Ryanair Interview and Sim Assessment (merged)
Join Date: Jul 2018
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If the LT isn't completed within the 6 months training contract then said contract is extended. Not too sure if this is on a rolling basis, fixed term or if it depends on the individuals circumstances.
People here are quite rightly pointing out the risks associated with such an opportunity but the rewards far outweigh the risks IMO. People need to realise though, that RYR aren't trying to grab 30k off you. They couldn't care less, there's a huge surplus of pilots right now and very little opportunities and they rightly know that people will cough up the money. IMO ALL TR should be sponsored/bonded but sadly this is just the situation we find ourselves in just now.
It has already been pointed out but I'd reiterate the point that - THIS HAS ALWAYS BEEN RYR's METHOD OF TAKING ON CADETS - TRAINING CONTRACTS FOR LT, many who've went down this route have went on to have massively successful careers. The only thing that changed in the past was the price. RYR are in a strong position but have lost huge amounts over the last year, so yes, of course they're going to cut costs in any way they can, like most LCC's would - so it's not a surprise its 30k. Despite this always being the method of hiring cadets, I understand that we are now faced with a different set of circumstances that we haven't faced before. HUGE uncertainty. RYR from what I can see have always been clear that this is for Summer 2022 growth. Not Summer 2021, but 2022. Now with that being said, this summer looks like it could have great potential, there's certainly some encouraging signs but time will tell. There's no doubt however next year will be the one. RYR don't want to be LT guys during what could possibly be their busiest summer to date. So, by starting LT this year, everyone is prepared for next. It remains to be seen whether LT will be dragged out this year if need be or whether it will be done a close to the standard time as possible and then put on unpaid leave as such - should the expected recovery forecast for this year not materialise. That being said, like I mentioned earlier, the signs are there for this year. EU countries already making early commitments to being open for tourists. This combined with the incredible speed of the vaccine rollout should make for a great summer and strong winter.
I see they're also letting people delay TR start dates by 6 months like they always have done. This is VERY reassuring and encouraging as it let's you see how others get on first - the 'guinea pigs' as such. Its something i'd strongly advise anyone applying for this to do. I know 2 TR classes have already started and are due to start LT early-mid June. So, say your due to start TR in sept and the first TR class finish LT in aug/sep and don't move on to a RYR contract - you simply wouldn't join and the flip-side being - if they do get contracts then it adds some more certainty.
Look guys, just be aware about what your signing up for - do the research, listen to people who've been there and done that, talk to current RYR pilots. You're gonna hear positives and negatives like you would in most companies, in any line of work. **One thing I would add is that you must be wary of some of the posts on here, some of the guys make valid points and are trying to help but there's some who aren't as helpful and are filling this forum with BS.** It's down to yourself at the end of the day to weigh up the pro's and con's and decide accordingly but like I say, there certainly is encouraging signs but don't rush the decision.
People here are quite rightly pointing out the risks associated with such an opportunity but the rewards far outweigh the risks IMO. People need to realise though, that RYR aren't trying to grab 30k off you. They couldn't care less, there's a huge surplus of pilots right now and very little opportunities and they rightly know that people will cough up the money. IMO ALL TR should be sponsored/bonded but sadly this is just the situation we find ourselves in just now.
It has already been pointed out but I'd reiterate the point that - THIS HAS ALWAYS BEEN RYR's METHOD OF TAKING ON CADETS - TRAINING CONTRACTS FOR LT, many who've went down this route have went on to have massively successful careers. The only thing that changed in the past was the price. RYR are in a strong position but have lost huge amounts over the last year, so yes, of course they're going to cut costs in any way they can, like most LCC's would - so it's not a surprise its 30k. Despite this always being the method of hiring cadets, I understand that we are now faced with a different set of circumstances that we haven't faced before. HUGE uncertainty. RYR from what I can see have always been clear that this is for Summer 2022 growth. Not Summer 2021, but 2022. Now with that being said, this summer looks like it could have great potential, there's certainly some encouraging signs but time will tell. There's no doubt however next year will be the one. RYR don't want to be LT guys during what could possibly be their busiest summer to date. So, by starting LT this year, everyone is prepared for next. It remains to be seen whether LT will be dragged out this year if need be or whether it will be done a close to the standard time as possible and then put on unpaid leave as such - should the expected recovery forecast for this year not materialise. That being said, like I mentioned earlier, the signs are there for this year. EU countries already making early commitments to being open for tourists. This combined with the incredible speed of the vaccine rollout should make for a great summer and strong winter.
I see they're also letting people delay TR start dates by 6 months like they always have done. This is VERY reassuring and encouraging as it let's you see how others get on first - the 'guinea pigs' as such. Its something i'd strongly advise anyone applying for this to do. I know 2 TR classes have already started and are due to start LT early-mid June. So, say your due to start TR in sept and the first TR class finish LT in aug/sep and don't move on to a RYR contract - you simply wouldn't join and the flip-side being - if they do get contracts then it adds some more certainty.
Look guys, just be aware about what your signing up for - do the research, listen to people who've been there and done that, talk to current RYR pilots. You're gonna hear positives and negatives like you would in most companies, in any line of work. **One thing I would add is that you must be wary of some of the posts on here, some of the guys make valid points and are trying to help but there's some who aren't as helpful and are filling this forum with BS.** It's down to yourself at the end of the day to weigh up the pro's and con's and decide accordingly but like I say, there certainly is encouraging signs but don't rush the decision.
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Now they are distancing themselves completely, placing responsibility for licence renewals on the trainee and making clear the point that this is a 6 month training contract, not a job offer. It may work out for those taking the gamble, it may not. But this is definitely not the way it’s always been.
Last edited by The Foss; 10th Mar 2021 at 07:33.
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The Foss
Ladies and Gents, This the BS I warned you about. This is why it's absolutely critical and do your own research, speak to the relevant people and don't listen to people like this.
The foss - I strongly suggest you look up CAE, Blue sky aviation etc etc etc and also take note of Dashcam's post.
Ladies and Gents, This the BS I warned you about. This is why it's absolutely critical and do your own research, speak to the relevant people and don't listen to people like this.
The foss - I strongly suggest you look up CAE, Blue sky aviation etc etc etc and also take note of Dashcam's post.
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I think my previous post in response to Thefoss was deleted as it had contact numbers on, let’s try again without those.
A RYR training contract from 2007 when the training provider was CAE (now AFA):
RYANAIR.COM
THE LOW FARES AIRLINE
RYANAIR BOEING 737-800 TRAINING COURSE
_______________
C/O Ryanair Flight Operations
Dear ________,
Congratulations on successfully completing the Initial Ground-school and Simulator elements of the Ryanair B737 -800 type-rating course with our approved Training Organisation. We are pleased to offer you this fixed-term training contract as Second Officer Boeing 737-800 in Ryanair Ltd. (hereafter referred to as Ryanair) which is subject to your signed acceptance of the specific terms and conditions outlined in this document.
1. Position
This is a 6 month fixed-term training contract with a commencement effective from the start date of Base Training.
(a) Work Permit
This contract and any subsequent permanent contract offer is subject to you having unrestricted right to work anywhere in the EU (if subsequently you are offered a permanent position).
(b) Term
It must be clearly understood that this is a fixed-term training contract only (6 months) and that should a permanent position be available within Ryanair at the end of this contract you will be considered for that position provided your performance and suitability during the term of this training contract has been satisfactory. In the event that you fail to successfully complete your training then your contract will be terminated.
(c) Accommodation / Expenses / Transport
You will be responsible for your own accommodation and transport for the duration of this training contract and no expenses will be payable by Ryanair.
(d) Training Pay .
The Training Pay under section 5 of this contract will be paid and effective from the start date of Base Training (in accordance with section 5 of this contract).
(e) Licence / Medical Costs
Any costs associated with the upkeep of your licence such as medical costs will be your own responsibility. Any contract with Ryanair will be terminated in the event that you do not obtain and maintain licence validation from the appropriate aviation authority.
(f) Licence
On commencing the type rating course you are required to hold a JAR FCL CPL Licence (with all ATPL exams passed) and a Class 1 JAA Medical. Within the fIrst six months of joining Ryanair you are required to transfer your JAR FCL Licence to the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) and take out an IAA JAR FCL Licence.
Any contract with Ryanair will be terminated in the event that you do not maintain a JAR FCL Licence from the appropriate aviation authority. If you refuse to take out an IAA JAR FCL Licence your contract will be terminated.
2. Line Training
Your B737-800 Line Training will be carried out by Ryanair. This Line Training will be at a cost of STG£90 per sector to Ryanair. Should you fail to honour the full term of this contract or should you fail to accept any offer of a permanent position with Ryanair you will be liable to repay to Ryanair the cost of your line training to that point (the estimated cost of your line training will be STG£6,000).
3. Term
Your training contract will commence upon successful completion of your base check with our Approved Training School to a standard acceptable to the Irish Aviation Authority and Ryanair. This training agreement will terminate six months from that date.
The company reserves the right to extend this training contract or to offer you a permanent contract at the end of this period, however, under no circumstances, should this be considered a guarantee of future employment. If for whatever reason you fail to fulfil the terms and obligations of this Training Contract (for clarity this means you must be available for training for the full six months) you will liable to repay the Base Training costs of €5,072 (€845 per circuit) as well as any line training costs incurred as specifIed in Clause 2 above.
4. Training Hours & Base
Due to the nature of our training, irregular hours, including rostered day or night shifts, are a condition of your training contract. Your line training will take place at any of Ryanair's existing or new European Bases.
5. Training Pay
Your training pay will be at the equivalent rate of €15,000 (Fifteen thousand euro) gross per annum in accordance with section 1 (d) of this training contract. Training pay is paid monthly in arrears into your bank account. This payment will only become effective after commencement of Base training. No other payments will be made for the duration of this contract.
6. MEDICAL EXAMINATION
You must be prepared to be examined by the Company's Medical Officer or his nominee at any time during the course of your training contract at the request of the Chief Pilot or his nominated deputies.. Any medical report generated from that examination will be the property of Ryanair Limited.
7. APPLICABLE LAW
The contractual relationship between Ryanair and you shall at all times be governed by the laws in effect and as amended from time to time in the Republic of Ireland.
8. EXAMINATION FOR SUBSTANCE ABUSE
You must be prepared to be tested for illegal substance by the company's Medical Officer or his nominee at any time during the course of your training contract at the request of the Chief Pilot or his / her nominated deputies. Any medical report generated from that medical examination will be the property of Ryanair. Failure of a substance abuse test will be regarded as gross misconduct and may result in termination of this training contract.
9. TERMINATION OF TRAINING CONTRACT
Whilst Ryanair is committed to honouring the full term of this contract it must be clearly understood that in the event of unforeseen circumstances in the aviation industry eg: acts of terrorism etc., it may be necessary to terminate this contract prior to the full term being completed, in which case training payments will cease on date of termination.
Finally, congratulations on being offered a place on a Ryanair Boeing 737 -800 Training Course.
I, _______________, confirm that I have read, understand and accept the contents of this training contract.
Signed by: ________________ Date
Signed on behalf of Ryanair Limited:
Personnel Date
A RYR training contract from 2007 when the training provider was CAE (now AFA):
RYANAIR.COM
THE LOW FARES AIRLINE
RYANAIR BOEING 737-800 TRAINING COURSE
_______________
C/O Ryanair Flight Operations
Dear ________,
Congratulations on successfully completing the Initial Ground-school and Simulator elements of the Ryanair B737 -800 type-rating course with our approved Training Organisation. We are pleased to offer you this fixed-term training contract as Second Officer Boeing 737-800 in Ryanair Ltd. (hereafter referred to as Ryanair) which is subject to your signed acceptance of the specific terms and conditions outlined in this document.
1. Position
This is a 6 month fixed-term training contract with a commencement effective from the start date of Base Training.
(a) Work Permit
This contract and any subsequent permanent contract offer is subject to you having unrestricted right to work anywhere in the EU (if subsequently you are offered a permanent position).
(b) Term
It must be clearly understood that this is a fixed-term training contract only (6 months) and that should a permanent position be available within Ryanair at the end of this contract you will be considered for that position provided your performance and suitability during the term of this training contract has been satisfactory. In the event that you fail to successfully complete your training then your contract will be terminated.
(c) Accommodation / Expenses / Transport
You will be responsible for your own accommodation and transport for the duration of this training contract and no expenses will be payable by Ryanair.
(d) Training Pay .
The Training Pay under section 5 of this contract will be paid and effective from the start date of Base Training (in accordance with section 5 of this contract).
(e) Licence / Medical Costs
Any costs associated with the upkeep of your licence such as medical costs will be your own responsibility. Any contract with Ryanair will be terminated in the event that you do not obtain and maintain licence validation from the appropriate aviation authority.
(f) Licence
On commencing the type rating course you are required to hold a JAR FCL CPL Licence (with all ATPL exams passed) and a Class 1 JAA Medical. Within the fIrst six months of joining Ryanair you are required to transfer your JAR FCL Licence to the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) and take out an IAA JAR FCL Licence.
Any contract with Ryanair will be terminated in the event that you do not maintain a JAR FCL Licence from the appropriate aviation authority. If you refuse to take out an IAA JAR FCL Licence your contract will be terminated.
2. Line Training
Your B737-800 Line Training will be carried out by Ryanair. This Line Training will be at a cost of STG£90 per sector to Ryanair. Should you fail to honour the full term of this contract or should you fail to accept any offer of a permanent position with Ryanair you will be liable to repay to Ryanair the cost of your line training to that point (the estimated cost of your line training will be STG£6,000).
3. Term
Your training contract will commence upon successful completion of your base check with our Approved Training School to a standard acceptable to the Irish Aviation Authority and Ryanair. This training agreement will terminate six months from that date.
The company reserves the right to extend this training contract or to offer you a permanent contract at the end of this period, however, under no circumstances, should this be considered a guarantee of future employment. If for whatever reason you fail to fulfil the terms and obligations of this Training Contract (for clarity this means you must be available for training for the full six months) you will liable to repay the Base Training costs of €5,072 (€845 per circuit) as well as any line training costs incurred as specifIed in Clause 2 above.
4. Training Hours & Base
Due to the nature of our training, irregular hours, including rostered day or night shifts, are a condition of your training contract. Your line training will take place at any of Ryanair's existing or new European Bases.
5. Training Pay
Your training pay will be at the equivalent rate of €15,000 (Fifteen thousand euro) gross per annum in accordance with section 1 (d) of this training contract. Training pay is paid monthly in arrears into your bank account. This payment will only become effective after commencement of Base training. No other payments will be made for the duration of this contract.
6. MEDICAL EXAMINATION
You must be prepared to be examined by the Company's Medical Officer or his nominee at any time during the course of your training contract at the request of the Chief Pilot or his nominated deputies.. Any medical report generated from that examination will be the property of Ryanair Limited.
7. APPLICABLE LAW
The contractual relationship between Ryanair and you shall at all times be governed by the laws in effect and as amended from time to time in the Republic of Ireland.
8. EXAMINATION FOR SUBSTANCE ABUSE
You must be prepared to be tested for illegal substance by the company's Medical Officer or his nominee at any time during the course of your training contract at the request of the Chief Pilot or his / her nominated deputies. Any medical report generated from that medical examination will be the property of Ryanair. Failure of a substance abuse test will be regarded as gross misconduct and may result in termination of this training contract.
9. TERMINATION OF TRAINING CONTRACT
Whilst Ryanair is committed to honouring the full term of this contract it must be clearly understood that in the event of unforeseen circumstances in the aviation industry eg: acts of terrorism etc., it may be necessary to terminate this contract prior to the full term being completed, in which case training payments will cease on date of termination.
Finally, congratulations on being offered a place on a Ryanair Boeing 737 -800 Training Course.
I, _______________, confirm that I have read, understand and accept the contents of this training contract.
Signed by: ________________ Date
Signed on behalf of Ryanair Limited:
Personnel Date
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HotelAlpha1
I know your claim was false because I and many others joined in the last 10 years without just a 6 month training contract. You are spreading misinformation to claim it’s always been this way. As I said, it’s a gamble that may work out, it may not and some people COULD get their fingers severely burned by this. So go ahead and apply that BS tag to your own post next time
I know your claim was false because I and many others joined in the last 10 years without just a 6 month training contract. You are spreading misinformation to claim it’s always been this way. As I said, it’s a gamble that may work out, it may not and some people COULD get their fingers severely burned by this. So go ahead and apply that BS tag to your own post next time
Last edited by The Foss; 10th Mar 2021 at 11:40.
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I think this whole scheme worked well for everyone when Ryanair was growing and at the same time was losing hundreds of pilots per year who were moving to greener pastures (and the sandpit). At the moment though everyone is holding on to their position in the hope they will fly some hours this year. Will there be place for the new guys when the company is already this overstaffed? You can not compare the current situation with any pre-Covid period and creating the expectation that career progression will be the same is absolute nonsense.
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Ryanair assessment
Wassup y’all
Here’s my feedback
First of all we did the briefing with the HR guy which was really helpful and answered all the questions we had for him. He told us what to expect if we get hired and what we need to do. That lasted for about 30 minutes.
After that one of the assessor captains did the briefing, focusing more on the 737 cockpit layout and the profiles. He helped a lot especially those who had no kind of experience on the 737(APS MCC or Assessment prep). He then explained to us that they’re not going to judge mistakes on the flight that much if we show a tendency of correcting them. Then paired us into crews taking into account the experience everyone had on the 737.
The HR questions were:
1. Tell us about yourself.
2. What did you do before applying or while waiting for the call.
3. Where do you see yourself in five years.
4. If it’s worth for Ryanair buying the 737 Max 200.
5. What traits should a good leader have.
6. If you see your captain not being in the mood to fly or he’s tired or he’s miss behaving, what do you do.
7. Hobbies/interests.
8. They saw my degree in economics so they asked me what is going to happen on the fares after Ryanair gets their 737 Max.
9. When can you start.
10. If you are the manager of a basketball team and you are playing for the cup final and your best player is injured and is not allowed by the doctors to play but he tells you that he wants to play, what do you do? Do you take the risk or do you lose the final? How are you going to motivate your team?
11. Do you prefer being a leader or a follower on a project? Tell us an example.
12. How do you feel about the 30k type rating cost.
13. Did you do an assessment preparation and where?
14. Where did you do the MCC and why that aircraft?(for me it was the 737)
The technical interview consisted of the following questions:
1. 737NG and 737MAX differences.
2. Differences between their engines. (Bypass,EPR,Efficiency,size)
3. If you’re at 260ft at a QNH of 1005, what is the pressure altitude.
4. DA42 electrical system, Vne, Max demonstrated crosswind.
5. What is metar? If you see FZRA what do you do?
6. What is freezing rain?
7. Differences between freezing rain and sleet.
8. Clear ice - what is it? Is it dangerous.
9. Why do you prefer the Boeing over the airbus and why didn’t you apply for Aegean Airlines?(greek airliner operating the A320 fleet)
10. If you are on a 270° heading and the wind is coming from 300°/20knots, what is the crosswind and how do you calculate it?
The entire HR/Technical interview was done in a really informal and friendly way with none of them asking tricky questions or difficult ones. They were both pretty helpful and didn’t try to stress anyone of the candidates.
The sim assessment:
It was East Midlands for the entire group.
SID: Rwy 27 TNT 2N
ILS 27 with radar vectors.
I was the PF first because I had some experience on the 737 so the assessor put me first.
He allowed time for me to setup, brief my PM and he even helped us on the setup part, explaining to my PM where to find all the switches and the navaid selections for when his turn comes, due to his lack of experience in the 737 sim.
He didn’t want me to brief the emergency, they really want to see you fly so keep the briefing short and precise with only open ended questions to avoid confirmation bias.
We flew the SID with F/D on up to the point that we intercepted the inbound radial to TNT. He then told me to do some turns with 30° and 45° angle, first with the F/D ON so we can take a look at the attitude indicator (Don’t take that for granted, not everyone tried turns with the F/D on).The F/D was then switched OFF for the remainder of the assessment. After that we did some air work including 30°,45° turns, climbs and descends, climbs with constant speed and constant V/S, descends with constant speed and V/S, leading to a combination of all these together.
Then he asked me to tell him our whereabouts (Radial and distance) from the EME NDB and what HOLDING ENTRY is required in case I need to go back to the station. He also asked me if we need to intercept a QDM/QDR, what heading should we follow. They only want you to answer, not to actually do it. He also asked me and my PM to point where we think we are on the APPROACH PLATE.
Then came the emergency situation, for me a passenger collapsed on the way to the toilet and the passengers were panicking. I handed over controls to my PM telling him to continue flying this heading, speed and altitude before answering to the Cabin crew call. I told him to stand by and I will get back to him after I discuss the situation with my copilot. I did a TDODAR, again asking open ended questions, I informed the ATC and I called the cabin crew to do a NITS briefing, clearly stating that he should keep me informed about any change, I did a PA where the assessor stopped me telling me that the PA was completed (they really appreciated the PA because it showed good CRM skills to them). I then setup the aircraft for the ILS 27 East Midlands and I briefed my PM asking him to call altitudes and distances for the flap and gear configuration.
He gave us Radar Vectors for the approach and allowed many miles to intercept the LOCALIZER (around 14 in my case / around 15 to my PM when his turn came up). He helped my PM when it was his turn telling him what N1% he should fly during the approach and what to setup. My ILS was spot on so he gave us no reason to go around maybe because the whole session as PF was perfect. My PM on the other hand had to go around because the unstable approach criteria were out of limits. It would be best to do a quick DODAR or PIOSEE after the go around before letting the assessor reposition you back to 10 miles final.
The sim assessment then came to an end and he told us that we will receive the answer within a weeks time.
On a personal note I would like to give some advice to the next candidates:
Firstly and most importantly, always be yourself and don’t try to show off your technical knowledge on the 737 - it doesn’t work and it will leave the assessor with a bad opinion of you especially if you mess up.
If you don’t know the answer on a question be honest and simply tell them that you don’t know the answer!
Always try to help the other candidates, wether that is on the sim or before their technical interview. (Especially in the sim the assessor will form a great opinion of you if you show that you care about others and not only for yourself).
Try rehearsing the answers that might come up during the HR interview at home before going for the assessment. It really helps being fluent and having a well structured answer.
And finally, it would really benefit you giving some money for a simulator assessment preparation. It’s an opportunity that doesn’t come everyday in your life so don’t feel bad for spending a small amount of money to feel more ready and relaxed during the “big day”.
Hope my experience helps others!
Here’s my feedback
First of all we did the briefing with the HR guy which was really helpful and answered all the questions we had for him. He told us what to expect if we get hired and what we need to do. That lasted for about 30 minutes.
After that one of the assessor captains did the briefing, focusing more on the 737 cockpit layout and the profiles. He helped a lot especially those who had no kind of experience on the 737(APS MCC or Assessment prep). He then explained to us that they’re not going to judge mistakes on the flight that much if we show a tendency of correcting them. Then paired us into crews taking into account the experience everyone had on the 737.
The HR questions were:
1. Tell us about yourself.
2. What did you do before applying or while waiting for the call.
3. Where do you see yourself in five years.
4. If it’s worth for Ryanair buying the 737 Max 200.
5. What traits should a good leader have.
6. If you see your captain not being in the mood to fly or he’s tired or he’s miss behaving, what do you do.
7. Hobbies/interests.
8. They saw my degree in economics so they asked me what is going to happen on the fares after Ryanair gets their 737 Max.
9. When can you start.
10. If you are the manager of a basketball team and you are playing for the cup final and your best player is injured and is not allowed by the doctors to play but he tells you that he wants to play, what do you do? Do you take the risk or do you lose the final? How are you going to motivate your team?
11. Do you prefer being a leader or a follower on a project? Tell us an example.
12. How do you feel about the 30k type rating cost.
13. Did you do an assessment preparation and where?
14. Where did you do the MCC and why that aircraft?(for me it was the 737)
The technical interview consisted of the following questions:
1. 737NG and 737MAX differences.
2. Differences between their engines. (Bypass,EPR,Efficiency,size)
3. If you’re at 260ft at a QNH of 1005, what is the pressure altitude.
4. DA42 electrical system, Vne, Max demonstrated crosswind.
5. What is metar? If you see FZRA what do you do?
6. What is freezing rain?
7. Differences between freezing rain and sleet.
8. Clear ice - what is it? Is it dangerous.
9. Why do you prefer the Boeing over the airbus and why didn’t you apply for Aegean Airlines?(greek airliner operating the A320 fleet)
10. If you are on a 270° heading and the wind is coming from 300°/20knots, what is the crosswind and how do you calculate it?
The entire HR/Technical interview was done in a really informal and friendly way with none of them asking tricky questions or difficult ones. They were both pretty helpful and didn’t try to stress anyone of the candidates.
The sim assessment:
It was East Midlands for the entire group.
SID: Rwy 27 TNT 2N
ILS 27 with radar vectors.
I was the PF first because I had some experience on the 737 so the assessor put me first.
He allowed time for me to setup, brief my PM and he even helped us on the setup part, explaining to my PM where to find all the switches and the navaid selections for when his turn comes, due to his lack of experience in the 737 sim.
He didn’t want me to brief the emergency, they really want to see you fly so keep the briefing short and precise with only open ended questions to avoid confirmation bias.
We flew the SID with F/D on up to the point that we intercepted the inbound radial to TNT. He then told me to do some turns with 30° and 45° angle, first with the F/D ON so we can take a look at the attitude indicator (Don’t take that for granted, not everyone tried turns with the F/D on).The F/D was then switched OFF for the remainder of the assessment. After that we did some air work including 30°,45° turns, climbs and descends, climbs with constant speed and constant V/S, descends with constant speed and V/S, leading to a combination of all these together.
Then he asked me to tell him our whereabouts (Radial and distance) from the EME NDB and what HOLDING ENTRY is required in case I need to go back to the station. He also asked me if we need to intercept a QDM/QDR, what heading should we follow. They only want you to answer, not to actually do it. He also asked me and my PM to point where we think we are on the APPROACH PLATE.
Then came the emergency situation, for me a passenger collapsed on the way to the toilet and the passengers were panicking. I handed over controls to my PM telling him to continue flying this heading, speed and altitude before answering to the Cabin crew call. I told him to stand by and I will get back to him after I discuss the situation with my copilot. I did a TDODAR, again asking open ended questions, I informed the ATC and I called the cabin crew to do a NITS briefing, clearly stating that he should keep me informed about any change, I did a PA where the assessor stopped me telling me that the PA was completed (they really appreciated the PA because it showed good CRM skills to them). I then setup the aircraft for the ILS 27 East Midlands and I briefed my PM asking him to call altitudes and distances for the flap and gear configuration.
He gave us Radar Vectors for the approach and allowed many miles to intercept the LOCALIZER (around 14 in my case / around 15 to my PM when his turn came up). He helped my PM when it was his turn telling him what N1% he should fly during the approach and what to setup. My ILS was spot on so he gave us no reason to go around maybe because the whole session as PF was perfect. My PM on the other hand had to go around because the unstable approach criteria were out of limits. It would be best to do a quick DODAR or PIOSEE after the go around before letting the assessor reposition you back to 10 miles final.
The sim assessment then came to an end and he told us that we will receive the answer within a weeks time.
On a personal note I would like to give some advice to the next candidates:
Firstly and most importantly, always be yourself and don’t try to show off your technical knowledge on the 737 - it doesn’t work and it will leave the assessor with a bad opinion of you especially if you mess up.
If you don’t know the answer on a question be honest and simply tell them that you don’t know the answer!
Always try to help the other candidates, wether that is on the sim or before their technical interview. (Especially in the sim the assessor will form a great opinion of you if you show that you care about others and not only for yourself).
Try rehearsing the answers that might come up during the HR interview at home before going for the assessment. It really helps being fluent and having a well structured answer.
And finally, it would really benefit you giving some money for a simulator assessment preparation. It’s an opportunity that doesn’t come everyday in your life so don’t feel bad for spending a small amount of money to feel more ready and relaxed during the “big day”.
Hope my experience helps others!
Join Date: Feb 2021
Location: Scandinavia
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Hi,
I'm still wondering are there more applicants like me who didn't get any invitation to the pre assessments after filling the AFA form? Or are there applicants who have got the invitation to the pre assessments recently? I filled mine in December as ready to pay the 30K but I haven't received any invitation or reply whatsoever. I've been practicing the cut-e tests for a few months now and obviously they have filled a few courses with applicants already with the interviews running as well, wondering if it's still sensible to keep practicing for the tests..
I'm still wondering are there more applicants like me who didn't get any invitation to the pre assessments after filling the AFA form? Or are there applicants who have got the invitation to the pre assessments recently? I filled mine in December as ready to pay the 30K but I haven't received any invitation or reply whatsoever. I've been practicing the cut-e tests for a few months now and obviously they have filled a few courses with applicants already with the interviews running as well, wondering if it's still sensible to keep practicing for the tests..
Join Date: Feb 2021
Location: FL410
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I am not entirely sure how they sort through the applications, but I applied in the last days of December 2020. And I got an email from AFA that is was invited to do the online assessment sometime in the first week of February. Approximately two weeks after doing the online assessment I got an email stating that my online assessment was successful and that I would be added to a holding pool, and that I would be contacted in due time for setting up the actual physical assessment. And a day later I was offered two possible dates to attend the assessment in Bergamo, Italy.
As a piece of advice, I would not focus too much on those cut-e tests. Sure it is great to just go through them to get a feel of the actual tests but in my opinion, your time is much more well spent digging through your old ATPL notes if you are a bit rusty, as this is also part of the online assessment and most certainly will be part of the technical questions you will get if you get to the actual physical assessment.
As a piece of advice, I would not focus too much on those cut-e tests. Sure it is great to just go through them to get a feel of the actual tests but in my opinion, your time is much more well spent digging through your old ATPL notes if you are a bit rusty, as this is also part of the online assessment and most certainly will be part of the technical questions you will get if you get to the actual physical assessment.