Originally Posted by
AboveAndBeyond
AviationInterviews is very good. Sheppard Air is great as well. I would recommend both. I have read that we changed the written test, but don't know exactly how/what. I am sure that it will be ATP type questions, so that is where Sheppard Air is great. Even though I studied the gouge, I studied Sheppard Air as well to make sure that I was ready.
I had a referral recently that was prior 121 but had not flown in several years. He studied, and did well on the interview, but they really asked a lot of questions about him not being current. That seems to be really big. If you have flown anything recently, that is a huge plus. He was given a "pool" offer because he had not flown an airplane in 4+ years, and they will fit him into a class sometime in the future. But, they said that if he gets a little bit of time in the cockpit of something, then he can go into the next class that he wants.
I have told people to go down to the local FBO and get a BFR and/or IPC just to get current in flying before going to interview. It is a couple hundred bucks, but now that first year pay is $60k+, it is worth it to get the job. Plus, flying around in a little airplane is fun.
The last time this "gouge" was out there was when I interviewed so I didn't bother getting the Aviation Interviews prep... that was a mistake. I studied my butt off with no gouge and didn't do as well as my soon to be prepper friends on the written. I would do both -- two great interview prep books are Everything Explained for the Professional Pilot (that will help you with all that foreign 121 stuff later in training as well) and Ace the Technical Pilot Interview (much drier but you are used to that as a pointer nosed tip of the spear dude/dudette). Best wishes, have fun.