Questions For Current CX Pilots
 

Hello All:

Before I begin, let me say that I am very thankful to those of you that have taken the time to post all of the very helpful info on this forum!

I wanted to get some feedback from any current CX pilots on whether my particular experience fits the profile of what CX is looking for in a DEFO....

I am 40 years old. I have spent the last seven years flying for Northwest Airlines on the DC-9, A-320 and B-727 (FE). Prior to NWA, I spent about five years flying as an FO on a DC-8 for Air Transport International flying freight worldwide; mostly on USAF/AMC charters.

Like so many others, I find myself at a point in my career where the future does not look so bright. I am slated to be furloughed sometime in the first quarter of next year, and I have decided to try once more to find a place where I can call home for the rest of my flying days.

Do any of you think that a man of my age and/or experience fits the profile of what CX is looking for? I realize that a large part of it depends on whether other pilots can stand to be around you;)
I get along with everybody and haven't been ditched on a layover
yet!

Thanks for your replies in advance!

well, if you really want to find out if you'll fit in at Cathay.............................apply.................... ..........you'll be competing with lots of guys from the US that also have good experience but thats not a blocker. A lot of you americans do have difficulty adapting to the "Cathay Culture" (Yes unlike Australians Cathay has actually developed a culture) But they are pretty good at picking this up during the interview process..................so, just send in your application and start the ball rolling, ....................good luck

More importantly, are you prepared to sit next to a d1ckhead like "sizematters" who is more than likely a SFO and has no say in the day to day operation. I can tell you straight, I and many others see the "N Sync club" as a detrement to the entire operation. You are more than welcome ..... just please have a brain....and having flown a DC 8 you wouldnt be alive if you didn't....unlike the N Sync boys who the last type the commanded was a Beech Baron.....but the Vol 1 says.......... drone.........

firewall...........I'd offer to take part in a battle of wits with you.............................but then again it would be unfair of me to take on an unarmed man..........................


next????

Buzz

I will let you into a secret.

The most competent driver this company ever had joined after aged 40.

Check the pprune reference for Ray Hanna...the most accomplished driver and gentleman this world is ever likely to see.

I am one of the fortunate few to have flown with him in heavies and toys.

Send in the application and pm me if you run any flack.

CX needs people like you.

Thank you for your replies thus far.....

I intend on going to the job fair next month where they apparently will be recruiting....We'll see what happens....

Thanks again!

Re: Questions For Current CX Pilots
 

Buzz,
Go for it !!! CX is a great Company to work for. If you have any questions PM me and I'll answer all your questions.
Best of luck with the recruitment process, hope to fly with you out on the line in the near future.

Re: Questions For Current CX Pilots
 

Hey Buzz,

I think you've got quite alot of competition mate. I'm in a very similar position with Delta. 40yrs old with plenty of jet time in the B727/737/767 MD80. Went to the job fair in Miami a while ago and just updated my resume. I think they must have at least 5000 applications or more to choose from and are being "very" selective in who they are bringing in, not that I can blame them it is a buyers market right now. I'm just waiting for the call for the first interview like you and many other applicants.
You're certainly right about the US Airline industry not looking too bright, quite frankly I'm not sure when the bloodbath will end.Good luck my friend and I hope to see you at a screening event in the not too distant future.
Dal

I'm 43 and got a call.

I am 39 and currently fly for NWA. I got called for NY interview next month. I really don't think I have a good chance because I am still currently employed at NW...but I am going to give it my best shot.

Cathay Culture?
 

Gentleman,

I was curious if someone could describe to me what exactly is the "Cathay Culture" I hear so often described on this forum? My British friend at CX tells me it is someone who is "understated". I consider myself quite affable and I feel this might have been a factor in my unsuccessful interview in YVR in December. Strange as this may sound, I felt there was this huge wall for me to climb being an American in that interview.

I am in a similar position to my 2 NWA colleagues on this post (I am also a junior FO at NWA) and witnessing first hand, the demise of the pilot profession in the United States. I am fortunate, however, to have called on my network of friends to acquire pilot employment at another North American carrier. I would have preferred to work for Cathay but alas it was not to be. I find it strange that I have been offered employment with every American carrier I have ever interviewed with (Northwest, JetBlue, Air Tran, American Trans Air, and Delta) but not Cathay. I am obvious doing something correct but there also must be something I am doing that is not appealing to a foreign carrier.

Any thoughts on this?

Sorry to hear that Airbus_Driver!

I could see an individual failing the process that included a sim check or maybe because of a medical issue but the interview you had in YVR did not include those items. An airline in expansion mode like Cathay you would think would be more accepting but I don't see that happening. I would suspect the first interview would ensure you are who you claim you are with an accompanying little human resource chat to determine human skills. Considering you were hired at the number of airlines you mentioned I totally understand your puzzlement.

With no discredit to your ability or stability, Cathay has often said they don't hire F/O's but future Captains. Saying this, I wonder if the number of airlines you were employed with concerned the recruiters as to your stability or loyalty to an employer. I would think the question came up and you had a good reason for the variety of past employers?

Regardless, I do feel for you and wish you all the best luck in the future. ;)

"They recruit future captains" makes you wonder if they get it right with so many upgrade failures!

cpdude,

Thanks for your thoughts.

I only accepted employment with Northwest which is who I have been employed by for the last 7 years. The other airlines I mentioned were carriers I interviewed with before Northwest.

JetBlue is the only airline which I have recently accepted employment with. They are a fine company to work for but there is a high level of risk associated with working for a startup and they certainly will never offer the "world travel" that I was looking for in Cathay. But I am grateful that they wish me to work for them.

I understand it is not impossible to interview a second time and many have been hired that way. I had a hard time building rapport with my interviewers so lets hope I am successful the second time around. My friend at CX has been quite supportive and I am hopeful for the future.

Still curious though by what is meant by "Cathay Culture". Can someone describe this?

Not so sure it's "Cathay culture" or British culture. Being North American, I find them all messed up!

I know an individual that was turned down twice and hired on his third 1st interview...so don't give up!:ok:

PS just read your post interview notes on another thread. You had a real d*ck pilot for your interview. Those questions were designed to show YOU how smart HE was. Sorry about that...it should never have happened like that.

cpdude,

Thanks for your support. In all fairness, I was no superstar in the Cathay interview. I was warned by CX insiders that the Captain who interviewed me was a very difficult person to build rapport with and they were correct. Though I tried, I just couldn't get the guy to even break a smile.

I read some of your other threads and I think I am getting a feel for what kind of "culture" things they may be looking for. Confident, direct, to the point and by the book is what I am reading. Yes anal, but I am sure the Aussies and Brits think the yanks are cowboys...haha.

I appreciate the comments.

AB driver,
Can you direct me toward the thread that has the interview questions you faced from this a$$ of an interviewer? Be nice to see what kind of a grilling you received so others can prep for the worst.

Hope JB works out for you. I know lots of folks there and all seem very happy. Some risk with the new start up thing, but they seem to have cracked the code on profitablity in a very tough environment, so I'd think your future is pretty bright there.

Mink

Sure Mink. It is at...

http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?t=204525

Hope it helps.

I don't know if this will help or not but I did chat to the lady in charge of recruitment about why they turn down a lot of you US guys, and I also had an interesting converstaion with a US based guy who has now been with CX for about 10 months. HR basically feel that moving to CX is a huge step, and that many US pilots will find it impossible adapting, hence the rejection. I chatted for some time with the guy who had been at CX for 10 months and he explained that he was finding it difficult to adapt, but was "getting there" he also explained that because the US "Culture" (Whatever you want to call it) is very insular (90% of you think the world ceases to exist or have relevance outside your borders) he felt many of his colleagues would never be able to adapt/fit in..............The last thing HR wants is to recruit you, find you become terribly unhappy after training you and have you leave..............AB, of course you've been accepted by every US airline you've applied to, your American, and have been brought up in that society/culture.............(both in life and flying). The step to an Asian carrier is a huge one, no matter what nationality you are and I hear amazing stories from all types of people about how life has changed or changed them by moving to Asia(be it Cathay or any asian carrier)...............the other problem many find is that after a few years in Asia, well, you never want to leave............If you can find a colleague from CX in the US I'm sure they will be able to give you lots of good gen on the whole thing.......................

Airbus Driver

You'll offend a whole bunch of brits if you pool them with the Aussies. To many of them the Aussies are still the :mad: colonial castoffs (convicts). As to cowboys I've seen them in the Aussie, Brits and the Yanks.

I would agree with your statement of Confident, Direct and most definetly by the book as a requirment of the Cathay way.

Don't forget CRM (courtesy, respect and manners) (feeling slightly cynical this morning)

Anyway all the best to you.

Good info.

I have heard this argument about Americans lack of knowledge of the world outside of their borders and unfortunately, I would agree that most rural Americans fall into this category. Certainly, most have not lived outside the U.S. To some degree I understand why. The U.S. has just gone through nearly 15 years of the greatest economic growth rates in its history, unemployment has been under 5% for as long as I can remember and so the opportunites have been very good up until 9/11. With the emergence of China as an economic superpower, the opportunites are coming to light now with many American pilots out of work. There is definitely a adjustment to be made for us seeking Asian piloting careers. I will grant you that.

My situation is a bit different in that my aviation experience has taken me to many Asian cities. In fact, more than Cathay serves. My MBA has a concentration in International Business and I also speak some Japanese. Some of this information was reflected in my application but apparently had no merit in the interview.

I appreciate the honest comments though. Its helping me understand CX more each post I read.

Truckmasters, I couldn't agree with you more on the CRM comment. I didn't think you were being cynical at all.

I thought I was "Mr Worldy wise" when I joined CX, been all over, lived in many countries but I have to say it took me a long time to adjust to Asia, fortunately my previous airline had a training/checking regime similar to that at CX so to fit into CX was relatively easy, however to adapt and fit into the asian culture took at a guess about 4 years..............Your American training is so TOTALLY different to the way CX operates that many guys find that difficult, however, I will say I fly with you "septic's" all the time (Septic tank = yank) and the ones at CX are excellent, so I guess the selection process has it's merits................Maybe if you can understand that "Visiting" many asian cities does not really prepare you for the cultural changes you'll experience on joining CX you'll open up to what you need to learn to get through the selection process.
Just like flying, there are those who are open to learning and new experiences who continue to grow and develop and those who close their minds because "they have done it all, have soooo much experience, etc etc"

So what makes the yanks that you have flown with different/better than the ones that get rejected or that you have seen elsewhere? I mean this in a positive way not a condescending one. As a CX hopeful and a yank myself, I appreciate all input from the inside. I realize that it will definitely be a culture shock for me to change my sphere of reference that far, both geographically and professionally but I hope I get the opportunity to give it a go.

Ab Driver,
Checked out your summary of the interview. Sorry it did not work out for you, but thanks very much for posting the info for the rest of us. Best of luck at JB!

Mink

Id have to say that your interview AB was pretty "standard."
Id also go so far as to say that the interviewers were quite experienced. The typical "whats the history of CX?" type question often comes from the less experienced.

Very sorry to hear you were unsuccessful.....and a bit disappointed that you doing a degree may in some way be considered a negative. I truely hope that wasnt the case.

IMHO (and generalisation) topics such as Principles of Flight and Theoretical Weather are a real weakness amongst the Nth American community. In the same way the Australians struggle with Icing.....the Nth Americans excel there! Brits for some daft reason excel in Performance related questions (prob because CAA Perf A is a nightmare!)

Its not individual fault, its just something that your never really get taught in detail. Everyone has a specialisation and everyone a weakness.
You can hope that your weakness doesnt show up in the interview, but thats playing with fire; youre best bet is to study harder in your weak areas and to truely try and understand the why's and not just the answers.

For what its worth about the only CRM questions you hear at CX is a. drunk captain and b. captain who refuses to go-around from a terrible approach.

Lastly, and I know Ive said it lots, but you if you genuinely want to experince Asia and genuinely think that CX is a step forward in your career progression.....and let them know that in the interview......then you should do well.

Good luck next time around.

Kung Hei Fat Choy

PS: I prime example of Nth Americans getting it wrong, was yesterday in Japan.....Northwest, United et al, wishing the Japanese "Happy New Year". NOte: Its Cinhese New Year.....not Japanese (and yes, there is a BIG difference)

All the best
PF

PF,

Thanks for the valuable information. I will certainly use your advice if I am able to obtain another interview at CX. Help me with the acronym IMHO? What is that?

petitfromage

reminds me when over Iran I heard a KLM Pilot wish them a Happy Christmas when changing frequency!!

IMHO, " In My Humble Opinion".........

Different cultures
 

I am a Captain for a company that employs people from all over the world, and I find that the US crewmembers are more than well enough trained. I really do not care if you know weather theory, but you better know real world weather. I really don't care how a GPS works, but I want to know how to operate it, and I want to know what to do if it is inop. I am not looking for a job at Garmin building the things.
Most of the Europeans have the theory down, but very often can't relate it to real life applications. I have many a copilot saying we should fuel up somewhere because the fuel is cheaper there, not considering the 5.8% gradient we need to fly out of there. Total disconnect sometimes. The Brits have their performance down quite well, I think they all know the "value of D" by heart. It's part of their evening prayers or something.
We all have different areas we are good at is what I am saying here.

So, SizeMatters, quit being such a ..... and try to get along with people instead.

DA50,
I find the "who's better than who" threads really boring. Who knows what the contributers are really like.
This thread was in response to someone asking for advice about Cathay from Cathay pilots.

I don't think you have anything to offer.

You and my wife both. Have a great weekend.

DA50,

You hit the nail smack dab on the head and I think you obviously have much to offer.

Must have hit a nerve with BusyB. Must be one of those Europeans.:D

well, there you have it, you can be like DA50 and tell the interviewers that the american way is best , then fail the Cathay interview, or you can do the research and tell them what they want to hear and have the best job in the world.......................

by the way, what is a DA50 ???

Oh dear, pistols at dawn...? Its like a kindergarten in here sometimes.

The interview process simply sorts the wheat from the chaff.....and in some cases the good wheat from the not so good wheat!
In the post 9/11 world Cathay is lucky enough to have that luxury. (The fact it wasnt always so, or that some guys just had a bad day is, sadly and perhaps unfairly, neither here nor there)

There is very little point in wrestling the pig over this:
a. the pig loves it
b. win or lose you still end up covered in sh1t.

And....IMHO....a little bit of theory goes a long way but no one expects you to be designing new super-critical wings on your G days (unless of course, you like that sort of thing)

Its horses for courses and to the best of my knowledge its still Cathays racetrack.

CX
 

Sizematters,

You said: "moving to CX is a huge step".....DOWN that is!
I have read some of your comments, what a lot of B/S that was....are you on drugs or just looking for an argument on the site?

Intersting what you said about the Americans, but since you are using "sizematters" as a username I presume that you are flying a 744 (American built) for CX, as previously mentioned probably also a SO.

So tell me, "yanks" can built aircrafts but can not fly them???

CX should really review their interview standart so "clowns" like yourself won't get in anymore.......

Make sure that you stay in CX for as long as you can, so people in other airlines won't have to put up with your "culture"!:E

Your American training is so TOTALLY different to the way CX operates that many guys find that difficult, however, I will say I fly with you "septic's" all the time (Septic tank = yank) and the ones at CX are excellent

sorry??? the above quote says it all.....................the question here was "how to get into CX".............Not how to be a great pilot, nor was it "who's best, by Nationality"...........

aqnyway all I can say is I'm SO glad I made that HUGE step DOWN Many years ago.......................

your not one of those type Cathay rejects are you?? Mr 74 world??? Still trying to figure why you couldn't take such an easy step down??

cx
 

sizematters,

For info I have never applied at CX, I feel very lucky now that in my current company we do not have idiots like you.....THANK YOU HR! the system is working......

Once more enjoy CX :ok: , stay where you are, we don't need guys like you in EU! :)

so exactly what do you have to offer to people who want to join CX???

or the rest of the world for that matter??

hey, what is the square root of FA???

Answer=sizematters

Oh it pains me to have to put up with all these superior types.
74world you must have them there too!:\

OK you have all had your little outburst of personal abuse, that will do just fine thanks.

Back to the thread topic or lose it, (padlock).

Thanks, BE.