3.4 Promotions
vAAirlines has decided to take a varying approach from the norm when it comes to promotions in the airline to help promote the core value of measuring by experience and knowledge to help create a truly immersive experience for our members.
Initial Placement
Your beginning group will be determined on your entrance exam score and will be either Group I or Group II as a First Officer. During the registration process you will indicate which one of the "initial type ratings" you would like to have for Group I or Group II. For example, if you were to indicate that you would like the E145 type rating for Group I or the B737 type rating for Group II and your entrance exam score is enough to be placed in Group II, you will begin as a Group II First Officer with a B737 type rating to start off. This will be known as your equipment program.
First Promotion
After completing 15 successful flight legs as a First Officer in aircraft available to you through your type rating specific aircraft in your equipment program, you will be able to request to begin the course for Captain upgrade. Qualifying flights may be completed in either primary or secondary aircraft associated with your type rating. For example, your B737 type rating allows you to fly the B737-800 and B737 MAX8 as primary aircraft as well as the B737-100, B737-200, B737-300 and 737-400 as secondary aircraft to work towards Captain in the B737 program. For more information about the available type ratings with their associated primary and secondary aircraft, please utilize the table in section 4.1.
Second Promotion - Next Higher Group/Additional Ratings
After successfully completing the upgrade course you will be promoted to Captain in your group (Group II Captain) with the same type rating (your equipment program will remain unchanged). You may now request additional type ratings in your group, or a previous group, or begin working towards the next higher group. If you obtain more type ratings in your group, or a previous group, your current rank will not change. For example, if you became a Group II Captain in the B737 equipment program and wanted to add the DC9 type rating, after successfully completing the course, you would remain a Group II Captain in the B737 equipment program and hold a type rating for both the B737 as well as the DC9 allowing you to fly any aircraft from either type rating equipment program primary or secondary aircraft. After reaching Captain in your group and completing 10 additional successful flight legs as such, you can begin to study for, and request, the First Officer written exam for the next group up if you wish. This will require you to select a specific equipment program to test into at the next group level. For example, after you have completed 10 more successful flights in any Group II equipment program aircraft that you hold a type rating for, you could request to take the Group III First Officer course for either the B777, B787, B757, A330, or DC10 equipment programs.
Optional - Check Pilot
There is also an optional Check Pilot rank available for each group reserved for those who have mastered their aircraft equipment program and would like to remain in that program with a special check pilot pay rate and badge awarded to their profile.
If you are unsuccessful with completion of any written exam, there will be a 5-calendar day “cooldown” period to allow you to study the material before attempting to take the exam again. Checkrides will be assigned only after successful completion of all flight and written exam requirements and will be assigned within 72 hours of request on a first come, first serve basis. See the table below for requirements to change between groups. Please allow up to 24 hours for new ranks to be assigned as they are manually entered into the system.
NOTE: All flights counting towards upgrade must be completed in the aircraft type assigned to the equipment group for which you hold a type rating. For example, a Group II First Officer in the A320 equipment program (pilot only holds the A320 type rating either through initial placement or upgrade from Group I Captain) must complete 15 flights in A320 type rating equipment group aircraft (Primary: A319, A320, A321, A321neo, A321 XLR or Secondary: None) to be eligible for upgrade. Group I flights do not count towards a Group II Captain upgrade. Historic fleet flights now count towards upgrade as long as they are flown in accordance with the appropriate type rating equipment program earned.