Recruitment and Selection Process for Virtual SATA Pilot

1. Introduction
After a period of apparent inactivity, SATA Virtual begins a new recruitment and training process for all Virtual Pilots who wish to join our virtual airline. We know that many of you have the desire to join SATA VA but we didn't want to open new admissions without being sure of the stability and reliability of the system that we have implemented in the last 2 years. Although still far from perfect, we have done our best to try to simulate Grupo SATA's operations through the remodeling of our website, with the creation of a virtual passenger system, a reformulation of the flight planning and allocation system, as well as the score system and finally an instruction and examination system that allowed us to be one of the first VA's in the world to be a VATSIM Approved Training Organization maintaining a real high standards but never neglecting the newcomer to our hobby who wants to learn in a healthy and friendly environment between people who dream with aviation. Despite much to be done, we believe that we have reached a minimum acceptable point of quality that allows us to open the doors to new members who wish to be part of this project. This Regulation will describe how this recruitment process will take place. Thank you all in advance for your interest, it is an honor to be able to welcome you and we hope to see you aboard our virtual aircrafts in the future.

2. SATA Virtual VATSIM ATO
Since 2021, SATA Virtual has been an ATO duly certified by VATSIM, making it possible to administer the training and respective certification of Virtual Pilots at VATSIM. This is already a step we are proud of, but it also adds to the responsibility for training and certifying our Pilots. Attention, it is the responsibility of the candidate to reach the required entry level, but we will have a team of instructors available, some of which are real Pilots to help you in your study and indicate the path you should follow. In this way, the recruitment process will automatically certify in VATSIM the applicants who complete the training and certification process administered here.
The certification called vFCL (or Virtual Flight Crew Licensing) is similar to the certification process of real commercial aviation Pilot, with the following licenses:

- vPPL - Virtual Private Pilot License (corresponding to VATSIM's P1 level);
- vIR - Virtual Instrument Rating (corresponding to VATSIM's P2 level);
- vCPL - Virtual Commercial Pilot License (corresponding to VATSIM's P3 level);
- vATPL - Virtual Airline Transport Pilot License (corresponding to VATSIM P4 level);

Only after this certification process, which will give rise to the virtual Piloting license, candidates will begin the Type Rating of the aircraft they wish to operate, and consequently, after this specific training, they will be members of SATA Virtual.

3. Vacancies
Due to the limitation of human resources in such a demanding training process, and being the first recruitment after SATA Virtual's certification as an ATO, we tend to be a little conservative and limit the number of vacancies according to our training capacity in order to guarantee quality training for all of you. Therefore, we limit recruitment to 35 candidates who will start the vFCL process.
The number of Type Rating slots also depends on the needs and capabilities of the existing fleet. Thus, in this recruitment we seek to fill 6 vacancies for Dash 8 and 9 vacancies for the Airbus A320/A321 fleet.

4. Selection Process
During the period during which the recruitment will be open, all applicants will be considered over the age of 13 in accordance with international law. Any detected attempt at multiple registration, whether under a common name, email or any other means, will void all applications from that candidate for a period not less than 6 months - no exceptions. All information is only for use in the databases and internal activities of Grupo SATA Virtual, not being sold or transferred to external entities.
We are also required by law to inform you that we will retain certain details relating to each member who applies to join our Virtual Airline. These are:
Name, email address, IVAO / VATSIM pilot number, IP address at the time of registration. We never sell or provide your data to third parties unless required by law. We will never send you unsolicited emails. If you do not agree, you cannot apply.
Any Virtual Pilot who applies will have access to a copy of the Pilot Admission Handbook (PAH) which will contain all the necessary information on how the entire training and certification process for Pilots works.
Priority will be given to Pilots already certified with a minimum of P4 in VATSIM, or who are real Pilots with CPL(A), according to the equivalences foreseen in the PAH who do not need vFCL training. In this way, these Pilots will pass directly to the Type Rating training as well as occupy the respective vacancies and will be ordered in the following order:

1. Real Pilots with ATPL(A);
2. Real Pilots with CPL(A);
3. Virtual Pilots with VATSIM level P4;

Real Pilots in the same category will be sorted by age, with the oldest being ranked first. Virtual Pilots with VATSIM level P4 will be ranked by their Type Rating average, with the highest average ranked first, and so on.
The remaining candidates will have to start their theoretical training and will be ranked after the Pilots mentioned above, and among them they will be ranked by a weighted average of 1 to 5 of all the exams they take. Theoretical exams whose grade is given by percentage will be converted to a grade from 1 to 5, with a grade from 0% to 49% equivalent to 1, from 50% to 69% equivalent to 2, from 70% to 79% equivalent to 3, from 80% to 89% equivalent to 4 and finally above 90% equivalent to 5.
Candidates at the end of the theoretical exams will be sorted by the following criteria:
1st - Maximum exam level they managed to reach (P1, P2, P3, or P4);
2nd - Average of the respective exams.
In this way, candidates will be sorted by type of exam, as well as by their respective grades. Vacancies to proceed to the practical vFCL will be filled in the order of each candidate, with candidates who have reached the P4 level will be called first, followed by the P3, P2 and P1 level candidates, successively until all vacancies are filled. Candidates who fail an exam and want to try a second time will be ranked after all those who did not need a second attempt.
Candidates who are unable to fill a vacancy will be offered a scholarship to complete the vFCL as soon as SATA Virtual's human resources become available.
To proceed to the Type Rating training, candidates must reach the P3 or vCPL level in SATA Virtual. If candidates are unable to complete the Type Rating or vFCL certification, the next candidates will be called in the order already determined.

5. Training and Certification
For the theoretical vFCL certification, it is expected that the candidate will be able to reach the desired levels through consultation and self-study, and SATA Virtual will provide support through its instructors through Discord, email or WhatsApp. This support is purely informative and with the aim of guiding the candidate so that he can easily understand the required objectives. For the practical vFCL certification, a dedicated instructor will be assigned to each candidate who will be able to support the candidate until they take their exam. The examiner cannot be the instructor who accompanied the candidate until the moment of certification. The vFCL certification in no way depends on the Type Rating, being two completely different certifications, the Type Rating falling outside the scope of the VATSIM certification, being a training and certification, still, completely autonomous from VATSIM.

6. Minimum requirements
All applicants must be over 13 years of age in accordance with international law. For practical certification, the candidate is required to have a flight simulator with the possibility of connecting to the FS-Flight Control system with remote control of meteorology and aircraft systems, ie, P3D or X-Plane. The latest MSFS cannot be considered at the moment due to limitations of the simulator itself. The remaining requirements are described in the PAH.

7. Duration
This PAB (Pilot Admission Board) or recruitment will be open to candidates for 15 days, with the candidate having 21 days to take the first theory exam, and another 60 days to attempt a second attempt.

8. Candidate Scholarship
Candidates who successfully complete the certification with a level of vIR/P2 or higher will be placed on the scholarship and will have priority in future recruitmet.