Cathay Pacific Cadet Pilot Programme [Archive] - Page 5

Ispahan

12th Jul 2010, 08:45

@Holdmetight

7. Assume we are cruising at FL380 and we wish to descend to Kunming (elevation 5000'). The aircraft travels 3nm for every 1000ft of descent, and we wish to leave 15nm before arriving at Kunming for the aircraft to slow down. How far before Kunming is the TOD?

38 000 - 5 000 = 33 000 so the distance between Kunming and TOD is 99 NM (33 x 3 NM). I think the 15NM distance is just mentionned for the next question isn't it ?

10. Coming back to the previous question about descending into Kunming. If we use spoilers and it gives us a 50% decrease on the distance the aircraft travels per 1000ft descent, and it improves aircraft deceleration by 50%. What is the new TOD?

I've a different answer Holdmetight but I'm probably wrong...Considering that deceleration will only occur at the end of descend (15NM required with the initial settings), decelaration distance only will decrease but initial descend settings keep the same = 3NM per 1 000 ft.

So the 15NM included in the initial 99 NM of descent will only be 7.5 NM....

So I would say the second answer would be 99 - 7.5 = 91.5 NM

Where I'm wrong ?

holdmetight

12th Jul 2010, 09:30

I think the 15NM distance is just mentionned for the next question isn't it ?

No, we have to factor in the 15nm deceleration distance in the same question as well. Therefore 15nm for deceleration must be added to the 99nm used for descent from FL380 to 5000', hence giving us 114nm. The 114nm travel distance is required for the aircraft to lose the 33,000ft AND slow down before reaching Kunming.

I've a different answer Holdmetight but I'm probably wrong...Considering that deceleration will only occur at the end of descend (15NM required with the initial settings), decelaration distance only will decrease but initial descend settings keep the same = 3NM per 1 000 ft.

So the 15NM included in the initial 99 NM of descent will only be 7.5 NM....

So I would say the second answer would be 99 - 7.5 = 91.5 NM

I think you have misinterpreted the question. The question said the distance travelled per 1000ft descent has been reduced by 50%, and the deceleration distance has been reduced 50% as well. Therefore it means the aircraft now travels 1.5nm per 1000ft descent, and now only needs 7.5nm to slow down before reaching Kunming.

1.5x33=49.5nm which is the distance now travelled for 33,000ft descent. The aircraft now only needs 7.5nm to slow down before reaching Kunming, so now it is 49.5+7.5=57nm. Capiche?

Kyotowu

12th Jul 2010, 11:41

The question itself is not hard at all. The hard part is to listen the question correctly during an interview when you could be nervous, and memorize the conditions of the question.

I think holdmetight is right about the answers according to the stated questions. :ok:

vipers_nest

12th Jul 2010, 12:12

Hi dronehawk, im also kenyan and went thro' the whole process. Dont be worried about response to applications, focus on getting your technical knowledge about CX aircraft to a level that makes them remember you after the interview, coz you only have that one chance to prove it. On the practical side, you have to go to Joburg for all the interviews (since stage 2/3/4 will be in or via HKG, they will ask you to connect thro this point). All the best mate and hope to see you in Adelaide sometime...

Ispahan

12th Jul 2010, 12:30

I agree with you guys...I also tought about these answers too at first.

I was just wondering if there were any trap in the question. It's just because descending from FL380 to 5 000 ft strictly following 3NM per 1 000 ft, trust me you'll hit the ground after 99NM from the TOD :) so I've included the deceleration of 15NM into the total descent to Kunming.

I took it probably more tricky than it was

Kyotowu

12th Jul 2010, 15:52

I don't thank a math question would be too complicated nor tricky during an interview. it'd probably another case if in a written test. since you would have to listen and interpret all the conditions verbally., just a thought. :ok: but it could be tricky sometimes, who knows~~! life is full of unexpectations:{

StandardToaster

12th Jul 2010, 16:46

@Barney

Yes the A330 fleet. Sorry forgot to mention! Thanks though for clearing it up.

@Everyone about the Kunming descent question.

If both are 50% less (i.e. the deceleration and descent) then isn't simpler to divide the initial answer of 114nm by 2? Rather than go through 1.5x33=49.5nm which is the distance now travelled for 33,000ft descent. The aircraft now only needs 7.5nm to slow down before reaching Kunming, so now it is 49.5+7.5=57nm

aqeeliqb9

12th Jul 2010, 18:51

hi

anyone who can send the booklet for the test please and any information on the other stages of the interview i would be very grateful

thanks and good luck to all candidates ..im currenty waiting and preparing for my assessments in the meantime until i get a call from cx

email is [email protected]

regards

coolfizz

12th Jul 2010, 20:27

Hello People.

I am following PPRUNE long, and i really loved all of information there.Thanks guys :)

I just want to know, Can anyone please tell when is Cathay Pacific Holding their Cadet Pilot Programme in India?

I am 18, doing my first year Degree In Computer Science.

I have applied to them two months ago, with first Preference India, and Second one as HKG, but so far no reply :(.

Can anyone please tell how should i follow up and what tests i should prepare?

Thank you guys! :) :)

holdmetight

13th Jul 2010, 00:25

@Everyone about the Kunming descent question.

If both are 50% less (i.e. the deceleration and descent) then isn't simpler to divide the initial answer of 114nm by 2? Rather than go through
Quote:
1.5x33=49.5nm which is the distance now travelled for 33,000ft descent. The aircraft now only needs 7.5nm to slow down before reaching Kunming, so now it is 49.5+7.5=57nm

You are right. To be honest, during the interview I had thought of doing what you just mentioned, but I did not do it simply because I wasn't sure if there were any conditions that would go ignored if I did that. That's why I chose to take a conservative approach and solve the question thoroughly and logically, as opposed to a quick jump to a mathematical solution.

I can tell you that I deliberately re-wrote the "Kunming question" in a stress-free, organized and logically presented manner. I can also tell you that when you are under pressure in an interview where the interviewer spews a load of figures, asks you to make sense of them AND give a logical answer afterwards... it feels a lot different to sitting down in front of your computer and doing it, to say the least.

Good luck everyone, if anyone runs into such a situation in the future, try asking them for some scratch paper to work on. I don't think they will comply, but if they do it will make your life much easier. Peace :ok:

Kyotowu

13th Jul 2010, 02:22

Maybe a piece of paper isnt needed if they would repeat the question again.

but do you think it is a bad idea to ask them to repeat a question? cos that question was quite long and a few variables.:eek:

AsL402

13th Jul 2010, 03:28

I was allowed to use the whiteboard in the room during my stage 2 interview. Other parts, they told us we can use everything in the room to draw conclusions. So the board was free to use. If they don't tell you, ask and make sure. Every interviewer is probably different.

Daftpunk2008

13th Jul 2010, 06:56

Hi guys,

I would like to know if interviews have ever been held in India???

I am asking that because my first location interview is India and the second one is HongKong..

Do you think it is better to put HongKong in first location?

Thanks in advance for your replies.

Kyotowu

13th Jul 2010, 11:45

dronehawk

13th Jul 2010, 13:05

@vipers nest,congrats on your achievement as well as all those who have made it to Adelaide:DU leave us green with envy

Now that CX dont fly to Nairobi,Kenya, I have no option other than to fly to Jo burg for the interviews.
Unfortunately,my dream for joining cx seems like will a shattered dream because the airticket cost is beyond my reach and also due to connections I have to make to Hong Kong thro Jo burg if I hopefully pass my 1st interview.Seems like I have to wait longer.

AsL402

13th Jul 2010, 21:48

AsL402 and anyone, would you mind to share what the setup is in the interview room? like a chair for us who is going for an interview and a white board? etc,,

Thanks man, this forum is pretty helpful hope everyone is going well

Kyotowu,

There are several interview rooms that were used throughout my Stage 2. All of them were conference rooms that could fit about 6-10 people. You will probably sit next to the interviewers around the conference table. There is a whiteboard on one side of the room. Some have a nice view overseeing the HK airport. Nothing really special...pretty much just a typical office conference room.

arflyingman

14th Jul 2010, 11:16

G'day guys,

I was wondering if there's a place to look for which CX planes fly to which route online apart from wikipedia. The page on wiki seems disjointed and outdated.

THanks

holdmetight

14th Jul 2010, 12:01

Have a look at this:

Fleet Info (CX) - FlyerGuide Wiki (http://flyerguide.com/wiki/index.php/Fleet_Info_(CX))

As far as I know, this the only website that provides the information you ask for. Use with care though, it is incomplete and may be inaccurate as well, not sure if anyone keeps the information updated.

Hope this helps!

P.S. My apologies if you were referring to this source in your post.:ok:

VNA Lotus

14th Jul 2010, 12:13

Hello,

About the numerical test (30min),
is it about operations like:
568-343 = ?
435+54-65 = ?
450/5 =
...
....
or problems ? "the son is twice father's age etc etc"

I know there are Graphical questions too, but not only that ?

Thanks :)

AlexShorrock

14th Jul 2010, 16:35

Hey,
I applied online a few days ago, and I know I'd be lucky to get a reply so quickly, but I was wondering if anyone knew a guesstimate time-scale for replies, only I'm nervous everytime I check my e-mails.

Thanks,
Alex

rakedwingtip

14th Jul 2010, 19:24

hello guy,
Appreciate all the response from everybody in the forum.. Alot of info i got from here helped me alot.. sadly i could not get thru my second round but would love to share my experience..
I attended my round 1 in april and got called to hk for round 2 in june... i had my high school studies with me and a PPL.
actually most of the things have been mentioned by the rest of our friends who attended their interviews, il just touch on a few things that were not been mentioned before... hope it helps everyone...
There was one question which i was asked in the 1st and 2nd round.. i guess its their fav one.. They asked me where will a FO be seated in the cockpit..initially occupies the observer seat and then he can sit either on the captains seat or the FO depending on who needs to go of to rest.. i got this confirmed from the captain who intervied me in round 2..
For the round 2 take care of the NUMERICAL TEST.. guys it is hard, and i mean real hard.. if u have not practised any maths,pls do so before going.. if you get nervous seing the questions , you will end up answering a few only..that is what happened in my case .. if you can get 20 correct out of the 33 questions considered u r damn good..
Flight planning is very easy and simple. you need no flying experience for it.

My interview was a bit hard coz actually i got myself into trouble for most of the questions they asked me. one advice just be specific and answer to the point. dont give them any extra info.. for me the HR asked me my fav acft, the same question as HOLDMETIGHT. I told them the 777-300ER version. after that he asked me what is so good in it. I started with telling him that it has the strongest engines,widely in service, good safety record, fly by wire and stuff....i was not aware that The captain was noting all this down on the paper. so when it was his turn for the technical part he started drilling me by asking everything in detail. some questions like How does the fly by wire system works? advantages, disadvantages of it. asked me the working of INS, IRS,GPS. how acurate a GPS is, the errors with it. can the errors be corrected? it went deeper and deeper after that. SO THE MORAL OF THE STORY IS, PLS DONT GET YOURSELF INTO TROUBLE:=...

ALL THE BEST to the rest of you who will be attending the interview... be confident and it should be fine.. any help needed do pm me....
TK CR GUYS. hopefully i get a chance to apply CX next year..

CX888

14th Jul 2010, 21:33

Hey guys...

I'm just curious what other aviation math do they ask u during the initial? Are u allow to use the white board to do the calculations???

Thanks.
CX888

Octopus88

15th Jul 2010, 01:25

Hi All,

I'm selling the Ravens 'Advanced Progressive Matrices' books and answer sheets. Identical to what features in the CX reasoning test. $190AUD including postage.
Anybody interested PM me to arrange immediate postage.

Thanks and Good Luck.:ok:

CX888

15th Jul 2010, 01:46

how much will that be in USD$

holdmetight

15th Jul 2010, 04:09

Thanks for sharing, and sorry to hear the news. Did they tell you when you can apply again? It seems to be the norm nowadays... Anyway, keep your chin up mate, you will get it next time! :ok:

I guess it is important to read up on SPECIFIC parts of the aircraft that you will declare as your favourite. There is no way you will ever know as much as the interviewer, but if you are an expert in 777 fuel systems or the FBW system (as opposed to a little bit of everything on the aircraft), it could be a bonus if you can rant on and on about it during the interview.

The approach I took when dealing with these sorts of questions in my Stage 1 interview was quite risky, not sure if it will work everytime when used. When they asked me what I liked about the 777, I told them that my love for the aircraft stemmed from watching the aircraft take-off and land. I said that I did not know much about the internal systems and as such they couldn't be the reasons I liked the aircraft, as obviously I have never flown a 777 and cannot appreciate the level of technology onboard. They seemed to accept the answer but I am quite sure I will be drilled on 777 tech if I make it to Stage 2.

CX888

15th Jul 2010, 04:37

I just got an invitation to go to HKG next month for my initial... Do you know where can you get practice problems for aviation math?

I saw one of your post a question about the TOD of Kumming airport, do they actually let u use the white board to do calculations?

CX888

holdmetight

15th Jul 2010, 04:48

I don't know of any book that has loads of math exercises specifically tailored for aviation situations, though I have a book at home called Mental Math for Pilots by Ron McElroy. The title is self-explanatory, and it does give a good indication of what types of mental calculations are used by pilots on a regular basis. There aren't a lot of exercises inside but you can always create your own exercises after you've finished the ones in the book.

About the Kunming question... I will never know if they would have let me use the board or not. You can always ask them when the time comes, but be prepared if they say no. Though as some others have suggested, most interviewers are quite reasonable so it should be okay.

CX888

15th Jul 2010, 05:22

Thanks for the help... When are you going to have the 2nd interview? Another thing is that my invitation is from 0845 to 1700 that is almost 8 hours!!! But i followed some of the post for people having the initial outside hkg they were only 6 hours.... What other extra things do they evaluate you beside the:

Job knowledge test 45min
Reasoning test 45min
Wombat test
personality assesment 30 min

CX888

holdmetight

15th Jul 2010, 05:53

But i followed some of the post for people having the initial outside hkg they were only 6 hours.... What other extra things do they evaluate you

Not exactly sure.

My Stage 1 itinerary was for 3 hours, with only a JK Test and interview scheduled, each lasting 45 minutes. In reality it took longer than that, it took something around 3 hours from start to finish, with the extra 90 minutes ending up merely as a buffer. I'm guessing it will be the same in your case.

Dakotablue

15th Jul 2010, 11:48

CX888 you'll probably have an English reasoning test to do as well and possibly a short interview. I'm just speculating. I just had my interview in London in this week. My total time there was about 5 1/4 hours comprising of:

General and technical Interview 45mins
Harrison personality test 30mins
Wombat test 90mins
Lunch break 45mins
JKI test 45mins
Reasoning test 45mins (after about 15mins of this you'll
start to go cross eyed!):hmm:

If you finish your tests early you can leave earlier too if you wish.

Forum:

Just a general thought with the use of the white board (had no need to use this during my stage 1), if the interviewer asks anything long winded, I'm sure they'd appreciate a candidates' initiative to ask if they can scribble info down on paper (in which case bring a small note book and pen with you) or the white board etc. This can only give you kudos. They can only say no.

If you don't ask you don't get. Plus it show's potential leadership qualities. Just my 2 cents worth. Good luck to everyone with interviews coming up.

Monkeyboy748

15th Jul 2010, 15:12

How long did it take from submitting your application online to getting a response?

rakedwingtip

15th Jul 2010, 15:38

@holdmetight
That was a good answer bro.. true enough we dont know alot coz we have never flown a 777... btw i had around 70 hours on the piper-28 and they asked me alot about it.... They are bound to ask you questions on the acft u fly....
I called the lady next day and she told me that u can only apply after 10 months, and then it depends on your performance in round 2. if it was too bad u will have to attend the round 1 again.

@aztec2008
The maths has no calculus and stuff.. It is all about how fast you can interpret the graphs and tables to get the answer from it.. it is something like the KENT UNIVERSITY numerical test, but harder and with difficult english .. The reason why i mentioned hard was coz, if you go for the test without practicing u wont do gud at all.....

coolfizz

15th Jul 2010, 16:05

Guys!

Any Idea when are the interviews held in India?

And How Long does it take for the Golden reply to come?

Please help!!!!!!!!!!!!
I applied a month back, but still no reply :(

joniss

15th Jul 2010, 16:11

does anybody knows when assessments are planned in europe?

CX888

15th Jul 2010, 17:52

In your opinion what part of the process of the initial was the most difficult for u? and can u tell me some of the hardest question during the interview?

Thanks
CX888

aqeeliqb9

16th Jul 2010, 12:13

@Swine Facipic

Hi mate how r u ? just wanted to ask if my email was recieved i am preparing for my assessments early before i get a call and wanted to ask if u could send me information about the assessment stages as well as the booklet for the test and interview info ... i would really appreciate it brov

my email is [email protected] or u can also email me at [email protected]

kindest regards

waiting for ur response
cheers

Aqeel :-)

vipers_nest

16th Jul 2010, 12:18

@dronehawk: cathay will handle all connections from joburg and hotel booking in HKG as well for stages 2/3 and 4. You will need to go to Joburg 3 times (stage 1, Stage 2/3 and Stage 4) on your own budget. Its expensive but worth the try. Total cost on me wouldnt pay 1/3 of PPL training cost in Kenya! Key thing is preperation to make the trip worth the effort.

Have a look at APST IPAS (http://www.nitex.nl/apst/) as an example of what to expect in such tests and prepare well. Take a shot at it

RookieRookie

17th Jul 2010, 14:45

Guys, when it comes to the interview, just don't B.S. If you like the 777, tell the honestly and why. If you don't like any of CX aircrafts at all, tell them honestly as well. Not that you should be there in the first place.

About the TOD question. You shouldn't need a whiteboard to explain the answer. The normal TOD point for a jet is 3 times altitude about ground plus whatever miles you need for configure. If you use speedbrakes, you can use the rule of thumb, 2 times altitude plus whatever miles needed for configuration. Remember, you should be able to do this in you head. If you are flying a jet now and ATC ask you how many miles do you need, are you seriously going to pull out a whiteboard? keep everything as simple as possible

Dakotablue

17th Jul 2010, 19:23

If you are flying a jet now and ATC ask you how many miles do you need, are you seriously going to pull out a whiteboard? keep everything as simple as possible

RR, going back to my previous post about using the whiteboard. If ATC gives you a command like that and you're not ready you can request "Standby" that is perfectly acceptable in commercial flying, and quickly get back to them once you've got the answer. If candidates feel comfortable asking to use the whiteboard then let them, it can't hurt. You're here to get an airline job, why do you think you operate as 2 crew? To help assist each other especially during high stress portions of the mission. Like I said before it shows initiative and this works in all forms of employment not just airline interviews. All they can say is no!

I think this issue of the whole whiteboard thing is now blown out of proportion!:zzz:

SloppyJoe

17th Jul 2010, 20:03

no you wont have a white board to pull out in the cockpit but you do have little bits of paper and a pen.

umpPilot

17th Jul 2010, 20:29

Where did the TOD question even come from lol?
I read back in the forum and I couldnt find the questions. I would appreciate any tips for 2/3 specific questions asked people is really helpful.

Kyotowu

18th Jul 2010, 02:04

Totally agree:ok: with Dakotablue (http://www.pprune.org/members/72312-dakotablue)

CX888

18th Jul 2010, 05:42

Me too I agree with DAkota... and I've never flown jet like other people in the forum...

CX888

VNA Lotus

18th Jul 2010, 09:02

I'm quite amazed that few people are worried about a very simple question, the TOD... :)
personnally I'm more worried about the numerical test or any other harder exercise like that lol !

holdmetight

18th Jul 2010, 10:19

Math questions can come in all shapes and sizes, so don't focus on only practicing TOD-related questions. The best way to prepare for such exercises is to get your brain into gear, keep mentally active and anticipate that questions requiring mathematical computing can come in ANY interview. Others have also mentioned using whatever resources available to come to a correct solution, that is a good idea as well.

Good luck everyone!

RookieRookie

18th Jul 2010, 13:02

For simple question like that, you shouldn't even need a piece of paper to figure out the answer. It is definitely alright to say 'standby' in the commercial flying world. If you need, you can even request a holding pattern to figure out the answer. =) What ever you need to do to do what's need to be done. I've never seen anyone doing that in real life though. What i wanted to say is, when you are flying, try to come up with a simple system that you can work with so you don't need to pull out a piece of paper everytime.

For the numerical test, no body can answer all the question. If you can, you are a genius in math.

RookieRookie

18th Jul 2010, 13:04

Yes, we operate 2 crews so we can assist each other. So next time when you are asked by ATC that question, you can ask you captain to figure it out for you. Or. you FO. They are here to help =D Good CRM

aqeeliqb9

18th Jul 2010, 14:14

@ RookieRookie

Hi mate hows it going :-)

just wanted to ask about the numerical test for cx selection process ... what sort of stuff is it based on i heard its simple arithmatic ..nothing hard ..any info and sample of questions u answered ..would be most grateful

regards

Em773ER

19th Jul 2010, 12:18

anyone have any idea of what happens in flight grading?. in this forum we seem to have information on stage 1/2/3 but not a lot on 4. if anyone can shed any info on flight grading thanks in advance

umpPilot

19th Jul 2010, 13:40

go to the FTA website ... click on site map. Read about flight grading

Kyotowu

19th Jul 2010, 15:10

Yes check the FTA's site:ok:, it gives you an idea what it is like, dont think you can get prepared for it. Although I do think you should be well prepared for stage 4 by the preparation for stage 1-3.

By the way, is that 5 mins presentation just like a stand-up talk , or power point presentatioN?

thanks everyone

holdmetight

19th Jul 2010, 15:42

The information on flight grading in the FTA website is outdated. The links below are better:

Basic Grading
http://www.pprune.org/fragrant-harbour-wannabes/363075-flight-grading.html

Advanced Grading
http://www.pprune.org/fragrant-harbour-wannabes/386191-advanced-flight-grading.html

Kyotowu

20th Jul 2010, 02:32

thanks for the info holdmetight.

You should consider re-applying KA . Although I am sure you 'd be fine with CAthay. How is it going for ya, all the best wishes to ya. I do not need my luck for now since I haven't applied yet:ok:

Paperplanes89

20th Jul 2010, 10:01

Hi there all,

I'm new here, though I have been prowling the forums for the best part of a week! Just a quick basic question, it may require guesswork. I graduate university in June 2012, when would be the best time to put in my initial application for the cadetship scheme, considering it takes so long for a reply! I'm from London if that makes a difference. Also, do you know how many courses run a year and when do they commence?

Thank you in advance.

Paperplanes89:ok:

Kyotowu

20th Jul 2010, 13:49

I'd say , 2011 summer or fall:ok:

SW1

21st Jul 2010, 14:35

Anyone heard back regarding interviews conducted last week in London. What can we expect? i.e Phone call or email? with the good or bad news.....

Thanks a lot guys and good luck to you all

Em773ER

21st Jul 2010, 14:52

thanks again holdmetight! :ok:

holdmetight

22nd Jul 2010, 04:07

Anyone doing Stage 2/3 on the 7th/8th of September?

Airman1985

22nd Jul 2010, 04:24

I just received a call from Cathay. My stage 2 and 3 is on the 7th and 8th of September. I am very excited, and at the same time, I am very nervous to get through the test...

holdmetight

22nd Jul 2010, 04:37

Check your PM inbox!

Aviates01

22nd Jul 2010, 04:52

Does anyone know what to expect from the Stage 2/3 interviews in HK for expats? I have read there is a math test, medical, and flight planning. Is there anyone who has recently been through these stages that would care to share their experience especially in the actual interview?

Any information would be greatly appreciated.

YRIC46

22nd Jul 2010, 04:54

Hey guys, just wondering if anyone else in Aus has been invited to attend the initial interview and testing on the 20th August down in Melbourne?

CX888

22nd Jul 2010, 06:28

Congratss... I guess that u made it to stage 2&3

CX888

shivshahaney

22nd Jul 2010, 15:31

YRIC46 (http://www.pprune.org/members/131680-yric46) when did you get word about the Melbourne interview? I have been waiting for ages to hear back from Cathay!

coolfizz

22nd Jul 2010, 18:33

after how many days did you guys receive your call?

I mean for the 1st stage.
Also, if you are unsuccessful choose, do they even reply if you have been rejected for the 1st interview?

I'm from india, and applied a month ago, still no response.
I'm really scared and waiting what will be their reply :(

thank you.

SW1

22nd Jul 2010, 18:58

Im still waiting Coolfizz....

I dont think you will receive a yes or no from the initial screening (when you fill out the online application) but you will definetly receive a yes or no when you go for your Stage 1 interviews.

You should receive a reply within 6 months, if not, then carry on with whatever else you had in the pipeline. Thats all I can say.

coolfizz

22nd Jul 2010, 20:32

Hey SW1

I meant to ask was how long do they take to invite you for the first stage of the interview.The first ever email to invite for the interview :)

cheers!

SW1

22nd Jul 2010, 21:30

Its impossible to say, there are various timescales being quoted on this very website- hence my comment about if you have not heard from Cathay after lets say a year, after sending your application, then maybe look for something else.

Aviates01

22nd Jul 2010, 23:31

I was also wondering what the pass rate is for people who make it to the Stage 2/3 interviews.

Cheers

Airman1985

23rd Jul 2010, 00:15

Hey SW1

I meant to ask was how long do they take to invite you for the first stage of the interview.The first ever email to invite for the interview :)

cheers!

My application was submitted on 8/15/2009; Cathay Pacific e-mailed me about the Stage 1 interview on May 5/11/2010.

holdmetight

23rd Jul 2010, 05:48

If you are waiting for them to call you, don't sit around doing nothing. Keep working, flying or doing whatever you do. Sitting around being idle does not make you feel better, and it certainly does not help your interview performance. Active minds perform much better under pressure than stagnant ones!

Having said that, as SW1 has mentioned the time one waits between applying and getting called in for Stage 1 does vary. After applying, I waited for 6 months and 1 week before getting invited for Stage 1, which was held 2 weeks after I received their invitation email. Then I waited another 2 weeks after Stage 1 for their invitation to Stage 2, which will take place about 1.5 months after I was called.

There is no standard pass rate for Stage 2/3 candidates; anyone who clears the hurdle gets past. I remember hearing someone once saying that Cathay has a cadet spot ready for anyone who passes Stage 1, provided he/she can perform to the expected standards in Stage 2 and 3. That said though, the attrition rate is quite high, as you might expect.

YRIC46

23rd Jul 2010, 06:14

shivshahaney (http://www.pprune.org/members/319737-shivshahaney)

Hey, I applied in January 2010 and got the email about the interview and testing this monday gone.

Has anyone else here been asked for interview and testing in Melbourne on 20th August?

Em773ER

23rd Jul 2010, 07:33

I doubt that this is an automated response, but I got a rather interesting reply from Flight Crew Recruitment nearly 2 months ago (I only just realized how it could help) :

"Please be advised that your application is still on our list of applications to be processed. Your application will be screened and considered along with all other eligible applicants in your geographic area when we next select for any future interviews.

Therefore, it takes longer time for us to process your application and all other applications of eligible applicants in different geographic areas."

Hope this answers a lot of peoples questions about an invitation for an interview. It means what it actually means. The only thing to find out is a pattern (if there's one) of how Cathay chooses geographical areas. If anyone has any info, your help is appreciated :ok:

Alexander87

23rd Jul 2010, 10:39

Hi guys...

I'm from Italy and I applied for CX Cadet programm about one year ago!
Still no response,my geographical area is wild!!!!!:}

Kyotowu

23rd Jul 2010, 11:27

Airman 1985, are you from Japan?日本人ですか？

英語はとくいですか？　ここで初めて日本人みえて嬉しいです。

ファイ

dronehawk

23rd Jul 2010, 11:57

Hey guys.Anyone with any idea as to when JOHANNESBURG interviews are usually conducted.From what I understand,ie through earlier posts in this forum, they were last done in March this year.

arflyingman

23rd Jul 2010, 13:57

will be in HK on the 5/6th of August for Stage 2/3.

anyone else?

Aviates01

23rd Jul 2010, 16:17

I will also be there the 5th and 6th for 2/3. I can't wait!

Aviates01

23rd Jul 2010, 16:20

Thanks for the information holdmetight. It is much appreciated. I'm trying to study for my Stage 2 interview, but I have no clue what to expect. Is the actual interview basically the same as your stage 1 plus a teamwork exercise and math test?

holdmetight

23rd Jul 2010, 16:32

I'm trying to study for my Stage 2 interview, but I have no clue what to expect. Is the actual interview basically the same as your stage 1 plus a teamwork exercise and math test?

Yes, I think the range of questions in the Stage 2 interview will be similar to the ones I encountered in Stage 1, though they will probably delve much deeper into individual topics. Remember that the whole purpose of Stage 2 is to gauge your technical aptitude, so all the exercises will be geared towards that purpose. Technical questions will be much more in-depth, HR questions more sharp-ended... you know the drill. Just study as much as you can.

Obviously there are other exercises as well, from the top of my head there is a group exercise, flight planning exercise, personality test, and math test as well. Stage 2 is the same for everybody so your itinerary will be the same as mine. Hope this helps.

Aviates01

23rd Jul 2010, 16:42

Alright thanks for the information, it really helped. Sounds like I'm gonna pull out my turbines textbook and advanced avionics books...

aviator1988

24th Jul 2010, 08:22

Hey!:ok:

I want to ask you about the 1 stage of CX. Could you give me some advice for the reasoning test, (Numerical, verbal,....) Does it consist both or several subjects??

Cheers,
aviator

holdmetight

24th Jul 2010, 10:54

I want to ask you about the 1 stage of CX. Could you give me some advice for the reasoning test, (Numerical, verbal,....) Does it consist both or several subjects??

Hey there!

As you may or may not know, Stage 1 isn't quite the same for everyone, depending on where you do it. Stage 1 in HKG is quite different from Stage 1 done elsewhere, so unless you are doing your Stage 1 in HKG, I don't think I can give you much assistance. I did all my selections in HKG.

If you are doing Stage 1 in HKG, it is divided into two seperate stages - 1A and 1B. 1A is where all the tests are done. If my memory serves me right, and if things have not changed since I last did it 2 years ago, you do some computer-based tests, some IQ tests, some English tests, and make a brief presentation on the training aspects of the CX cadetship. IMO just doing preparation for the presentation is enough; the other tasks are easy enough as it is. Just keep cool and have a good night's rest beforehand, and you should be fine.

1B is an interview with a member of HR and a pilot. See one of my previous posts for samples of questions. The interview is not hard and I guess it is for them to get to know you first, before grilling you in Stage 2 and 3.

Before you do the interview (on the same day), there is a Job Knowledge Test you do, which is based on a booklet that Cathay sends you in an e-mail before you head in for 1B. It is quite easy, but you will need to do a bit of extra reading as some of the questions inside require a bit of extra knowledge to answer.

aviator1988

24th Jul 2010, 20:32

Hey there :ok:

Thank you for your help.

Are you currently a cadet pilot at CX?

Cheers,
aviator

Ispahan

26th Jul 2010, 08:49

Hi guys,

I'm also heading to Headland Hotel for Stage 2/hope 3 on 4th and 5th. We're 3 Frenchies coming from the first Paris stage 1 session.

Good luck and fingers crossed!

CMS123

26th Jul 2010, 15:37

Hi all!

I have a few questions. If anyone could help, that would be great.
-What seat does SO sit, left or right?
-What is the definition of long haul, medim haul of CX route?
- Where does B777-200 fly to?

Thank you for your help!

holdmetight

26th Jul 2010, 16:21

I'll give it a try...

What seat does SO sit, left or right?

In the back during T/O and Landing.

During cruise, I think it depends on who you are working with. If you are flying with the captain then he sits on his seat and you sit on the RHS. If you are flying with the relief F/O then you sit on the LHS while he/she sits on the RHS, as the RQ is trained to perform relief command only from the RHS.

Where does B777-200 fly to?

Around Asia.

What is the definition of long haul, medim haul of CX route?

Not sure. My guess is that anything above 8 hours is considered long-haul. The whole issue of flight duty times is quite messy though, as you can see from another thread in the neighbouring Fragrant Harbour forum. Perhaps someone else in the know can answer your question.

umpPilot

27th Jul 2010, 19:20

I was recently trained in the art of asking questions as part of my flight instructor rating.
In stage one I couldn't help but respond to poorly formed questions with the direct yes or no answer.
For instance, I was asked "Do you know who the COO is?" I responded Yes. She then asked who is it. I responded with the correct answer.

Do you think it is bad practice or should I have just given her the answer when she asked if I knew? I ended up getting through to the next stage. Throughout the interview I got her about 4 or 5 times. I wonder if it helped me seem more confident or arrogant. What do you guys think?

CMS123

27th Jul 2010, 23:45

Thank you for your help and the answer.

I got ask about 777-200 on my 1B interview. My answer was medium haul route around asia. Then, the next question was what country. From what I know is every plane goes Taipei.

Aviates01

28th Jul 2010, 03:54

Hey guys, I was wondering if anyone could help me with a question about a form I need to fill out for Stage 2. In the form they ask for a Hong Kong Correspondence Address and Hong Kong Contact Telephone Number. I was wondering if the Hong Kong Correspondence Address is supposed to be an address in Hong Kong or an address where I am from that they can mail things from Hong Kong. Secondly, I was wondering how my phone number changes when I am in Hong Kong. I live in the US so my phone number starts with a 3 digit area code then 7 more digits. If I am in Hong Kong is my phone number the same plus the 852? I know this might seem like an unintelligent question, but I really have never had to deal with things like this before.

Thanks in advance!

holdmetight

28th Jul 2010, 04:49

In stage one I couldn't help but respond to poorly formed questions with the direct yes or no answer.

I don't think that is the right way to go about it.

IMHO a very important trait for prospective airline pilots is initiative. Where flying safely is directly dependent on good teamwork, why would you want to withhold information because you perceive the question wasn't asked well enough? I believe being proactive and volunteering extra information that could be helpful is a big plus.

Well done on getting to Stage 2 though.

holdmetight

28th Jul 2010, 04:55

From what I know is every plane goes Taipei.

Really? Even the B747-400?

barney31

28th Jul 2010, 07:35

Really? Even the B747-400? Yes, even the B747-400. CX420/21 for example is an pairing that will at least have an leg with an 744 according to the flight schedules. Acft type to and from TPE does however depend highly on the aircraft rotations and passenger demand.

btw, If you ever want to find info on what acft type CX is flying to which destination, the safest bet is to take a look at schedule on the site cathaypacific.com. :ok:

Dakotablue

28th Jul 2010, 08:35

Aviates 01,

Just put n/a (not applicable) in the HK correspondence address, that way the HR staff will know to respond to your home address instead. The form is probably a leftover from the days when cadet recruitment was for local permanent HK residents, or for candidates that have family members living in HK.

With regards to your your contact number, if you plan to keep using your US sim card whilst you're in HK then you need to do it in the following format:
+1 (USA dialling code, not +852 as this is HK's number) your 3 digit number + 7 digit number.

Good luck with Stage 2!

holdmetight

28th Jul 2010, 10:01

Thanks for your insight! :D

Eddie757

28th Jul 2010, 19:50

Does anyone know if we can continuously update the application after it has been submitted??
Thanks :)

BigglesNBella

28th Jul 2010, 20:01

No you may not update your application once you have submitted it. I have heard, however, that you can contact Cx and advise them of any changes that you feel are important.

eleong

28th Jul 2010, 20:31

Dear all passionated aviator. I was invited for stage 2 interview in HK. I am extremely excited.

I saw many people posted list of interview questions during Stage 1 but seldom saw any questions for Stage 2 and 3. I hope someone who had experience on Stage 2 and 3 interview could share this information here. That will be greatly helpful and appreciated. Many thanks.

Eddie757

28th Jul 2010, 20:47

That helps...thanks!:ok:

Mock1

29th Jul 2010, 01:49

Has anyone heard back from Stage 1 interviews in Vancouver last week? Getting anxious to find out!

Cheers!

SW1

29th Jul 2010, 14:07

Got the nod today so any information on stage 2 guys would be greatly appreciated. Going to HK in about 6 weeks!

holdmetight

29th Jul 2010, 14:14

SW1, congratulations! When is your Stage 2/3?

Anyone else doing Stage 2/3 on 7th/8th September?

SW1

29th Jul 2010, 14:21

I'll be there around that time so might be there the same day HMT.

northbound207

29th Jul 2010, 22:23

eleong,

here are some of the questions asked during Stage 2 and 3 for me, can't remember all of them but most of them are here. Feel free to add onto what I have. Stage 2 and 3 interviews were the same as Stage 1, where there were 2 interviewers, one asking the HR questions, while the other was into the technical portions.

Stage 2

1) Tell us about yourself and how you got involved with aviation.
2) Was it difficult to get into that program?
3) Do you see yourself as a competitive person?
4) With your experience, tell us about a time when you had to deal with a situation that you remember, how did you handle it?
5) Tell us about your education background, and about your up bringing.
6) Where is most of your family? Where is home for you?
7) Can you tell us about the history of Cathay?
8) Where do we fly to in North America?
9) Do you have a partner?
10) Have you considered joining the military? (I told them I tried out for the military, but was rejected)
11) Do you have regrets about not making it into the military?

Then I was passed off to another interviewer for the technical portion

1) if you had a choice at CX, which aircraft would you like to fly?
2) Why do you want to fly the 777?
3) Can you identify which aircraft these are? (presents me with two models)
4) How do you tell them apart?
5) Asides from visual differences, what else is difference about them?
6) What kind of engines do this 777 have? and this A330?
7) How long do you think a flight from NY to HK is?
8) What is the gross weight of the 777?
9) How much fuel do you think we'll need, show me. (Hands me a marker to write down the numbers through my calculations).
10) On top of that burn fuel, what other fuel will we need? (alternate, IFR reserves, contingency +taxi/startup).
11) What countries will we fly through on the way?
12) On a day like today what will we use as an alternate? (Macau)
13) Knowing which alternate, how much fuel will we need for this flight?
14) Tell me about the engines on the 777
15) Can you show me the stages of a typical jet engine, (handed me a marker and asked me to draw it on the white board)
16) Explain to me how each stage works
17) How many compression stages are there? and how much compression will this engine produce?

In addition, the technical interviewer also asked about a few things with regards to what my career intentions were, since I already had a CPL and some experience flying they wanted to know why I don't want to stay in North America. but since I'm from HK with most of my family there, so it was an easy one to answer.

Stage 3

The HR portion was mostly the same as the other stages, but asked a few more questions with regards to my background.

1) Tell us about your current job.
2) How do you like it?
3) If you had a choice would you go for the short course, or long course?
Those were the only two questions that were distinctly different from others
Then again I was passed over to the technical interviewer.

1) How is your meteorology? (Was really a serious question, just an ice breaker for a few laughs)
2) Explain to me what a cold front would look like.
3) What types of weather can we expect? (Cloud formation, icing, etc..)
4) What would a warm front look like then?
5) Explain to me how an aircraft produces lift, what happens when I lower the flaps?
6) Lets take this airplane for example (presents me with a piper seneca model), What is adverse yaw and what causes this?
7) What airplane do I have here? (Points to the 777 model)
8) What is the difference between the -300/-300ER models? (raked wingtips)
9) How do they work?
10) What would you do if you took off in your airplane and had an engine failure?
Then he proceeded to ask about a few other emergencies dealing specifically with that aircraft.
11) What sort of engines does the airplane you have flown have?
12) Tell me about them, explain how they work.
13) How fast is the aircraft you fly?
14) How long would it take to travel 18 miles?
15) If you were flying at 480 knots, how long does it take to travel 18 miles? (use the one in sixty rule)
16) Start from 100 and count down wards, subtracting 7 each time.

And that was it, it ended with them asking whether I had any questions for them. I'm sure it is very tailored differently for each person to take into account the different levels of flying experience. However, I did run into a few questions that I flat out said "I'm not sure/don't know, but what this is what I think might be...".

If you have flight experience, it would help to know the aircraft you have flown, but if not then I think they are looking for how much enthusiasm and preparation you have, either way, a positive, cool and collected attitude will really shine, even if you don't know the answer.

Like many others have said in this thread, know yourself, know them, and be yourself. I had butterflies in my stomach before going into the interviews, and during the interviews they really did a great job breaking the ice so I could relax a bit.

Good luck, and enjoy HK, especially the canteen they have, it is not expensive, very diverse, and super tasty! especially the See Yau Gai Fan (酱油鸡饭）... sooo good!

VNA Lotus

30th Jul 2010, 01:22

Thanks a lot Northbound for your feedback.
:)
Northbound, what was your experience, background ? you got quite hard questions sometimes.... lol !

SW1

30th Jul 2010, 02:04

could someone explain the timeline between stage 2 and 3 interviews?

You do your medical at stage 2 right? If so, are you informed of the results that day and then go for stage 3 later?

Also if anyone can give me a breakdown of the medical?

Much appreciated :ok:

holdmetight

30th Jul 2010, 04:32

During my Stage 1 interview I met some guys who were doing Stage 3 on the same day. They told me that at the end of Stage 2, someone slips a letter under your hotel room door with your result. If you pass, you are asked to turn up at Cathay City the following day to do a list of things for Stage 3. The order in which you do things can vary, but as all Stage 3 items only takes half a day, you will have everything done quite quickly.

Stage 3 consists of your medical check, uniform measurement, ICAO english test and a management interview. I don't think you are given the result of any individual item, you just go home and wait for them to call you for grading.

holdmetight

30th Jul 2010, 04:35

Thanks for sharing!

What scares me most is the fuel burn figures for a B777 from JFK-HKG. How are you supposed to know what figures are involved (alternate, contingency, holding etc.) and how much in each figure? Did they give you clues or something to start with?

BigglesNBella

30th Jul 2010, 04:40

SW1: Do you have any flight experience? If so which school in Victoria are you training at? I can answer any questions about stage 2 and 3 you may have, just PM me. The medical is done at stage 3 and consists of a chest x-ray, a blood test (HIV test), a large pee test (probably testing for all kinds of drugs in addition to the usual blood sugars), an audiogram, and the typical exam you see during a Cat 1 here in Canada. The doctor asked me if I had eaten any poppyseeds in the last couple weeks or if I had taken ANY drug including Tylenol or Aspirin in the previous two weeks. This is why I am certain that they must test for a gamut of drugs.

Mock 1: I had my stage 1 in March in Vancouver and it was almost exactly a month before I heard back. Have plenty of patience!

Holdmetight: The point is you aren't supposed to know those figures. If you do know them they will keep asking you harder questions until you don't know the answer at which point they just want to see how you work through a problem!

But, if you really want to impress them these were the numbers my interviewer used:

Fuel burn for 773ER: 8 t/hr
Alternate: Macau (15 minutes away)
30 minute reserve
3% contingency fuel

northbound207

30th Jul 2010, 05:47

Hey Holdmetight,

I didn't know the answer on the spot, so i think what BiggNBella said is right, just how you get through the answer. But the interviewer lead me through them quite well i.e. -How much fuel total do you think the 777 can take?
-how long is the flight?
-what is the fuel burn then?

So it wasn't too hard, I realized that I could've just used the fuel burn figures from the navigation exercise that happened earlier, since it was for a another similar jet aircraft.

As for how I knew what figures were involved, the interviewer asked me what i thought was involved as well, I missed contingency (never heard of it), so i started brain storming and the interviewer just gave it to me in the end.

Good luck Holdmetight, and feel free to ask any other questions, glad to answer any. When is your stage 2 again? hopefully meet up in HK sometime.

CX888

30th Jul 2010, 06:44

Hi is there a lots of calculations on initial interview?

CX888

holdmetight

30th Jul 2010, 07:56

Thanks for the heads up! Sounds like quite a fun exercise, hopefully I'll enjoy it as well. I'm going to have my Stage 2/3 on 7th/8th September, perhaps I'll see you down in ADL if everything works out. :ok:

Can you tell me a bit more about the flight planning exercise? I am aware it is different from the one I did 2 years ago, but no one has yet written anything specific on it (that I am aware of).

flight_01

30th Jul 2010, 09:13

Any advice of what the best preparation is for the initial interview?
I believe the book 'preparing for your cathay pacific interview' is quite outdated, isn't it?
(I've read through the topic thread already ;) )

Thanks!

SW1

30th Jul 2010, 12:26

Hey,

Thanks for all the information provided. In reply to Biggles question, Im from London with a FATPL.

Do Cathay send out any information regarding what the day will entail? I understand there are group exercises, flight planning, maths test and ICAO test.

I attended the stage 1 which involved the usual JKI test, interview and reasoning test but with the addition of the WOMBAT test and personality assessment. Does this mean I wont have to to any more aptitude tests for stage 2?

By the way for all the fuel figures, have a look at JAR-OPS 1 and if you can get your hands on a 777 manual, from the internet, that might help with exact figures.

Thanks guys.

holdmetight

30th Jul 2010, 13:31

Yes they will send you a e-mail with details on Stage 2 and 3, though I think it will only come at a later date as they seem occupied with organizing what seems like a busy week in early September. I don't think Stage 2 involves any aptitude tests though, don't recall anyone speaking of doing aptitude tests then, nor has it been my personal experience either. I think the day is already fully packed, as it is! ;)

AsL402

30th Jul 2010, 17:06

I attended the stage 1 which involved the usual JKI test, interview and reasoning test but with the addition of the WOMBAT test and personality assessment. Does this mean I wont have to to any more aptitude tests for stage 2?

SW1,

I was wondering the same thing before my Stage 2. In my invitation email for Stage 2, it listed my itinerary to include an aptitude test. I took my aptitude test when I was in HK for Stage 1 already. But it turns out that email was just a generic email for international applicants. Those who did Stage 1 overseas had to do their aptitude test during Stage 2 since they didn't do it in their Stage 1.

But this was before the WOMBAT test came out, could be different now?

BigglesNBella

30th Jul 2010, 20:35

I'm not sure what the WOMBAT test is since I did my stage 1 in Canada.

For us, stage 2 included a group exercise, a flight planning exercise, a personality type aptitude test(16PF), a HARD math test (GMA), a quick subtraction test (aptitude test), an interview and a hand eye coordination test (aptitude test).

Mock1

30th Jul 2010, 23:28

I had the WOMBAT, JKI, Interview, Harrison Test (Personality), and Reasoning Test at my Stage 1 interview in Vancouver just over a week ago. Apparently the WOMBAT test does not mean as much as everything else.

It is a very long 60 minute test, not including the 20 minutes they give you to read the manual and practice using the joysticks. My advice would be to read the manual the night before, that way you can get more practice using the joysticks with less reading. Also a word of advice that they never told some people in my group, when the screen turns black, that just means the screen savor came on and the test is still running so make sure you click something on the keyboard! I know someone who sat there with the screen black for 30 minutes while the test was still running! Leading to the fact that I dont think its that crucial, as well as the joysticks being so touchy, it has nothing to do with flying!

Goedemorgen

31st Jul 2010, 04:18

It has a lot to do with flying.. It's all about multitasking and hand eye coordination, everybody can fly an aeroplane.. the question is.. can you manage it..

Mock1

31st Jul 2010, 23:37

I guess you could say that, minus the fact that there are no clearances, radio calls, checklists to do, and your working by yourself and not a crew! compared to Multi IFR, it was very different in my mind. And I think alot of people can agree with me that not every pilot out there can fly lol!

Goedemorgen

1st Aug 2010, 06:46

You'd be flying a real aeroplane for it to be real isn't it?
It's just to asses your ability to cope with it.. no aptitude test is near the real thing.. thats why it's called aptitude and not IFR flying test

arflyingman

1st Aug 2010, 15:18

I'm in HK at the moment. Would love to have a discussion with anyone who's attending the 2nd/3rd stage on the 5th/6th. PM for details.

eleong

1st Aug 2010, 20:24

For those who flew to HK for 2nd/3rd interviews before (or now):

1./ how early did Cathay arrange you to arrive at HK in advance the interview day? Did most of you arrive just a day before the interview? My big concern is the jet lag that will affect my interview performance.

2./ how fast did Cathay arrange you to leave HK after the interview? Did Cathy make you fly back home next day after the last interview ?

3./ If you chose to arrive early, let's say 2 days in advance, to adjust the physical clock, Will Cathy cover the expense for your early stay?

eleong

1st Aug 2010, 20:55

to: Northbound207

Thanks greatly for listing the interview questions on stage 2 & 3. It is truly helpful and appreciated.

During the interview, how many interviewers were in the room? Is that one for HR and one for technical? Were you interviewed by the different interviewers in different stage of interviews?

Except the MATH and ICAO test, did you have to complete other exams/tests during stage 2 & 3?

Thanks again for the valuable information.

BigglesNBella

2nd Aug 2010, 21:34

Eleong:

I landed in Hong Kong at 7am the day before my stage 2 interview and my original departure date was at midnight the night of my stage 3 interview. They covered two nights at the headland hotel. They were more than happy to postpone my outgoing flight by a day which allowed me to see more of the city. I did, however, have to pay for my room that night. It was only ~HK$700 though so not a huge deal. If you want to go early I'm sure they'd be ok with that except that again you'd need to cover the extra accommodation costs.

SW1:

As I told you via PM the math test (in fact all the tests) at stage 2 were on computers. There were no books with the title of the test on them. Just thought someone else reading this thread might have the same question.

StandardToaster

2nd Aug 2010, 23:02

Biggles, did you postpone the outgoing flight whilst in HK or was it arranged before you went?

BigglesNBella

2nd Aug 2010, 23:07

I asked them the day I was supposed to leave if it would be ok. The ticket they give you has a kind of "best before date" on it which for me was still good for a week or two after my interviews. I don't think they actually did anything to change my flights.

pushpakshah

3rd Aug 2010, 07:39

Hey,
Would anybody have an idea when CX plans to hold the next Stage I at HK? Are they still recruiting?
Thanks!

Cahoonies

4th Aug 2010, 16:16

Yes Cathay are still interviewing and employing. There will be a continuous intake as they had shut down the employment for the last year or so.

It's just a matter if waiting for your number to come up I guess.

On the matter of flight days to arrive etc, I recommend getting to HKG at least one day before the interview. You will need to pay for your accom for the extra days but your already here so why not find out as much stuff as you can! They will like to hear that you're taking an interest in the place and gives you something to talk about during your interview.

While in HKG other than the tourist sightseeing and shopping may I suggest looking in the windows of some real estate/rental agencies to work out what sort of place you will be able to afford to live in once you are here. Previous experienced Second officers that were employed prior to 2009 all got a genorous housing allowance that after two years was more than their pay! Now that new recruits employed in 2010 won't be getting any housing allowance (Cadet entry package) be sure that you are ready to share apartments or live in very small 1-2 room flats far out of town.

The airport has a suburb close by Tung Chung that has cheaper housing than in town so it is possible to live, just not at the size or location that guys before you have been offered. Your entertainment will all be on Hong Kong Island but their is a 45 min train leading straight in to the island.

If you have a wife unless she is a qualified teacher she may not find work as easy as it is back in your home. Girlfriends/Fiancees can't work unless they have a degree and can prove that a Chinese person couldn't do the job. As most jobs require Cantonese fluency spoken and written you are left fighting for the ones that aren't and most full time jobs require 6 days a week, and long hours. Don't think about having kids because schooling in Hong Kong is frightfully expensive, and you won't be able to afford the wife not working. Yay for the Cadet package!

For info the Cadet package was designed for school leaving Hong Kong unders 21's who had no chance to do flying training in Hong Kong, hence the requirement for no previous flying experience. Because they lived at home with the family they could afford not to receive housing. Obviously Cathay would want to see a return for paying for their year and a bit traning from scratch. And for Cathay after they had paid back their training costs (after about 18 months) these employees provide great savings to the company. It was a win win situation. :bored:

Unfortunately the incentive to move to overseas for good money is not being offered by Cathay at the moment. The cost of living in Hong Kong is one of the highest in the world! But hopefully if enough of you new guys complain and/or leave for better conditions at other airlines maybe things will improve in the future. I'm sure the Cathay pilots union will have a few things to say about this new package being offered without it's approval, but the only way things tend to change for the better with Cathay is if people leave. :ugh::ugh:

Any way good luck with the application. It goes without saying, Keep the applications going out to the other airlines alwell!!

eleong

4th Aug 2010, 19:25

I finally received the itinerary from Cathay for the 2nd stage interview. Here is the list:

- Personality Test (Computer-based/Time allowed: 45mins)
- Numeracy Test (Computer-based/Time allowed: 30mins)
- Aptitude test (Computer bases/ Time allowed: 75mins)
- Group Exercise (60mins)
- Flight Planning Exercise (90mins)
- Panel Interview (General and Technical/ 60mins)
- Medical

I already took the Harrison personality test in the 1st stage. I wanna know what do the Personality Test and Aptitude Test look like in 2nd stage? Is that something I could prepare??

I believe the Numeracy Test is what everyone discussed here as the math test.

For the group exercise, will they give a question related to flying or not necessary? In the others works, is it to test your logic and problem solving skills but not to test your professional knowledge of flying?

For the Flight planning exercise, I personally do not have any flying experience, how would it look like and how I could prepare for this without any true flying experience?

Lastly, for the panel interview, will that be conducted by two persons, one from HR and the other from Technical person, which is similar to the 1st stage interview? Or will that be conducted by a group of interviewers?

I truly thanks for those who could provide comments on these.

kimba928

4th Aug 2010, 20:27

I'm new too - what manual are you referring to at the stage 1 interview - when do you get given it? thanks for an inspiring overview of the process. Any other info you can give would also be appreciated. Good luck in progressing to stage 2. Any indication when that will be?:cool:

holdmetight

5th Aug 2010, 03:50

When are you doing Stage 2/3?

As for your questions, I'll take a bite. Everyone else, please feel free to correct if my answers are inaccurate.

For the group exercise, will they give a question related to flying or not necessary? In the others works, is it to test your logic and problem solving skills but not to test your professional knowledge of flying?

From my previous experience the question had nothing to do with flying. I remember my group did something about selecting an astronaut to save the world from a destructive meteor. Our main task was to select the most appropriate candidate from amongst a pile of dossiers. I think they are mainly looking at your ability to interact with others, it has even been said that it does not matter if you don't get a final result.

For the Flight planning exercise, I personally do not have any flying experience, how would it look like and how I could prepare for this without any true flying experience?

I heard the flight planning exercise is now about doing some route planning for a B737 around Asia. You don't need any flying experience to do well. They will give you a bunch of constraints and they will ask you to plot the best route for the aircraft, keeping the constraints in mind. Time pressure will also be applied, and you are also expected to work with your fellow candidate to get an answer. CRM is what they are looking for.

Lastly, for the panel interview, will that be conducted by two persons, one from HR and the other from Technical person, which is similar to the 1st stage interview? Or will that be conducted by a group of interviewers?

You get two people, one HR and one pilot. That is what it is typically like nowadays!

kimba928

5th Aug 2010, 06:00

Congratulations for doing your stage 1 interview! Can you please let me know when did you apply online with your application? Where did you sit the interview?:D

italia458

5th Aug 2010, 06:43

the WOMBAT has nothing to do with your flying ability. it's a situational awareness and stress test used to determine suitability for complex-system operators such as pilots, ATC, 911 operators, ship and train operators, etc.

if you get stressed and panic while doing it, resign to the situation, etc then you won't do well! the stress comes when you realize you're "making mistakes" and therefore how you manage those mistakes is really what they look at. everyone talks about these interviews as being so intense and involving and it's got multiple assessment stages and interviews and blah blah blah!! yes, this is a selection process, but it's really a lot easier than it appears.

good luck to all who apply!

eleong

5th Aug 2010, 19:25

Thanks for sharing your experience. I am going for stage 2/3 at Sep 7th and 8th.

As for the ground exercise, how may candidates were grouped in one group in your case? Did the interviewer stay in the room to observe the group discussion, or did they leave the room and come back later for the answer?

For the flying planning, if you happen to still remember your questions, could you elaborate the details a bit more. That will be greatly helpful and appreciated.

Are you currently hired as the cadet pilot now?

holdmetight

6th Aug 2010, 03:49

I am going for stage 2/3 at Sep 7th and 8th.

That's funny. I am going for Stage 2 and 3 on these days as well, so why haven't I received my itinerary yet? Anyway, nice to meet you and see you on the day. I'm going to send you a PM with some contact details, check it out.

As for the ground exercise, how may candidates were grouped in one group in your case? Did the interviewer stay in the room to observe the group discussion, or did they leave the room and come back later for the answer?

When I last did it around 2 years ago, I had 4 candidates in my group. This year, I'm expecting 6 candidates in our group, judging from the number of people I've made contact with and who said they would do Stage 2/3 on our days. There are two staff who sit silently in the room during the exercise, they only observe and take notes. After 45 minutes is up, they will take turns asking questions and each group member is encouraged to answer.

For the flying planning, if you happen to still remember your questions, could you elaborate the details a bit more.

Hmmm. In the scenario given, we were playing an employee of a gliding school. We had to produce the most suitable flight plan for a glider race or something. There were several waypoints to choose from, but each came with their own constraints (i.e. not every waypoint is open 24 hours, some pass through mountains that the glider cannot outclimb etc.) So given these constraints I had to work with another candidate to find the best route. Co-operation was necessary as we had different sets of information and needed to use each others material every now and then.

These days it is different though, I heard it's about planning a flight for a B737 flying around Asia. The gist of the exercise should be similar though. Hope you get the picture.

Andrew804

6th Aug 2010, 08:05

Hey,

In regard to the flight planning exercise and group exercise it is very easy, don't stress that you dont know what its going to be on. It the simplest of maths and you just have to think clearly. Most important is how you work with the other people in your group as each person has a bit of info that the others don't so you have to communicate.

It was actually quite fun, hardest thing is concentrating on the task in the room as the floor to ceiling windows give a perfect view of the airport and runways!

Cheers,

ap_797

6th Aug 2010, 10:55

Hi all,
I have a quick question. If my contact telephone number etc have changed since submitting the online application who would I need to inform? Do I simply email 'cadet pilot'?

Has anyone else had to change their details since sending the application online and if so have those details been successfully updated on the application?

thanks!

ap_797

holdmetight

6th Aug 2010, 11:34

Yeah I changed my home and correspondence addresses two months after I applied online. All you do is e-mail 'cadet pilot' to tell them what you want to change, your new contact information, and when it takes effect. They replied me about a week after I sent them the e-mail, and confirmed the changes. Hope this helps.

maverick8989

6th Aug 2010, 13:41

Has anyone in Singapore been called up for an interview yet ?

eleong

6th Aug 2010, 21:47

Thanks again for your information. It is great to know that we will meet in the same stage. That is wonderful.

For the Aptitude test, I learned that I will be put in a sort of simulator (not true fly simulator) to test my hands, feet, listening, and eye coordination through a list of tasked I was required to complete simultaneously.

For the Personality test, I assume that is another type of physiology test similar to the one I took in 1st stage, something that I cannot prepare but to answer honestly.

Let me know if you have more information that I have now. Thanks.

StandardToaster

6th Aug 2010, 22:31

So are the personality/aptitude tests going ahead with candidates whom already did the personality/wombat in stage 1?

avis03

7th Aug 2010, 10:07

hey guys.. I applied in jan and was told that my application is still being processed. I put Singapore as my first choice interview location. anyone had stories of a successful call up after 8 months? I hope they at least send a rejection letter, if they're gonna do it..

Benj1

7th Aug 2010, 11:36

Hey Avis, it took them about 8months plus as well to contact me for an interview in the last exercise in SG.

Just hang tight and stay patient, I'm sure you'll get the news soon.

Andrew804

8th Aug 2010, 03:52

Avis,

Mate it took 9 months from when i first filled in my application until i got any word from Cathay, and that was the invitation to the initial. By that stage i'd almost forgotten i'd applied, i just checked back occasionally and when i tried to log on it said my application was still being processed, so i thought righto they are obviously busy and i havn't been rejected yet so i just waited it out, and eventually like i said 9 months later i got an email out of the blue. In that time i'd gone and got a job in GA.
The waits in between the next stages are alot shorter, max 1 month

Cheers

kimba928

8th Aug 2010, 06:18

Hi there did you state as your preference HKG for initial interview? When did you apply for the CPP? Look forward to hearing back from you.:cool:

northbound207

8th Aug 2010, 06:52

Quote:
I am going for stage 2/3 at Sep 7th and 8th.
That's funny. I am going for Stage 2 and 3 on these days as well, so why haven't I received my itinerary yet? Anyway, nice to meet you and see you on the day. I'm going to send you a PM with some contact details, check it out.

Hey All, I also just recently got an invitation to go to Hong Kong for September the 7th and 8th. I've already completed the stage 2 and 3 interviews already and was told over the phone that I will be doing the Simulator assessments.

Is anyone here in the same situation? What I'm worried about is that in the invitation email that they sent me afterwards, it had said "please report to the flight training build 6/F for the stage 2 interviews"... ? Anyway hope someone can clarify this for me, thanks.

Malov

9th Aug 2010, 09:34

Hi guys, I sent my application october last year. I sent Cathay Cadet Programme a mail asking them when my application would be processed.

Because, just like other guys here - it is still saying on the career page that my application is being processed - after all these months. But we can imagine that they get ALOT of applications from all over the world. :)

The response from Cathay was that it will be processed along with other eligible applicants from that geographic region when they are ready to process them. So I`m still hanging in there!

Cathay said they will inform me of my application status when it is ready as well.

Daftpunk2008

9th Aug 2010, 13:03

Hello guys!!

Does anyone of you know if the interview stage 1 has ever been held in India?? I have heard countries in Europe, North America, South Africa, but never India...
I'm asking that because my first location interview is India...
Could someone help me?? Must I change the location?

Thank you very much!

boquera

9th Aug 2010, 14:56

just wondering how everybody has found the replies from the team who are dealing with the applications?

i ask because initially they were fairly ok with getting back to you with replies(a week or so)-be it the standard geographical chat or otherwise but recently they have not been even acknowledging them. I know they have a lot to go through and i appreciate that before any replies saying that. My app has been with them 13 months now and it bothers me a bit that they haven't said no yet or invited me to an initial (i put London first on there and there have been plenty of interview dates down there without luck :ugh:)

has anybody else had similar?

Malov

9th Aug 2010, 15:24

boquera: I had London as well - and after almost 10 months, nothing yet - though the application is still being processed.

GTC58

9th Aug 2010, 16:17

With over 15000 applications for the international cadet program to date, I believe you can only expect a response when invited for an interview.

Joycekin

9th Aug 2010, 17:16

I am currently playing my waiting game and this is my 13rd week of waiting. has anyone here been waiting for an invitation in HK as well? how long have you guys been waiting for? be positive guys...:D

orangeboy

11th Aug 2010, 02:22

yeap, just have patience, they will get back to you eventually, if you don't get the rejection email, then take it as a sign that you're still on the boat :)

if there has been interviews in your area and you haven't been called yet, might be just that they haven't got to your application yet, or that this time round there were more suitable applicants, but they still see you as a potential candidate, so holding off contacting you until the next time (thats the way i see it anyway):)

the wait is hard, but i'm sure its all worth it once they call you in!

Airman1985

11th Aug 2010, 03:18

Some people posted comments about their online application status: "We are unable to accept an additional application as your current application is being processed."

I'm in between my Stage 1 and 2, and I don't think the status on online application has anything to do with your most up-to-date application status. I checked mine after taking the Stage 1 interview and after passing the Stage 1. The message on the status page indicates the same.

Also, back in late May, I asked the HR person at the interview about the number of total applications. The person said that the number of application received this year is about 19,000.

kimba928

11th Aug 2010, 05:39

Hi WR

Just wondering how long it took for your application to be processed to when you got the first advice for your initial interview. Good luck to you. Look forward to updates here WR. Kimba:D

boquera

11th Aug 2010, 12:19

after saying what i said, i then get two replies in one day to an email!!! (saying that they both say the same thing [please wait etc] but still!!)

Eddie757

12th Aug 2010, 03:39

Anyone else here been invited for the Stage 1 test and interview in HKG on 20th September? PM me.

WelshRoots

12th Aug 2010, 03:50

Can anybody tell where CX fly the 777-200? I'm struggling to find that one.

barney31

12th Aug 2010, 06:12

Can anybody tell where CX fly the 777-200? I'm struggling to find that one. According to the planning schedules, the 777-200 is rotated in the network on the following destinations: MNL, SGN, TPE, CGK, CEB, SUB, SIN, KUL, BKK, NGO, ICN, PVG, and PEK. The 777-200 will not be deployed on routes to EUR and NAM as there are other factors at hand here such as Fuel Efficiency.
Keep in mind though that the aircraft are being used in line with demand and seasonal requirements for that specific destination. You will find numerous changes of acft type and series throughout a running year...

CX loves to mix and match:}

kimba928

12th Aug 2010, 06:44

Hi Eddy757 .... curious to know when you applied. HK was my 1st preference. Which country are you in? I am thinking it might be to soon for my application to be considered for a September interview. Look fwd to hearing from you. However, I wish you lots of good luck for the upcoming interview. :)

kimba928

12th Aug 2010, 06:46

Always good to know when the applns were initiated. Thanks for sharing with us. Good luck!:)

Malov

12th Aug 2010, 07:59

Eddie757, wish you all the best on your interview. I am just curious to know when you applied? I have applied - and it has been some time now, Cathay are still processing my app.

F16 Fighting Falcon

13th Aug 2010, 03:28

Hi everyone,

Earlier I was called up by Cathay Pacific inviting me for an initial interview for their cadet programme later in September. I assume this will be their last intake as it is quite late in the year already.

Has anyone else got a similar call as of late?

Also, what can I expect from this initial phase of screening?

Thanks,
F16 FF

NewZealand787

13th Aug 2010, 03:39

Mate I got a call today for an interview also. Not sure what to expect, but I should be sent an email today to give me a better idea. What stage of flying are you at?

Eddie757

13th Aug 2010, 03:56

I got an email yesterday inviting me for the september interview in hk.

kimba928

13th Aug 2010, 04:50

Hey guys - F1FF; NZ787 & ChrisA - when did you apply; where is yr interview and what was yr first preference for location of interview?

Cheers Kimba

dagger19

13th Aug 2010, 04:51

should you receive a call or an email for the invitation?
i've got an unknown call yesterday that i failed to pick up, and im not sure if it is from cathay.

orangeboy

13th Aug 2010, 06:27

congrats on the interview calls! seems theres a NZ trend going on here :) .....are you NZ folks interviewing in NZ or HK?

coolfizz

13th Aug 2010, 18:54

hello.

I recently changed my address and would want to inform Cathay about it.

how do i email them telling that my permanent address has changed?
any email address?
thank you. :)

Foxtrot_Lima_Mike

14th Aug 2010, 00:33

If you cant figure this one out by yourself and especially see that this question has been discussed before, how da he$$ are you gonna fly a more than 200T heavy aeroplane?

Step up...this is what they want to see apparently!

Em773ER

14th Aug 2010, 02:44

If my memory serves me well, from a previous post it was said S/Os roughly work a 10 day roster then they get the rest of the month off? Correct me if i'm wrong.

Does anyone know the exact figures? Im sure it would be different for each aircraft on the fleet, i.e. different routes, different times etc
Any input on this is appreciated, thanks in advance :ok:

jetset

14th Aug 2010, 04:55

Just depends on the month.

You tend to be rostered up to 84 credit hours (roughly translates to 84 block hours for an SO). So that translates into 3 longhaul patterns. There are shorter and longer patterns however and also reserve blocks of 6 days.

You can also (presently) choose a W pattern (double longhaul i.e. HKG-SFO-HKG-YVR say..) and then tend to get one W and one single trip.

It takes about 3.5 days to complete one longhaul say depart midnight Sunday land Wednesday morning.

There is plenty of possible variations though.

Good luck

ahparsy

15th Aug 2010, 01:42

Hey all,

I got an interview invitation last week, had an email and a call from hong kong, just to let you know i applied in November 2009.

WelshRoots

16th Aug 2010, 10:16

F16 and NZ787 good work on the initial call up. Go hard and get involved!

crwjerk

16th Aug 2010, 11:08

Do any of you care that you will not get ANY housing allowance, and will not be able to afford to live the life you are expecting??? THINK ABOUT IT!!!!

Daftpunk2008

16th Aug 2010, 14:16

crwjerk,

For some people, the cathay pacific cadet pilot programme is their only chance to sit in a cockpit one day!
Housing allowance or not, I have always wanted to become a pilot and I don't have enough money to pay for a pilot tranning! So with or without a housing allowance I hope I will be selected even if for 4 years I must live under a bridge! :mad:

Assad Spaceship2

16th Aug 2010, 15:50

You are absolutely right. I am in the same situation and I understand it fully. Good luck to everyone and thanks for the sharing of info. 'crwjerk' must read Da Vinci...For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return.

Kind Rgds

StandardToaster

16th Aug 2010, 16:50

Guys and gals I just wanted to put some thought into the cost of living with Year 1 SO salary. It would be grateful if anyone with solid knowledge could add to/amend my rough calculations.

Income

Pre-Tax

Salary = $398,148
13th Month Bonus = $33,179
Flight Pay (based on 84 credit hours a month) = $29,398 per annum

After-Tax (assuming 13th month bonus is not taxed)

Salary + Flight Pay = $427,546
Tax of 15%

After-Tax income = $363,414

Per Month = $30,284

Expenditure

Rent = $10,000
Food (weekly shop of about $300) = $1,200
Home Telephone = $110
Mobile Phone = $300
Internet = $280
Electricity = $300
Gas = $400
Water = $150
Public Transport (very roughly estimated since depends on lots of factors) = $560

Total expenditure so far = $13,300

OK i need to add a lot more to the expenditures. As long as you don't go out to LKF every night!

Please help me add to these calculations!

At the moment, net income after BASIC expenditure is $16,984 (if you are a hermit)

crwjerk

17th Aug 2010, 06:35

Dreams can be tough sometimes huh? You might have to actually go out and work for it.
Fine. I can't wait to fly with you. Don't complain to me when you get here, read the above post, actually it can be a little worse than that....
-You can safely assume 10000 per month on eating, drinking, having a life, in addition to the above.
- 2000 per month for a philippina to clean your flat.
- Phone bills do not include SMS unless to same provider. Can be double or triple the contract price.
- You'll need extra income protection insurance, as the Company one only pays for 5 years..... that's about HKD 25000 per year.
- Electricity in Summer at least 1000 per month
- a piece of steak - 200-400 HKD.... One per month maybe?

Anyway.... Good Luck. Just be ready for a TOUGH time. ( btw, there'll be no bases for you to go home to, when you finally decide that you can't afford to live in Hong Kong)
I'm only trying to get you to think about it before you up and leave your homes.

Worth it......??? Up to you of course.

Daftpunk2008

17th Aug 2010, 06:58

Here in my country, I work as an engineer.
At the end of the month, I save about 1000 HKG dollars.
My life will be better in Hong-Kong anyway. Maybe during the 4 first years, it would be difficult but after that I think it will be ok.

AQIS Boigu

17th Aug 2010, 07:04

Standard Toaster,

Please keep in mind that the 13th in not contractual and on a few occasions we all have missed out on the elusive 13th...

As a 2nd officer you will have a lot of time on your hands and whilst all your mates are pissing it up at the "Fong" or going on holidays all over the world you will be sitting in your tiny flat wanting to do the same. Further I don't think HK$300 a week for food is enough - please keep that in mind.

If I was a wannabe without experience I would jump at the opportunity... free training and a jet job... I joined as a DESO with a couple thousand hours experience but I can say with confidence that if CX had offered me the SO job without housing I wouldn't have taken it since I have done my careful research about the cost of living in HKG.

Just to clarify - there is nothing wrong with cadets in CX - we have a lot of very good pilots who come from the cadet scheme; it's just the terms and conditions which worry everyone - there is no way you can have a family when you are older on a CX salary without housing.

If you take the job then go ahead but please don't bitch to me at 3am over the Pacific or the Himalayas about getting short changed...

SPEEDI

17th Aug 2010, 07:11

Got a call this afternoon, pretty much telling me if i want to attend the interview i need to reply to the email by end of business today.

Grass strip basher

17th Aug 2010, 08:06

"HK$300 a week for food"... . ha ha ha ha in HK!! you have got to be kidding!!

NoseGear

17th Aug 2010, 08:44

Toasty, you've completely underestimated a number of of figures. Lets run some more accurate figures for you intrepid wanna be cadets.....:D

Rent - dependant, but most of you will be in a tiny studio or 1 bedder in Tung Chung, or worse, 10K per month is good enough.:ouch:

Food - not even close:{ Try a 1000/week, and I'm not exagerating at all. Everything here is twice or more what you pay at home. Example, milk, its $28HKD per litre; Cheese, 250gm $45.00; Bread $20.00 for cheap stuff (loaves are half size too btw); Box of cereal 60.00.....I think you can see where I'm going with this one.....:eek: Don't even think about steak! Cheap snags, $50-60 for 4. Get used to those I think:E

Forget the home phone, go with a mobile only....my bills are usually around $1500/month and I don't use mine all that much. And they have been higher.:ooh:

Internet and TV - NOW has both, you'll pay around $1000/month for that...and of course you'll need to buy a TV....:{

Electricity - my last bill was nearly $4000, that's for 2 months. Don't think you can live with no aircon here in summer.:=

Public Transport - that's hard to estimate, but say $1000 per month to be safe.

So now we are at around 20K per month and our intrepid cadet has yet to buy a TV, furniture, bed, linen, kitchen items, clothes or even been out to have a bit of fun to try and forget his woes....that by the way is easy $1000/night, and that's also conservative. Want to stay in shape? Check out gym prices....or the local Residents Club, in DB, you'll be looking at another $1000/month again minimum....cause you'll want to be doing something with all your time off:E

A few other points, don't include your 13th month in any calculations, we haven't had that the last few years. Tax, more like 17%, and you have to save it up, they don't do PAYE here and it's harder than you think, especially when you have bugger all money left over anyway. I haven't even begun to mention the "Hong Kong" factor in prices here:yuk:

I now await the screeches of justification:E

You have been warned:ugh:

404 Titan

17th Aug 2010, 09:22

StandardToaster

Firstly 13th month and profit share if they are paid and hourly duty pay is taxed. Tax rates are as follows:

Income: $398148

Taxation

Tax free Threshold (Single):$108000
1st 40000 2%: $800
2nd 40000 7%: $2800
3rd 40000 12%: $4800
Remainder ($170148) 17%: $28925 (excluding Hourly Duty Pay, 13th month & Profit Share)
Total: $37325
Provisional Tax (First year only & depending when you start in Hong Kong): $41057
Gross tax: $78382 (19.7% of gross salary)
Net salary: $319766 or $26647 per month

Expenditure/month

Rent: $15000
Food: $4000
Home Phone: $500
Mobile: $120
Internet: $200
Electricity: $1000
Gas: $300
Water: $150
Public Transport: $1000
Miscellaneous: $3000
Total: $25270

This expenditure is assuming a single person living by themselves. Imagine if you had a wife and kids?

Foxtrot_Lima_Mike

17th Aug 2010, 10:08

We've heard it guys. It won't be easy !

Now, on the positive side, tell us about the good stuff ! :)

404 Titan

17th Aug 2010, 10:54

Foxtrot_Lima_Mike

We were asked by Standard Toaster to help him with his tax and expenditure figures. That is all we have done.
OK i need to add a lot more to the expenditures. As long as you don't go out to LKF every night!

Please help me add to these calculations!
If you don’t like what we have to say, too bad. You can stick your head in the sand but the first time someone like you says how tough they have it will get a very short and sharp response from me. Enough of us who work here have spent the time to warn you about the cost of living in Hong Kong as an expat on local terms. If you choose to ignore those warning, that is your problem.

Ispahan

17th Aug 2010, 12:30

A potential solution which will never happen I guess would be to open outport bases to cadet pilots...

CokeZero

17th Aug 2010, 18:14

As the others have said - Very difficult without housing plus family. For a single person you can get by.

Some of the costs do vary but believe me, your first year or two here on the basic salary is going to be hard.

Use Cathay to get some Jet time and a rating then leave. Even if it's a P2X rating, you can upgrade it back home in a sim. I think you would only need to do a P1 endorsement.

Do the math boys and girl's - Do the Math!!!!

SPEEDI

18th Aug 2010, 00:36

Will the cadets be allowed staff travel? if so why arent they able to live at home for their 20 days off and jsut fly to HK for the 10days work? dont shoot me, im just making a suggestion (probably way off)

spacedemon

18th Aug 2010, 01:53

Guys... please don't exaggerate too much. I am a canadian living in hong kong over 5 years.

Expenditure/month

Rent: $8000 or less (renovated 2 bedrooms 440sq.ft high rise in center of mong kok, can be cheaper depends on the location)
Home Phone: $0 not necessary if have mobile
Mobile: $300
Internet+NOW TV: $300
Electricity: $1000 per 2 months(500 per month)
Gas: $300
Water: $100
Public Transport: $1000
Food + Miscellaneous: $3500
Medical Insurance: $1500
Total: $15500

This is what I am actually spending each month! ..

404 Titan

18th Aug 2010, 03:50

spacedemon

It’s funny how you’re a first time poster. It’s probably because you’re a management stooge talking BS out of your rear end. Anyone with some time in HK knows for that sought of money you would get a dog box with bars on the windows and doors in Mongkok.

If you want to talk numbers sunshine, you’re punching way above your league.

NoseGear

18th Aug 2010, 06:08

spacecadet...440sft?!?:rolleyes: In Mong Kok!?!?:ok: Are you for real? Nice try, but I think our intrepid cadets need better info than that. I notice you haven't included tax either, so add another $6-7000 per month. I doubt you work for CX or you'd know that $300/month for a mobile when you spend 10 days per month on roaming isnt even close. Just got my last bill, $1300 and I was on leave for a portion of that:ouch:

Speedi, yes, you get staff travel to your home port for the first 6 months, then system wide after that. You could try living at home, but where will you stay when you are in HK? The Headland? And good luck getting on with your seniority, we are pretty full to almost all destinations. I guess it could work, but staff travel isn't exactly cheap either.

FLM....you ass:yuk: Yes Yes, nevermind poverty and financial hardship for 4+ years, you get to sit up front of a shiny jet and stare out the window at the darkness during the back of the clock wireless work you'll be doing....:ugh: Other positives are you do get lots of time off to travel....hang on though, you won't be able to afford to get around and see anything, you'll be broke:{....oh well, maybe on overnights with the crew you can....hang on, you'll be holed up in your hotel room watching local language tv as you can't afford to go out:{.....Of course, on the positive side, you get a crap uniform to impress the ladies and your Mum with....:E

Ispahan, bases are in seniority order, why give them to the most junior crew? Because they aren't clever enough to see what a raw deal they are getting?:= TFB.

You have been warned.:rolleyes:

crwjerk

18th Aug 2010, 06:28

Speedi.......
You'll maybe get 15 days off a month.......3 or 4 days off between trips. 2 of those days would be spent getting offloaded from Standby travel. You won't have much chance to be going home.

Daftpunk2008

18th Aug 2010, 06:53

If the work conditions are so bad, then why are you all still working for Cathay??? :ugh:

404 Titan

18th Aug 2010, 07:52

Daftpunk2008

You are obviously an illiterate idiot if you haven’t figured out we are talking about the new conditions of service being offered to the international cadets, not our own conditions of service. I suggest you go back to 1st grade and learn how to read and comprehend.:ugh:

Reading Comprehension for a 1st Grader (http://www.superteacherworksheets.com/1st-comprehension.html)

Daftpunk2008

18th Aug 2010, 08:18

I understand what you are saying and thank you for your advice.

We know very well that the new working conditions for international cadets are tough and do not include housing allowance. But stop discourage future potential cadets.

There are also plenty of positive things that you do not mention! In every job there are advantages and benefits, and we must cope with!

Best regards from an idiot!

:mad:

404 Titan

18th Aug 2010, 09:57

Daftpunk2008

I'll repost a post I wrote in reply to Foxtrot_Lima_Mike as it also applies to you.

Foxtrot_Lima_Mike

We were asked by Standard Toaster to help him with his tax and expenditure figures. That is all we have done.

OK i need to add a lot more to the expenditures. As long as you don't go out to LKF every night!

Please help me add to these calculations!

If you don’t like what we have to say, too bad. You can stick your head in the sand but the first time someone like you says how tough they have it will get a very short and sharp response from me. Enough of us who work here have spent the time to warn you about the cost of living in Hong Kong as an expat on local terms. If you choose to ignore those warning, that is your problem.

You don't need us to tell you the good things about working here. You can figure those out for yourself.:ugh:

NoseGear

18th Aug 2010, 13:34

Daft....at least we have no need to worry about you being one of our new cadets, your simply too "daft".....:ugh::hmm::rolleyes:

Good lord I wonder just how bad is SJS these days?:confused:

You have been warned...again:ugh::rolleyes:

GTC58

18th Aug 2010, 14:45

You can't really blame some of these wannabe's trying for the international cadet program. It seems some of them come from a social environment where career and earning expectations are low. As such the CX cadet program, even at reduced conditions, would be still a better career path than anything else available to them. Maybe coming to Hong Kong with no housing benefits doesn't even lower their standard of living depending on social environment and country they are coming from.
Pretty hard for them to understand what you guys are talking about, even though you are stating the facts.

FIRESYSOK

18th Aug 2010, 15:11

That's all correct. Even for Bangladeshis, CX CEP is a dream.. for now..

eleong

18th Aug 2010, 15:47

Guys, let's get back to the technical discussion.

For the "Flight Planning" exercise in Stage 2 interview, will we be given the aeronautical chart to plan the flight? In the other words, do we need to know how to read the aeronautical chart in order to do well in this exercise? Will that be a VFR planning or IFR planning ?

Also, if I am correct, I know we will need to do some simple math for the flight planning, such as wind component, fuel burn rate, endurance, etc. Can we use calculator during this exercise?

Thanks for the information.

Cahoonies

18th Aug 2010, 16:34

No matter what pay any airline offers there will always be someone willing to do the job! Especially if the airline is paying for the training. Yes especially if they are coming from Bangladesh or poorer countries, or Hong Kong that doesn't have pilot training.

Pilots with experience, or from more wealthy nations or backgrounds will know that these conditions are substandard for an experienced pilot. These are cadetships. Exactly that. Designed for a unlicenced applicant with little to no experience, Cathay train you up, then they pay you around half for the rest of your career.

The problem arises in that experienced pilots are used to thinking that Cathay are a good airline and provide good conditions. They used to, to an extent they stopped that about 13 years ago. But right now those days are sadly over my friends! But...hopefully temporarily!!

The only way that Cathay will change the "No Direct Entry Pilots" status is if applicants with experience go elsewhere and are honest with recruitment about the poor offer. Including telling them you will wait for a direct entry position.

Listen carefully here... If you join under a Cadetship you will always be a Cadet entry pilot and will always be paid less than the other pilots. If you have experience, go to another airline or wait for the direct entry positions to be offered again. This is black and white! Easy stuff!

Also, any experienced pilot joining on this Cadet package will make it harder for DESO recruitment to start again.

On the other hand if you have no experience and can't afford to pay for your own training then go for it! This is perfect for you!

If anybody is interested in wanting Cathay to resume Direct Entry (experienced/licenced) Second Officer recruitment with housing and full benefits please write to Cathay recruitment stating exactly that.

Also it could be helpful to scan and email a copy of the recruitment offer or contract to the HKAOA (CX pilots union): [email protected] and see if they will follow it up from that angle. The union has not been consulted about this new Cadet short course for experienced pilots and certainly hasn't ratified its (miss)-use.

So for experienced guys sorry about the wait! To the inexperienced unlicenced Cadet applicants, I wish you the best of luck!

AsL402

18th Aug 2010, 17:38

You are already thinking too hard! The flight planning exercise is quite simple and does not require any experience on flight planning at all. If you think too complicated, it will ruin you! You basically have to find a route to fly for 2 cities in Asia, considering where to stopover for fuel. You have to find the ETA, ETD, T/O weight, runway length, fuel needed at each stop + contingency fuel, etc and see if the stopover point you choose is feasible with the considerations of fuel cost.

All the figures given to you are rounded off, so calculations are simple and you should be able to do all of them in your head.

The hard part is being able to work under the stress, you will calculate all the figures for your options and have to work your way through to see which route is will work out, make sure you don't panic and you will do fine.

Cahoonies

18th Aug 2010, 17:47

For new interviewees/studiers, a quick reiview of great stuff in this forum!
Thanks to some great PPruNe'rs...
Page 51 - Fleet Numbers and specs
Page 52, 53, 59 - Inter view questions from previous applicants
Page 54 - Round 2 sim review

Cheers :ok:

AsL402

18th Aug 2010, 21:03

For those of you who can read Chinese (or you can us Google Translate), this article was on the Yahoo HK page about a 30 year old doctor joining the CPP.

???? ??????? ???? ??7??3? - Yahoo! ?? (http://hk.news.yahoo.com/article/100817/4/jqz3.html)

Tells us we should follow our dreams and do what you believe in!

Smell the Coffee

18th Aug 2010, 23:18

404Titan/NoseGear

Thanks for the input and duly noted ... the figures paint a very bleak picture of life in HK as a fresh CX SO ...

Faced with a job but no real money, or paying for your own training in Europe (and possibly amassing a sizeable debt in the process, with no guarantee of a job and the possibility of having to pay for a TR on top of the $100k you've just borrowed)- what would you do?

Maybe I should just give up and become a builder :}

eleong

19th Aug 2010, 00:47

To those whom who are concerned about the pay:

Watch this video and you will realize Cathay pay much better than pilots in the U.S., not to mention this program also provides all training with housing and food.

YouTube - Michael Moore's 'Capitalism: A Love Story' - Pilots on Food Stamps (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKQJx3L_CDQ)

Dream or Money? Make your choice and stop complaining.

Ronny1992

19th Aug 2010, 02:01

Seems like there is a small clique try to "warn" future applicants in a very ignorant way i.e 404Titan. I am sure they are just over exaggerating about the situation...these are the pilots that expect to become a millionaire by flying huh?

In some aspiring pilots circumstances the pay you get might be better in your home country however you wont enjoy it with school debt to be paid from that "better" salary.

I say if these people want to do it let them do it, you burn to learn and get burnt being a qualified pilot in the end.

My view from reading thus far. Good luck to those granted interviews.

NoseGear

19th Aug 2010, 02:49

Seems like there is a small clique try to "warn" future applicants in a very ignorant way i.e 404Titan. I am sure they are just over exaggerating about the situation...these are the pilots that expect to become a millionaire by flying huh?

It IS worse than I thought.....:ugh: I think Ronny has hit on the answer though, just put on your rose colored glasses and stick your head in the sand:rolleyes:

There is no clique, just some concerned, current, CX pilots trying to give you cold hard facts. If you find our "warnings" ignorant, tough, they are the facts, weather you like it or not. I have been here 7 years now, living and working IN Hong Kong, so I think I have a pretty good handle on the cost of living. If it helps you by being "sure we are just over exaggerating", then get on the internet and do some research:rolleyes:

And your last bit about becoming millionaires is just plain stupid.:hmm:

If you don't want the facts, then don't ask. And when you are struggling, don't bitch to me or anyone else, you know what you are getting yourself into.:yuk:

Em773ER

19th Aug 2010, 05:11

thanks jetset :ok:

Quote:

You tend to be rostered up to 84 credit hours (roughly translates to 84 block hours for an SO). So that translates into 3 longhaul patterns. There are shorter and longer patterns however and also reserve blocks of 6 days.

How does the reserve work?

Cheers

Maiev

19th Aug 2010, 06:07

I don't know what to say... but really, CX is a good way out :x and you guys should really appreciate it if you have an interview.

The hard road, is very hard -_-;

Em773ER

19th Aug 2010, 13:44

It must be rumour season. Apparently CX are considering the larger versions of the Airbus A350 and Boeing 787, but definitely have held off the A380... any thoughts on this?

Ispahan

19th Aug 2010, 13:52

Rumour are you sure... ? :bored:

Tony Tyler has confirmed 2 weeks ago a firm order for A350-900...which suppose no 787 for CX: here (http://www.airbus.com/en/presscentre/pressreleases)

FIRESYSOK

19th Aug 2010, 16:10

In this thread:

Lots of broken English

Worries about using the food stamp programme whilst working up the experience ladder

Raising a virtual glass (cup) to 'free housing and food' whilst in training

Admonishing of current employees for 'wanting to become millionaires'

Looking to Michael Moore for information regarding pilot employment

This must be an alternate universe I've stumbled into

Aviates01

19th Aug 2010, 22:57

Hey guys I was just wondering what the typical pass rate is for people in the Advanced Flight Grading course. Also, I was wondering what to expect upon arrival to Adelaide.

I have heard that you fly the Grob for a few flights and then do instrument work in a Turbrprop sim. I am from America and do not have any experience with NDB's since most of them have become decommissioned. Do they use NDB's in the sim and if so would it be acceptable to tell them you don't have any experience with them even though you are in the Advanced course?

Any and all information is much appreciated!

Em773ER

20th Aug 2010, 06:44

wow looks like 30 orders of the A350-900... good research :D
as for the 787 that was just a rumour i'm guessing.

flapsupdown

21st Aug 2010, 10:22

Yes they STILL use NDBs in Australia and it is possible that you will be introduced to some basic NDB tracking for Advanced Grading. However, the process of flight grading is designed to assess a candidates rate of learning and retention so I think it is acceptable to tell them that you have no NDB experience.

With advanced grading, I think they expect more from you for the flying portion but as for sim work I know people who did advanced grading with zero instrument hours.

BigglesNBella

22nd Aug 2010, 07:03

Aviates01

Don't worry about NDB tracking. The RMI in the sim makes it incredibly easy. If you are worried then fire up flight simulator and track an NDB inbound. That is about all you will be expected to do with it.

holdmetight

22nd Aug 2010, 09:45

Guys, as far as I know, the IFR sessions for advanced grading are done in a B200 simulator. If you don't have prior CSU or multi-engine experience, do they expect you to pick up these skills on top of demonstrating your ability to do IFR flying?

Aviates01

22nd Aug 2010, 15:39

Thanks for the info guys!

Sedentary Male

25th Aug 2010, 08:02

What is the medical requirement for the cadet programme for those who have been through it. I'm particularly interested to hear about eye testing both sight and colour blindness. How do they test for both, resolution charts and Ishihara plates ? How often are you tested below 40, below 50 & below 60 years of age ??

Thanks.

Victor_Indigo_Bravo

25th Aug 2010, 08:11

Hi SPEEDI,

Could you please tell me when did you apply for the Cadet Pilot Program? I did few months back and havent heard from them.
Also could you give me the email address you recieved the email from?

cheers!

Victor_Indigo_Bravo

25th Aug 2010, 08:17

Hey SPEEDI

I had also appllied to Cathay about Cadet Prog. but havent heard from them.
Cud u tell me when did u apply? Also cud u giv me email address from where u recieved an email.
I put India as first choice of Intrvw. cud that be the reason?

Does anyone know how to chnage that ?

cheers!

Smell the Coffee

25th Aug 2010, 10:05

Hi all

Have been following this thread with interest, and, as someone about to embark on professional flight training here in the UK, I decided to apply for the CX CPP.

I have been fortunate enough to land an interview (Stage 1) quite soon.

However, a couple of things about this CPP are of concern to me.

In the first instance let me just say I don't wish to come across as arrogant in any way, shape or form.

It is certainly surprising to see an airline offering to pay for all of a cadet's training costs from zero to fATPL - something that is non-existent in the UK.

On the other hand, as a 'foreigner' with no ties to HK at all, I am concerned about the following.

1) The cost of living in HK and especially the rent. I've spoken to a couple of friends from Uni who now live in HK working for int'l companies. They all get an allowance for rent. When I quoted the CX SO salary and compared it to their average expenditure (conservative), I concluded that I would probably only just break even after all deductions. :bored:

2) How experience/hours are logged once an SO graduates and begins to fly the line.

Is it true that whilst an SO, no P2 time is logged whatsoever? I've seen references to P2X time .... what exactly is this, and who else apart from CX recognises this?

I hope I don't come across as ungrateful in any way, but I think it's prudent to ask these questions before I waste CX's time (or they waste mine ....)

At the end of the day, we all have to take risks in life, but it's better to take a calculated risk .... thanks guys.

Cpt. Underpants

25th Aug 2010, 12:11

You've pretty much nailed the major issues with this scheme.

The cost of living (as an expat) in HKG are astronomical. Rents are breathtakingly high and rising, and although folks who sign up for this so-called "cadet" scheme will eventually be eligible for housing assistance, it's laughable.

S/O's log P2X hours, 1/4 of which count towards a higher licence. No, you cannot log P2 time even when you're in a window seat.

So what's the upside for CX and why are they training people with no time, no connection to HKG and non Chinese?

In three words, the housing allowance. A normal expat here in HKG gets around $65,000 - $200,000 as a monthly allowance. Depending on where you choose to live, it gets you a decent condo or townhouse in a nice area.

Cathay has always been on the lower end of the scale and it's renting less and less of an expat type accommodation.

Although CX pays for your training in it's entirety at a cost of about AUD200K (HKD1.4 million) it takes no math genius to figure out that they've recouped their training costs after a scant 2 years (of no housing to the "lucky" cadet) and it's upside from then on in for CX while the fortunate individual continues to lose significantly over the next 20 years (approximate time to command).

Finally, when command does slide into view, your housing is at a scant HKD24K a month - whilst not a poke in the eye with a sharp stick, is a far cry from the allowances of other expat bankers, engineers and the like.

I won't dispute that it's a decent flying job.

The aircraft are shiny and new, the destinations are interesting, the airline is stable and training is very good. I won't raise the issues of rostering and management, which cloud the bigger issue of remuneration.

So, at the end of the day, you may find yourself in a shiny 777 or A350, winging your way to strange and exotic places...

You just won't have any money.

stillalbatross

25th Aug 2010, 12:27

You just won't have any money.

Whereas you could go instructing and earn big bucks flying students around in a Dutchess light twin and after a few years on the Dutchess Emirates and other airlines will be beating a path to your door to give you a direct entry F/O job on the 777?

F*ck me, anything you earn with CX when you have got 200 hrs total time sitting in a widebody has to be better than an instructing job paying two tenths of sweet FA which is where you would be instead...........................

Michelle.C

26th Aug 2010, 01:13

Hi everyone,

First of all, thank you for all the interview tips + frank advice on the reality on joining CPCPP as a foreigner on local terms. This thread has been extremely helpful in preparing me for my upcoming Stage 1 assessment.

Would anyone be able to tell me how many female pilots are there in CX at current? Just wondering, if I make the cut, what's the figure that I'll be adding to.

Cheers :cool:

bonbon512

26th Aug 2010, 01:52

No clue on the total female pilots figure, but there's been approx 30 female cadets that graduated from CPP.

Smell the Coffee

26th Aug 2010, 23:49

Capt. Underpants / aztec and others thanks for your thoughts on this one.

Have spoken to a couple of friends who fly here in Europe as FOs and they don't seem to think spending 4 + years sitting in a jumpseat and not logging any 'real' hours is a great idea. Of course, it's easy to say that if you're already employed as a pilot, but it does make sense.

Undertaking 14 months of intensive training only to be told I can't actually handle the plane for TO/L for several years would most likely mean boredom and frustration (for me at least).

I guess this cadet scheme IS a good idea for those perhaps in their early 20s and single who can afford to spend their first few years in CX not logging any P2 time ... I'm 28 and starting to think it may be wiser to spend 4 years logging actual P2 time (hopefully) after finishing training.

Thanks again guys ... and if anyone has a different perspective feel free to chime in ...good luck to everyone else.

Again, not trying to sound ungrateful or arrogant ... I guess this just doesn't suit everyone ....