CX cadet interviews

[jetjockey696]

Can anyone help me. I got an interview soon....in feb. Has anyone gone through the 4 stage cadet pilot interviews, recently. Can anyone shed some light on the questions and procedures that you go thorough. any help will be greatly appreciated.

[ronnie123]

pls check your private msg box.

[smallwing]

anyone on pprune that has actually got into the program recently? perhaps a bit of good news will cheers us all up!

but i do notice cx is on a hiring spree with direct so's.....

[cp111]

I had the cx cadet pilot first interview two weeks ago, and they invited me to do a thorough body check tomorrow. can anyone tell me what is the next stage, what do I need to prepare? is class one medical very difficult to meet?

[BlueEagle]

cp111 - Aircrew medicals are designed to confirm that an individual is at a pre determined level of fitness. That level is not extraordinary, indeed, it is quite normal and the majority of healthy people can satisfy the requirements.

An aircrew medical will identify any shortfall in the acceptable standard of all the parameters the medical sets out to establish and will also ascertain if acceptable corrective medicine can overcome any shortfall.

Don't go getting yourself worked up about a pilot's medical, if you are reasonably fit and don't suffer from any significant defect you can reasonably expect to pass.

[hkwannabe101]

cp111

Please check your private mail box.

hkwannabe101

[jj23]

Hi all,

I have received a letter from CX. They told me to have a eye test by some private doctors. Which is cost around $1500 HKdollars. I wonder that am I have a chance to pass the eye test? I got around 700 degree short sight. I fear that I dont pass the test and wastes the money. One more question, is there any HK local's applicants success? Is it very difficult to be success if you are HK local people? Thanks all.

J:confused:

[Tungx2]

hi. i'm just wondering about the chances of even getting a interview? did the people offered a interview applied at november or january?? what was their education level and level of work experience?

much thanx^^ guys and gals
:cool:

[cessna172r MSN]

actually what kinds of medical check will be conducted?? especially for the eyes as i am shortsighted. Can anyone tell me??
and what standard of eyesight they required?
Thanks a lot.

[BigTimeWannabe]

jj23

Please check your private msgs....

BTW

[vicky b]

hey can someone help me?
ive got the cathay cadet interview coming up and it would be great if some of you could share some knowledge!
I'm a bit worried about the numeracy test. what sort of questions are they? is it multi choice? can you use a pencil/paper?
Any other advice on any other aspect would be great.....

sorry for asking, the more i think about it the more stressed out i'm getting!

[smallwing]

being stressed out even before interviewing will be a problem. there is no need for that.

firstly, be as professional as you can be, attire and personality.

update your knowledge of local aviation and world aviation situations.

have a grasp of a little aircraft knowledge.

math is computer m/c to my knowledge and don't rush through it when you have a chance.

as far as i know, there are some very fortunate people who actually got through the interviews even though others are probably more qualified. do your best, that is all you can do.

cheers

[Flying Bagel]

Really, stressing about it is not really a good idea. In fact, I would look upon this experience as just that, an experience.

It's not really up to you whether or not they take you, because there are just too many requirements which they require that you will never know about. There is only so much studying to do, and only so much preparation. In fact, for the most part, you can't even study for it. But the more relaxed and confident you are, the better you will score on the tests, and the better presented you will be.

The interviews should be going on right now for this year's allotment. Good luck.

[Tungx2]

I'm going to have an interview in may
i was wonderinf if anyone can give me some tips that has not already been mentioned??=)
does previous flight experience help and previous work experience help in the interviews??=) thanx budz

in the first stages of the interview, do they only accept a certain amount of people?
so if thye had enough people, will they still consider other people who met the requirements??

in the first stages of the interview, do they only accept a certain amount of people?
so if thye had enough people, will they still consider other people who met the requirements??

[canfly]

hi jj23,

Can u tell me why u have to do a eye-sight test in a Private doctor but not in the clinic of Cathay City ?? it should be free for eye-sight test in the clinic of Cathay City.

[Guru]

Tungx2,

Their biggest problem is trying to find enough people rather than having too many so don't worry about competing against other interviewees for a place.

As for previous flying experience it really doesn't matter to them whether you have it or not. The same goes for your previous job. The interviewers are more interested in knowing why you decide on a change of career and not what related qualifications you have or not have.

What's unique about the Cadet programme is that most cadets were doing something completely different from flying an aeroplane before they joined and yet they cope with the course just as well. The recruitment people recognise this and so they're not looking for pilots but those with potential and have thought thoroughly about becoming an airline pilot.

Regards,

Guru

[pontius's pa]

Unless things have really changed, getting a job with CX is all about having the "right stuff" to be what CX wants in an employee.

Of course a reasonable standard of piloting skills and medical fitness is required but what is equally important is really wanting the job and showing the self reliance and confidence and general personal qualities, (PQs), that demonstrate this, not posing endless "what if" or "what do I do next" or "what does this mean"questions on a site such as this. PPrune contributors are very tolerant and informative but cannot get the job for you. If you need this comforting, you probably are not "the right stuff".

As a case in point, without wishing to pick on an individual, if you are advised to get for example an eye test, get the eye test, don't let others cast doubts in your mind as to who should pay for it. Things you really want don't always come for free, (as I found out when trying a self learning experiment with the saxophone, but that's another story).

Good luck to all.

[Hydrolix]

The following information is true and correct as it is coming from someone in Adelaide who is currently on one of the Cathay cadet courses.

The first round interview stage is not only an interview but also consists of a full days testing including a short medical where the doctor can pick any major faults that immediately restrict you from flying. These include things like insulin diabetes and very poor eyesight, how poor I do not know because I do not wear glasses myself however, many of my collegues do and they had no trouble in their medical. You will need to take your specific lenses and prescription in with you to see the doctor. The actual testing involves two Oxford entry English tests and most people do well. The day also consists of a computer based "micropath" test. About one and a half hours of fast subtraction, multiplication amongst other things. The interview is conducted by two people at the same time, normally a recruitment officer and an ex-cadet pilot (normally an F/O). This is very short and just a general chat, so be relaxed and do not try to overly impress them. If you pass this stage they normally let you know within two weeks and will send you a booklet of aircraft general knowledge (AGK) for you to study up on before the next stage.

Stage two interviews are again a whole days work. A long medical including blood test will give you a Hong Kong class 1 ATPL medical and an Australian class two which you will need when flying at Parafield for the 14 month course. You do another computer based test consisting of fast arithmetic but also hand eye coordination tasks and fast decision making skills. You do a written technical quiz from what you studied in the AGK booklet and I think another English test. Also a group excersise which is done with other members of your interview group. This is all about team work and participation, even if you end up with incorrect answers, they are just seeing how well you can lead and/or follow, trust me it is best to do a little bit of both because good leaders must be good followers also. There is also a "Flight Planning" excersise done two interviewees at a time, I came up with the wrong answer in this but still got through, they are looking for coordination and group vs individual responses not whether you come up with the correct answer or not. Finally there is another interview again with a panel of two, a pilot and a recruitment officer. This is more in depth and they can ask you anything. One side is personal and the other is technical. If you have previous experience, the technical questions may be more difficult but a tip is to study up on Cathay specific aircraft, such as engine types, aircraft types, routes flown, eg, how much thrust does the 777 engine produce? ANSWER: the Rolls Royce Trent 800 on all Cathay's 777's produce around 100 to 120,000 pounds of thrust, unlike the RB-211's on the 747-400 which only produce around 75,000 etc. They will like it if your technical knowledge is based around Cathay's aircraft.

If you pass this stage they will let you know within a week depending on when the next flight grading is due to commence. The third stage is an all expenses paid trip to Parafield airport, Adelaide, Australia for two weeks of flight grading. Here you will stay at BAe systems flight training college. Everyone attends a series of mass briefs on the particular flight scheduled for teh next day. If you have no previous flying experience you will fly the G-115 Grob, 7 times including a final test. You will be scored on a series of manouveres on each flight. These scores will all go into a computer with weighted scores also. This means that you are marked on how well you fly but also how quickly you learn new things and how quickly these things are retained. If you do have previous experience, you will do an additional 3 flights in the Mudry CAP-10 aerobatic aircraft where you will do tail-wheel specific tasks and also aerobatics to put you out of your comfort zone. If you pass flight grading you will be told within a week if you haave a final interview back in Hong Kong.

The final interview is done by two senior management people, again one is technical and the other is personal. Again, just answer everthing honestly, and just be yourself. On the technical side again just know Cathay stuff.

Thats just about it, if you get through that you will be off to sunny Adelaide to start the 60 week course. It is tough but also fun and rewarding. If you have any other questions, just post them and I'll be happy to help out. :D

[rumour reader]

Hydrolix... nice post, very informative!
Just the kind of thing wannabe's kneed to know.
I read in another thread that you have to do an IQ test is that true?
90 minutes of subtraction that sounds like hell?!! how does that work do you get pen & paper or do you have to work them out in your head or is it multi choice computer based Q's

whats the diference in the numeracy tests for stage one and stage two? Do the questions get harder?
if you could post some examples of the sort of Q's that would be great cos it sounds easy but it has the potential to be a right bitch especially 90 minutes!

cheers.........

[BlueEagle]

Hydrolix - a great post, thanks very much and best of luck with your training.

Regards,

BlueEagle - Moderator.:D

[Ju87]

Thanks for the info!

I just had my first round interview last week. It was just as you described, except for the math test. There was a short mental math test given on the computer during the aptitude test that consisted of 40 subtraction questions. There was also a one hour IQ test where they tested your ability to spot patterns.

I felt that the interview was quite tough, one of the toughest interviews I've every had. It lasted about 30 minutes and the interviewers were very direct and confrontational at times. They concentrated on why I wanted to change careers and tried to gauge my level of dedication to the program.

I hope that I will be invited back for the second round. *crosses fingers*

[jetjockey696]

What a excellent piece of writting and information.... Hydrolix, I had mine interview today, everything Hydrolix said in his topic came up.

Good luck future candidates!!! =0)

Thanks Hydrolix

[cessna172r MSN]

I want to know what kind of eye test have been carried out as i am shortsighted. Thanks a lot.

[Tungx2]

Guru,

Thanx for the info. i appreciate it^^

Tungx2

[Hydrolix]

Glad to help guys, the only other tips I can give you is be strong minded and confident when going into the interviews. Don't try to pluck an answer out of thin air but be truthful and if you don't know the answer to a question just tell them that. I know the interviews can become confrontational but all they are trying to do is break you into a situation where you feel uncomfortable. If you can handle this then you have beaten them.

Good luck to all that apply and I hope to see you in Adelaide soon.

[Ju87]

Just got my rejection letter from Cathay and I'm very disappointed. Guess it's time to apply to Dragonair.

[BusyB]

Hydrolix, Suggest you do a bit more research. How much thrust has a Trent on a 777? Try a search at RR.

[Lancer3d]

Lancer - Your similar post is now up and running in the Main Wannabes forum with some replys so I am deleting your question here.

BlueEagle - Moderator.

[jtr]

Surprised Lancer's Q.s lasted that long without getting hung out to dry.

[smallwing]

what will catch their eyes will probably be something very stupid, as they have seen every and anything that comes by.

personally i think depending on others in helping you get into an airline is not asking for help, but more leeching so that you don't have to do any work.

consult yourself deep down inside, and if you cannot think of what is best to write, look for a new job.

[Tungx2]

I was wondering how many people were successful or the success rate of each stage? did many people got turned out pretty quickly or many people gets to go to australia for the 2 week flight test? and even if you got into the flight test, what are the probabilities of getting in the program? and also, how many people actually got enrolled into the program previously??

sorry^^ i guess it's a bit much. but can't help worrying about it. thanx guys

Tungx2:rolleyes:

[BlueEagle]

From your posts it seems that you are spending rather a lot of your time needlessly worrying about hypotheses that may never happen!:D

As many of the old CX hands have said before on this forum, prepare yourself as best you can, give it your best shot and if you are suitable and what CX are looking for you will get it, if not, move on and don't dwell on what might have been. Not getting an offer is not a personal failure, it just means Cathay is not for you.

Try looking through the problems, plan what you intend to do if, by any chance, you don't get accepted and then take the interview process in your stride, otherwise you will build yourself into an anxiety state that will mask you abilities and inhibit your performance.

The secret is preparation, be natural, be honest and never even think about, let alone talk about, failure!

Best of luck. BlueEagle - Moderator.

[Guru]

Tungx2,

I've seen a whole group of flight graders being accepted but I've also heard of none being taken.

As long as you're what they are looking for you will be offered a place. The Company has not been able to fulfil its target number of cadets in recent years so there is no risk of being good enough but still rejected.

Guru

[rumour reader]

just out of interest... for any of you cadets on the cx course in ADL. I am curious as to what syllabus you study is it JAA, FAA or austrailian or what?

thanx.

(sorry... no stats for tungx and a bit of change in direction for the thread)

[smallwing]

It is HK standard, giving you only HK license IF you complete the whole course and not any less.

So if you were to pass your CPL/CIR, and fail the ground ATPL, you will not be issued any license unless you have totally passed all ground subject ATPL.

[Lancer3d]

I was just wondering how would they contact you to go for an interview after you have submitted the application? By phone or by a letter? Also about how long would it take for them to reply?

[vicky b]

ssssss

[rumour reader]

Lancer...
I would imagine that you would get a formal letter as apposed to a phone call.
The cx website states:
'Cadet Pilot applicants who do not hear from us within eight weeks may consider their application unsuccessful'.
But it sounds like you only sent your application in Feb, so still plenty of time! I guess you missed the boat for the march intake and with the next intake not till august I guess they are in no rush at the moment. Having said that the selection takes about two months from (what i can work out) so if they want to interveiw you they will prob be in contact shortly.
Mabey things take longer cos you are in Canada? I don't Know.
Hope that helps.

Ps I'm only writing this because there has been nothing to read on the frag harb wans forum for ages so if anyone wants to expand on or correct my above rumor then please feel free to do so.

[Guru]

They almost always contact by phone.

[Flying Bagel]

They only contact by phone if you're successful. Otherwise, expect a letter in your mail.

[tcyr19]

About the HK pilot licenses that the cadets receive from the course in Adelaide, is it possible to convert them to FAA, or other foreign licenses?

[Lancer3d]

So they contact by phone, but about how long after they have recieved the application will they get in contact with you if you were successfull?

Thanks

[lizzard]

hello to all those in the know

I sent in my application, but since its from a place where the donkey cart still has to take it to the nearest town from which a delapodated taxi takes it to the city and from where a very dodgy air postal service hopefully takes it near to where its supposed to go, and where people have no idea of the word fax, ...................... please, has anyone got an email adress where I can follow up if they have received my application?

Thankx a mil

[Flying Bagel]

Well, they do receive quite a few application letters, and knowing how busy they are these days at flight recruitment, they probably won't have time to answer your e-mail. Don't worry, unless if the post office screws up, they'll get the application.

They have three courses this year, the first one arriving in Adelaide at the end of this month. If you're lucky, you may get interviews within the next two to three months or so for the next two intakes later on this year.

[Guru]

As far as I know when the recruitment team contact candidates they would already have arranged a date for the interview so my guess is that they decide on when they want to start interviewing and then contact you. So if you don't get a call within however many weeks as stated, don't give up hope.

Because of special circumstances I had to find out if I had passed the first round. I called about a week after when I should have heard from them and that very same day I was given the date of my next interview.