Do you have any questions for us?
 

Its a bit of a buyers market out there for qualified pilots looking to get 121/135 flight time... beyond just upgrade time here are some things I would want to know before I picked a path.

1. How many pilots have you hired this year? How many have made it through training?
2. Of the pilots that did not complete training, how many left on their own accord?
3. Do you limit the number of OE hours/legs you will give a new give a new hire pilot? What is that number?
4. If you dont have an official limit on OE hours, what is the largest OE time investment you have made in an individual pilot?
5. Of the pilots that have made it to the line in the last 24 months, how many have left for non-major employment?
6. How many pilots awarded Captain positions with your company dont make it through upgrade training? (plus all the above questions in relation to upgrade)


You wont get straight answers on these questions from your interviewer.. . and quite frankly.. with people being offered jobs over the phone within hours of posting their resume online... you really dont get the chance to even ask them... however consider this...

Leaving during training after being hired... not finishing OE... being unable to upgrade .. or leaving on short notice to make a lateral step (IE.... This place sucks Im outta here)... are VERY difficult to overcome in a short period of time... If you're headed to a major.. at least right now.. they are still looking for a bit of a track record...

Go talk to line pilots at your prospective future employer before you accept those phone offers...

I wasn't aware that failing captain upgrade/ excessive IOE for new hires was an issue. Anyone with 1500 hours SHOULD be able to be trained to fly an rj. Besides, if you KNOW that you're weak, why not just get better before trying to step up to the commercial level?

He raises legitimate questions. At times various airlines through poor training departments and/or internal politics can cause significant harm to new hire pilots just looking to make it to the line.

One regional had political "pink badge of courage" hit squads for a certain fleet. Even upgrading Captains on that fleet used their seniority to pick different fleets. Another had a massive new hire washout rate towards the end of its PFT days. One stuck dozens of pilots in limbo due to a lack of training capacity on a certain fleet, then fired them right before the end of their probationary year.

The reputation of an airline and its training program as well as how they treat new hires are all critically important, especially for someone's initial airline job. That we are potentially on the verge of a strong "buyers market" from a pilot's perspective will only elevate an airline's reputation for new hire pilots and play a significant part in where the limited supply chooses to go to.

Huge issue. Average OE time at my employer is almost double what it was when we could hire lower time pilots from a crew oriented training college or flight school. Empirical measurement of flight time has ZERO bearing on RJ train-ability.... ZERO.

Busting out of.. or walking away from a first regional job probably wont preclude getting a DIFFERENT regional job.. but will likely add YEARS to an individuals time at the regional level before being able to overcome the issue in a major interview.

Obviously I know that total time is not an absolute indicator of skill, decision making ability, or experience. I would venture to guess that captains exist at just about every company that slipped through the cracks; that's why I said they SHOULD be trainable. I also know what you mentioned has happened in the past, and my response was in no way sarcastic. What I meant was that I was unaware that this was an issue NOW.

not attacking..just responding

Yea there is a new breed of regional flunked out guys and gals that will be renslowing your loved ones. The barrel has been scraped hard. Only fix imo is $$$ to get cooperate guys interested. No other ideas besides more $$ to save lives.

Wow, that's scary!

Wow! Just WOW! What a wonderful employee you must be! Such bitterness!

As a past interviewer, if you asked one of those question in an interview, you would get an X on my copy of your resume, ask two and you would have no chance of being hired , Three and you would be asked to leave and four you would be escorted from the building by two men with sidearms. Five and you would be prosecuted as a terrorist threat.

This is stupid...

Stockholm syndrome.
These are all reasonable questions to ask for such important life decisions.
Because they were not tolerated in the past doesn't make them inherently wrong or unimportant. Pilot hatred....not only for mgmt.

"How many pilots have you hired this year?"
That would get an X on a resume? Seriously? You're some special interviewer. Happy I did not have to sit through one with you. Some of these questions seems quite reasonable.

Not at all bitter. I've been told anecdotally that people are being hired over the phone within hours of listing their resume online, by employers that are having people walk out during training.

As a "former interviewer".. how far would "I got a bad feeling during training and left" go?

There is a lot more to go into a career decision than whoever calls first.

Maybe I should add " do I get in trouble for asking questions?" to the list

Funny... I found this gem posted elsewhere

the interview
 

While some questions may be logical, some come across the wrong way. The wording makes it sound like your a weaker candidate that fears not making it through training and if you do, you are not sure you could make it though an upgrade.
This may not be true at all, but the person interviewing a person asking some of these questions will not be viewed as a possible new hire.
It should not matter how many did or did not make it through training, as others have nothing to do with you or your ability.
Ron

Having no 121 experience, I don't always get all the acronyms...can somebody tell me what "OE" is?

OE= Operating Experience
IOE=Initial Operating Experience
After training and checkride, you get released to the line, however you are paired with a IOE check airman for a few trips.

Got it! Thanks...

What the interviewer really means is: "Demonstrate your ability to ask a question which will please me, regardless of whether you already know or don't care about the answer. This is an important skill for managing cranky old Captains." :D

I under emphasized the point that these questions are not actually for interviewers... if you can get answers from line pilots or on forums.. you are better off.. Asked in an actual interview...yes.. unfortunately.. the "do you have any questions for us?" question is rhetorical.

Anyone who asks these questions or any questions is a DIP$HIT.

Just say "I have found the answers to all of my questions through current employees that are recommending me for this job. Thanks for having me here today, it's been a really pleasurable experience, thank you for having me." -Then smile :-)

Jefferson who are you targeting with list the pilots or the recruiters at these places? Seems like even if recruiters are here and actually know this data they will be unlikely to share it candidly on open forums and you'll get a lot of guesses from others.

At any rate it is legitimate to question an employer because shopping for an ideal employer is not only good for the job applicant, it is expected of anyone who plans to do their utmost wherever they go. Before applying is the right time to ask such hard-nosed questions, and that's a two way street because your employer will do the same before they release you to the line. Some regionals have gone from lax to desperate in their acceptance of new recruits with the fallout largely ending up on the rejected trainees who can't cut it in training.

I may not have come across as intended with this based on the feedback. 20 some years ago when I was getting close ATP there was an opportunity to go fly for EAL as a scab.. I had no idea the connotations... someone advised me why it was a bad idea...

Today's market is not a major airline looking to break a strike... but there are some things that people on the outside of the industry looking to get in may not know to ask about....


I know the recruiters where I work... They would be happy to discuss these thoughts with you outside the interview process with no reservations.... How they would react during an interview I dont know... but again...These are not questions to ask during an interview.

edited for a bit of clarity... I dont intend to challenge "former recruiters" by any means..