question
 

I am in the process of applying to become an airline pilot with easyjet. I have been sent a transcript of what the interview process will be like, the questions, etc. From what I have seen, if/when I get to the interview stage I will be able to answer all the questions well bar one.

k.. If you were a rookie first officer and your experienced/moody captain
decided to land the plane below minima, what would you do?

That is the question I am unsure about and any help will be greatfully appreciated.

Critch,

I've heard quite a few good answers to this one - ready ?


(1) Tell him/her you are unhappy with this and remind them of the minima and that your concerns are being recorded on the voice recorder.

(2) Tell him/her if they wish to continue that it is illegal and you will have to file an ASR when you land.

ps Don't try to wrestle control of the aircraft.

I'm sure there are other answers with equal merit - hope this helps !

Well thanks for the reply 737, but the problem is, I don't know what the minima is :oh: So any help you could give would be greatly appreciated.

Critch - In the question as you have quoted it the actual numbers are not relevant. Minima change from airfield to airfield and runway to runway, depending on what aids are being used. In this question the minima are whatever have been briefed.

If the captain, be he moody or the biggest joker in the company elects to go below minima you tell him he is breaking the law, if he actually goes below the pre briefed minima you should say, in a loud voice, "Go Around", - when you get on the ground you should file a report immediately so that the Data and voice recorders can be pulled.

Hey gang, let's hear some more educated responses to this very valid and potential question!

Thanks,

Adam.

and could anyone else possibly post other tricky questions that they've had in interviews. like 'you know your captain was drinking heavily the night before etc.etc.' and any good answers.

Thanks much Blue! anyone else?

I'm stunned that E J ( any others ? ) are accepting FO's with such limitied levels of experience... somebody please reasure me and other potential customers that there is a senior FO in the cockpit monitoring these chaps....I would hate to think we have one experienced pilot and one bag carrier up front when it's all going pear shaped...

Well I haven't been accepted by E J yet, I've only got through to the testing stage. I am trying to prepare myself for the interview to give myself the best chance of actually getting through.

From BlueEagle's response, I am gathering that the minima is the minimum height that you can come into land at that airfield/airport etc. Please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

Critch my question to you is, do you have a pilots lic. I ask this because the way you ask your questions sounds like you have never herd of minimums before. If you don't have the qualifications you should start there first then worry about the EJ stuff. If you do have a Lic. and EJ hires you then they just lost a passenger. I guess you could be doing the cadet thing, but you still need some sort of Lic. first, right?:hmm:

mad dog
No I don't have a pilots license, and I have never previously heard of minimums in this term before. I am doing the cadet thing, where they fully train you from everything, and no it is not a requirement to have a license beforehand. Like I said previously, I haven't got to the interview stage yet, I am just trying to prepare myself as well as I can if I do get through it.

Critch,

Good luck when you get the interview. The 'minima thing' is easy to understand. Each individual approach has its own set of minima or decision height. If when reaching this height and no visual reference is seen you must execute a go-around. Hope this helps.

Critch,
I think a few of these guys/girls assumed that you were a Commercial Pilot applying for a post with E J and not applying under the Cadet scheme. In which case you wouldnt be expected to know what minimas etc mean anyway. The question is aimed at testing your judgment, which as you can imagine is a compulsory attribute to have as a pilot.
With regards to the question I would imagine that your interviewer will want to see that you would have the ability to 'stand up' to a Captain if such a scenario were to arise.

Good luck with your interview & career!

I'm not a commercial pilot yet. However, you really must get the old BBC Horizons video called "The Wrong Stuff". It won't answer your question directly (as there probably isn't a technically correct answer) but is a fantastic introduction to the seed of the current culture in Aviation and a clear insight into why you maybe asked that question.

yachtpilot and ex-mad dog driver, this forum is for Wannabes, not for experienced pilots. For your information, Wannabes are those who have yet to complete their flying training and are embarking on their early steps towards obtaining the required professional licences.

You may not be able to remember this far back in your own flying careers, but there was a time when even you two didn't know everything, and you had to ask questions to learn what you now know. So, unless you have some constructive and helpful answers to give this lad, who doesn't even posess a PPL yet, please stay out of the conversation.

critch please ignore the two individuals I've mentioned above. I hope you'll find that they are not representative of the professional pilots you will meet in your career.

As for your question, while there is no fully correct answer - you would need much more information on the circumstances to reach a considered judgement - I suspect that EZ are looking for very much what 737child suggests. You would have stated that you are passing the minima (lowest altitude and visibility limits) for that approach and that nothing is seen. You should then establish the Captain's intentions (which he should state automatically on hearing the 'minimums' call). If he states that he is continuing, and the runway is still not in sight, you should advise a go-around. If, despite that, he insists on continuing to land, you should do your best to ensure that the landing is as safe as possible. Only once the aircraft is safely on the ground and you have completed your duties should you start the process of investigation by telling the Captain that you intend to report his actions - assuming that there were no overriding circumstances that made his actions correct.

Scroggs

Ansett's CRM policy specified that both pilots had the authority to take-over if circumstances warranted it - and were expected to use it. There was a clear escalation of response from the querying pilot although urgency could short cut things.

Along the lines of:

Query the action

Specify the required limit.

Specify a requirement for a specific action. "We must go round now!"

Repeat using the person's title eg "Captain! etc etc". The company culture used a first name basis so the person's title was used as a deliberate attention grabber/notification of the seriousness of things.

Take over.


Not word for word but that's the gist of it.

I suppose there are many ways to skin a cat - If you could manage to lodge your fingers on his TOGA button you could easily commit them to a goarond.

Tinstafl - I may have misread your posting but did Anset advocate trying to wrestle control from a person helbent on landing at such low level ?

Before taking the plane, which should be the very last step I would call the Tower and just tell them "EJ 666 is Going around" Roger EJ 666 climb to FL060 turn right 090 contact 132.2. That is one of the best tricks you can use if it gets that far.
See Ya
EXMMD

what about calling "missed approach" on the intercom..the tower will then acknowledge it and hê will ahve to go around...:hmm:
That i would better be suited for landing with thundrstorms on the field
Going below the minima,maybe making sure the rest of the approach to land is made safely(no excess talk,help him in his decision the best you can)..

Just an opinion,

M.85

No, nothing so drastic. Their whole 'take' on the matter was that the other pilot has the authority to take over if the situation warrants. This was their SOP.

A pilot choosing not to comply with a transfer of control (without compelling reason) would be in deep doo-doo career wise.