Q and A
Q. Is the pay negotiable?
A. Yes, if you have a similar background to what Quest does. Freight, turbine, aircraft type. This will be negotiated with H.R.
Q. Who are they looking for?
A. Pilots who live near base. Have a similar background. Easy to get along with and personable.
Q. When would I get to fly the phenom?
A. Currently the phenom jet is only in Reading, PA. Upgrade is based on need and utilization of the aircraft. No real timeline.
Q. How do they handle vacation?
A. Vacation is bid for in November of each year for each base. Bases can handle 2-3 pilots off per day for vacation. It is based on seniority. You can bid all your vacation during the process, or pick days as your go throughout the year.
Q. What is your sleep schedule.
A. Typically go home after work 1am-4am depending on the run, relax for 30 min before bed. Sleep until noon, then take an hour nap before work.
Q. Do you ever see your family?
A. Yes, some days it's just a quick dinner; other days it's dinner and a few tv shows. Plus the 1-2 weekdays off and weekends off.
Q. How do you handle weekends with sleep?
A. I try to maintain the same weekday schedule, it's harder, but the family does their best to respect it.
Q. Does the specimen bag ever leak?
A. The bags are triple bagged. There has never been a contamination issues however specimens have been broken inside the bags, but the absorption pads and safety measures have prevented any issues.
Q. Does a sick day count as one of your vacation days?
A. Yes, but you may be asked to pick up a standby day to get that lost day back.
Q. Will I know what my schedule is for the month?
A. Yes, schedules are done 4 weeks at a time. This will allow you to swap schedules down the road if you need to. You can also work with the scheduler to be on secondary standby on a day you might have plans so you don't burn a vacation day.
Q. If I'm not scheduled on a weekday, am I off?
A. There is a primary standby pilot who is scheduled each day. All other pilots are considered as available to work incase the need arises.
Q. How often have you been called on your day off?
A. Typically once a year.
Q. Does the standby pilot have to be at the airport?
A. No.
Q. How do I know where all the bags go?
A. You have a daily run sheet with instructions. The drivers know what to expect. And dispatch is always available to answer your questions.
Q. Where are the pilots going?
A. There is lots of hiring in our industry. Majors, LCC, part 91 corporate, FAA.
Q. What is the company doing to keep pilots.
A. Raising pay to be the highest paid in our segment. Working on a pay scale. Restarting the FO program to help reduce workloads.
Q. What plane will I start in?
A. Typically the baron. The pay is the same and the workload with paperwork is easier to understand. Once you have a good understanding of the paperwork and runs, you will transition to the PC-12. KSUS only has PC-12s, so you will be on that airplane from the start.
Last edited by twebb; 10-11-2015 at 12:33 PM.