Firstly : I agree WWW : ANSWER PERSONALITY TESTS HONESTLY
(a) Airlines do not want drones. Take a look at any airline, or even the RAF, there are MANY different personalities. It's true that the RAF attempt to 'mold' your personality to an extent during IOT (I know this is a gross over simplification, but it serves my point), but after 2 years everyone's true personalities come out again anyway. I know from my experience, EXCELLENT pilots who are quiet, slightly introverted, whilst others are the life and soul of the party and complete extroverts. I'm somewhere in between. And yes, all good pilots are insecure and 'scared' of flying - this is what keeps them safe. You need to be very confident in your abilities, but know your limitations. Over confidence leads to sloppiness, not doing checks, taking risks - NOT desirable in airline pilots. However, you also mustn't be under confident in your abilities, otherwise you will be indecisive. YES, there ARE certain traits airlines want, generallt slightly conservative people who don't break rules, have high integrity etc. are less likely to take risks and stack a plane. As long as you are not extreme, then you should 'pass' the test.
(b) If you try to answer 'as an airline pilot' you will come out strange and will get caught out be the 'truth questions' eg) do you ever lie? If you say NEVER, then you are lying! If you say 'not very often' you are probably normal.
(c) Its worth doing some of the personality tests in self test books available. I answered mine totally honestly and came out with 'manager / armed forces officer'. That really affirmed my faith in them. Try it, and try answering as an airline pilot and compare the results - I don't know the outcome, it would be interesting.
(d) If you really aren't the right person to fly a plane its probably best to find out now than on a windy night with a Captain you don't like when an engine fails on final approach! However, if you should know what sort of qualities are required to be a pilot, and you should know yourself well enough to make an assessment as to whether its the right job for you.
Finally, a basic desire to fly is one of the most important factors airline psychologists look for in pilots. This drives yourself to do the best and constantly improve at something we all find challenging. This is assessed mainly in the interview and in your c.v - has everything you've done so far been tailored to becoming a pilot? They don't want accountants who suddenly decide it might be fun to fly without knowing anything about it. You should be able to demonstrate this desire to fly with your qualifications etc. This is what gets you to the aptitude tests - everyone there will be the same in this respect.
Good Luck everyone, and remember, play the game, do the revision, and succeed.
[This message has been edited by Propellerhead (edited 04 April 1999).]