Cathay pacific SECOND OFFICER – ADVANCED ENTRY INITIAL INTERVIEW

[google88]

english test

english test is an oral test and not mcq or written and for the results well its been 2 weeks even i have been waiting for their mail.

[Urbn31]

I know a few people with less than 250 hours get in. I also know a few 0 hour pilots get in as well.

[nicolas13]

cathay interview stage 2

@google88 thank you for the information.
And the result for you ?

[google88]

stage2

i cleared my stage 2 bud waiting for the english test and medical evaluation results now.

[google88]

250 hours

bond737 there are a few guys with less than 250 hours who have cleared stage 2 bud, they will given a time limit of 4 months after flight grading to get done with the requirements.

[google88]

bond737

yes my friend , we had our interviews on the same day like 2 weeks back.

[Spitfire88]

@ Ashok

I have 331. But i have friends wt close to 250 hrs who cleared as well, so...

As far a re-applying goes. You can do that a year from now. And based on your previous performance, u may have to even repeat stage 1 again.

[dg4749]

Stage 2 Interview

Stage 2

Hong Kong

Personal Interview:

Before i start remember what info u submitted/answered in online application nd in Stage 1 as they have gone through your entire feedback before the interview
HR Questions:

Where are you from?
How u started in aviation?
What you have done to prepare for this interiew?
Which flying School nd why only that flying school?
Requirements for CPL in india? Why no flight test for conversion in india?
Why it took so long with DGCA to get license?
Which aircraft you fly and how many hours you fly?
When you felt your performance was not upto ur expectations?
Why did u leave your previous job?
Why Cathay?Why not singapore qantas nd emirates?
What aircraft in CX nd on what routes especially to India ?Also asked about North American destinations.
Why new ac 350s , 200 F nd 8Fs on order?
Name shareholders of CX nd their % share?
No. of employees in CX ?
What do you know about training in adelaide?
What kind of aircraft are there?
What will be the challenging part for you during the training?
What you will be doing after training?
What s the role of second officer in detail?
How u feel about living in hkg?What about the pollution in hkg?
Why indian aviation in such crisis ?The interviewing pilot asked me about kingfisher s state?

Pilot interview:Remember if you are answering any question , you must know the correct reason to support your answer.Dont shoot with confidence as they will go deeper into every question.

Asked me about the ac i flew in the past ? So you must know every thing about your aircraft( thrust/power , speeds etc)
Ac with a CSU
prop in a dive? What happens
CSU failure (What happens in a multi engine , single engine nd aerobatic aircraft nd why)?
Critical engine on your ac?If not why not?
How downgoing prop blade produces more thrst during +ve AOA?
Asked me to draw the diagram for thrust nd wind vectors for assymetric effect?
Why Sweepback nd what are its advantages nd disadvantages?
Mach Crit ? Mach Crit for 747 nd cruise speeds?
Dutch roll nd how do yaw dampeners function?
Typhoons? Hazards when flying near typhoon?
What is predictive windshear?What eqpt in your ac to find it?
What eqpt in your ac to prevent icing?
Should be able to tell difference between every CX ac(thrust, engines, U/c,winglets nd raked wingtips etc)with a reasoning.


Most favorite questions of stage 1 nd 2

Given Speed in knots nd distance in miles Find the distance in one minute ?Eg
Speed 420 kts Dist 50 nm

Dist per min 7 nm
Time to cover 50 nm is 7.1 min


And if ISA deviation +6 whats the temp at 31000ft?

Should be able to tell these orally



For preparation, I ll suggest

Ace technical pilot interview(free download from net)
Handling the big jets (costs about INR 4200)



Good luck

[ixg888]

Spitfire smurf84

Why would they ask you about the big jets? If im not mistaken you were trained in piston engines??l

[ixg888]

When i applied wayyy back 2011 i wasnt asked about big jets.. I was only asked about my type of aircraft.

[smurf84]

dg4749 -

Thank you very much. The questions you posted are very similar to the ones fired at me during the Stage 1 interview in Mumbai. Unfortunately, the A340 pilot took me for a ride and gave me a hard time during the Stage 2 interview.

Why would they ask you about the big jets?

ixg - The same question has been ringing in my ears ever since I walked out of that interview a month ago. That particular Capt. did ask me a few questions on the multi-engine aircraft I flew. But things went to a different level when asked about the A350 and A340. I had a bad day. That's all I can say. Plus the fact that I hadn't done any flying for the past 12 months didn't go too well with the management pilot.

[ixg888]

smurf

its really tough to get through CX. but to be grilled with an aircraft that is not even close to the limits you are flying. regardless if its a multi - engine as long as it is not turbine driven is suffice to be concluded as an interview went wrong. The scope should be in piston-driven aircraft.. that's very unusual of CX recruitment team.

However, u mentioned that u didnt have any handling in the past 12 months that is quite alarming I think most of us here CPL/IR holders regradless of the situation needs to at least fly 10 hours in a month to avoid the need for recurrency or worse our licenses getting burnt. I bet you at least have a class 1 medical which expires every six months, which would obligate you to fly at least.

Anyhow, I bet you have tons of plans in mind. Cheers mate!

[smurf84]

I think most of us here CPL/IR holders regradless of the situation needs to at least fly 10 hours in a month

10 hours a month? That seems to be a costly proposition. I'm sorry, this is just a honest question - do you live in India? Maybe you aren't aware of the alarming single-engine aircraft rates in India. Flying 7-8 hours a couple of months/weeks prior to the interview? Yes. But not 10 hours a month, my friend.

that's very unusual of CX recruitment team.

This is 2012. A rough year for all the airlines, particularly Cathay Pacific. They may have decided to cut down the number of pilots progressing to Stage 3/Stage 4.

I'm assuming Cathay would avoid recruiting pilots (who haven't flown for more than 12 months). That again, comes down to the decisions of the management pilot and HR. Come to think of it - wouldn't it be a waste of money/resources flying the candidate all the way to Adelaide (staying there for 2 weeks) and eventually fails to pass the flight grading?

Anyway, the damage has been done. This has been a significant learning curve for me. I hope I find my feet soon.

[anirudh_rao]

This goes out to all the Indians. Can someone help me out with the application online? The grades and levels that one has to fill on the educational qualification section. What exactly are those? I am stumped

[niko116]

Do you have any information about the simulator? Reasoning/Math test? Group exercise? Any personal feedback?

[jackcarls0n]

Just a bit perplexed. Been reading the posts from the guys who attended the second round of interview at CX city.

Everyone knows CX is getting the A350s. Knowing that and some basic information would be fine. But does it make sense to ask questions and dig deep about an aircraft that is still under development and wouldn't be flying untill 2014-15?

[ixg888]

Smurf

Its really tough to be rejected by cx.. Been there mate.

During my application i was an active student with 20 something hours and just imagine how hard was it for me to continue training after being rejected.

[smurf84]

niko116 -

Please take some time to read all the posts. You'll find your answers there.

jackcarlson -

You're right. As for the A350, all I could talk to him was about the 25% reduction in operating costs, a weight-efficient airframe (combining Titanium and aluminium alloys) and a 25% reduction in CO2 emission. But he wanted to know something more than that, and I gave up.

ixg888 -

Yes, I understand how hard it must have been for you too. What makes it worse is going back home knowing the fact that there aren't too many vacancies in the Indian aviation industry. To hell with that, I'll apply again and give it one last shot.

[ixg888]

Smurf

yeah. i have yet to resubmit my re-application. as my 1 year lock just expired but to resubmit it i must be totally prepared and I hope it pulls through this time as i have just gotten my instrument rating license. I hope it works out for me this time.

anyhow, watch the ittv dvd instructionals about the 747-400 I bet operational procedures would be a hit to the interviewers if you lead them to know about knowledge in 74's the MCC, FMS , and PFD functions and the glareshield controls. watch the one who has Captain Don Prange instucting on it. I prolly bet it would be a hit to the interviewers. Though the vid was old RB-211 i guess.. but it would be helpful.

[ixg888]

Smurf

by the way there is also a good post in the fragrant harbour forums about the functions of a second officer. to be honest that was quite how is it going to be as second officer.

Im also predicting that the demand for pilots would be less compared to this past few years. what do you think mate?