Yeah your right, I think back to several interviews I had (not with AK), and some were confrontational and some weren't. Even at my current carrier where the interview was straightforward and relaxed others who interviewed (and were hired) during the same week had different experiences.

One of those things that makes ya go "hmmmmm"

 

I'm sure he would be happy to share the profile, although it'll have to wait a few days - he had to commute back to reserve! He did mention that there was some modest growth planned a peak in retirements over the next few years. That never hurts pilot hiring. Remember that this is second hand from a friend, which could qualify as a rumor. It's not something we'd publish under the hiring forum which typically comes from the company itself. Take it for what it's worth.

 

There's a gouge on aviationinterviews.com - you can register with the website for free - on Alaska Airlines.

http://www.aviationinterviews.com/pi..._airlines.html

Might help some. Best of luck to you.

Chris

 

Has anyone had to do the sim ride lately? I used to teach the prep for it, and it was pretty brutal.

Still hopin...
Mookie

 

From what I hear it is still the same. When I interviewed there were 9 in the group 6 didn't make it through the sim ride. In my session one of the guys crashed. Of the ones who failed the ride 4 were CRJ Captains. Prep is everything.

SKyHigh

 

I fly for Alaska so I'll chime in. I would stay where you are. B-200 time is valuable. PIC turbine is good as gold. 350-400 hours per year is low however. Can you find a way to get your plane utilized more? Is the aircraft's schedule consistent enough to find someone else who can use it during it's down time? Maybe you can charter it out. You get more pay and flight time; your owner gets some pay back.

You don't mention college. Do you have a degree? Alaska is still looking for graduates. If not, run, don't walk, and get enrolled.

The sim ride was tough when I took it. I don't know if it has changed. I do know that some recent new hires did not take a sim ride at all. I don't know why. When I took the ride it consisted of a departure, turn to intercept a radial, fly outbound and intercept the 7 DME arc, fly about 45 degrees and intercept another radial for a few miles and then intercept an arc the other way. Sometime during the maneuver you will level off. DON'T EXCEED 250! Then you will get cleared to an NDB and enter some sort of hold. WHAT ARE THE CORRECT HOLDING SPEEDS? The entry will not be direct. After established you will be cleared an ILS or NDB approach. Always fight through the approach. Don't give up. You may have a second chance.

A friend of mine did not like the way his ILS was going and asked to start over. He really dicked up the second one so he failed. His first one wasn't that bad but he felt it did not reflect his skills so he wanted to try again to "really impress the instructor." BIG MISTAKE. He should have stayed with it (unless he was really in a dangerous situation) and done his best. If it was not acceptable the instructor would have asked him for another one. On my NDB I was not in a position to land. I was significantly off to one side at MDA. I saw the airport, made a turn towards it and realized I was not going to make a "stabilized approach." I went around and thought my dream was over. The instructor said, "I would have busted you if you tried to make it." Whew.

The instructor will take in to account your experience. If you are a furloughed jet pilot he will expect more from you than a EMB-120 guy (like me) I did the sim prep before in a 737 and was fortunate to get the 737 for the ride. The instructor is looking for calm maturity and an ability to learn. If you start out shaky and get better during the ride, good. He also wants to see some good fundamentals. Did you brief the approach? Do you have a good scan? Are you too ham fisted on the controls? Can you spot a trend and correct a bad one? Most evaluators don't want to bust you.

Be humble, prepared, honest, (thrifty, reverent, brave... LOL) Seriously though, the ride is tough but not unfair if you have good experience behind you.

 

I just wanted to mention that hiring at Alaska Air is highly political. The HR department has much more power then at most companies. In order to have much of a chance you need to be highly recommended and actively campaigned for or get lucky enough to be interviewed during a time of wild hiring. In my situation I had two near perfect interviews. During the last one I was told that I was a shoe in by one of the interviewing captains. The interview came during a time when my wife was pregnant with our third son and my employer at the time was sinking (National Airlines). What a blessing and career triumph it would have been to have been hired out of that awful situation. Alaska Airlines was the one and only job I ever truly wanted as a pilot and here they were coming to my rescue.

My wife and I were scared of what would happen when National shut down. After a decade of low wages we were just beginning to climb out of a very deep hole. Two weeks later the HR department called to tell me that I was turned down. Though they didn't say it a former employer had sent them a black letter. This particular guy has systematically done it to all of his ex-employees. So far 12 careers have been destroyed. After all that I had gone through in my career, almost 20 years of effort and sacrifice, never scratched the paint, perfect health, college, flight training, all of that effort to be undone by one disgruntled Alaska Air taxi owner from 9 years past. Supreme court justices don't have it as ruff. Needless to say we were devastated. A few months later I walked into the living room to read the headline "National Airlines Shuts Down". Two days later we were driving the oldest Uhaul in the fleet across the nation to a very unknown future.

I knew that at that moment standing in my living room that my career was over. There was no way that we could make it again on new hire wages. I had already had to do it three times in the past 6 years. Every time a move and newbie wages had drained everything we had. Alaska Airlines was my savior the one company that I had put my faith in since I was 14 years old and at a time when I needed it the most they dropped me flat. I know people who are flying there who have crashed planes and killed people. I know guys who totally faked their college degrees and they are there. I even know one dude who faked college and was wanted by immigration and was hired there. The moral of the story is that at AS you are fighting an uphill battle. It is of utmost importance to have someone of huge relevance pulling from the inside in order to have a fighting chance. It is common for a 8 year Horizon line pilot to have to interview there 3 times or more and have to sit in the interview waiting room with someones kid who has only 1000 hours. In my case after 20 years of sacrifise and effort the only thing that separated me from my dreams was one thin piece of paper.

My rant is over now. Thanks !!

SkyHigh

 

I did not know anyone so it does happen. I still am surprised I got hired. It can be an advantage to be totally unknown.

Nobody knows the formula. I do know that there is a black list of Horizon pilot though. I saw an email from the chief pilot to an HR person once. He told them not to ever offer a job to Captain X.

 

The black list is comprised of every pilot at QX with the exception of those who are on the friends and family plan. Even the FA's and gate agents tell similar stories about hiring at AS.

During my time at QX the president at the time released an email telling the pilots that as punishment for fighting for a contract that he was going to sell all the jets and tell AS not to hire any people from QX. During my time at QX Alaska Air hired 80 pilots from SKyWest and 4 from Horizon. Even today they haven't hired that many from Horizon.

In a recent class there is one QX guy who is a long time friend of mine, he interviewed 4 times and had a file that was bursting with letters of accommodations and recommendation. One of the letters was from the DO at QX who happened to be jump seating during an engine failure. My friend accomplished a flawless procedure and safe return during the most difficult WX. Alaska still turned him down a month later. A few years after that he married a girl who's family is friends with the chief pilots and the rest is history. There may not be a formula but I have noticed a few patterns.




SkyHigh

 

I talked to a guy that has been there 6 months and is bringing home 2100 dollars a month! This was an after tax figure I believe! Try SW or JB!