Virgin Atlantic’s Future Flyers Programme has opened for a second year, searching for the airline’s next generation of pilots. Last year the programme, which trains successful applicants with little or no previous flying experience, received more than 8,000 candidates competing for 12 spaces. Applications are now open via www.ctcaviation.com/virginatlantic for two weeks.
The CTC WINGS Multi-crew Pilot Licence (MPL) airline pilot career programme in partnership with Virgin Atlantic sees new recruits training on long-haul aircraft once they receive their licence. Current successful trainees from the 2015 application window, come from an eclectic mix of backgrounds; including a lab admin assistant, a ski instructor, a policeman and a credit controller.
Chief Captain Dave Kistruck, General Manager of Flight Operations at Virgin Atlantic commented, “We launched our Future Flyers Programme to demonstrate that a piloting career really is an option for everyone and looking at the spectrum of last year’s applicants, I think they agreed!”
Virgin Atlantic’s new trainees will initially be based in Southampton, at CTC Aviation’s headquarters. The 18-month programme comprises theoretical knowledge instruction and full motion flight deck simulation, along with flight training in Phoenix, Arizona.
Captain Graham Stokes will be presenting at Pilot Careers Live London on 7 November at the Sofitel Hotel, Terminal 5, London Heathrow – tickets are still available online, beginning at £5. Find out more at www.pilotcareerslive.com/london.
