However to play devils advocate there was a time when they put ads in the paper and scraped Pilots off the street with PPL to fly 747's, albeit F/E but I dunno exactly how it went.
1998 basic qualifications for a United Airlines Flight Officer.
The individuals we seek must be at least 21 years old, high school graduates, and have the legal right to employment in the United States. In addition they must possess:
350 hours of flight experience in a fixed-wing aircraft as command pilot or copilot.
FAA commercial pilot certificate (ASEL or AMEL) with instrument rating.
Second-class FAA medical certificate with the ability to obtain first-class certification.
Height sufficient to operate all controls in our aircraft, as well as a proportionate weight.
Prior to receiving a job offer, candidates must possess a FAA flight-engineer certificate or have passed the FAA flight-engineer written examination (FEB and FEJ or FEX) that would be in effect when empolyment commences.