Whats the best way to prepare for....
 

The sim ride that some regionals give during the interview process:confused::confused:

IMHO, sim rides are a waste of time. However, to answer your question, there are companies that will prepare you for them, whether they're using the Frasca or the 727 sim, you can usually buy a prep course either at the place where the sim ride will take place, or from an independent company.

A couple of friends of mine interviewed at CAL earlier in the year and they did a prep course, they said it really helps...both got hired.

Good luck!

The best way to prepare is to be extremely proficient on your instrument procedures and instrument skills. Many regionals use a PCATD, so if you can get some time using one of those (or a FRASCA or even full-flight simulator) that will be a big confidence booster for you.

If the cost is reasonable, I recommend doing any sim prep that is available. Having said that, I'm amazed that folks are willing to drop $500+ for a single hour of CRJ sim prep prior to interviewing with a regional that pays $25k or less the first year. I suppose, however, if that is THE job you want its a small price to pay for better odds, is it not?

More specifiacally ASA evaluates how you handle the CRJ. But how can they eval how i handle the CRJ if the biggest craft i have controlled is a Seneca V?:confused:

BTW I have loaded Flight Simulator 2004 onto my schools Simpro 200 with two throttles, a yoke, peddles, flap lever, etc, and I have installed the Wilco/Feelthere ERJ and CRJ. Would practicing on that help out??:confused:

I would recommend against doing the $500+ sim prep that FlightSafety offers for ASA; in my mind it is simply too much coin to spend on a regional job, but that is ultimately for you to decide.

I interviewed there something like 2 years ago so my memory is rusty, but what they're looking for is basic instrument skills and the ability to maintain heading, altitude, airspeed, a 45 degree bank angle in steep turns, and fly an ILS. They give you a fairly comprehensive briefing prior to getting in the simulator so that you are somewhat familiar with location of things, symbology on the displays, and how the sim handles (its very sensitive on the roll axis).

Study the gouge on www.aviationinterviews.com and you should be fine. Good luck!!!

Google "emerald coast interview consulting" That group really has their stuff together. THey will get you set up and ready in a timely manner. Money back guarantee as well. I had a great experience with them.

I know this may sound silly, but MS Flight Sim is the best helpful yet cheap way to prepare for the instrument stuff. I dunno about ASA like someone mentioned above, but the regionals that I have interviewed with were looking more for instrument skills and scanning than how to fly a Dash 8, etc. (Because they know you've never flown one and that's what sim training is for... but they're not there to teach you how to fly instrument, that's stuff you should already know but some people are actually very shaky on it.)
What I did was read the gouges and go over generally what the sim ride for that specific regional would be like, then review all the different possible approaches and holds, etc. and shoot them on the Flight Sim using an aircraft that is most similar to the sim that will be used in the interview.

Yes, MS FS can be very helpful as far as fine-tuning your scan and procedures. Select an airplane that is similar to the sim you will be using.

For many airlines that do sim evals there are outside trainers who offer sim prep for that specific airline...it will be done in the same type of sim using the same profiles the airline will use. These operations can normally be found in the city where the interviews are conducted. If you REALLY want to work at a specific airline this kind of training would be a good idea. Applicants usually fly in a day early to get the sim prep.

I also think this is the cheapest way to get ready. For about $50 in software (program, joystick), you can shoot whatever approach you want at virtually any airport, in any equipment. If you are focused enough to use it properly and not just screw around in the 777 or the Extra, it is a good place to start.:D

I used flight sim as well as a relatively cheap ($100) sim operator to prepare for mine, and I feel that both helped.

heck, i was using MSFS to prepare before i got in the company sim for simulator training...valuable tool for getting your "scan" or lack thereof down, and learning how the FGC works with the navigational systems, etc....great for refreshing on your instrument scan too...just don't go blasting off and trying to do barrel rolls in the RJ....to much.

If you are a CFI, your flight school should have a simulator that you can use for free. Just get another instructor to give you some vectors and fly some procedures. Interview gouges will give a run down on what to expect during your sim and you can basically flight a mock sim session. Thats what I'm doing for my interview on Thursday. I know what approaches and procedures to expect and a buddy of mine is going to run through it with me. And it's free. Just a thought.

Yea for years Ive been an MS FS2004 junkie, and can now properly program routes, departures, arrivals, holds and etc into the mock FMS's that come with all the popular third party addons (PMDG 737, LEVELD 767, FEELTHERE CRJ & ERJ). Ive pretty much got the scan to a comfortable level, but what ive always wondered is how will this help when it comes time to do a sim eval on an interview???:confused::confused:

Any insight??

Like I said, it helps for the instrument flying that they will be evaluating you on. I have friends who are MSFS junkies too, who will sit there for hours flying 747s across the continent or whatever it is that they do. That's not really the point here.
People screw up the sim evals because they can't hold or shoot an approach and get situationally confused.. believe it or not, some people can't even fly straight and level because their scan is lacking. and that's where MSFS comes in, because u can practice all this and then see what your hold or approach looked like.
if you read interview gouges, you will see how some people failed the sim eval portion because they lost situational awareness and screwed up on the approach somehow.. at my first 121 interview, the other guy failed the sim portion cuz his scan was weak. (he hadnt flown in a while and hadnt practiced beforehand.) I mean you could practice in a real airplane with a fellow CFI watching over you.. but why.

Show up drunk and wing it.

It will help with scan, situational awareness, and instrument procedures. You still need to know how to fly a real airplane, MSFS is not realistic in that regard.

For this to work, you need to select an airplane with similar speed and instrument layout to the sim you will be flying. The concord will not help you prep for a frasca or ATC simulator.... :rolleyes:

A real sim like a frasca would be better prep, but MSFS is cheaper. Ideally do some MSFS first then get some real sim time. If you work at a school that lets you use the sim for free, do that instead instead of MSFS.

Thanks guys. http://www.islandmix.com/backchat/im...pload/good.gif

......the 121 training environment
 

I'm using this old thread because it seemed the most appropriate one that I could find in this forum.

I have my private but am otherwise a complete outsider to the industry. I am inquiring about this to help a relative who is just starting to apply to various regionals. He has what he needs (1500+ TT, ATP written completed, etc.)

Specifically, I'm wondering if anyone has any experience or feedback on two "airline prep" courses, one is a 7-day course at ATP and the other a 14-day course at Aerosim. Both are expensive, of course, and I'm aware that such a course is really not necessary to start training at a regional should a job be offered. But like all of you, a lot of effort and sacrifice has already been invested in pursuing this career, and if I can help provide some extra confidence through familiarity going into the 121 world, I think it may be worth it.

Both courses offer about the same amount of sim/FTD time (12 hrs left seat/12 hours right seat), but the longer Aerosim course seems to offer a lot more classroom work. Oddly, the Aerosim course is less expensive.

If anyone knows anything about these course, I really appreciate hearing it. Thanks in advance for any help.

I'm a military guy, prepping now for a SkyWest interview this week. They use a Frasca 142 for their interview.

Couple of lessons learned:
The Frasca is extremely unstable in pitch, so your scan has to be FAST, and you can't spend a lot of time looking at approach plates. I would actually say that it has been money well spent doing the sim prep. The company I am using knows the different airlines' sim profiles, and they can really get you prepped. What you are buying is CONFIDENCE, and that will significantly reduce the stress you feel going into it.
Second, I would strongly recommend Emerald Coast Interview Prep. That course is worth it's weight in gold. Don't think about it, sign up and do it, you're welcome. Trust me on this one.

Good luck!

If you're a pilot in the military the sim will be waived for you along with other prior 121 folk unless you give them a reason to administer the sim.

Haven't flown since '06 (been doing staff jobs), do you think that will force them to give me the sim?

[QUOTE=Slats;1614639]If you're a pilot in the military the sim will be waived for you along with other prior 121 folk unless you give them a reason to administer the sim.[/QUOTE]

What would be a reason for them to give me the sim?

[QUOTE=John 3:16;1614652]That's a good question... If you've been out of flying for a while that alone maybe a good enough reason to administer the sim, just to check scan ability ect... I would think however, if you're prior flying duties were as an officer in any airplane, it would be waived. It's not like you quit Great Lakes and went to bag groceries for 7yrs.

If you do a poor job in the tech/HR maybe even the CRM portion, the sim can be given as a tie breaker.

Thanks, John. I'll try to find out what sims are used in the ATP and Aerosim courses. I assume, however, that you used a different sim prep product/system/company?

I am using a company here in Denver, Advanced Aviation Simulators. They are good for the sim portion, but you might need something more than that to cover the whole spectrum of preparation. They are basically teaching you a specific airline interview simulator profile, nothing else.

There are many companies, I think AeroSolutions (or something like that) is mentioned in some of the other threads.

You really can't go wrong with them or Emerald Coast, they are just so professional and knowledgeable.

I saw the following books on MANY posts in many different threads, got them, have used them extensively, they might help you as well:
"Everything explained for the professional pilot" by Richie Lengel
"The turbine pilot's flight manual (third edition)" by Gregory Brown & Mark Holt
Jeppesen Instrument Procedures Guide
"Airline Transport Pilot Oral Exam Guide" by Michael Hayes
"Airline Pilot Interviews" by Irv Jasinski

I've learned that it's one thing to have a good instrument scan, but another thing entirely to try to have an effective scan in an unfamiliar cockpit, in a simulator that is intentionally unstable, flying approaches that have multiple "gotchas" to test your knowledge/skill.

4,000 hours of fighter time helped, but until you've looked down at your plate and then looked up to find yourself 20 degrees nose high and 500' above your assigned altitude, you don't understand how they test you in the interview. Add the stress of being evaluated and knowing it's a job on the line, and you will understand the value of being prepared and how even a little less stress will help you out

Great stuff, John. Thanks for taking the time. Everything you've mentioned reinforces my feeling that the more prep the better. And reducing that stress, even by a little, is what it's all about.

The very best of luck to you in your interview this week. But with your described prep, I'll bet you won't need any luck. Let us know how it goes. Thanks again.

All this being said, keep in mind that the regionals are all DESPERATE for pilots now. This isnt an interview where you're trying to convince them to hire you, this is an interview where all you need to do is not give them a big reason to NOT hire you. So don't let the nerves get to you about some PC-based sim ride.

Thanks, TBucket. My original concern was not so much about the interview but rather about being as prepared as possible for the training challenges, assuming that he would be hired by one regional or another.

Although a lot of folks on this forum describe various training programs as not extremely difficult, I have the impression that the challenges described by John 3:16 could still be faced in training. So I was wondering if anyone had any particular knowledge of these "airline prep" courses that seem to provide a degree of familiarity with the 121 environment prior to training.

Appreciate the feedback.

I did the ATP regional course. There was no classroom prep. The whole thing was about call outs and flying a CRJ simulator. It was of little use for the Skywest interview. Find a Frasca 142 simulator and an instructor and fly for 2-3 sessions just doing holds and knowing how to enter holds. Then vectors for the ILS. Use the check list provided for the aircraft the sim is set up for. Usually a chieftain. The Skywest sim is very quirky. Get used to flying straight and level with left hand and be able to scan, look away, pick up a check list, tell your instructor what the hold is etc and come back to your scan.
There is a Frasca at Oakland Flyers, one in Fresno and I believe one in Santa Ana. The other states, just do a google search. Good luck

Thanks very much, kiwiflyer. Great to hear from someone who actually took the ATP course.

Assuming a candidate is offered a job at any regional and is about to start training, do you think a course like that offers any value to someone with no prior exposure to the 121 world? I take it from your response that you don't.

It comes down to specific airline. I only have knowledge of Skywest and Mesa. At Mesa there is no interview as such. The recruiter will call you and talk and get to know you. He'll offer you a class date and that is it. The only thing with Mesa is you have to sign a 1 year repayment contract and the low starting pay. To be fair though, Skywest is the same the first year. At Skywest you may get the Brasilia so an expensive jet sim course will do you no good.

Kiwi, I thought SkyWest didn't have a training contract? Am I incorrect?

Good points. I didn't consider the possibility of a prep course not having any real application once assigned to an aircraft type. I guess we're going to have to give this some more careful thought.

BTW, just curious.....are you, in fact, a Kiwi or have some other connection to NZ?

Thanks for taking the time to provide the info.

you are correct. Skywest does not have a training contract. I am a kiwi, though have been here 24 years.

wjsx, where are you at? Maybe we can get some folks to link up with you and give you some good ole fashioned mentoring.

Nothing beats being able to sit across from a dude who's been down the road you're trying to travel and give you some advice and mentoring.

Another thing to consider. Try and save some money to pay bills. There are weeks that you are in a hotel studying and life goes on. If you have a wife or family member to do that for you, all the better. You will eventually get passes to jump seat home but that is even hard as a new hire. I have friends that couldn't get there sims finished, so it took longer to get to IOE.Can take 3 months or more. Just my 2 cents.

Whats the best way to prepare for....The sim ride that some regionals give during the interview process?

ANSWER: Find a non-regional airline job.

Thanks for the suggestion, John. I think it would be very helpful. I just PMed you with some details.


That's a good point, kiwi. I've been aware of the financial stresses that come with first-year FO pay, but the extra costs associated with going through training are something else to consider.

I'm a little unclear about your comment about not finishing sims. Is it that because of financial restrictions they had to interrupt their sim progress, or that because completing the sims took longer than expected, that increased the time they had to support themselves?

Thanks again to both of you for input.

What?

10 characters