Turboprop

The Interview
by Bill Hill
Capt. SkyWest Airlines, (ret.)
During the course of my twenty-six year career as an air traffic controller, I managed to work a goodly number of part time flying jobs; towing banners, towing gliders, traffic watch, freight dog, air ambulance pilot. I even conned the feds into sending me to KingAir school while working in the air traffic evaluation's branch. Without exception, the pre-job interviews consisted of a singular question; when can you start working?
During the early sixties, the airline industry was running out of pilots and so some of them were hiring folks with as little as a private ticket with the idea of completing their training so that they could fly for said airline. While still in the Army, circa 1963 to 1967, I had wanted to become an airline pilot. By the time I was mustered out, the airline jobs had dried up. There were none to be had.
After running a small flight school outside of Winston-Salam for a six months, my dear wife (number one as it turns out), convinced me that applying for a job as an air traffic controller might be a good way to become gainfully employed in what turned out to be a somewhat satisfying career. I still wanted that airline flying job and almost quit twice to have a crack at doing so.
While working as the tower chief in Grand Junction, CO in 1987, I was summoned to Salt Lake as part of my job. I traveled to and from GJT in the back of a SkyWest MetroLiner and the thought occurred to me that flying something like this for a regional carrier would be a great post retirement job.
While on the cusp of retiring from federal service, I had sent out applications to a number of regional air carriers one of whom was SkyWest, all to no avail. Once retired from air traffic, I had moved from part time air ambulance pilot to full time one and while so employed continued to press for a job with a regional carrier. Then one day I received a letter from SkyWest to come to the People's Republic of Utah, behind the Zion curtain in Salt Lake for an interview.
I arrived the evening before, found a motel and bedded down for the night. Didn't sleep well as I was quite worked up with questions of how the interview might proceed. Woke up the next day feeling somewhat out of sorts. Turns out I had come down with the first stages of the flue.
In order to hedge my bets, I had my QB wings on the lapel of my jacket. The first part of the process was an interview with a group of pilots one of whom was the chief pilot from Palm Springs, CA who was himself a QB (well played Bill, well played.) The questions were about my past flying experience one of which included, "what was your most memorable experience", to which I replied, my mid-air collision in 1984. Well as you might imagine, that was a bit of a show stopper. The hypothetical question which almost blew the interview for me regarded captain who continually busted minimums and what would I do about it. Although I attempted to delay ratting him out to the chief pilot, my interviewers took pity on me and with a bit of gentle prodding, directed me to the correct answer.
Next came the simulator ride which consisted of some sort of generic light twin. Shortly after takeoff, one of the engines failed. After a brief moment of knife edge flight I got the wings level while setting myself up for an ILS approach into LAX. Of course the approach was to a miss and although I had briefed myself before departure, I neglected to study the missed approach procedure as well as I should have. With all of my attention focused on keeping the aircraft pointed in the right direction, I elected to head for the outer compass locator. My sim evaluator asked me what I was doing and I said heading for the outer compass locator for a procedure turn and that if air traffic control wasn't happy with that, I felt sure they would give me a vector. Boy, talk about a shot in the dark! Well after a pregnant pause, that is what they proceeded to do. At that point I felt I was on thin ice, but the process continued.
Next I was directed to a room and given a written test which consisted of questions from the ATP exam. In the class with me were three pilots from another regional carrier who were attempting to jump ship and come over to SkyWest. Not long after starting the test, we were told that lunch was being served if we would like to take a break and join the interviewers. I had no intention of eating anything as I was getting sicker by the moment, but I was not going to pass up the opportunity to interact with the company folks and have a coke which I hoped would settle my stomach. As I got up to leave the testing room I asked if the other applicants were going to go to lunch to which they replied, almost to a man, that they felt there time was better spent working on the test. My reply to them was that their time could be better spent talking with folks with whom they might someday be working. Still no takers.
I did my best to hold my own during lunch while slugging down copious amounts of soda pop and hoping that I would not toss my cookies. Lots of questions about my career as a controller.
The last interview was with the head of SkyWest human resources. This went well until she asked me to give my definition of "integrity." I'm sure the look on my face was one of shock. I mean, where did that question come from? Shooting from the hip, or should I say lip, I responded integrity is knowing the right thing to do and doing it regardless of the consequences. Now it was her turn to look somewhat taken aback, but she did complement me on my reply.
Interview over and just in time as I was becoming sicker by the minute. I was told that I did well and I would be hearing from SkyWest in the not too distant future. If memory serves, which at my current age is not all that reliable, I got a letter back from them about a week later giving me a class date.
Remember the part where I talked about riding in a SkyWest Metro to and from SLC? It was ten years to the month when I was offered the job with SkyWest that I thought would be such a great post retirement gig.
So there I was at the ripe old age of fifty thee, about to embark on the career I had been lusting after for almost thirty years. I think I was the oldest new hire at that time (at least I was during ground school) and so I embarked on a seven year stint with the best job I have ever had.
What about those other three guys who were there for the interview you ask? Turns out they were not hired simply because they did not interact with any of the SkyWest folks during the lunch break. Seems like SkyWest figures you can fly an airplane since you have all the tickets in your pocket. What they want to know is how you inter act with your fellow employees. No slam clickers needed with this company.