Jobs up North - Interviews

[shnev]

:) Hi, I'm going to be moving up north in the very near future and trying for jobs with operators in Broome and Kununurra. I've done all my homework but only one thing remains - how can you prepare for the interview and check-flight once your invited to do so?

I've been told to study charts and know the Kimberly CTAF area's and characteristics of the Broome MBZ. Are check flights the general lingo - ie, stalls, turns, different configurations, PFLs, emergency gear extension?

I haven't found any threads on this topic. No need to cover other topics on moving up north because its been done to death ;)

Thanks for your help

sh :p

[Mr. Hat]

Thats a great question.

Generally anywhere you go for a job will get you to do at least 2 steep turns (left and right) 1 pfl and 1 stall.

My only tips- look outside for the steep turn and not at the ai. I know thats really obvious but once you have been away for a while you tend to try and reinvent the wheel.

Interviews - learn frequencies rwy direction- have a biit of a look at the local stuff. Try and pick up some stuff on the company (history, a/c..so on). Don't go too far though - no need.

Know the law that applies to the operation. No use learning 20.7.1B for a scenic job right! Know the passenger carrying stuff..pax briefing and so on. Other than that look em in the eye firm handshake neat shirt and pants and no tie.

Good luck

[tinpis]

Your bar tending skills will come in handy my boy.

:p

[AerocatS2A]

In Broome it'd probably help a lot to go for a flight as a pax, or maybe go up to the tower (if you can) and just listen to how the radio works on the MBZ.

[tinpis]

or maybe go up to the tower (if you can) and just listen to how the radio works on the MBZ.

" Plane 54...plane 54...come in over...your time is up! "

[shnev]

Cheers Tinny, I plan on using the ol' pub skills up there to pay my way until some flying comes about. Seems as if beer money will come to more than what flippin rent costs :}

Cheers for the advice, and people, don't hold back :ok: the more advice the better. I also don't have the pleasure of driving up, so I'm flying with whatever I need to 'sustain life' for at least a few weeks/months, and then I'll get other stuff sent up. Any comments on what is considered 'essential' to pack in the suitcase (apart from the obvious - licence, logbook, headsets etc)..

:cool: shnev

[Travelair]

Some typical areas of questioning I´ve encountered:
Describe xxxx system of the plane you have flown the most/least...

3 good/bad aspects of yourself

a problem you´ve encountered and how you solved it

if you mess up in a flight, what do you do? (dont know the right answer, but i´ve been told to not make stories up:D )

my favourite: why did you start flying? duh!

what is your username in pprune (I´ve been asked that!)

why do aeroplanes have sweepback

what pilot maintenance can you perform in a charter IFR aircraft

what do you do if there is a bad knick in your 206´s prop out in the corner of nowhere?

be honest, and good luck

[Macrohard]

No need to cover other topics on moving up north because its been done to death

[tinpis]

Watever you do snev dont even admit you have HEARD of proon.

[redsnail]

Interview tips and tricks.

Know who you're dealing with.
Who's the boss, who's the chief pilot etc. (very important when out on the lash, if you see either of them, run!)
Know that company's niche/specialty.
Know their main area of operation, ie the bread and butter.
Know their fleet and who the main competitor is and why company X is "better". (naturally, reverse when being interviewed by company Y)
Why do you want to work for X?
What skills can you bring?
How can you make a scenic special? (assuming they do scenics etc)
How will you deal with X type of passenger?

Essentially, the boss wants to see if you are interested enough in his company and can you fit in with it.

Have a good idea about the a/c you fly now. Know the battery size, fuel load, pay load etc. Basic stuff a pilot ought to know.

Check ride can be any thing from a couple of circuits to a session out in the training area to SID-cruise/gen handling-STAR-ILS. It depends on the job of course. ;)

[kimberleypilot]

Yeah you could do all that!!!

Or you could just buy a bottle of Bundy and have a lazy one or two with the boys in Halls Creek ;)

Love da Boit Boit ;)

[MAXX]

I can honestly say after being a chief pilot up in that neck of the woods for a couple of years,(and it was many ,many years ago,just in case you think you know me)what we used to look for was a pilot with a good attitude and some common sense.

Flying the aircraft is but a small percentage of being a proffessional pilot,you can always take a young inexperience pilot with 200 hrs and teach them,but if the guy is a ******** you cant help that!!!

Best of luck job hunting,just remember to be yourself and never ever bull**** to a potential employer(trust me they know)

ps: and no im not one of the generals,for those who know what im talking about.

[shnev]

Just thanking all who gave me advice on this thread :)

Looks like it paid off ;)

[tinpis]

Didya get a job Scnev huh?:ok:

[shnev]

'yers' tinpis, got the job! :ok: going well :) 53 unemployed pilots in town now too (and growing - everyday).

[Nicad]

Well done shnev

So what did you have to do for your check flight and what do you suggest to study up on.

[shnev]

i'll try and fill in with as much info to help as possible.

depending on who you are and who you know will depend on where you will end up. if you know someone up in these regions to live with, obviously go there. because rent aint cheap and in some places, just accomodation is hard to come by!

as for me - broome was recommended to me. and thats it - i came here not knowing a single soul, got straight off the plane and into a backpackers. I got up in early december last year (as I heard pilot movement was high early on). it was upto me then to get road maps, find my way around, where and who all the operators are. found work in 2 different hospitality places and worked 2 and a half months, visiting the operators each week (bugging them etc..). it was also lucky that the head honcho's of the operation I'm flying for now came and bought there piss from the bottlo I worked in each week!

also recommended to me was getting time in C210. so before I left home i got about 20 hours in a C210. this also bumped my total time upto about 230hours. 20 hours in a C210, expensive yes. but at this stage 20hours in a C210 will do more good than 50hours in a partmafia!

Check flights etc.. It really depends on the operator. Mine consisted of just flying a single leg back from a community and doing one circuit. The interview was very informal, and some of the questions I was asked are as follows:

- you have an engine failure in the middle of the great sandy desert. assuming you land safely, how will you manage all five passengers once one the ground? would you move far away from the aircraft?

-answer the same question above but in this case assume you ditched in water. when do you instruct the passengers to inflate their lifejackets?

-take this life jacket and breif me completely on how to use it

-you see smoke in the cabin. what do you do? where is the fire extinguisher kept?

- a passenger in the front seat has a mental fit/seizure/go's wild/agro and is posing a real threat to the safety of the aircraft. What do you do? Would you get other passengers to assist you handle the situation?

after going thru with it I could just tell they don't wanna hire a complete idiot who doesn't think logically. every time you see them present yourself with enthusiasm and zest. really, you're not going to do well if your not prepared to work in other-than-aviation jobs and your not prepared to step into the unknown. after 2 weeks of living in town, you will know ALL the other pilots in town (employed and unemployed) and generally you will make friends with them all. they are all just like you and share the same dreams/thoughts/emotions.

lastly, enjoy it guys/girls! come up with a good couple grand in the bank as backup. Bring your good attitude and a willingness to have a few (too many) beers. on these threads you will find people saying how many bad experiences they've had and how much they hated it. ive had bad experiences since being here - and felt like backing my bags and going home. but the good times outweigh the bad - and its paid off now.

"Good things come to those who persevere when under trial" :ok: