Prepare for your captains interview
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Join Date: May 2006
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Prepare for your captains interview
First of all, I don't know where to post this....
But I'm up for my captains interview shortly and I'm beginning to prepare for it.
I'm going through a lot of theory right now, so that I have it perfectly in my memory.
What do you guys advise me to do/read?
What can I expect from the interview?
Tnx!
But I'm up for my captains interview shortly and I'm beginning to prepare for it.
I'm going through a lot of theory right now, so that I have it perfectly in my memory.
What do you guys advise me to do/read?
What can I expect from the interview?
Tnx!
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: Germany
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My company doesn't have an explicit commander interview... But here are some nice questions out of line training:
- In cruise flight you have to go to the lavatory. What is the correct security procedure - and do you always adhere to it?
- what do you think about reading magazines in the cockpit?
- Do you accept your crew smoking a cigarette in transit on ground
- You do your walk around at night in transit and notice that one nav light is inop. MEL says No-go, Technician available in 10 hours earliest. What do you do?
- You see your co pilot drinking a beer at the hotel bar 30 min after your company's deadline (ours is 12 hours, so say a beer 11,5 hours before take off). What do you do?
- Flying to your destination you notice in-flight that the approach-charts for your destination weren't supplied? Destination WX CAVOK. What do you do?
- In cruise flight you have to go to the lavatory. What is the correct security procedure - and do you always adhere to it?
- what do you think about reading magazines in the cockpit?
- Do you accept your crew smoking a cigarette in transit on ground
- You do your walk around at night in transit and notice that one nav light is inop. MEL says No-go, Technician available in 10 hours earliest. What do you do?
- You see your co pilot drinking a beer at the hotel bar 30 min after your company's deadline (ours is 12 hours, so say a beer 11,5 hours before take off). What do you do?
- Flying to your destination you notice in-flight that the approach-charts for your destination weren't supplied? Destination WX CAVOK. What do you do?
This is your capt. Odious speaking:
1. Switch the seat belt sign on/off/on/off/on/off/on rapidly. Disconnect the autopilot and start stirring, gently first then then make wider and faster circles. Be careful not to get into phase with the plane. That will dissipate the queue in front of the loo and make anyone inside put on his pants and scramble for the safety of the seat-belted seat, not necessarily in this order. Say to CM2: "Your controls" and go to the lav.
Of course I always adhere to it - it never fails.
2. Effohs are tender and easily influenced, therefore it is of utmost importance they don't read the magazines of low quality on the flightdeck. To this purpose Commission for maintenance of high moral standards on the flightdeck (CMHMSF), consisting of single member, the name of which can be found in journey log under "commander" shal be formed for every flight. The president of aforementioned commission is authorized to closely examine each and every magazine brought to the flightdeck by effoh for purposes of reading or just looking at the piccies. If aforementioned magazine is found to be promoting morally unacceptable behaviour and/or attitudes, the aforementioned commission has the right to confiscate it and dispose of it as it finds appropriate. Magazines can be cleared for inflight consumptions by the effohs only after thorough scrutiny by the CMHMSF.
3. If the aeroplane is fueled, walkaround complete, cabin prepared for boarding and outbound pax are not yet in sight, I don't object any crewmember joining me on a smoke break.
4. Check the taxi-out direction and see whether this is the light that will be seen from tower for prolonged periods of time. If not - problem solved. If yes, get the ladder and switch places of burnt bulb and one opposite of tower. Taxi fast. Switch on the strobes during taxiing, that distracts people and prevents them from seeing your failed bulb. If someone complains, say on freq: "Whoopsie, wrong switch, thank you for pointing it out, i didn't see my strobes are on." If you get caught claim bulb was working during walkaround.
5. Join him with "You own me more than a couple of beers for the things you learnt today."
6. Call ATC and tell them you have problems with your nav and would appreciate vectors to visual approach. Once safely on ground when asked by SAFA guys what were you up to, claim that you've performed reset and now everything works fine - nothin to put in TLB. Test your NAV radios in front of them, they'll be impressed. Of course, such a phantom failures do tend to recur and your first call after T/O will be along the lines "Departure hello, passing 2000 ft, we have some RNP problems and would appreciate vectors...."
Now seriously.
If your company don't trust your training records or have inclination to ask (or trust) your captains about your work performance and yet your upgrade interviewer asks you questions similar to the ones posted by Charly straightfaced, then your HR department leaves a lot to be desired.
There's simple antidote.
Learn the party line and parrot it. Put in some token concern for well being of your crewmembers. Like: "Yes ma'am, I'm aware it's a stressful job back ther in the cabin and that some of our colleagues are hooked on nicotine, yet it is not in my power to authorize breaking of company rules. I will carry the pack of nicotine chewing gums and offer it in the times of crisis yet I will never allow smoking onboard my aeroplane." This is guaranteed to make any clueless HR person's eyes watery.
Important thing is to find out what kind of interview you can expect in your company. Ask your colleagues, there is small chance that general PPRuNe advice will be helpful.
Best of luck
C.
Of course I always adhere to it - it never fails.
2. Effohs are tender and easily influenced, therefore it is of utmost importance they don't read the magazines of low quality on the flightdeck. To this purpose Commission for maintenance of high moral standards on the flightdeck (CMHMSF), consisting of single member, the name of which can be found in journey log under "commander" shal be formed for every flight. The president of aforementioned commission is authorized to closely examine each and every magazine brought to the flightdeck by effoh for purposes of reading or just looking at the piccies. If aforementioned magazine is found to be promoting morally unacceptable behaviour and/or attitudes, the aforementioned commission has the right to confiscate it and dispose of it as it finds appropriate. Magazines can be cleared for inflight consumptions by the effohs only after thorough scrutiny by the CMHMSF.
3. If the aeroplane is fueled, walkaround complete, cabin prepared for boarding and outbound pax are not yet in sight, I don't object any crewmember joining me on a smoke break.
4. Check the taxi-out direction and see whether this is the light that will be seen from tower for prolonged periods of time. If not - problem solved. If yes, get the ladder and switch places of burnt bulb and one opposite of tower. Taxi fast. Switch on the strobes during taxiing, that distracts people and prevents them from seeing your failed bulb. If someone complains, say on freq: "Whoopsie, wrong switch, thank you for pointing it out, i didn't see my strobes are on." If you get caught claim bulb was working during walkaround.
5. Join him with "You own me more than a couple of beers for the things you learnt today."
6. Call ATC and tell them you have problems with your nav and would appreciate vectors to visual approach. Once safely on ground when asked by SAFA guys what were you up to, claim that you've performed reset and now everything works fine - nothin to put in TLB. Test your NAV radios in front of them, they'll be impressed. Of course, such a phantom failures do tend to recur and your first call after T/O will be along the lines "Departure hello, passing 2000 ft, we have some RNP problems and would appreciate vectors...."
Now seriously.
If your company don't trust your training records or have inclination to ask (or trust) your captains about your work performance and yet your upgrade interviewer asks you questions similar to the ones posted by Charly straightfaced, then your HR department leaves a lot to be desired.
There's simple antidote.
Learn the party line and parrot it. Put in some token concern for well being of your crewmembers. Like: "Yes ma'am, I'm aware it's a stressful job back ther in the cabin and that some of our colleagues are hooked on nicotine, yet it is not in my power to authorize breaking of company rules. I will carry the pack of nicotine chewing gums and offer it in the times of crisis yet I will never allow smoking onboard my aeroplane." This is guaranteed to make any clueless HR person's eyes watery.
Important thing is to find out what kind of interview you can expect in your company. Ask your colleagues, there is small chance that general PPRuNe advice will be helpful.
Best of luck
C.
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: Germany
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Nice.... I liked the one with your nav light strategy ;-)
Seriously - my quoted questions didn't imply which answer would be the correct one. Actually, you would probably be surprised of what i answered and how it was taken by my interviewers..
To make a long story short: You are the commander - be aware of what is legal, what is safe and what is reasonable. Then Decide. If it goes wrong: There is nobody else to blame than yourself..
Seriously - my quoted questions didn't imply which answer would be the correct one. Actually, you would probably be surprised of what i answered and how it was taken by my interviewers..
To make a long story short: You are the commander - be aware of what is legal, what is safe and what is reasonable. Then Decide. If it goes wrong: There is nobody else to blame than yourself..
Last edited by Charly; 10th Aug 2010 at 23:40.
