CX SO Gouge (Initial Interview)

[Pitot Probe]

Hi All

Most of the Interview Gouge Posts are closed, so here goes

Applied for : CX DESO

I wont bore you with the set-up and logistics as they were the same as previous interviews, but here is the questions...(not in original order)

Personal Questions
1. Tell me about your current work situation.
2. Describe your normal workday.
3. How do you find giving instruction?
4. Tell me about three highlights of your career.
5. And two not so nice times?
6. What does your wife do?
7. How does she feel about moving to Hong Kong?
8. What will she do there?
9. Do you have any contractual obligations?
10. How much notice must you give your current employer?
11. How many people live in HK?
12. What languages do they speak?
13. What religion is common in HK?
14. What cities in Europe does CX fly to?
15. What is CX’s longest route? How long?
16. How long is a flight between HK and Sydney?
17. How many aircraft does CX have?
18. Which types?
19. Where are the 747-400BCFs being converted?
20. Why do you want to join CX?
21. Who else did you apply to?
22. Why did you not apply to anyone else?
23. Why do want to leave your current employer?
24. When did you decide to leave the military for an airline job?
25. What will you do if you are unsuccessful in your application?
26. What do you offer CX?
27. What sort of housing do you expect to live in once you move to HK?
28. What sport do you do?
29. What are your hobbies?
30. Will you be able to do these in HK?
31. How many pilots fly for CX?
32. What do you expect to do on your first day as SO?
33. How long do you expect to be an SO?
34. Does this not bother you?
35. Who is the Director Flight Operations?
36. What does CX offer you as pilot?
37. What does “cathay” mean?

Technical Questions
1. What aircraft model is this? (747-400)
2. Why does it have swept wings?
3. What are the negative aspects of a swept wing?
4. How do the designers compensate for this?
5. How does CofG affect - Range
- Stall Speed
- Vmca
- Vmcg
6. Within the TO flap range, will you use more or less flap for TO on a shorter runway?
7. How does more flap affect Vmca?
8. Where are the fuel tanks in a 747?
9 Why are they removing the stabilizer tank in the 747-400BCF?
10. How do designers compensate for mach tuck?
11. What problems are experienced when flying polar routes?
12. 45 knot wind, 30degrees from the left. What is the crosswind component?
13. Track 230, hdg 222. What will be your heading to maintain the reciprocal?
14. What effect does dihedral have on stability?
15. How do you prevent dutch roll?
16. What type of yaw damper would you find on a 747?
17. What is the lat and long for HK?
18. If you bug-up 10kts on final approach, by how many percent will your landing distance be increased?
19. How do winglets work?
20. Why are there no winglets on the 777?

Hope this helps!

[Macgyver]

Thanks for posting. Out of curiosity, what was your experience (total time, etc)?

Good luck!

[Macgyver]

Also, I was wondering how you answered the following of those questions:

-Where are the 747-400BCFs being converted?

-How does more flap affect Vmca?

-Why are they removing the stabilizer tank in the 747-400BCF?

Thanks again.

[Pitot Probe]

Thanks for posting. Out of curiosity, what was your experience (total time, etc)?
Good luck!

TT: 2500
Twin/Tri Jet: 300
Twin Turbo Prop: 300
Single Turbo Prop: The rest

Also, I was wondering how you answered the following of those questions:
-Where are the 747-400BCFs being converted?
-How does more flap affect Vmca?
-Why are they removing the stabilizer tank in the 747-400BCF?
Thanks again.

1. BCF's: Found this thread : http://www.boeing.com/news/feature/paris07/assets/bgs-facts/BCA/bck%20Boeing%20Converted%20Freighters.pdf
I could not remeber it was in Xiamen, so I just said that its somewhere in China. They seemed content and moved on.

2. The gentleman was grilling me with questions on how CofG affects certain things and I was nailing them fairly easily and quickly. He then said that he'll ask me something that he's sure I wont know and threw the Flap vs Vmca at me. And he was right. I said I dont know and he smiled and just said "finally, something you can go work out yourself." and then moved on. :rolleyes:

3. I gave some made-up answer about it being easier to control the position of the CofG in a cargo plane vs a pax aircraft by carefull loading and hence no need for a stabilser tank to control CofG with. Although he seemed happy with it, I beleive my answer to be incorrect. :ugh:
Firstly, and Im out on a limb here... I understand that the stab tank in the 747 is not so much about CofG movement as it is about extra fuel. In a cargo plane extra fuel is not as important as extra cargo as the extra cargo does not mind stopping over in Vancouver to take on more fuel...;)
I might be wrong off course.

[PEETEESIX]

Hi all also wondering, if anyone has info on the exact structure of the second interview. Already have some, but have differing info. Their own brief wasn't very helpful. From what I can gather there is a Sim ride, interview, psycho test, medical, group exercise and cocktail party. Is there a Maths test?

Cheers in Advance!

6er:)

[Pitot Probe]

Hi All
Just had the good news!!! Starting as SO next year.
For the sake of being consistent, here is some questions I got in the final interview. Please note that this list is not exhaustive.
Some questions are type specific.
My interviewers spend a lot of time getting me to talk about adapting from my current type(s) to a wide-bodied jet.
Also beware: everything I mentioned was jumped upon and turned into the next question. So, if you dont know details about something, dont mention it :ouch:

FINAL INTERVIEW Questions


Personal Questions
1. Where did you grow up?
2. Why did you want to be a pilot?
3. Describe your career?
4. On what aircraft did you have command?
5. Why do you want to fly for an airline after working in the military?
6. Why did you choose Cathay Pacific?
7. Who else then did you apply to?
8. What two important things happened in Cathay Pacific last year (2006)?
9. Why did CX align with mainland China operators?
10. What bad/unpleasant thing happened with you so far in your career?
11. How did you handle this?
12. Who do you know in CX?
13. How will you adapt to Hong Kong?

Technical Questions
1. What makes a good pilot?
2. Are you one? Why?
3. How will you adapt from your current aircraft to our fleet?
4 Will you be a suitable candidate to work for CX? Why?
5. What aircraft is this? (747-400)
6. What is it’s MTOW?
7 What engines does it have?
8 What is the main difference between the two?
9. Why three spools?
10. Why does other engines then only have two spools?
Current Type Questions
11. MTOW.
12. Max Altitude.
13. What engine. (PT6 free turbine turboprop)
14. Describe the engine.
15. Why reverse flow?
16. Why must the engine be shorter?
17. Why does it have a free turbine?
18. Why does it have two exhausts?
19. Where are they situated?
20. Why there?
21. Why does the 747 have swept wings?
22. What is the drawbacks then?
23. How do designers compensate for this?
24. Why does it have winglets?
25. Why then does the 777 not have winglets?
26. What is a jetstream?
27. How do they form?
28. Where do you find them?
29. What minimum wind speed is required to call it a jetstream?
30. Where in a jetstream would you fly to get the least turbulence?
31. FL390, descend at 1500 fpm. How long before the time must you start the descend.
32. FL400, OAT -60. What is the ISA deviation?
33. Formula for aquaplaning?
34. What is the square root of 200?
35. What is better when it comes to aquaplaning, higher or lower tyre pressure?
36. (Referring to a 15 000 feet long runway, 3000’ amsl, and summer temperatures in excess of 40 deg C)
Why would they build the runway so long?
37. Give two reasons why hot & high is bad for performance.
38. Why does it affect engine performance?
39. Why is a decrease in air density bad?
40. What is the lift formula?
41. So how did they come up with exactly 16 000’?
42. Why then not make it 30 000’ long?
43. What aircraft limitations would you have on such a long runway?
44. What is TCAS?
45. How does it work?
46. Do you aircraft have EFIS?
47. Where does EFIS get its attitude information?
48. Do your aircraft have mechanical or laser gyros?
49. How does a laser gyro work?
50. Where does the EFIS get its heading information?
51. Why is the MSU all the way out there in the wingtip?

As so much has been written about the process, I will not repeat it here. Please feel free to ask more questions if you need any more information.

And please, I know I'm in, but get in a 747 simulator before you go! I didn't and regretted it.

Good luck to all!

[Katters]

So Pitotprobe

When did they tell you your starting date?? and how? did you phone them?? email??

Im still waiting:sad:

[Pitot Probe]

Rachel phoned me.

No mention of fleet though...

[Kane Toed]

No mention of fleet though... They'll tell you which fleet it is when you get your ADL call-up.

If you have a strong preference you can request it before they tell you, but it might delay your start date. You might want to think about tha in a seniority based airline where every number counts.

Finally fyi PP, the 777 is due to be starting the JNB route from October next year...

[Pitot Probe]

Thanx K-T

If you followed my other posts, you would know that I am starting on the 777 fleet next year!