Chief Pilot Interview

[SuPeRcHaRgEd]

I am preparing to undertake a Cheif Pilot interview with CASA for a company that flies twins.
I would like to hear from anyone who has done the same recently so I can prepare as best I can. I would like to have an insight into questions asked and what was involved in the flight test.

Thanks

[HEALY]

check PM's mate

[Continental-520]

Haven't done it for a multi engine operation, but if mine was anything to go on, it was a walk in the park. More like a friendly conversation rather than an 'interview'.

Questions revolved mainly around the ops manual for the company/aoc that you're operating under and a few hypothetical scenarios, etc. E.g. "What would you do in this situation: ... ... "

I didn't get flight tested either cause I'd done my MECIR initial issue test the week before the interview, so that was considered a sufficient substitute, indicating that a flight test would be much the same as a renewal, perhaps.

Hope this is of help mate.


520.

[Icarus2001]

SuPeRcHaRgEd if you have a look at www.casa.gov.au you will find that the checklists and forms used by CASA FOIs are published there. These will assist you.

[engine out]

I did the CP/CFI interview a few years ago and had the worst eight hours of my life. It took them that long of questioning before they decided I didnt have enough hours to be the CFI to meet the schools AOC requirements. This I found amusing since I had sent them my log book details a week before.

The questioning was fairly standard though some pretty tricky duty time questions (harder than ATPL ones). Apparantly it is bad form to miss calculate one and give somebody 30minutes to much time off. I agree it means I have missed calculated a duty time but I have not broken any rules in doing so. I also got in trouble because I could not remember a CAO number of the top of my head even though I had listed everything it contained. It was CAO 20.6 if you were interested.

Most questions were to do with practicle scenarios, the what would you do if. Plus stuff on Ops manual, your responsibilities, at the instrument test form. All I can say is know your books inside out and where to find stuff.

After all this and being told I couldnt be a CFI the CASA officer asked whether I still wanted to do the flight plan, well more insisted I did for the CP part of the interview. This was a straight forward charter type scenario and should be know problem for anyone with a CPL. Never got to the flight test but the pilot who took the position did a basic Instrument renewal type flight, though he couldnt get the engines started as he was new to type but still managed to pass with a different FOI.

Funny how the world works.

[questil]

Did mine about 5 yrs ago
it was for a twin operation with 2 a/c a chieftan and a seneca 2, innitially i only had 40 hrs twin and was given a dispensation for frieght only for 50 hrs (this is obviously not practical for an established organisation) anyway day one was scenarios based on the ops manual so know your operation, caos. a flight plan was required and was straight forward
this stage took 7 hrs and was full on

day 2 was the flight test which got canned due to a cowling screw not sitting flush, it was thus written up in the mr and an engineer had to come over from parafield at an hourly rate to put a new fastening screw in, the ops manager argued that we could have done that but it had to be signed off as it was written up but if we had not written it up we could have done it, but we had to write it up as it was unairworthy??

then the flight test was like an ir initial with circuits preceeded with a 3hr q and a on ifr rules and regs.

i failed the 1st attempt doing the ndb being out by 6 deg or there about i couldnt tell as it was moving quite a bit (coastal refraction me thinks)

so then i had to retrain and given unspecific guidelines, so 4 or 5 sorties later (when the private instructor thought i was ready and lots of money later, although it was good training) i passed and then did some good flying with a low press ops manager was good flying and helped me get my twin command to get into the regionals

i treated the the lead up process like a full time job just studying and making notes for 6 weeks prior to the test, may have been overkill but would have got it first time had i not stuffed up the ndb (well i thought i did ok) the foi involved was one of the more difficult ones i have had to deal with (notorious adl chap with a bit of a hitler attitude and sensed he enjoyed the stick e was able to yield)

[Continental-520]

Um, if I were you, I'd be getting the company to bear ALL expenses associated with obtaining your CP/CFI approval, so long as you don't have any expired ratings that you'll need for the job.

After all, THEY are the ones who need the CP/CFI, right?
My company paid for mine, but I didn't go for a flight test. If they had though, I would've insisted they pay for it.

520.

[tinpis]

Make sure there are no flies in the twin.