How did you do equinox?

FAO equinox_code
 

Hi equinox,

I know this maybe 'too little too late' but the approach on your trail flight-are you referring to the circuit, i.e. joining instructions, or specific points in the circuit, like the 'crosswind', 'downwind', 'baseleg' and 'final'.

There is also the following terms 'long final' or 'short final' referring to length you are from the runway when preparing to land.

Anyway thought it may be useful to you.

CD

gutted. i didn't get on and i'm not allowed to re-apply. i put so much work into all of this, i can hardly convey my disappointment. i thought the whole day went really well. i even had a suspicion i'd got on to stage 4. considering the cost of applying, i felt they should've given me more feedback too. i'm devastated

no feedback at all. just the standard rejection letter. i'm quite shocked actually. i understand the sort of character they want, and i know i match it. and as far as industry knowledge, i spent 9 hours a day revising for this. i answered every question they asked me in detail. i really thought i was gonna get on. knowing i can't reapply either makes it all so much worse

dude sorry to hear you didnt get in. they normally don't give feedback for cost reasons etc. But don't be put off by this, if its what you really want to do then why not try somewhere else, OAT, FTE or something like that. A mate of mine was working at a desk job for an airline and now they are paying for his training to become a pilot for them. Theres always other options.

at £180 per person, i'm sure they could afford me the time of writing a few lines to tell me why i didn't pass selection. anyway, i'm not a homeowner, and neither are any of my relatives. so no integrated options are available to me (if anyone has any suggestions, please pm me). the only way left is to go modular. in the area i live, with the wages available, and with my qualifications, i'm looking at £6 per hour. it's gonna take me about 15 years to get the money to cover the cost bof my training. i can't help being a little bitter about people who get it all payed for them by their parents.

Equinox sorry to hear you dou didnt get through selection, its especially frustrating after you put in alot of work. However, you have to get over this opinion that the industry owes a job. If CTC havent even given you the option to reapply perhaps your assesment of the character they are looking for isnt quite right.
Its not like all is lost, have you thought of applying to the Highland/Air Atlantique sponsorship? Im not sure if the GAPAN still offer a full FATPL scholarship, and PPL ones. The Air League offer scholarships and bursuaries, and there are many local trusts around that might help out if you dig for info. Also what about working at a flying club, try to get cheaper/free lessons?
There is heaps information around on here, and many people who will try to help, but taking a cheap shot at other wanabees just because they are lucky with funding isnt going to help you out.

Stage 3
 

Anyone doing Stage 3 on Wednesday 4th July?

Hello, i've got a stage 3 place fairly soon but there was no mention of the essay questions that people have mentioned in previous posts (up to about 2 months ago). Have they been dropped?

Many thanks - this thread is very useful :8 . I'll contribute when I have something useful to add.

Ginger ;)

I got emailed my essay questions along with my pass email on the same day as stage 2. They're tricky! It's really hard to think of obstacles I've overcome to achieve a goal, have I ever done that?!


I have stage 3 on 25th July, very excited!

Gingerbread man, check your junk mail to be sure it hasn't got caught in that or just email/phone CTC again and ask them to send them again.

The day I took my phase 2, 1st June, they were apparently having some technical problems which led to the essay questions not being emailed to me. Just drop them a quick email and I'm sure they will get back to you very quickly. I agree with you EZYramper, that last one sure is the trickiest one! Quite enjoyed writing the others once I got stuck in.

Ooft I found the last essay question the easiest! (maybe thats not a good thing). I've filled all my boxes, and had to cut out unnessessary words like "and" etc.

I have my Stage 3 on the 11th, anyone going to be with me on that one?

I'm panicing so much as I have NO IDEA what to prepare!

I found them. I was about to leave for a holiday when I got the email to say i'd passed and just quickly scanned it, obviously forgetting the bit about the questions. When I went back I just checked the most recent email - thank God for Pprune!!

Do they look unkindly on questions that take a couple of weeks to come back, or do they generally not care as long as it's a sensible amount of time before your Ph3?

Cheers,

Ginger ;)

I would think they did not care. As long as they have them on hand on the day that should be fine.

As the 6 P's rule states:

proper preparation prevents piss-poor performance!

What's better? Someone who rushed through them and returned them two days later or someone who took their time and produced what was sought in two/three weeks?

Essay questions
 

I had my phase 3 on a Tuesday and they phoned me on the previous Friday to say that they hadn't received my answers yet (even though it said that they were just due on the Tuesday). I'd therefore try and get them in no later than about a week beforehand. But there certainly is not any rush to get them in first or anything like that. I wrote my answers and then got a couple of people to comment on them and to make suggestions as to how they could be improved in fact so when I finally submitted them I was pretty happy with what I'd written down and was glad I'd taken the time to do so.

I have my phase 3 on 18th July and aftermany probs with e-mails from CTC have sorted returning my questions. One quick question, where is the phase 3? Bournemouth or Southampton?

From the correspondence I have, I would go for Bournemouth but I am unsure as many posts refer to Southampton?

Hey mallinderjb Phase 3 is at Bournemouth. Only Phase 4 is at Nursling. Good Luck!

Thank you, I can book the Travelodge now.

Thank you, I think I'm gonna need it. Trying to brush up on some industry/technical knowledge. Hope the right questions come up. This thread has been very useful though so thank you to everyone for all the tips and hints.

Hotel
 

If anyones after a decent, cheap, friendly hotel for their stages at Bournemouth try The Hostel Inn Hotel in Boscombe. Top hotel and owners are brilliant. Only £25-30 per night B&B for a Single en suite room.

Phase 3 at Bournemouth? Must have changed since I did it. They always used to do it at the house (Dibden Manor, Southampton). You could even stay there the night before...Very nice.

Equinox, CTC can be tough at times... and sometimes even the best prepared fail at the easiest tasks due to nervousness or whatnot.

I failed my Stage 3 about 4 months ago and got reinvited back, it turned out that I failed one of the team exercises due to being nervous, it actually happened in the second exercise, you see? I thought I had done bad on the first one and really tried hard on my second one to accomplish the task and I kinda stopped worrying about the team vibe... They sent me the feedback and I was sure I was going to get something about my interview but to my surprise it came out perfect... my interview was flawless.. I studied and prepared myself and it paid off and even though it all went ok there the team exercise doomed my chances of going to nursling for phase 4. Next time I try I will leave the nervousness behind and act like a team member.

Maybe that was what happened to you?

-Polorutz

Sorry to deviate from the current discussion.

I'm 19 and have my application on hold. I am deciding whether to pursue studying at University or else go directly for the selection.

I am hardly motivated to continue studying at Uni!

Regards.

well dont tell ctc that when you have your interview!

my mate had his phase 3 and said at the interview he was finding it difficult to stay motivated in his last few weeks at uni, to which they replied "well if you're finding it hard to be motivated now how are you gonna manage at ctc for the next 14 months?" he didnt get through to phase 4

The uni degree is not required, I myself did not finish my degree and know people who did finish one and have failed the selection process... if you manage to go through stage 1 without the degree I reckon you'll be ok going to the selection and giving it your best, however, it all hangs from the selection and if you show even a hint of weakness on the CTC phases you'll be purged.. so make up a good excuse as to why you left your college.

I am currently doing my ATPL exams which you will do if you pass the selection and depending on your field of university studies could help you a lot with them, I studied computer science in a very good university which gave me a strong physics and calculus foundation with which absolutely none of the math involved on the ATPLs have been a challenge.

Also, you're young still and getting that degree can give you a fallback in case you don't get a job at the end.

Just my 2 cents.


-Polorutz

Thanks for the responses.
I haven't go to Uni yet, and prefer to start my pilot career now rather than study for 5 yrs stuff which I do not really like.

My dilemma is whether to go to uni now or else forget uni and go for ctc.

Well, what's your back-up plan if you don't get in to CTC? Do you then intend to go to university? Or something else? It's something you need to consider. The CTC selection is tough.

Got my phase 3 soon
 

I have my phase 3 soon so I'm brushing up on the partner airlines and what they fly.

My question is this:

Where would I find information on where the different types of aircraft are likely to fly (I.e 737 -short/medium haul) etc.

Any and help is greatly appreciated :)

Well try the airlines websites first.
Theres a few with really good info on the fleets (monarch and mytravel)
Then the likes of Thomas cook whose website isn't great for the airline information.

Than try wikipedia but always bear in mind that wikipedia is not 100% accurate but has pretty good descriptions of most types of aircraft and the airlines.

Then of course the manufacturers, you could spend days reading through everything on boeing and airbus' websites

Don't focus too much on the really technical parts of the partner ailrines operation, they usually don't go into such detail, if you know from where they fly and what they fly you'll be ok.

Okay what I've been studying is:

The companys, where they are based, core UK hubs, fleet size, aircraft, aircraft on order and when the company is formed.

As for the aircraft themselves, I have picked 737-600/800, 757-200/300 and the A320. Seat numbers, MTOW, Range, Fuel, Cost and where they are likely to fly to.

Think that is too much?



I'm panicking about what questions they are gonna ask really, technical and otherwise. I actually feel sick thinking about it - unusual for me, I am generally very relaxed!

I've read every post on every thread regarding CTC and I still don't know what the best way to prepare is. Any tips?

Cheers, Jason.

MTOW?

Well you can never be too prepared I suppose. Does anyone have any experience of the technical questions? I thought they would be more to do with the general physics of flight.

As for me so far I've studied (in relation to partner airlines) hubs, fleet with engine types, CEO and notable people, focus cities, future development, stock price and recent history, the mergers, Airline history and route map.

I'm not too sure what to study technically though, I read the book Understanding Flight by David F. Anderson and Scott Eberhardt which I found to be excellent in explaining every aspect of flight.

How much of your interview is used to talk about your answers to the essay questions?

Hi,
I have my phase 3 in a month too, my advise to you would be to try and relax a bit, if you are up tight now that may come across in the interview!? Just go over what is on this forum but remember the interview is just as much if not more about them finding out about you than an exam about the commercial industry. Go over your psotive points and how you can make a difference and you will be fine!!

Nah I'm fine - When I get there I'll be much more relaxed and I'll do my best.
I'm just sooo apprehensive at the moment.
My 4 questions are great - I could talk all day long on those.
I think I'll be able to pass easily on the technical questions.
But I'm severely worried on the remainder. Is it just the usual "Why do you want this position?" "what would your friends think of you?" etc?


Is anyones date the 11th July?

Technical questions are likely to be commensurate with your flying experience to date. Doubt you need to know any performance figures of any of the aircraft though although if you have the time to get all that under your belt, fine. However just as important as knowing the fleet technicalities, know about the mergers and how this will affect long term strategies for these new/ rebranded airlines. A common question that seems to have come up is "if you were CEO of easyJet (or any other of the airlines) what would your medium and long term strategy entail?" This is a good question to get if you know your stuff - allows you to bring in loads of examples - route expansion, building a brand, upgrading fleet, how you will offset climate change, what new hubs you might like to branch out to......the list goes on and on! I also got a question on what the core differences are between Airbus/ Boeing narrow-body aircraft (fly by wire, sidestick, winglets, engines), and I was also asked why we are seeing winglets on more aircraft today.

Most emphasis will be placed on questions about times you have done things like lead a team, or give an example of..., how would you deal with..... Very important you have lots of examples!

11 Jul
 

Im also there on 11 Jul mate. Where you travelling from?
Have you booked your accommodation yet for the tuesday/wednesday night?

Lee

Luckily I don't have to book accommodation as my sister is an Air Traffic Controller and lives in bournemouth so thats quite good.

I'm flying Prestwick to Bournemouth so thats actually quite handy for me.

When was your stage2? If you have MSN or any kind of chat medium send me your email addy over PM - I've been dying to talk to someone else thats going!

I have my stage 3 on 12th july. the kind of stuff i have been looking at is the aircraft that each partner airline tends to fly, and the usual routes for that aircraft. I think researching such stuff as MTOW is a bit much, but as has been said its better to be over prepared. I think we will be required to have a basic knowledge about why planes fly (ie the basic principles) and have an understanding about how airlines operate. believe it or not, i have been using such programs as airline and airport to understand the airline side of thing, whilst seconds from disaster and air crash investigation to learn about the technical side (plus it gives me an excuse to be an anorak!!).

Apparently from what I have heard though, it its the questions about yourself that are the more taxing to answer. So dont forget to think about why you actually want to become a pilot and try and think of good experience of things from your past (such as team working, voluntary etc).

For the group activities, the key is to take an active part but not be overbearing. Make sure the assessors can see that you are getting involved.

Having said all that, it would now be sods law for me to fall down. if anyone else has their stage 3 on 12th, gimme a buzz.

"Is it just the usual "Why do you want this position?" "what would your friends think of you?" etc?"


If that is a serious question, do you think they would accept "I couldn't care less" as a serious answer?!

Can anyone tell me what the current fleet for CTC consists of? I'm aware it has changed fairly recently and I can only remember DA42s and the Robins from the presentation at stage 2. I've read about an order for Alpha A120s but don't know if they have them yet, and do they still have DA20s?

Many thanks,

Ginger ;)

This may be wrong, I'm trying to remember what Daphne said about it at my stage 2, I believe CTC grounded their fleet of DA-20s or are getting rid of them. Why? I don't know. She said they have very soon or very recently began taking delivery of the new fleet of Alphas built in NZ as their single engine fleet and have retained the fleet of DA-42s.