Majors and checkride busts
 

Currently a CFI, just keeping one eye on the future. How limited are my chances at getting hired at a major off the street (no flow, etc) with three checkride busts? Details are as follows:

1. Single Engine Add On Rating to Commercial Certificate
- Didn't add full flaps on a short field landing, landed long.

2. CFI first attempt
- Preflight was not detailed enough. I readily admit that if it was with a student it would have been unprofessional, plain and simple.

3. CFI second attempt
- Steep turns I performed were not within ACS and I did not admit it during the ride.

I thank you and welcome both your questions and criticism.
Bryan

Tough call. 10 years ago I’d say you didn’t have a chance. These days I wouldn’t worry about it. I think you have learned from your mistakes and that’s good to show in an interview. Bust number one says I don’t have attention to detail or follow SOP. Bust two days the same thing but for something different so there is a pattern. Bust three I’d say the DE is a douche that had a bone to pick and could’ve just said do it again.

Getting the interview will be harder for you than a guy without those busts but once you get one I think explained properly it shouldn’t be a huge hurdle. To stand out to get the interview in the first place will require beating the computer/HR points system. Have a masters degree or military experience and get more points. Be a check airman at your regional airline and get more points. Be a minority or a woman and get more points (I’ll get hated on for this). Have community service and volunteer in your community and get more points. Attend job fairs and get more points. Have more time and more PIC (turbine) time and get more pints. Guy with the most points gets an interview and the computer works down from there

It could end up being a dice roll and depend how bad the pilot shortage gets for some companies.

Currently there are still regionals that won’t hire folks won’t more than two checkride failures. Your best bet is to put distance time wise between you and those failures and have a successful part 121 flying career, gathering as many quals/ application box checks as you can.

Your best bet currently will be to go to one of the AA Wholly Owned regionals with a flow and working hard to get hired on by a major from there.

This would be the safe bet.

But even so, you'll probably do OK in the current market IF you can keep a clean record from here on out.

The good news is that 121 training is more consistent than GA. So as long as you avoid known 135/121 outfits with poor training programs, and work very hard, you should be able to keep your nose clean.

Thank you all. Calm winds.

Here’s my best advice that I just pulled outta my backside: focus on the journey and not at the goal.

Work your way up, only concentrate on achieving that next step, once there start working on the next one.
Be the best that you can be.
Take it from there.

From your explanation it doesn’t sound like there’s anything structural.
But you need distance and time between you and those fails.

Slightly different take on this my friend...

You'll get further in life if you have goals and focus on them. I've tried it both ways, with pretty consistent results.

You should maintain a work/life balance with respect to your goals, particularly long-term goals, otherwise you might miss out on too much life along the way.

But by all means enjoy the journey, just check your heading and power setting on a regular basis.

For a ‘regular’ Yes.
But this is not a regular situation.
You can lay there at night in a Crashpad crying yourself to sleep wondering why United or American hasn’t called yet or you can put that on a back burner and just FOCUS on the task at hand which is passing every single checkride first time and stepping 91/135/121 and creating a large gap between ‘that’ and hopefully an interview at a place where you can retire.
Anything else is entitlement.

Apply and see what happens! I wouldn't give up if that's where you want to end up. If you can't get a call go and find another flying job in 91 or 135. Some 135 and 91 jobs pay pretty good as well.

I’m curious, do Airlines during interviews and based off of PRIA; see the explanation an examiner failed an applicant on a checkride? Or do they just simply see the number of failures?