Wideroe tests
 

Can anybody tell me something about Widerøes tests:
-What kind?
-How many?
-What happens on the first day?
-Where is the "nasty" stuff?
And if there is more.....

Thankyou very much:ok:

Hm. Either RTO is joking, or he/she has been given the thumbs-down from WF?
Anyways - I play a musical instrument, can be quite creative, and still passed the tests. Go figure. Think there are a few hints about these tests elsewhere on this forum... But basically it's just a standard test battery, with some custom tweaks by the company's psychologist. Spatial orientation, IQ, numerical reasoning, long- short-term memory, capacity to chew gum and walk at the same time etc. No nasty stuff, really, and you don't have to do the RNoAF/SAS pencil-tapping nightmare-test ;-)

One day of testing, one (panel/board) interview later on. No sim-test, unless they're having serious doubts about your recency, and no group tests(!). The OLD tests are out there, but you're better off not having seen them beforehand. Altered and additional tests were added last year (I think). Just do your best and be yourself. "Experts" on these tests are those people who've taken them 2-3 times, and still haven't made it... Don't listen to these people. Either you've got what Wideroe's lookin' for, or you don't.

Can definitely recommend this company. 7 days on - 7 days off (can't beat that). Good pay and excellent pension/insurance. Bases all over Norway, and expanding operations next year (or so the grapevine tells us). 5 pilot courses held so far this year, with more to come!

Wideroe
 

Are they recruiting at the moment?
I got registered last year and have sent updates now and then but still no interview.

I hope that they are recruiting, because I've just got invited to take the first test..

Crossunder,

I was wondering, since WF will do the first day of testing on a hotel i Oslo, how do they test spatial orientation ? :O

Best regards,

It is always interesting to hear what kind of flying experience it would take to be invited for interview. How many hours do you have?

I have about 1200 hrs with 300 Multi and 250 turbine but no airline experience.

Hi Ingo1,

I have approx. the same level of experience as you have, but I'm also a Flight Instructor. I don't know if that counts for anything ?

In addition I also have a lot of experience with JAR OPS 1 operations (charter flights to various destinations in Europe).

It suggests that it's not only total flight time that matters :confused:

In the afternoon the group (75 pers) is split up in two and half the group is doing some more paper test, while the other half has to do a one on one series of test with the brother of 'the reincarnation of Jim Morrison' (he is the real brother) and in another room do the wideroe test with somebody from wideroe

Nothing to worry about, just some connect the numberdots games, etc.

Good luck, You'll be fine

Ingo1: Wideroe is calling people in for testing in October. New course starting in October also, and possibly one more this year...

RTO: don't I know it... ;)

Ok, Thanks!

I'll send another update then.

I was hired earlier this year. 1200hrs total, all instruction apart from my education. So you can actually be hired without flying Caravan or light twin for 10 years first:)

The tests are, as others here imply, not too difficult. I thought they were in general based on memory drills and working under time pressure. Most tests only lasted 2-3 minutes (there were 12 tests in total; jeeze all the unuseful information one remembers...)

Eg. remembering word sequences, constructing squares out of different shaped parts (drawing), a scan test: picking out numbers in sequence from a random coordinate system (numbers all over a sheet of paper), and the usual "find the next two numbers in the sequence", "find the next figure in the sequence etc".

My impression was that the level for passing the tests wasn´t too high, at least compared to SAS and the Air Force (talk about underestimating oneself...;) ) I mean you really get a fair chance.

If making the tests you´re called in for an interview in Oslo about 3 weeks later. Standard 30min talk with the head of training, a pilot union representative, a chief pilot or equivalent, a secretary and "Jim Morrison" in own person. Standard questions about previous experience, what you expect from working in Wideroes etc.

I´m enjoying every minute of the job!! No problems at all recommending it to others.

Good luck on the tests!!:D

Widerøe application
 

Hi everyone

In the application form they ask about human factor, is this a psychological evaluation?:8

RGDS

Viking207

Nope. They wanna know if you´ve passed the JAA-exam "Human factors and limitations" (me seem to remember).

Regards

so what if you passed all your exams when nobody had heard the word JAA....:} :E

Thanks Nordic spirit

Have they ever hired low-timers or do they stick to their formal requirements at all times?

Regards

Viking207

They stick to it unless you know someone really good, the company reeeeally needs pilots and you're lucky at the same time. Ain't that the way it goes in this business... But, seriously, maybe 2-3 pilots in total that have been hired with <800h tt.
However: WF will not be able to keep the 800h requirement in the future, even though pilots from all over Europe are applying now. Rumour has it that they'll have to start reducing towards 2-300hrs next year! Either way - you can do the tests first, and then wait for the crummy 800hrs before starting your t/r!

Hot tip: call and /or show up in person. That's how I, and a lot of my colleagues, got called in for testing ;)

Crossunder,

How come that WF is in such a desperate need of pilots that they would lower their requirements to 2-300 hours ?

Are they expanding ?
Are a lot of pilots leaving the company for other operators ?

BTW: Thanks for the info so far ;)

JT - check your PMs.

I wouldn't mind the info also

Viking

Me too........ please...;)

I am one of the lucky ones that are going to Oslo in November. I had about 600 h total time when I sent in my application, mostly Instructing, and very little twin time(50 h or so). Up to around 800 h now, which i was told in a letter from Wideroe, is one of the requirements. The other requirements are(at the moment)

Military duty/or exemption
Norwegian or JAA-CPL
IR
MEP
Valid ATPL
Min. 800 h total time
Able to provide clean Police-report

To the people that have been at the interview...Will they go into depth with technical ATPL-style questions, or is it only amplitude tests?

cheers, C

No tech. questions. Only interested in former jobs, military duty, why you chose to be a pilot etc. My interview lasted approx. 30 mins. Didn´t feel pressured at all really.
Just put on a tie and smile (and look smart, he, he)!:)

Wideroe............

HaHa, a funny place! Did my tetsts back in '97 and called them after a couple of weeks. Was then told that I've passed all the tests but has never heard from them since!!!!

Makes you wonder, don't it!
Have heard that it's getting more proffesional once on line and I sure hope so!

More funny though that Jim Morrison is still doing the psych thing, though he would have OD'd by now.........

Good luck to anyone going for it:-)

Viking207 & SAC:

Well - nothing official yet. Too many variables to be dealt with, leading up to our new industrial agreement in 2006. But I can tell you that we would not be holding 5-6 t/r courses this year, if we weren't expanding the next two years ;)

RE interview: I had a 15min chat with the admission board. Nothing nasty, and no ATPL Qs. But that's almost 7 years ago now!
Good luck! WF probably has the best working conditions in the business! :) But then there's the thing about light turbo props and STOL-ops...

norving: haven't heard of a single company yet, that does not do exactly the same to one or more of it's applicants. That's the way this business goes.

anybody have any details on terms and such at wideroe, fo pay, rosters etc etc.

Jr

Crossunder:

How do you think they look at skydiving pilots?
Do they have any max age? (I am 37 at the moment)

Regards

My impression is they think hours are hours, no matter where they came from.

On my course we had a guy who was 40yrs old. No worry!:D

Sounds good... hope you're right!

/Ingo1

Anyone happen to know where at Wideroe to send the CV ?

Actually, I think they have a standard application form. But I don't know where you will find it? Not on the webpage, Someone who know where to get it?

send it to:
[email protected]

//Ingo1

Thank you Sir!

//BNflyer

Or call Wideroe in Bodo at 75513500 and ask for Ashild Brekken/Training Department. She can send you the standard form (standard two pages, no "tell about one time your leadership resulted in the groups success, etc"-BS:) )

If you only send the CV or a free text application you will still receive the form to be completed anyway. Saves you some time to ask for the form in the first place (we are all standard lazy pilots, no?)!

Regards

so anybody about the terms and such......PLEASE!

thanks!

OK - sent you a PM, but I'll post most of it as well:

WF pays for the type rating. No bonding. You get paid during the t/r course.

Roster is 7 on - 7 off, or another variant which will give you every weekend off, and you can manipulate your own roster quite a lot... the latter being somewhat complicated to explain here ;)

Pay is good, starting on about NOK350k/yr. Will have increased to NOK450k@year 4. Daily allowances and extra work comes in addition; about 30-100k/y, depending on how much you're willing to do extra work.

About 7 years to command at present.

Excellent pension and insurance/loss of license.

Bases are Torp/Sandefjord, Gardermoen/Oslo, Bergen, Bodø and Tromsø.

Full STAR Alliance ticket agreement ++.

In other words - a good deal. Other companies may pay you more, but you'll have to work a whole lot more... We fly about 450-550hrs/yr.

Does anybody know how many they need???

thanks for the info crossunder, just been on the road and been lazy checking my pm's ;)


cheers,
Jr

Wideroe doesn´t really know themselves right now how many pilots they need. It depends on which routes they´re gonna fly the next 3 years (decided 1st Nov). They also have (rumour has it) own expansion plans for next year requiring further pilot recruitment. Time will show later this Fall.

So people, what do you think of the tests? I think I did OK overall. I performed a lot better after lunch than before.

I struggled specially with the test when Jim Morrison was reading numbers, words etc. and we should write it down backwards. My impression is that they expected everybody to struggle...and all the others I talked to did! :-)

Repeating numbers backwards together with Jim Morrions son was easier. He told me that I was OK and also wrote OK next to my name. Scanning test was easy.

The final test "Simultankapasitet" was tricky, but I finished them all! I have actually been through a similar test before. People sitting around me only got half way through as far as I could see.

The next few weeks gonna be very exciting! My feeling is good, but you never know what's gonna happend....

Let us all know how it goes, good luck! :ok:

Passed the tests! Next step is interview late November :D