GPS,
I'm guessing your 1st language is not English. Anyone who has read any of my other posts will know that I am no stickler for accuracy in spelling or punctuation but your mistakes seem to be 'foreign'. Please forgive me if I am wrong but things like 'your' instead of 'youre'...?
Anyway my point is that I can see your frustration at the language tests but I can also see why they are there. I can speak French and German but would never want to fly in those languages because I would be scared of missing something, overlooking an inference, making a simple error. Especially in a stressful situation I know I would be disadvantaged compared to an able native speaker. Air France would fail me on their tests and rightly so. Considering the need for accurate communication in a two man flight deck language ability, I believe, should rank highly in the list of selection criteria.
As for the tests being biased, thats the whole point! I know it may seem unfair but what else do you expect them to go on. The pilots of the past have an excellent safety record and the airlines have been happy with them. Thus, quite reasonably, they are keen to find people of a similar disposition to replace the ones that retire.
You say the tests are paradoxical, without quibling over your word choice you seem to mean that one doesn't answer correctly because one thinks too much, has insecurities, whatever. That, I'm afraid, is your problem not theirs. All these tests come with instructions something along the line of answer quickly and do not dwell on your reply - the aim of this being to 'force' you to answer truthfully. Its a limitation but if you can think of a better way someone will probably give you a DPhil.
As for not being able to procure the tests, thats just wrong. Almost all tests are published with the exception of MicroPat and a few that are used in medical selection I believe. The profiles companies use are not published, obviously, because this would invalidate them entirely. Companies are however quite willing to clarify the qualities they want in a pilot, my guess is that these will be incorporated into the profiling...draw your own conclusions.
Dreams and aspirations, why should the airline care! They have no interest in fulfiling you childhood dreams, they want good pilots! OK so there is a sub argument that someone who wants to do the job does it better but its hardly the crux of the matter is it now.
You say testing is absurd and elitist, I would reply: how else can you approach meritocracy? You also say its antiquated, its only been here a few decades and its still being developed! Try finding a UK commercial psych test from 1980 and compare to 1990, its a growth area and for better or for worse one that is here to stay.
You say motivation is not looked into, it seems to me that the first question you are asked is normally 'so why do you want to be a pilot?' and it also forms the basis of later interviews!
You say selectors should test aircraft knowledge but why? I agree that any would be pilot should know that a 777 is twin engined and that airbuses have sidesticks but as for what the FRD784's energy requirement at 234 cycles is, it matters not. They want capable managers with an ability to learn (oh and being able to fly helps too), not fact fillled anoraks at the end of airport runways with limited verbal ability and the likely concommitant lack of social skills.
As for money versus pleasure of flying, that sounds like a new thread but in todays society its only natural to try to get the best paid version of the job you want to do. Also money never matters, so long as you have it...
Finally you seem to be a bit confused as to the distinction between the psych profiling and the aptitude testing; remember that psych tests will rarely knock you out, they only want to exclude nutters and hermits.
I think thats it, sorry if it seeems harsh and yes I probably should start to put smiley, winky, blushy things in my posts.
Good luck to all.
[This message has been edited by Ric (edited 04 April 1999).]