I thought everything was first class from the very outset of checking in at the airport to fly to Qatar. I was immediately upgraded to Business Class where the service felt like first class. It was a very nice and pleasant atmosphere the entire journey to Qatar. We arrived in Qatar very early in the morning and were met by two young ladies that escorted us thru the entire immigration process separate from other passengers. There was one other pilot on my flight and we both commented on the wonderful service provided by Qatar Airways. We stayed at the Rotana Oryx hotel not far from where we attended the first day of our screening. There were 6 of us. Two Captains and four FOs. We had one guy that was with us applying for the Qatar Executive business jet subsidiary.
The first day started out with a presentation of Qatar Airways followed shortly by a breakdown of all the pay and benefits. It was very comprehensive and relaxed allowing for questions and discussion. We each introduced ourselves with a short background.... i.e. Name, age, marital status, number of children and current company and aircraft.
Once that was done we handed over our logbooks and documents requested to the Pilots and HR personnel that were in the room. They explained that we would start the Tech exam soon.... also referred to as the 50 question ATP exam. Following that we would be invited individually back to the briefing room for further questions and interview. This interview was of course, provided you passed the 50 Question exam. I studied the question bank available on
http://www.latestpilotjobs.com This Qatar Airways Pilot Interview Preparation study material was very valuable and I feel it helped me pass the exam.
Following our exam we all waited in the lobby to be called in individually. I was one of the first pilots called back in and we went over logbooks and any questions they had regarding flight time entries etc... The two individuals conducting my interview were pilots at the airline and were extremely polite and reminded me we are all pilots just having a conversation. They put me at ease right away. Very professional and nice guys in general. They made it a pleasure to go through what can be a very stressful situation.
Questions were very straightforward with no gotcha questions at all. One gentleman asked the questions while the other gentleman made notes about my answers. They wanted as much detail as possible in order to check off the required questions they had to ask. For example.... explain in detail the most difficult situation you've had as a pilot? Like an onboard emergency and the like. They wanted to hear about the CRM with other crew members including flight attendants, FO, with ATC, company dispatch and the outcome of the event. Again drag out the details = means less questions if those items are discussed or mentioned during the question answer period. Many of these questions are found on
http://www.latestpilotjobs.com Once they were satisfied with the interview they told me to wait in the lobby and they would call me back in. About 5 minutes later they called me back in to congratulate me on a successful interview and gave me a letter inviting me to the simulator evaluation the following day.
We lost one of the applicants during the interview process. Not sure as to why, but now we were 5 candidates. We all met the following day at 6:15pm for the bus ride over to the Qatar Airways Simulator & Training center not far from our hotel. Don't forget to bring your passport as you will need it to get your temporary security ID to wear around your neck while in the building. Once we arrived we met the simulator instructors that were going to give us our sim check. We were divided up by type and split off for our briefing. They informed us that we would be operating as a crew for the check ride and were told to use our current airline procedures. That was a real good break for us since procedurally it was seamless. It was definitely a workout and challenging at the same time. We are both type rated and were treated like we were doing our PC check.
The aircraft was put on runway 34R at Doha with engines running. We were told to do a normal takeoff briefing to include performance and told he would act as Tower, Departure, Cabin crew, Company Dispatch.....etc .. We did not require headsets and didn't change frequencies, but just spoke out loud as if we were.
We ran thru the briefing including the usual rejected takeoff brief and Engine failure after takeoff stuff. We briefed straight out to 3000 feet for engine failure. Specific accel height is 1500' in Doha.
I started out:
Normal Takeoff following the SID and once the aircraft was cleaned up and my autopilot was engaged ... Radar vector.
TCAS showed an aircraft at only 500' above at 12 o'clock closing. I requested a turn to the right .... unable. Requested turn to the left..... unable. Ok here we go... TCAS alert "Descend, Descend" Auto pilot off followed the PFD guidance. Notified ATC and once clear of the conflict we climbed back up to our previous altitude assigned.
Ding Dong.... Cabin crew..."Captain we have a sick passenger that maybe having a heart attack" Are there any doctors onboard. "NO" any other medical personnel onboard. "NO" Does the passenger have anyone traveling with them that may have knowledge of the passenger's medical history. "NO" Ok now we'll coordinate to return to DOHA... we'll call you back and we'll make a PA. Prepare the cabin for a return to DOHA. I share this with you because they want you to use all your resources .... I didn't get caught up with a call to dispatch to speak with a doctor on call since the cabin crew believed that the passenger was having a heart attack and was unconscious. Close to the airport --- return to base. We notified ATC and confirmed the weather and set up for an approach... Weather was good, performance was good and well below max landing weight. Radar vectors for ILS 34 R.... briefed approach advised the tower to have medical personnel waiting for the passenger. On downwind he turned off the flight directors for a raw data ILS approach into Doha. Short final..... ATC calls "Go Around" After the takeoff checklist and a request to return to Doha for another approach due to the medical emergency he said that scenario was over.
We then repositioned back on the runway and the FO got a chance to do a normal takeoff with Radar Vectors for ILS approach 34R using raw data from the downwind. ATC "Go around" after Takeoff Checklist complete. Repositioned back onto the runway for a normal takeoff 34R. As we prepared for the takeoff the instructor reached up and turned of the TAC ... Here we go ... manual trim... My takeoff.... V1, Vr, Engine Fail..... After evaluation - normal engine fail all the way up to restart the engine. I placed the autopilot on after getting some trim in and rudder pedal still applied .... about 10 units. Ok Engine will not restart according to the instructor. Straight ahead to 3000 feet on the engine failure. Engine failure checklist and after takeoff checklist complete...Requested radar vectors back to the airport.... ILS 34 R - GS out of service.... Non-ILS app. LOC & VNAV - Set-up briefed performance checked - Repositioned just 2.7 miles outside the FF with flaps up speed and a clean machine... Autopilot engaged ... OFF freeze.... Flaps 1, 5, gear down flaps 20 ... before landing checklist.... Remember still single engine. On short final and with autopilot disengaged at 100' ... ATC "Go Around" not again!! Single engine go around with flaps 5. Requested straight ahead to 3000' negative level off at 1500' After clean up and after takeoff checklist complete. Radar vectors for another approach. Autopilot fails and disconnects now weather has improved .... on the downwind for 34R cleared the visual approach report established on final to 34R.... on base 12 kt tailwind .... adjusted for the early turn so as to not overshoot. Still single engine.... 12 to 15 knot crosswind that turned into about a
4 to 5 knot crosswind. Landed .... FO 's turn.... a repeat of what I did without the drama ... Engine fail, Non-ILS 34R, Missed approach.... Vectors for the visual single engine and landing. Great job FO. Lots of hand flying and head work, CRM. Situational awareness is also a big part of the check ride.
Whew!!! .... at the gate .... shut her down boys.... you'll be notified as to the result and offer in about 2 to 3 weeks..
Good luck and all the best to all of you on your screening.