.....

:)
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So were you flying some cute little caravan for the AF or something? :D Com'on now, we all know that piston multi is way better than single TPIC!
 
Speaking of those, the Caravan was fun back in the day! Flew them prior to the AF flying, 135 cargo. As well as the PA-31. Fun times!
 
I want to fly a caravan just once. Should be fun. The paddle props have got to make short field landings extremely fun.
 
any chance you can get to fly a turbo prop, DO IT! They are going away and the chance to fly them is going away.
You really learn how to fly in an older turbo prop. They don't have the fancy fms or glass setup and most are just rubber bands and cables.
Dare is say it makes you a better pilot?
 
skyw82 said:
any chance you can get to fly a turbo prop, DO IT! They are going away and the chance to fly them is going away.
You really learn how to fly in an older turbo prop. They don't have the fancy fms or glass setup and most are just rubber bands and cables.
Dare is say it makes you a better pilot?
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I do fly a T-prop :smoke: Sitting at over 300 hours of TPIC now. I believe that when I hop in a jet I will be bored out of my mind. Nothing more fun than getting slammed dunked into an airport and having no worries about stage cooling or flying a specific profile. NORCAL has been known to keep me 6000ft above some airports and clear me for the visual about 7 miles out. Definitely makes for a fun descent.
 
Yeah going back to the jet is going to be a vacation. I'll just hit the "go" button and wait 3 hours and having more block in hours in the day than legs will be nice as well. Always thought it was bad when I had 8 legs and it only gave me 6:30 in pay.
 
The jet is a snore fest. Slam dunk visuals are still fun, just no prop lever. CRJ-900 spoilers are a joke, but they make tons of noise (just like our reversers).
 
Maurus said:
I do fly a T-prop :smoke: Sitting at over 300 hours of TPIC now. I believe that when I hop in a jet I will be bored out of my mind. Nothing more fun than getting slammed dunked into an airport and having no worries about stage cooling or flying a specific profile. NORCAL has been known to keep me 6000ft above some airports and clear me for the visual about 7 miles out. Definitely makes for a fun descent.
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We can't QUITE do that, but we'll do 250 to the marker, which I'm told the CRJ can't do.

It's not much, but it's something! :)
 
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