I agree with all of that.

I also think the simulator is about basic airmanship. It gives the evaluator the basic feeling that this guy or girl can get into our simulator program and not require any basic or remedial work in order to stay on track with the program.

Our instructors know what is required on simulator 1. Therefore, they need a way to say yes or no. They need to be able to put their stamp of approval on an applicant and say that this person is ready for our training program.

I don't think much of the Hogan. it's just goofy.

Also, with applicants having lower and lower credentials (flight time and experience), I believe HR should have a smaller and smaller influence. The knowledge, experience, and judgment of an experienced Captain should be the ultimate determining factor if a person gets hired or not.

I would have no problem if we had senior Captains, or retired Captains with some HR stink on them to "fill the HR square", but I don't want non-pilots stamping YES or NO on an application and making those decisions. We have many pilots with masters degrees in Personnel or human resource management. Not a big deal really.

 

APC folks. I am new to the forum...so I started a new thread when I may have not needed to. It is rewritten below. Thanks for reading...perhaps twice.

"Hello APC. I am a recent recipient of a coveted letter to interview at United. Interestingly, they do not have a sim portion any longer. There will be a skill portion in a briefing room. Additionally, the welcome letters do not discuss a knowledge based test. I am completely fine with the new format. Has anyone interviewed in this fashion? Any tips? I look forward to sharing my experience after my interview in September. Thanks in advance for engaging this new discussion."

 

In 2007 when United was hiring the migrant summer 2008 labor, the technical portion was very basic. Be able to brief an approach and answer questions about the Jepps charts. Be able to calculate a descent for a crossing restriction, maybe a question on holding...basic stuff. Be able to talk in laymens terms about your current airplane...is the electric system AC or DC...what does an accumulator do, etc.

 

Awesome. Thank you. The info provided in the welcome packets discuss all of this info and includes being able to fly a basic flight profile on the sim device in a briefing room, navigate the iPad, and use the standard e-tools common for all United pilots. I'm mostly surprised by the apparent lack of knowledge test requirement common in the other carriers like Delta and FedEx.

 

What if you are and Android person? Can you ask Siri what to do :-)

 

Gents, something else to consider here...the sim portion costs time and money. With the hiring numbers in the future being what they will be, removing the sim allows the company to spread the interview process throughout the system to more than just DEN. I'm not saying they will do that, but getting rid of the sim ride opens up that possibility.

IMHO, the sim ride is unnecessary, but be that as it may, until it is officially gone, it is here.