A quote: - The fact is that for about the last 30 years ONE person was primarily responsible for saying who would make the final cut. This has produced cadets who are remarkably similar in character, for better or worse, although some other types do slip through


So what is this character mould that SIA is looking for? Is it the same criteria mould as how the government chooses their top scholars?

I think it is very difficult to find a commonality by simply looking at background, education or NS etc. I will give you a rough info for my course (Singaporeans only).

Age - 25+ to 31+ (as of course start).

Highest level of Education - Diploma, Degree, Honours, Master.

Course of study - Business, Engineer (Mechanical, Electrical, Computer, Aeronautical, Chemical), Science.

NS - Corporal, Captain and others with ranks in between. (From Army, Airforce, Navy).

Character - There are Man of few words and there are people with very good sense of humour.

Hobby - there are sport fanatics, there are hard core gamers and there are people who don't really have any hobbies.

Flying experience - 0 experience, Ex-airforce trainee, Private Pilot License Holder.

Well, if you really want me to point out one commonality, I can only say that we are all male.....:)

If you are interested, my advice is to be prepared. Read up about aviation, keep up to date with current affairs, know your geography and improve your general knowledge.

It is impossible to know everything but it will not reflect well on you if you know nothing (worse if you try to "smoke"). I think this point applies to all job interviews.

Thanks! This really makes me feel alot better.

Well it does seem like there isn't a specific mould of a person SIA is looking for, thus I feel that they will pick people with the highest scores in their aptitude test battery. I'm very comfortable with that as it gives everyone a fair chance to make it.

However I really wonder how I can show passion to the interviewers to help me make it to the 2nd round. It is really difficult to pursue aviation in Singapore out of general interest. I did join the SYFC when I was younger but I dropped out to shore up my grades. No parents will want to see their son doing badly in school because of a CCA. Really regretted that my friend who continued to get his PPL in SYFC with poor grades in school is now a RSAF pilot. I guess they really look at your ability to fly the plane rather than your academic performance. So now with an early dropout from SYFC and no airforce I have no idea what I can do to show my interviewers my passion for flying.

Any advice for me on what I can do to show that I have a strong interest? Preferably something that doesn't cost too much as I'm not exactly loaded. Asking me to enrol in some flying school is out. There isn't much of an aviation community in Singapore so I hope you pilots can give me some advice on how I can take my interest to the next level.

Not trying to be funny or anything but i think the answer to "how I can show passion?" is to simply have passion for flying first.

Perhaps you are asking how to articulate the passion... how to put it in words. I do not profess to be an expert here but maybe you could try this.

1.) Why do you want to be a pilot?
2.) Why is it important for you to achieve this goal of being a pilot?
3.) What do you want to achieve/accomplish from it?

Just keep asking the whys, delve deeper... built the conviction why there is nothing else you'd rather do than being a pilot... and say it out in the interview.

Is there a deeper reason why you want to be a pilot? Is it because some uncle that you hold in high esteem was a pilot and you want to follow his footsteps? Is it because you have a dream of flying all over the world, get out of this tiny island?

The deeper you can answer the 'whys' the further it will bring you when times are hard. Not just during the interview..

If money is the answer to the first question, then why is it important? To buy a big house? Why is buying a big house important then? To show that you are successful? Then why is being successful important? It can be a bit irritating but once you get to the root of the 'why', i think you will find it easy to show the passion.

That is not true in SIA context. Before a cadet starts his basic flying training, he has to go through 6 mths of intensive study and sit for exams in order to obtain ATPL. Some cadets couldn't make it through this stage. And I dare say from my own experience that if I had put in as much effort in University, I probably would have gotten 1st class honours. (Most cadets especially those in Seletar now will probably agree with me on the toughness :))

Getting your own PPL is just one of the many ways to show interest. Most of us cadets had 0 experience when we started. Check out my previous post for my advice. I can't tell you specifically what to do because your interview experience and mine will not be the same.
But just to give you an example, if someone is interested in cars, you can expect him to be able to differentiate between a Ferrari and a Porsche w/o looking at the logo, right? So can you tell a B777 from an A330?

Like Starburst3128 mentioned, PPL is just one of the ways to show your interest. One thing you can do is to read up online on everything and anything to do with aviation. Trust me, there are a billion and one things that you don't already know about aviation, and most of them are freely available online. The reading up won't be a pain at all if you truly have a passion in aviation.

FWIW, that's how my interest in aviation started, and these days the more that I read and learn, the more I love the aviation industry (and flying of course). :)

@Albatr055: If you were the one driving me to Mt. E and back to Eunos for the medical, then yeah I'm the right person. :P

@wingsteer: You've got a PM, in case you haven't read that already. :)

Hi randomx, thanks. I read that!

Any idea when is the next batch?

I cleared medical about a month ago. No news yet.

Anyone attending 1st round 29 May ?
 

Hi guys, anyone attending 1st round interview 29th May ?
Hope I won't be the lonely/only one there...?

I mentioned recently that the intake this year has been reduced to 118. Spoke to edward awhile ago, and apparently this has been further reduced. He didn't give me a number though.

Those who are applying should take this reduction in intake into consideration. Since you are generally limited to 2 tries on the 1st interview, and only 1 shot on the 2nd interview / tea party, you might want to hold off your tries until the aviation climate gets better.

If you blow all your chances now, and that's more likely since there are fewer places, you won't get to try again in future (generally).

So you guys, especially the younger ones who can afford to wait, you might want to strategise a little. Of course, there's no telling when the industry would get better, so it's a bit of a gamble.

This probably going to be my only try ever.

If I don't get in after putting in 100% now, maybe I will drop the dream.

I'm not getting any younger , too. Hope the industry picks up.

IMHO, thinking ahead, though, in 2 years time when most of the current batches graduate, the economy and aviation environment should be sufficiently perked up, then there may be a short fall again... hmm ...just my thoughts.

Thanks seniors, for replying and giving advice. much appreciated

@Edenspace

Bro, may I suggest you make good of your interview opportunity. Don't talk about dropping the dream and raising the white flag even before the ball is kicked. Thousands of other hopefuls out there are dying to be in your shoes. You're abit pessimistic to mention about a possible future shortfall. You don't sound like you want in badly enough.

Begin reading up as much as you can about the industry, the company, airplanes and the sciences involved. Believing that you'll get through makes up half the ingredient for success. They won't bother calling you up for interview if they're not interested in you. My interview batchmate told me "Look, if they don't give me the job, heck I care. I just know I've given it my best and if they're still not happy about it, then it's too bad". As fate would have it, he did not make the cut, and I'm thankful too because next time I won't want to fly with someone like him.

I dunno how well prepared you are, but I hope your 100% isn't like the 100% my interview batchmate had. Good luck and I hope to see you soon in SQ. Cheers bud.

Is reading up on aviation online the only thing we can do? That's what I've been doing all these while but it seems abit passive. Is there any thing tangible we can do to show our interest in aviation? Would love to go back to get my PPL but that's over. Are there any suggestions our pilots here can give?

If I'm right, what he means by the shortfall is a shortage of pilots in the near future. I don't understand why that's pessimistic. To me that's a good thing. There will be greater demand, more recruitment for aspiring pilots, more work/hours for existing pilots, and also greater bargaining power for pilots.

@ lampoon

Thx for your encouragement and advice!

I try to decouple my emotions... attitude is positive (pilots must have good attitude hahaha :\ ) whereas expectation is moderated. Been trying to read up, too. =)

I do want it.

Knightwhosays_NI is right about what I meant. I meant a shortage of pilots because of cyclical economy transmitting its effects into the aviation industry.

@ purplehearts : Maybe can try PPL with any club at Senai Airport ?
Would you also be attending 1st interview this friday ?

@purplehearts: There are many other ways of showing that you have the interest in aviation. Here are just some suggestions, but they kind of require some money:

1. Take a short, budget holiday on planes like the ATR-72 (Firefly has a flight from JB to Subang, and they're going to fly from SG from 1 July) or the Dash 7 (Berjaya Air flies from Seletar to Redang and Tioman, but it's quite expensive) instead of the typical Boeing/Airbus jet, take note of the details of the flight like the cruise altitude/speed, engines, etc. and then show them off during the interview. It doesn't harm to know something outside the company you're applying to; not many people are that hardcore enough to do that. ;)

2. Take the introductory flight in one of the flying clubs in JB. Not sure if SFC at Seletar has such a flight though.

3. Try the fixed-base full flight deck simulator at the Singapore Flyer called Flight Experience. If you take this route, take the 90-minute package. Trust me, I've tried it before and it's well worth every single cent, especially if you're interested in flying the big jets. You get to be in the "cockpit" of a 737-800, close to everything in the cockpit works, from the autopilot, knobs to start the engines, light switches, etc. and your instructor will guide you over what you can/should do in the simulator. The price is comparable to the introductory flights, but you get to control the airplane for a longer period of time, even take off and landing, since you can't possibly cause injuries by crashing in the simulator. Don't forget to get the DVD recording. ;)

So you see, there are many other ways of showing your interest in aviation, it's not just limited to PPL/reading only. The only things that matter are the budget and your determination. Good luck!

PS: Disclaimer: I'm not related to Firefly, Berjaya Air, any of the flying clubs in JB, SFC, nor Flight Experience. ;)

That being said, I hope that if you do take any of my suggestions in the previous post, it's not just to increase your chances in the interview, but also because you're interested enough in aviation to actually do those. That's because even after doing all those, there's no guarantee you'll eventually get selected. :)

@knight

You're right. I misunderstood him. Apologies.

wow, randomx! you actually done all that you suggested?!!! Now I know how you got through the interview. Impressive :ok:

whoa! i searched youtube for SFC ... saw OBS siong. long time never chiong anything more than my desk...