Speedbird Pilot Academy - Funded
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Exactly, just got to go and do your best and hope it’s good enough! Wishing everyone all the best who’s attending over the next few weeks!
Joined: Oct 2023
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From: UK
Joined: Nov 2023
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From: Leeds
Hello Speedbird Family,
hope everyone is well, I’ve been keeping an eye out since September on this forum about the programme. I’m pleased to say I’ve just completed my final interview on Tuesday (21/11), wondering if any of my peers has also completed the interview over the recent week. Feel free to reach out to me!
happy flying!
hope everyone is well, I’ve been keeping an eye out since September on this forum about the programme. I’m pleased to say I’ve just completed my final interview on Tuesday (21/11), wondering if any of my peers has also completed the interview over the recent week. Feel free to reach out to me!
happy flying!
Joined: Oct 2023
Posts: 28
Likes: 0
From: UK
Hello Speedbird Family,
hope everyone is well, I’ve been keeping an eye out since September on this forum about the programme. I’m pleased to say I’ve just completed my final interview on Tuesday (21/11), wondering if any of my peers has also completed the interview over the recent week. Feel free to reach out to me!
happy flying!
hope everyone is well, I’ve been keeping an eye out since September on this forum about the programme. I’m pleased to say I’ve just completed my final interview on Tuesday (21/11), wondering if any of my peers has also completed the interview over the recent week. Feel free to reach out to me!
happy flying!
Guest
Joined: Aug 2017
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Even though they’re done the exact questions shouldn’t really be shared. FTE May still be using them for general admissions or other schemes such as Aer Lingus etc. You shouldn’t really need to know the questions to be able to succeed at interview.
Joined: Aug 2007
Aviation Qualifications: ATPL
Posts: 816
Likes: 230
From: Cyprus
Speedbird Pilot Acadamy-Funded
BAW : Bit lofty of one to suggest that "you shouldn't really need to know the questions".. ! Blimey, yeah, but it helps !
Very long thread and I posted elsewhere about this. We all know just how helpful knowledge of questions can be. Knowledge of answers an outright winner. But Selectors will be floored if candidates are knowledgeable of questions and answers. Defeats the whole object.
Opening up the candidate market to a wide supply where the selection devices become open knowledge and practiced is absolute nonsense.
I have been a sponsored candidate to highly experienced Transport Commander and Selector. I quickly discovered the need to know what interviewers were looking for. Throughout my career it helped to know what Instructors and Examiners were looking for. INdeed, for UK ARB Type /Technical, unless you "knew" and "practiced" typical ARB exams, you would fail .
I know of one, for a time, highly respected and desired airline that relied heavily on a "Technical quiz". Pretty soon, those in the know had examples of all questions, all answers and knocked up envious scores of 90-6100%. Pointless eh ?
Sadly, nothing ideal and I know of one fellow selector who offered the view that if a candidate had gone to all the trouble of finding out about tests and exercises and even knew the answers, as a selection device. that candidate was showing initiative.
OK, leave out the good guys and take the cheats I retorted. Had to by my own coffee during a break in interviews.
Good luck to all though. Wicked opportunity for the lucky few.
From the Selectors point of view. A field of raw recruits with no selection criteria knowledge is the ideal but unachievable in practice.
Very long thread and I posted elsewhere about this. We all know just how helpful knowledge of questions can be. Knowledge of answers an outright winner. But Selectors will be floored if candidates are knowledgeable of questions and answers. Defeats the whole object.
Opening up the candidate market to a wide supply where the selection devices become open knowledge and practiced is absolute nonsense.
I have been a sponsored candidate to highly experienced Transport Commander and Selector. I quickly discovered the need to know what interviewers were looking for. Throughout my career it helped to know what Instructors and Examiners were looking for. INdeed, for UK ARB Type /Technical, unless you "knew" and "practiced" typical ARB exams, you would fail .
I know of one, for a time, highly respected and desired airline that relied heavily on a "Technical quiz". Pretty soon, those in the know had examples of all questions, all answers and knocked up envious scores of 90-6100%. Pointless eh ?
Sadly, nothing ideal and I know of one fellow selector who offered the view that if a candidate had gone to all the trouble of finding out about tests and exercises and even knew the answers, as a selection device. that candidate was showing initiative.
OK, leave out the good guys and take the cheats I retorted. Had to by my own coffee during a break in interviews.
Good luck to all though. Wicked opportunity for the lucky few.
From the Selectors point of view. A field of raw recruits with no selection criteria knowledge is the ideal but unachievable in practice.
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 898
Likes: 73
From: UK
I was a BA cadet a long time ago. When I went for testing and interview with no flying experience, my outlook was that I did not want to con myself or the recruiters into thinking I was something I was not. Why commence down the route of becoming a pilot if you were not going to have the ability to make it to the end, or you were going to ultimately find the job stressful, difficult or unenjoyable? I therefore did no preparation whatsoever. I did not even prepare an answer to, “So tell me, why do you want to be a pilot?”
Guest
Joined: Aug 2017
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I was a BA cadet a long time ago. When I went for testing and interview with no flying experience, my outlook was that I did not want to con myself or the recruiters into thinking I was something I was not. Why commence down the route of becoming a pilot if you were not going to have the ability to make it to the end, or you were going to ultimately find the job stressful, difficult or unenjoyable? I therefore did no preparation whatsoever. I did not even prepare an answer to, “So tell me, why do you want to be a pilot?”
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 898
Likes: 73
From: UK
I am not saying I did not have an answer to the question. Rather that it was a genuine and honest answer, not one that was rehearsed. Nor did it contain things I thought they might like to hear. Indeed the pilot interviewer said he thought it was the best answer to the question he had ever heard. If you really want to be a pilot, why would you need to think long and hard and prepare an answer? The fact is, it was very clear throughout, that I had no clue what the testing was going to involve or what questions would be asked of me. They knew they were seeing the genuine me, and witnessing my unrehearsed capabilities. As a previous poster has already stated - that makes the recruiter’s job far easier.
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Joined: Aug 2007
Aviation Qualifications: ATPL
Posts: 816
Likes: 230
From: Cyprus
Speedbird Pilot Acadamy-Funded
BAW- No you didn't say anything lofty. I was referring to a previous poster who was, in my opinion, very lofty.
GS-ALPHA ; Top candidate. In m y experience (not Hamble) as a Selection Officer, you were the type we were looking for..Rare though.
The "Why I want to be an Airline Pilot" was an essay that kicked off the Hamble procedure and was used by other Independent airlines in their Sponsored Pilot Training Schemes too.
I started mine with ;"Well, it is the only job where you get free transport from pub to pub". This was reference to the lay-over fun even if you wound up in BEA and nightstopped away from Base. Of course my opener was to get the attention of the reader (bit like a headline grab) and I then got into what, I thought, the Interviewer wanted to read.
My Interviewer was hunourless. I had no idea why the wings on a BOAC VC10 were swept back or why the tail was so high. Deep into questions on car mechanics for goodness sake he asked what was the voltage of a spark-plug. I thought it was 1-5v.
Didn't get any further than part one of the three part process but enjoyed the ride in the CAT HAmble bus between Southampton Railway Station & the School. Chics looking at us thought we were Cadets rather than orrible little wannabees !
Back to thread. I did prepare like crazy for other procedures and learned to give what I thought Boards wanted to receive. Took 5 years though.
No quarrel with those who come fully prepared and rehearsed. Not ideal though.
GS-ALPHA ; Top candidate. In m y experience (not Hamble) as a Selection Officer, you were the type we were looking for..Rare though.
The "Why I want to be an Airline Pilot" was an essay that kicked off the Hamble procedure and was used by other Independent airlines in their Sponsored Pilot Training Schemes too.
I started mine with ;"Well, it is the only job where you get free transport from pub to pub". This was reference to the lay-over fun even if you wound up in BEA and nightstopped away from Base. Of course my opener was to get the attention of the reader (bit like a headline grab) and I then got into what, I thought, the Interviewer wanted to read.
My Interviewer was hunourless. I had no idea why the wings on a BOAC VC10 were swept back or why the tail was so high. Deep into questions on car mechanics for goodness sake he asked what was the voltage of a spark-plug. I thought it was 1-5v.
Didn't get any further than part one of the three part process but enjoyed the ride in the CAT HAmble bus between Southampton Railway Station & the School. Chics looking at us thought we were Cadets rather than orrible little wannabees !
Back to thread. I did prepare like crazy for other procedures and learned to give what I thought Boards wanted to receive. Took 5 years though.
No quarrel with those who come fully prepared and rehearsed. Not ideal though.
Joined: Nov 2023
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From: Heathrow
It would be ideal to be able to assess the raw talent of all candidates and get their honest answers. However as pretty much most candidates who want a place on this scheme will practice and rehearse, then it would be unwise for the naturally talented to not do any prep as the rehearsed candidates will probably outperform them in the interview setting.
Perhaps the more effective solution would be to ask more scenario type questions that aren't easily rehearsed without knowing the question, or from a previous career, they gave you a 20page document 48hours in advance, which was then assessed at the interview to test whether you had the learning capacity required to complete the course. This felt brutal at the time, but then filtered out those who were not able to retain large volumes of information in the timescale given.
I don't think there is an easy answer for recruiters, but for candidates, preparation is essential to succeed, regardless of natural ability
Perhaps the more effective solution would be to ask more scenario type questions that aren't easily rehearsed without knowing the question, or from a previous career, they gave you a 20page document 48hours in advance, which was then assessed at the interview to test whether you had the learning capacity required to complete the course. This felt brutal at the time, but then filtered out those who were not able to retain large volumes of information in the timescale given.
I don't think there is an easy answer for recruiters, but for candidates, preparation is essential to succeed, regardless of natural ability
Joined: Nov 2023
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From: England
Joined: Nov 2023
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From: United Kingdom
Joined: Nov 2023
Posts: 6
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From: England
