Just got the ASA call!!
 

I know it is a small step in the scheme of things, but just got the call from ASA and did the small phone screening and was asked to come to the July 19th and 20th in house interview. Anyone else going please let me know. The guy I talked with seemed like a very nice guy and I am looking forward to going. I will keep everyone updated. CHEERS

Ken

Right on dude3407. Congrats.

the guy that i talked to at asa seemed to be very depressed and not enthusiastic about anything he was talking about, so right off the bat it didn't seem like such a great place but who knows that could just be that guys personality.

Pilotdude congrats on the call. If you dont mind, what are your totals? I am thinking about applying to ASA I've heard great things.

Nice man, congrats, let me know how it goes , I was supposed to have mine last week, but they only give you an S3 standby ticket, so I got bumped off all the flights during the end of the busy holiday weekend. PM me for more info, but def let me know how things are done. I ve been studying the gouges and Im takin the ATP written this weekend. Best of luck!

I felt the same way when I spoke with them a couple months ago.

For a second there I thought I saw PILOT754 just got the call:D

No way, that dude's coming to XJT, remember?:rolleyes:

last time I checked it was Cathay Pacific:D

Haha! Forgot about that. Think he was getting a direct-entry captain position or something, wasn't he?:D Hopefully his classmates don't care if he walks around the hotel in his boxers. Maybe he could get an armload of Asian trannies. What a tool....

I think it was just his southern demeaner. He was very polite.

Oh, congratulations pilotdude3407.

This guy was nice, he wasn't just jumping for joy but I wouldn't call him depressed. I really couldn't care less about how they act, I am so pumped about possibly getting hired that I doubt anything could bring me down. Well minus not getting the job....

750TT
400Multi
220 Turbin SIC
I have heard both sides of the coin. Frankly this is how I look at it....I am going to show up expecting to get paid poverty level pay and working so much it will make your head spin.....and I am hell bent on enjoying every minute of it. I am not expecting any more any less. I am just happy to finally get an airline job. I can not stand people who complain and I refuse to ever do so because I am going in with the attitude that it is going to suck for the first year and so I am going to make the best of it. Once again, if anyone else is going to be there on the 19th, please let me know. CHEERS

Pilotdude, Like I said I wont be there til the 30th and 31st, I was supposed to be there at the beginnning of this week but got bumped off the flights. Where are they flying you in from?>??? I reccomend trying to get down there a day early. Although I am in BOS and most the flights out of here to ATL are full.

I'm sure your ASA brothers and sisters can count on your overwhelming support in their now 5 year struggle for a contract:rolleyes:

Well I am lucky....I live in Columbus Ga. So I am just going to drive up the first day ( Show up at 1PM) and IF I make it to the second day, I am going to stay in the hotel accross the street because we have to show up for the sim eval at 7AM!!!! If I get the job and depending on what is going on, I will come up there and support you for the 30th. I wish our days were swapped so you can tell ME how it went. I am scared to death about the written because I don't know whats on it. All I ever read is study the Private, Instrument, Commercial and ATP books and you should be fine.....WHAT???? (Obviously they don't say them all. Someone will say the PVT and INST, someone will say INSTR and ATP..and so on) The reason I am so worried is because if you do not get a 70 or 80% I think they will not ask you back for the second day so there is a lot riding on that test and I wish I knew more of what to study.

I took a version of the written about 8 months ago when I interviewed there, and it was cake. The subjects were a little bit from each area, but overall I found it to be very easy. My version had a good number of FAR, but they weren't anything obscure. I think there was some basic weather questions as well, along with IFR procedures. Mostly stuff anyone commercial ticket should already know.

The area where people got tripped up when I interviewed was in the sim. If you don't have any glass experience, get some. I watched the two guys I interviewed with fail the sim because of difficulty adjusting to the glass scan, and one doing the wrong entry to a holding pattern.

Good luck at the interview.

It may sound a little cheezy but Microsoft Flight Simulator X has the CRJ in it. I found it a valuable resouce to work on my PFD scan before my interview. Shoot a bunch of ILSs with it and some steep turns and you'll be fine with your "glass scan." Make sure the Flight Director is off. The speed tape takes some getting used to. I've heard some folks say they used the Leer in Flight Sim 2004 to help with the scan as well. Good luck!

I am a dork when it comes to MFS2004. I have been flying the mess out of the CRJ plane. And not the freewhere one, the one that is legit to the real thing. I have the scan down but I am just worried about how sensitive it will be and you can't get used to that in MSFS because I am using a joystick so it is no where near the sim.

As far as the written goes, I suck at the written tests...or at least I would if I didn't study. I have done great on all my FAA writtens but that is cheap because I had the question bank. It probably won't be that bad, but still it worries me. I am actually not that worried about the sim. Not being conceeded but I feel if I make it past the first day I will be golden. I have pretty much made up my mind to study the Gleim Instrument book for the written.

Thank you to everyone for your support, I really appreciate it. If I ever stop in any of your cities I will definatly buy each one of you a beer. (Depending on when I have to fly...haha)

It takes about 3 months to wear off. I can GUARANTEE you will not have the same attitude a year from now.

See...that is negative. Why would it wear off? I am going in there with the mindset I said earlier so what will happen that will make it so bad? That is what I have wanted to know for so long....What EXACTLY happens to people that make then complain so much about the job. Is it the pay?....you know that going in.....Is it how much they work you?....you should know that before you go in that they are going to work you to the bone.....Is is everyone around you complaining?....you might have something there...

And I am by no means trying to start a ****ing contest with anyone that has been there for more time than I have but why does everything have to be so bad.....You can call me crazy and having a young brain all you want but I am determined to have a better attitude than most people. CHEERS

It's not negative. It's just the way it is. I didn't even make it three months. I haven't even started flying yet, but I'm already starting to envy the guys I see flying 172s. You just can't win.

Cant win what...... ?? It sucked commuting and thats the only reason I left aviation the first time arount. Im a bit older and wiser now...and the range of opportunities are a bit more than the first time I got into this business....

dude..... take it for what it is and respect that some of us feel the way we do.

Who said I was a dude?

If the captain showed up at your door wearing a dress, what would you do?

Its the getting screwed by your company. Its the getting canceled, reassigned, extended, junior manned, etc etc. Its the getting to the hotel at 0300 and the company hasn't made the reservation yet. Its the getting to the hotel at 0300 and being told they are full and that you will need to find other accommodations. Its the working weekends while your friends are out partying. Its the missing out on big holidays and family events like Xmas, Thanksgiving, 4th of July, birthdays, anniversaries, etc.. Its the passengers b!tching to you about how YOU PERSONALLY ruined their trip, their life and their children's life even though you had nothing to do with their flight. Its the being ground stopped for 3 hours on the last leg of a 4 day with a guy in the cockpit you can't stand and then missing the last run of the show your girlfriend has been begging you to take her too for two months but you've been either too busy or too broke to get tickets.

Your job is NOT just flying airplanes. Once you have the cockpit door closed, the rest is easy and, at times, enjoyable. But for every hour you spend on the flight deck enjoying the hell out of the fact that you are flying a jet, you could potentially be spending 2 hours outside twiddling your thumbs, being b!tched at, working a mx problem, waiting for weather, having venom spewed at you by angry pax, etc. I could go on but I am depressing myself. Maybe it will take you 3 months, maybe 3 years, but it will happen. It will become a job. You'll stop saying "Golly gee! I get to go fly a big shiny jet airliner!!!" and start saying "Uggghh...I have to go to work..." And I work for one of the "better" regionals.

shark,,,, i was refering to pilotdude... no disrespect intended.

freeze....makes alot of good points but even the best flying jobs will cause some chaos in your personal schedule.

Just kidding. I'm a guy. I had you going though.

freeze...i once had this pax tell me she hoped it wasnt her time to die that day... my reply... ( last day of a fked up 4 day ) to her was that if she died on my plane it wouldnt ruin my day.... she needed to be worried if it was MY time to die... because then it was everyone time..... she stopped harrasing the gate agent and sat down.... and YES i got written up. but it was worth it.

I completely respect how you guys feel and I am not saying that it doesn't happen, I am just merely saying I have two choices.....to complain about it (which I don't get...why are you there...quite and do something else....go fly freight where you don't have any passengers.) or I can make the best of it.

Don't treat me like I have my head stuck in the sand.....I am currently flying corporate so don't tell me about sitting around and twiddling your thumbs...that is all we do. And yes, I have had hotel screw ups and car screw ups...lord knows any airplane will break sooner or later so don't act like it is just something new. All I am saying is for the life of me why do any of you that seem like you hate your job keep doing it. Yes it is food on the table but you can go get a corporate job that is at least a little better. Or like I said you can go fly freight where you don't have to deal with anyone. I am going to drop this line of conversation because it is a no win situation. I wish all of you luck in what you are doing and for any of you that work for ASA, if I get hired I look forward to working with you. CHEERS

Just trying to enlighten you as to the airline side of professional aviation. For the most part I love my job and flying airplanes. How many other jobs do you get kids poking their heads into your office with a grin ear to ear wanting to have their picture taken in your chair? But there also days when I seriously ask myself "what the ******* am I doing here?" For me, the good days far out number the bad which I'm sure is a function of attitude, an ability to be flexible and the willingness of the important people in your life to be flexible. Not trying sh!t in your cheerios, just telling it like it is.

Pilotdude, keep up the good attitude. I'm one of those that has kept a good attitude during my humble 5+ years in the regionals (although I have been peeved at crew scheduling at times). For me, the good days outnumbered the bad and the bad days were just more of a challenge, just like any other job.

The only thing I can agree with you on is that I too was "hell bent on enjoying every minute of it." I hate to spring this on you, but most of us "complainers" started out with the same vigor that you have. I wish you luck. Let us know how you feel in 3 to 6 months. Hope you enjoy long layovers in Valdosta GA, Jackson MS, and other dumpholes that ASA flys to. Wouldn't be so bad if they actually gave a crap about their crews and put them in hotels that aren't in the "crime district".......Just wait my friend. The job becomes, well......a job.

If ASA management doesn't agree on a contract soon, you may be one of a few pilots left at ASA.

By the way..........good luck. Use this as a stepping stone!

LOL reminds me when my old instructor went to SJU. It was all fun and games, and now hes just as crusty and bitter as everyone else. Time to transformation? About the same length as your average pregnancy.

It reminded me of watching a caterpiller turning into a butterfly........or someone having their soul drained away.

Pilotdude...

I was at ASA last week for the interview.

#1. Stay at the Red Roof Inn. It's not great. Actually, I found their customer service pretty lacking. But, it's inexpensive, and directly across the street from ASA and FlightSafety. There is a McDonalds, Ruby Tuesday's, and a few other bar/grill types of places within walking distance of the hotel. My room also had a fridge and microwave.

#2. Expect more of the same type of attitude at ASA's HQ as you got in the phone screening. Actually, I wouldn't even call it 'attitude', because that implies something negative. Some were better than others though, and you could tell a dramatic difference from one employee to the next. Some were happy to be there, and others didn't seem to be as much. I guess some are in a bit of a rut, doing the same thing, hearing the same scripted answers, and looking at hundreds of applications and resumes day in and day out. I wouldn't want their job. Everybody wasn't bubbling with enthusiasm like I got at my Comair interview, but I wasn't discouraged in any way either. They just seem to be doing their job and trying to maintain a very formal, business-like image.

#3. Don't worry about the written test. It couldn't have been any easier without being true/false. If you've made it this far in aviation, and you're still alive, you should be able to pass it with no problem. Spend more time preparing for the technical interview. Sign up for the free account and read the gouges on aviationinterviews.com for technical interview topics. I got lots of CRJ systems questions because I'm type rated in it. But, I also got lots of instrument questions, charts, and approach plates. Many of them were scenario-based as well. Not just, 'what is MEA and what does it give you?' Or, 'what are the minimum holding speeds?' You'll have to apply all your instrument knowledge in a few scenarios, including abnormal stuff (lost comms, etc.). And, much of the technical interview questions depend on who you get. I got lots of systems questions, while other people in my group (even with turbine experience) didn't get any.

#4. Everything is subject to change. Some things are done in different orders and at different times, even in the same interview group. My group wasn't told to show up to FlightSafety until 8:00, even though Phase II was listed as starting at 7:00 in the letter. By the way, you can go ahead and check out of the hotel and leave your baggage at the front desk while you go for the second day of interviewing. Overall, they get you through the process comfortably and quickly. The interview groups aren't that big at all, and they have plenty of staff. So, there's very little down time.

#5. You can probably get this from the letter. But, the general format of their interview process is: Phase I - Company intro and CRJ 700 presentation (for the sim), technical interview, written test (30 questions; instrument, commercial, 121 regs topics), written paragraph (just to see your written communication skills). After day one you'll go back to the hotel and call an automated number to see if you passed to phase II. They said it wouldn't be updated until 6:30, but I called at 4:30 and heard my number already. In my group, 4 out of 5 made it to the second day. Phase II - CRJ 700 presentation at FlightSafety, sim ride (see interview gouges for the profile - no AP, no FD, no FMS, just basic instrument flying on raw data done in the right seat), drug test, fingerprinting, HR interview, meeting with Dan Robertson (Pilot Recruiting Manager). If everything is in line, you might get an answer that day. In my case, they needed a few more days to complete the background check because I was fired from a job about 4 years ago right after I got out of college.

If you read the interview gouges and get to know the glass cockpit displays, you should be fine. The guy that did my sim ride was great and helped out a lot with power settings, configuration, etc. All you have to do is fly on the data given to you on the PFD. Nothing else matters.

I hope it works out. I'd love to be in Atlanta since I'm from that general area, and I like the company as a whole. If you have any questions, please feel free to PM me. Good luck.

Greg