PPruNe/Astraeus Selection Day
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PPruNe/Astraeus Selection Day
Well done to PPruNe and Astraeus for giving me the best four day white-knuckle ride I've had for ages! I was on the edge of my seat with excitement, until earlier today.
Unfortunately, I didn't make it through to the simulator assessment phase, after yesterday's interview and selection process, but had an interesting day meeting some of the faces behind PPruNe.
Best of luck to those of you who got a sim ride - even better luck to the four who start their 757 courses on the 21st!! Lucky (but deserving, of course) sods!!!
Maybe we could start a thread about how to answer those tricky and personal interview questions!
Big thanks to PPruNe and Astraeus!
ETR
PS - Nick, Declan et al: How did you get on !?
Unfortunately, I didn't make it through to the simulator assessment phase, after yesterday's interview and selection process, but had an interesting day meeting some of the faces behind PPruNe.
Best of luck to those of you who got a sim ride - even better luck to the four who start their 757 courses on the 21st!! Lucky (but deserving, of course) sods!!!
Maybe we could start a thread about how to answer those tricky and personal interview questions!
Big thanks to PPruNe and Astraeus!
ETR
PS - Nick, Declan et al: How did you get on !?
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Well, I was last bloke out of the sim this morning at 12.50am
I won't dwell on how well I did
However, I would like to say what a great bunch of guys I met today at the sim. Lots of friendly advice and everyone trying to help each other out .. thats the way it should be.
Which ever way you look at it, hats off to Pprune, Astraeus and to the four that get the sponsorship .. congrats
I won't dwell on how well I did
However, I would like to say what a great bunch of guys I met today at the sim. Lots of friendly advice and everyone trying to help each other out .. thats the way it should be.
Which ever way you look at it, hats off to Pprune, Astraeus and to the four that get the sponsorship .. congrats
Last edited by Nearly Man; 18th Jan 2005 at 11:51.
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Hey Nearly Man
I must admit it was jolly nice of you old chap to volunteer to go last( even though you were harrassing everyone coming out of the sim !)
No seriously though NM is right, it was so nice to see everyone helping each other out. Thanks also to Alan(sicksquid), for keeping us entertained with his ........during the old days..... ..stories !!
Big credit has to go to Pprune and Astraeus for putting this together at such short notice !
Had a fantastic experience over the last few days and wish all the best of luck !!
sp
I must admit it was jolly nice of you old chap to volunteer to go last( even though you were harrassing everyone coming out of the sim !)
No seriously though NM is right, it was so nice to see everyone helping each other out. Thanks also to Alan(sicksquid), for keeping us entertained with his ........during the old days..... ..stories !!
Big credit has to go to Pprune and Astraeus for putting this together at such short notice !
Had a fantastic experience over the last few days and wish all the best of luck !!
sp
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You've got to feel sorry for the Sim instructor though.... Not only can Nearly Man talk the legs off a donkey, but he can then persuade it to go for a quick stroll afterwards.
Good luck one and all.
Good luck one and all.
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Interview questions
Hi everyone. I too was lucky enough to attend the selection day although unfortunately I didn't make it to the sim ride. I would, however like to take this opportunity to thank Capt pprune, Hamrah, Infinretirement and the other two interviewers for their time and help. It is much appreciated.
I suspect I let myself down during the interview and it will be interesting to receive feedback from Danny et al.
I have decided to write down the questions asked of me during the interview (or at least the ones I can remember) in the hope of (a) sparking a discussion or two and (b) helping anyone who has an interview in the near future. Comments are welcomed from all ppruners but please would you give a brief description of your background as I think it would be interesting to compare how people of differing experience would answer the same question.
OK, enough waffle - here goes in no particular order...
1. Why do you want to fly in the airlines?
2. Give an example of when you were last kind to someone.
3. What are your weakest areas?
4. What are your strongest areas?
5. What kind of people make you angry?
6. Give an example of when you last made someone feel special.
7. What is your greatest achievement to date?
8. Describe your most embarressing moment.
9. After a night stop both you and the Captain are feeling the worse for wear. You especially feel that the Captain is over the alcohol limit and not fit to fly. What do you do/say to him?
10. You are flying an ILS approach where you know the cloudbase is below minimums. The Captain says to you that he knows the local weather very well and if he just goes a few feet below the decision height then he is sure he will get in to land. What do you say to him about that?
Of all these questions I expect numbers nine and ten to be of the most interest - I know I had trouble answering them.
Well guys, what would you say???
I suspect I let myself down during the interview and it will be interesting to receive feedback from Danny et al.
I have decided to write down the questions asked of me during the interview (or at least the ones I can remember) in the hope of (a) sparking a discussion or two and (b) helping anyone who has an interview in the near future. Comments are welcomed from all ppruners but please would you give a brief description of your background as I think it would be interesting to compare how people of differing experience would answer the same question.
OK, enough waffle - here goes in no particular order...
1. Why do you want to fly in the airlines?
2. Give an example of when you were last kind to someone.
3. What are your weakest areas?
4. What are your strongest areas?
5. What kind of people make you angry?
6. Give an example of when you last made someone feel special.
7. What is your greatest achievement to date?
8. Describe your most embarressing moment.
9. After a night stop both you and the Captain are feeling the worse for wear. You especially feel that the Captain is over the alcohol limit and not fit to fly. What do you do/say to him?
10. You are flying an ILS approach where you know the cloudbase is below minimums. The Captain says to you that he knows the local weather very well and if he just goes a few feet below the decision height then he is sure he will get in to land. What do you say to him about that?
Of all these questions I expect numbers nine and ten to be of the most interest - I know I had trouble answering them.
Well guys, what would you say???
The last two questions I have seen posted as questions they ask. My answers to the following would be:
9. I would make the captain aware that I thought he was over the limit and talk to him about it. However I would bring it up not as a big issue to start with. If on talking to him I belived the saftey of out aeroplane and others using the airport were at risk it would be my responsibilty to bring it to a senoir managers attetion at the airport. If I personally was not happy to fly with the captain I would inisit that a 3rd party asses the fitness of the captain. The key here is to maintain respect for the captain and uphold your role of assuring the saftey of everyone on board the aircraft.
This one is a little more tricky
10. I would inform the captain of cloud level to make sure he had not overlooked it. I would then make my postiton clear to the captain and suggest he uses the auto land. I feel it would only make things worse by announcing it to Air Traffic Control but of course this would depend on how serious the situation was. I would try to resolve the situation with meaningful dialog and remembering in the back of my mind that he was the captain and i was not. It would be his responsibilty if anything were to happen, as long as I had made my views clear to him.
I would definatly like some feedback on what all of you think to those answers and what ones you gave.
9. I would make the captain aware that I thought he was over the limit and talk to him about it. However I would bring it up not as a big issue to start with. If on talking to him I belived the saftey of out aeroplane and others using the airport were at risk it would be my responsibilty to bring it to a senoir managers attetion at the airport. If I personally was not happy to fly with the captain I would inisit that a 3rd party asses the fitness of the captain. The key here is to maintain respect for the captain and uphold your role of assuring the saftey of everyone on board the aircraft.
This one is a little more tricky
10. I would inform the captain of cloud level to make sure he had not overlooked it. I would then make my postiton clear to the captain and suggest he uses the auto land. I feel it would only make things worse by announcing it to Air Traffic Control but of course this would depend on how serious the situation was. I would try to resolve the situation with meaningful dialog and remembering in the back of my mind that he was the captain and i was not. It would be his responsibilty if anything were to happen, as long as I had made my views clear to him.
I would definatly like some feedback on what all of you think to those answers and what ones you gave.
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What I find interesting in that set of questions is that they all contain either the word "you" or "your". They seem to be designed to get an idea of your personality or character. There is nothing technical or particularly factual so it would be difficult to see how you could give a wrong answer. I suppose if someone were to portray a picture of themselves of having what might be regarded as traits towards the extreme end of the spectrum, that might be regarded as the wrong answer. The questions you have listed seem to be compiled in such a way that a person would be required to give an analysis of something they ought to be familiar with. Themselves !
So I cannot see that there is any right or wrong answer since aviation comprises so many different characters and personalities. What is important is that an individual can recognize their own strengths and weaknesses and various character traits, so that these can be adapted and integrated. From a CRM viewpoint this self awareness is very important. If someone didn't feel they had any particular strengths or weaknesses it is probably because they are either very unaware or very guarded or modest. More than one question in a similar vein might suggest which ?
These questions would also tend to preclude very short answers, which help an interviewer assess the personality and communication skills of a person. Does the individual give honest replies or replies that are scripted to a formula ? Does the individual seem irritated by unexpected questions ? Does the individual have a sense of humour ? The answers that are given to such questions are likely to be varied as indeed are the individuals. Anybody in this situation is naturally going to be nervous and pressured to some degree, but the answers ought to project whatever the interviewer is looking for in relation to the job. For a pilot that would probably be a perception of tidyness, maturity, sincerity, sense of humour, awareness, commitment, integrity. If the interviewer is another pilot they might also want to be reasonably assured that the interviewee would be somebody they would be happy to sit with for 12 hours or more (or less) in a confined environment. They might also want to be assured that the individual is also lilkely to be a potential commander and as such would be able to quickly adapt to the imminent role of second in command with the abilty to assume the temporary role of commander as directed or indeed by initiative should the need arise.
The last two questions seem to go a little further in that they are presumably looking for an ability to rapidly come to a decision in a difficult situation. Again it would seem that there may be a number of ways of achieving it, but how does the individual do it, and indeed how committed or flexible are they to that decision ?
In summary, these questions don't seem to have a right or wrong answer although some might, depending on the perception of the interviewer. They seem designed to get a idea of the interviewees personality. That perception might be right or wrong or probably somewhere in between, but no system is perfect. All interviews are to some extent a combination of all of the parties experience and personality, with a degree of luck thrown in on the day.
So I cannot see that there is any right or wrong answer since aviation comprises so many different characters and personalities. What is important is that an individual can recognize their own strengths and weaknesses and various character traits, so that these can be adapted and integrated. From a CRM viewpoint this self awareness is very important. If someone didn't feel they had any particular strengths or weaknesses it is probably because they are either very unaware or very guarded or modest. More than one question in a similar vein might suggest which ?
These questions would also tend to preclude very short answers, which help an interviewer assess the personality and communication skills of a person. Does the individual give honest replies or replies that are scripted to a formula ? Does the individual seem irritated by unexpected questions ? Does the individual have a sense of humour ? The answers that are given to such questions are likely to be varied as indeed are the individuals. Anybody in this situation is naturally going to be nervous and pressured to some degree, but the answers ought to project whatever the interviewer is looking for in relation to the job. For a pilot that would probably be a perception of tidyness, maturity, sincerity, sense of humour, awareness, commitment, integrity. If the interviewer is another pilot they might also want to be reasonably assured that the interviewee would be somebody they would be happy to sit with for 12 hours or more (or less) in a confined environment. They might also want to be assured that the individual is also lilkely to be a potential commander and as such would be able to quickly adapt to the imminent role of second in command with the abilty to assume the temporary role of commander as directed or indeed by initiative should the need arise.
The last two questions seem to go a little further in that they are presumably looking for an ability to rapidly come to a decision in a difficult situation. Again it would seem that there may be a number of ways of achieving it, but how does the individual do it, and indeed how committed or flexible are they to that decision ?
In summary, these questions don't seem to have a right or wrong answer although some might, depending on the perception of the interviewer. They seem designed to get a idea of the interviewees personality. That perception might be right or wrong or probably somewhere in between, but no system is perfect. All interviews are to some extent a combination of all of the parties experience and personality, with a degree of luck thrown in on the day.
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Question 9.
I think with this one...a little diplomacy would be the order of the day, mayby suggest the Capts looking a little under the weather....perhaps suggest a delay to see if he improves a little..a quick bite to eat, basically give the Capt time to reassess (is that how you spell that?) and digest the fact that you KNOW hes not 100%...give him/her a way out...this approach tends to work with reasonable intelligent people..(some even make captains for airlines!)
Question 10.
To me its a no-brainer...sure there is the CRM aspect to this question...but at the end of the day minimums are there for the safety of the crew and the paying travelling public..who rely on you to get there in one piece. I would be pragmatic.....agree the weather sounds a bit iffy.....and of course to the Capts superior local knowledge, voice your concern,,,but also add (for the sake of CRM) "lets get down to minimums and see what the weather actually is"...remind the Capt of minimums...and prompt that a go-around would be the best option both from the stand-point of SOP's....and for the guys and gals wanting to arrive intact...if indeed the weather is pants, cos Ive heard the ATIS...got to minimums...and hey presto!..its improved...
H
I think with this one...a little diplomacy would be the order of the day, mayby suggest the Capts looking a little under the weather....perhaps suggest a delay to see if he improves a little..a quick bite to eat, basically give the Capt time to reassess (is that how you spell that?) and digest the fact that you KNOW hes not 100%...give him/her a way out...this approach tends to work with reasonable intelligent people..(some even make captains for airlines!)
Question 10.
To me its a no-brainer...sure there is the CRM aspect to this question...but at the end of the day minimums are there for the safety of the crew and the paying travelling public..who rely on you to get there in one piece. I would be pragmatic.....agree the weather sounds a bit iffy.....and of course to the Capts superior local knowledge, voice your concern,,,but also add (for the sake of CRM) "lets get down to minimums and see what the weather actually is"...remind the Capt of minimums...and prompt that a go-around would be the best option both from the stand-point of SOP's....and for the guys and gals wanting to arrive intact...if indeed the weather is pants, cos Ive heard the ATIS...got to minimums...and hey presto!..its improved...
H
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Re question 10.
This was answered somewhere else, sometime ago. And went along the lines of
I'm new and need to stay squeaky clean, so i don't get the boot. I'd like to operate to the SOPs and if the runway is not insight at mimimums we should go around.
This was answered somewhere else, sometime ago. And went along the lines of
I'm new and need to stay squeaky clean, so i don't get the boot. I'd like to operate to the SOPs and if the runway is not insight at mimimums we should go around.
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Am shattered! Was last out of the sim last night (approx midnight) and am halfway through a full day of instructing.
Good luck to everyone who was on the sim last night. I know I was grinning like a cheshire cat on the way home !
Many thanks to Alan and John who made the evening both enjoyable and educational.
Good luck to everyone who was on the sim last night. I know I was grinning like a cheshire cat on the way home !
Many thanks to Alan and John who made the evening both enjoyable and educational.
Q10. Perhaps there's a double edge to this question or perhaps the interviewer doesn't understand JAR minima. There is no cloudbase minima for a precision approach. There is a minimum RVR and a DA published, but no minimum cloudbase. So if the published RVR is 550m and the reported RVR is 500m but the cloudbase 200', there is no question - an approach ban is in force, unless you have already passed the FAF. But if the cloudbase is reported at 150' and the RVR 550m you can still make an approach. Why?
The RVR is unequivical. An observer cannot see any further based on the assumption he is using the same equipment as the pilot - the Mk1 eyeball! However, the cloudbase is measured mechanically by an optical instrument which records the first contact with visible moisture. But cloud is like fog, and we can see through fog to a greater or lesser degree. So the Mk1 eyeball at 200' in cloud may see enough of the bright runway lights penetrating the cloud to make a decision to land.
The RVR is unequivical. An observer cannot see any further based on the assumption he is using the same equipment as the pilot - the Mk1 eyeball! However, the cloudbase is measured mechanically by an optical instrument which records the first contact with visible moisture. But cloud is like fog, and we can see through fog to a greater or lesser degree. So the Mk1 eyeball at 200' in cloud may see enough of the bright runway lights penetrating the cloud to make a decision to land.
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Q9. Speak to the capt and suggest he/she calls in sick. If he insists on flying say that you will call in sick yourself.
Q10. Mention the words "I DO NOT FEEL COMFORTABLE with that". If he still insists then repeat your feelings. If he still insists and tells you it will be OK I've done it before then you have no choice but to tell him he has put you in an awkward situation and if he continues you will take control. Stick to the SOP's, report him if you have to as he may well do it again.
Q10. Mention the words "I DO NOT FEEL COMFORTABLE with that". If he still insists then repeat your feelings. If he still insists and tells you it will be OK I've done it before then you have no choice but to tell him he has put you in an awkward situation and if he continues you will take control. Stick to the SOP's, report him if you have to as he may well do it again.