You're not alone TD, stupid me thought the same exact thing....I guess I need to get my head in the game for interviews when they come, that could be a big mistake especially if a woman is the interviewer

Ah I understand, I have done that before. Went off my altitude and yea got the nudge from atc thats all. I was thinking something serious that involved some sort of mark on your record.

Yea, this thread is pretty helpfull. Good thing im seeing all this now lol.

Don't feel bad, you guys aren't the only one that have "fallen" for this little trick. It definitely tends to catch the older guys, particularly those from the military that haven't necessarily had as much exposure to females in aviation.

Here's another one that we used to ask some of our candidates, particularly those that were older (such as second careers or coming out of the military):

How do you feel about flying with a captain that might be half your age and have half the total flight experience as you do?

What will you do if you feel that a particular decision that such a captain makes is contrary to what you might have done based on your own experience?

Falling into the "older" category, and having been an aircraft commander for quite a while, I got that one at every interview. There are many paths to the destination, and many are equally "correct". I'd make it a point to make sure that I'm not hosed up and misunderstood the situation by asking about it without judgment, as it may be technique, and my Captain has more experience in this type of flying and this aircraft than I do. If that technique is outside of what they taught in the sims, I'd carry the discussion further with the Captain about why we were doing things differently...hopefully we'll figure it out from there.

Communication, and always remember you can always learn.

Will not be a problem...I've worked with younger and older bosses all the time in my military career. Mutual respect and open communications are the key to getting the job done safely. Decisions - ask the CA why he did what he did. I see different prespectives as a learning experience. I'd certainly pick the CA brain about his decision. If he's not going to compromise flight safety - its a non issue and a learning opportunity...

I have a question about resumes. I'll have 20 years military experience when I head off to the airlines. Should I have that work experience as one entry or split it up by commands/assignments? Each assignment has had increasing levels of responsibility / leadership.

-LAFF

LA,

Regarding resumes, there's no simple answer. (It depends). Remember that for airline jobs (flying), you're going to want to emphasize on your flying history.

When I was first starting out and applying for my first airline job, I broke my resume down into four basic categories. Flight Time, Education, Related Experience and Other Experience.

Related experience had everything that had anything to do with flying. This included flight instructing, ramp jobs, airline ticketing jobs, if it connected to flying or the airlines it was there. The other experience area covered exactly that- military service, management jobs, etc.

Since you are going to want to keep your resume to an appropriate size (one sheet of paper with reasonable spacing and font size), I would recommend consolidating whatever you can, provided that it gets the point across.

Something to the effect of:

1986-2006. United States Air Force (non-flying officer)
Multiple duty assignments. Achieved the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
Postings and responsibilities included: Overseeing the latest and greatest super bouncy ball research and development. Training and mentoring up and coming senior non-commissioned officers on the proper techniques of filing excessive paperwork and implementing bureaucratic policy. Tasked to increase domestic security through the implementation of paper clip chains and rubber band ball radar assemblies. Successfully implemented multiple cost-intensive military programs which serve unknown purposes. Awarded the Purple Heart for injuries sustained through repeated consumption of black tar-like substance from a coffee pot that hadn't been cleaned since World War II.

:D

I would avoid an overly detailed explanation of what your military career has entailed. Perhaps high points could be mentioned in bullet format after a brief explanation of your overall career. I think the airlines want to see a well rounded person and putting too much emphasis on a glorious military career would not be to your advantage. Be sure and mention your family, civic involvement (soccer coach) and other aspects of yourself that would show you were qualified, but not all wrapped up in one particular facet of your life.
Good luck with the transition!

Here's a question that was posed to a recent interviewee that is a real gotcha!

A boy and his father are in a terrible car accident and the boys father dies. The boy is rushed to the hospital and as he is readied for surgery the surgeon walks in and says "I can't operate on this boy, he is my son"

Explain this?


The answer which seems obvious after we hear it is: The surgeon is the boys mother. As females become more prevalent in aviation it is important to expand our limited thinking about gender roles. Apparently interviewers agree.
The question was asked by a female sitting on an interview board. I don't think anyone would get a thumbs up from her by being stumped or getting this wrong.

Or another big one might be not wearing the Oxygen mask when the other pilot leaves the cockpit.

K