Interview Advice From Interview Committee Member
08-28-2008 | 11:08 PM
#11
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Joined: Jul 2008
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From: 747 Captain (Ret,)
Lets say you're the captain of a flight, and you have just learned the plane is 10 pounds over max gross weight? What do you do? Every single captain I've flown with would just fudge the numbers and continue on with the flight, knowing that 10 pounds will not hurt anyone. At the same time, I do not know of a single captain that would admit doing anything other than canceling the flight when presented with this scenario during an interview.
It is a great idea to be honest and all that, but a lot of times you just can't be. Would you say its best to keep it real by honestly fessing up to doing illegal-yet-hardly-unsafe stuff during an interview, or telling them what they want to hear?
The problem is you just can't always be that perfect example of the aviation cherub. There are many times when you have to fudge it, or else screw over a lot of people over what amounts to nothing. Its absolutely impossible to go through your career without doing some dirt along the way. Furthermore, since there are so many regulations, it's very easy to get caught up in "dirt" without ever even approaching "unsafe"
This is what I hate about interviews so much. There are so many situations where it's basically lose/lose. Your Boeing 737 is 10 pounds over max gross. Do be the perfect aviator and cancel the flight, screwing over all those passengers over nothing, or do you be the perfect aviator and get it done safely, yet still break the law?
It is a great idea to be honest and all that, but a lot of times you just can't be. Would you say its best to keep it real by honestly fessing up to doing illegal-yet-hardly-unsafe stuff during an interview, or telling them what they want to hear?
The problem is you just can't always be that perfect example of the aviation cherub. There are many times when you have to fudge it, or else screw over a lot of people over what amounts to nothing. Its absolutely impossible to go through your career without doing some dirt along the way. Furthermore, since there are so many regulations, it's very easy to get caught up in "dirt" without ever even approaching "unsafe"
This is what I hate about interviews so much. There are so many situations where it's basically lose/lose. Your Boeing 737 is 10 pounds over max gross. Do be the perfect aviator and cancel the flight, screwing over all those passengers over nothing, or do you be the perfect aviator and get it done safely, yet still break the law?
At my company, when we activate the autothrottles for takeoff, the aircraft automatically sends a message to our maintenante facility with all of our takeoff parameters, including our gross weight at the time of the button push for autothrottle engagement.
If you are above max ZFW, you don't go. If you are above max ramp weight, you don't go. If you are below max ramp weight but above max ATOG, you don't takeoff until you have burned off taxi fuel. You can do that in position on the runway as long as your clearance was not for an immediate takeoff. At takeoff power you may be burning as much as 100 lb/sec, depending on aircraft, so a few seconds delay while holding the brakes makes you legal.
Note: Nothing I am saying has anything to do with safety, it is about protecting your liscence to fly, which is your livelihood. Your company doesn't care about you. Your passengers don't care about you. Only you care about you. Protect yourself.
Joe
08-29-2008 | 10:41 AM
#12
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Joined: Jul 2008
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Calling bull**** on what exactly? Are you saying its impossible to be a good pilot, having ever broken a rule? If thats the case, then I've never met a good pilot. Everyone I've ever flown with has "done dirt" to some degree. At the same time, I've never met a pilot who would admit doing such things in an interview, which goes against the OP's point of "being yourself".
The fuel example may have been a bad example because its very easy to burn off a little bit to get back into the envelope. What if the issue was something just as minor, but not as easiely fixable?
And how eactly does your airplane know how much it weighs? Is there some kind of weight sensor in the landing gear or something? Does it rely on the pilot entering the weight maually with a keypad?
The fuel example may have been a bad example because its very easy to burn off a little bit to get back into the envelope. What if the issue was something just as minor, but not as easiely fixable?
And how eactly does your airplane know how much it weighs? Is there some kind of weight sensor in the landing gear or something? Does it rely on the pilot entering the weight maually with a keypad?
06-15-2025 | 07:22 PM
#13
On Reserve
Joined: Jul 2024
Posts: 24
Likes: 12
Unless an actual law was broken, the chain of command can legitimately authorize/direct almost any deviation from military policy.
Both military and airlines have strict zero-tolerance drug abuse policies...
If an airline directed it's pilots to take amphetamines to allow them to work longer days during a weather crisis, we would all be astounded, congress would investigate, the FBI would arrest people, and the FAA would ground the airline.
The military, despite THEIR zero-tolerance, will turn around and do exactly that.
One of the unique things about civilian piloting is that the pilot is sort an independent contractor. He is paid to fly by the company, but he also has a duty to comply with/enforce FAA regs...even if the company says otherwise. This can frequently put you between a rock and hard place in 91, 135, and low-end 121. It's a fine line sometimes.
Both military and airlines have strict zero-tolerance drug abuse policies...
If an airline directed it's pilots to take amphetamines to allow them to work longer days during a weather crisis, we would all be astounded, congress would investigate, the FBI would arrest people, and the FAA would ground the airline.
The military, despite THEIR zero-tolerance, will turn around and do exactly that.
One of the unique things about civilian piloting is that the pilot is sort an independent contractor. He is paid to fly by the company, but he also has a duty to comply with/enforce FAA regs...even if the company says otherwise. This can frequently put you between a rock and hard place in 91, 135, and low-end 121. It's a fine line sometimes.
It’s this inherent conflict that makes having a Union especially important. Also, having a real “just” safety culture is very important also.
A union will act like a professional mediary to help keep each side from firing you. At most places with Unions, the Union is pretty deeply entrenched into the day to day operation of the airline or company. From my experience, the most pro-business employees of an airline or flight department are the pilots. Even corporations have figured out that there’s more money to be made by running a SAFE and LEGAL operation vs always crossing the line. Non-union places require you, at the end of the day, to have to be willing to quit before you knowingly violate the law. Even by 10lbs.
The hardest thing military pilots have to do when they enter into civilian flying gigs is to get rid of the “can do” attitude and replace it with a “should do” attitude. Should I do this? Is it safe? Legal? Is it contractural and/or in compliance with company SOP? If you’re always being pushed to the edge with things you really owe it to yourself to take a good long look at where you’re working and think about getting a job someplace else - before you end up stepping on your own dick and losing your licenses…. The Chief Pilot and managers will keep their jobs, you won’t.
My opinion only…
06-16-2025 | 02:53 PM
#15
On Reserve
Joined: Feb 2023
Posts: 103
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06-22-2025 | 09:14 AM
#17
On Reserve
Joined: May 2025
Posts: 5
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Thanks
During our last round of hiring, I was on the interview committee. We would take the candidates to a simple sim and check their basic flying skills, then back to HQ for the personal interview. After that we took the candidates to lunch to see how they interacted with others. This doesn't mean squat, except I was interviewing for a national 121 air carrier flying B-727's and DC-10's around the world. So with that perspective, here is some advice.
I was shot down at DHL, ATA and United before I landed my next gig (I'm glad that I did in hindsight). My problem was that I was too close to the edge. I wanted it SO badly, that I was a nervous wreck!
That was the symptom. The cause was that I was "faking it."
I was pretending to be the person that I wanted to be instead of being the person that I wanted to be. I didn't do my absolute best each time that I flew. I talked poorly about other people behind their back, I didn't make each gate agent and ramper feel important, and totally disregarded the fueler. I just did what it took to get by...until the interview. Then I was Mr. Wonderful! But I knew that I wasn't. I was faking it. Kind of like when the FAA route checks you, that same worry about what I'm forgetting (since I didn't follow SOPA routinely).
When I changed all of that I felt so much better about myself. I didn't do or say anything in real life that I wouldn't say in an interview. I was going to be the most respected pilot around. Not because I was faking it, but because I was genuinely interested in others and was determined to know my airplane better than anyone else (humbley, of course). I gave the fueler cookies, I was sweet as molasses to the ramper who screwed up the bags, and I made every flight a check ride; no matter how late it was.
My view of myself changed. I was the ideal candidate. I knew that I was. I wasn't the best pilot, but I knew that no one was trying harder, or had more commitment to doing it right. I was such a different person in the subsequent interview!
Don't act like the person that you want to be, BE the person that you want to be!!! It will show!!! Everything else will fall into place.
PS Whenever you post something to this board, ask yourself if you would want it printed and brought to an interview. Be rest assured, if you ask another member on this board for advice or a recommendation to their company, they will read every post that you've submitted to see how you talk.
I did.
I was shot down at DHL, ATA and United before I landed my next gig (I'm glad that I did in hindsight). My problem was that I was too close to the edge. I wanted it SO badly, that I was a nervous wreck!
That was the symptom. The cause was that I was "faking it."
I was pretending to be the person that I wanted to be instead of being the person that I wanted to be. I didn't do my absolute best each time that I flew. I talked poorly about other people behind their back, I didn't make each gate agent and ramper feel important, and totally disregarded the fueler. I just did what it took to get by...until the interview. Then I was Mr. Wonderful! But I knew that I wasn't. I was faking it. Kind of like when the FAA route checks you, that same worry about what I'm forgetting (since I didn't follow SOPA routinely).
When I changed all of that I felt so much better about myself. I didn't do or say anything in real life that I wouldn't say in an interview. I was going to be the most respected pilot around. Not because I was faking it, but because I was genuinely interested in others and was determined to know my airplane better than anyone else (humbley, of course). I gave the fueler cookies, I was sweet as molasses to the ramper who screwed up the bags, and I made every flight a check ride; no matter how late it was.
My view of myself changed. I was the ideal candidate. I knew that I was. I wasn't the best pilot, but I knew that no one was trying harder, or had more commitment to doing it right. I was such a different person in the subsequent interview!
Don't act like the person that you want to be, BE the person that you want to be!!! It will show!!! Everything else will fall into place.
PS Whenever you post something to this board, ask yourself if you would want it printed and brought to an interview. Be rest assured, if you ask another member on this board for advice or a recommendation to their company, they will read every post that you've submitted to see how you talk.
I did.
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