Can you live in HNL on $2K/month? 8 am show time, I arrived 20 min early and waited until 8:15 before anyone showed. 50 question multiple guess, all commercial no atp, with 1/2 hr to complete. 3 person interview... fly away from the mountain on the circle to land, expired medical, in the bar the night before They said they had a class in progress, but were interviewing for a pool. No computer test, no sim, no drug test I asked about Go (Mesa) and was told they weren't affected. I read a memo on a bulletin board just minutes earlier about how they had let a lot of people go, reduced their schedule, etc in order to survive Mesa's invasion. If you want to write off a trip to HNL, go for it!

It's been over 2 years since someone has submitted an interview gouge so I'll throw one in, although nothing has really changed. Depending on if you submitted your appication and work history ahead of time, you might have to show up an hour early to fill all that out, otherwise you should show up 15-20 minutes early. I interviewed with Joe Edwards and Nikki Kamahele. Joe asked the aviation technical questions and Nikki asked the HR questions. They sat me down, asked for my logbooks and told me a little about that company and then began the interview. They took turns so I'll just list, in no order the questions they asked. HR questions: Why Island Air? What do you know about IA? Checked out our website? (www.islandair.com) Tell us about a time you had a conflict/disagreement with a co-worker and how you resolved it. Where do you see yourself in 1 year? 5 years? What are your weaknesses? Strengths? What can you bring to Island Air? Tech questions: Brief VOR DME approach into Maui. Then Joe will say you are circling to land to runway 2 and at the last second you lose ground contact, what do u do? (Turn left AWAY from the mountain, even though the published missed is to turn right to a heading of 240something.) Captain shows up drunk scenario. Captain wants to takeoff with weather below T/O minimums. What is the standard takeoff minimum for 1&2 engine aircraft (Part 121). When do you need a takeoff alternate? (part 121) Standard alternate weather minimums for prec and non-prec. Alternate weather minimum criteria for your company ( if you fly for a 121/135 operation be prepared) The atmosphere Joe and Nikki created was more relaxing than most places you might interview. Then I was told to take the written test. 25 questions straight from the ATP written book. No computation questions- no need to study the weight and balance, performance, or IFR flight chapters. No need to look at other charts, It's timed at 30 minutes and perhaps how many minutes you finish it in is part of the interview process. You can ace this test in 10 minutes or less if you study the ATP written book. After that, I took the computer test(memory/cognitive) which has generated many opinions. All I can say is get a good night's rest before, stay focused and bring a little luck with you. It starts out easy and gets progressively tougher to the point where you will probably miss some. And you will not be told your results. Same goes with the ATP written test. The last thing they have you do is take a pee test at a local medical clinic, then you're all done. The word on the street is the computer test is weighted heavily- pretty much a go/no-go decision to get hired. What exactly does this have to do with Dash 8 flying inter-island?? you ask..... Beats me. Maybe there's something I don't know. I have nearly 4000 hours in a similar turbine aicraft and was NOT hired. I was rather frustrated to the point I just laughed. Oh well, more power to the guys that passed the test and probably got the job.

The interview was at Air Inc., and involved a HR and an OPS representative. I was escorted into the briefing room and introduced to the Island Air Representatives. The first order of business was to present your log book/certificates for review by the OPS representative. While this was going on the HR person asked general background info: a) how did you get into aviation b) what type of flying you had done etc. There were a few OPS questions concerning FAR - a) when do you need a alternate? b) what is the procedures for lost communications c) reference approach chart - what does the "X" mean, what is MDA, etc. We were then directed into a room to take a 25 question A,B,C answer test on various things -- the only area that involved some mental work was the analyzing the METAR reports. The whole operation took less than 1.5 hours. We did not fly the simulator which is a King Air 200 built on the Elite Program system (training device). No motion and two large TV screens, each is a duplicate of the others panel and visual clues. Overall its ok but not anything like the KA200 nor like other simulators I have flown. The sim training is conducted by Air Inc personnel NOT Island Air. The simulator profile (NOTE: for those part 121 - make all the standard calls you make and brief all approaches, missed approaches and holding procedures) is that you depart ATL runway heading climb to 3000 feet maintain a constant airspeed of 160kts. level off at 3000 then steep turns R/L; head for hold at ATL Vortac; brief on the procedure and hold, after leaving the hold radar vectors for the ILS to 26R/L and land at wx minimums. The descent to the runway after minimums is NOT GRADED ... and thank God it is not ... this thing does not land like any aircraft I have experience both simulation and real thing. Just keep a good pitch/airspeed profile until contact with surface. Reverse and brake to a stop ..... you are done!

I interviewed in February 2000 at Air, Inc. in Atlanta, GA. The interview process involved 5 aspects. The actual interview, written test, sim check, cognitive test, and drug test. The order of the tests will be different depending on your arrival time. The sim check, cognitive test, and drug test were conducted by Air, Inc. so the types of test might differ if the interview is conducted in Honolulu.

INTERVIEW: The interview was very open and friendly in nature. One person from ops and another from HR asked questions on how you got started flying to situational questions. The previous posting (12-13-99) describes the details very well. Also know about the company as I was asked a question regarding the airline.

WRITTEN TEST: A 25 multiple choice question test to be completed in 30 minutes. The types of questions were well described by the post (12-13-99). There were couple of questions regarding the stages of CB development and dissipation. Again, as other posts states, the questions seem to be from private and commercial tests.

SIM CHECK: The sim check was conducted on a AST 300. You will be in the sim with another candidate acting as a first officer. The evaluator is looking for both instrument and CRM skills. The profile is as described on the 12-13-99 post. The evaluator briefs the crew as to what is expected of each candidate and the sim system very thoroughly. Write down the speeds on a Post IT of some type so you can refer to them during the sim check. Also, it is advisable to arrange some sim time at Air, Inc. before your sim check. I was unable to schedule the sim right before the interview due to the fact that it was all booked up. They only have one sim. But, I was referred to ALL ATP at Fulton County airport which had an AST 300 for $30 per hour without an instructor. Just ask for a quick brief on the operation of the sim and you can do pretty much what you want. It has a memory feature where you can reposition yourself after practicing an approach to try another one thus saving you time of flying back to the proper position. As expected, there was some difference in the way the sims flew between the ALL ATP's and Air, Inc's, so I would recommend getting some practice with the one you will be flying during the interview.

COGNITIVE TEST: It is very difficult to prepare for the cognitive test. You just have to be there and take it. The briefer did strongly advise to take your time during the practice sessions which are not graded and to read the instructions of each test very carefully. The (9-9-99) post describes the test very well.

DRUG TEST: The test involved signing couple of papers and giving an urine sample. Straight forward.

The whole process took about 3-4 hours. No tricks or traps. Be enthusiastic about the job and Hawaii during the interview. Most of the candidates wanted to live and work in Hawaii for one reason and another and I believe that helps.

Good luck to all and post your interview as soon as you can for others to see. I have to say the previous posts were of great benefit for myself (especially the 12-13-99 post) and for others I am sure.

The interview was conducted in Atlanta, GA at AIR INC. The process was very similar to the examples given by the other applicants on this site. One difference was that there was also a sim ride. The order of the process itself was varied according to when you showed up. Also I did not receive an application prior to arriving so you may want to be prepared with addresses of former employers and references, etc.

When I arrived I was given a 25 question written test. Then a sim test was conducted with another applicant and we swapped the left seat. After that, I filled out my application form, then did the computer testing, drug test, and finally an interview with two people from the company. I must admit that I did feel rushed through the day but maybe that was part of the test. The impression I got was that there wasn't any one part of the testing process that was necessarily disqualifying, but that the evaluation was based on collective performance (again, my impression). I will now attempt to record a good portion of my interview here, hope it helps.

WRITTEN TEST - received Q's regarding these subjects: When can you begin a descent on an IFR approach? IFR Lost com procedures, IFR required reporting (failed equipment + lack of aircraft performance). Interpreting METAR/TAFs. Windshear, downdrafts. Turbulence. T/offs and Landings behind HEAVY aircraft. Light signals. Runway markings. Engine loss at VMC. Traffic patterns at uncontrolled fields. Weight and Balance. In addition, (Computer testing just like the two previous applicants described.)

SIM CHECK - AST 300 - I did the sim ride with a partner who was another applicant. We each took our turn in the left seat, while the other person acted as the F/O. Besides the instrument procedures we were told that we were being evaluated on our CRM skills. (You need to assist your Captain, but resist the temptation to help too much, I got poked for this a couple of times) because the sim instructor still needs to evaluate each person. Our sim ride profile was as follows: Take off from ATL Hartsfield Int'l airport on runway 26. "Fly runway heading to 3000 feet. Then radar vectors to intercept a radial outbound from the ATL VOR." After that, you will be asked to maintain constant airspeed climbs and descents at 130 kts. At some point, you will get an engine failure which is somewhat subtle except that the instruments go wild and you will recognize it. Then you will get the engine back and be given holding instructions at the ATL VOR and expected to verbalize your entry. One turn in holding and then you will be asked to brief a specific approach. (We got the ILS/DME 27L approach to ATL). After that, you will be given interactions to intercept the localizer, "cleared for the approach". Must fly all the way to minimums before braking out.

INTERVIEW- Many Q's about personal assessment of your accomplishments and how you would evaluate yourself on scales from 1-5 and 1-10. How does an aft CG affect the aircraft during T/off and Landing? How do you handle an overloaded cargo compartment? How do you land in a right crosswind? Missed approach procedure from West Maui airport, you will be asked to brief this approach. Several Q's asked about Captain misconduct, including, Capt. shows up drunk for work, wants to descend below DH on the approach, how do you handle these situations? A couple of Q's asked about VMC, aircraft characteristics and control inputs with engine failure. Also asked: What qualities do you posses that make you a better candidate? Have you ever failed a check ride? If so, why? Describe any accidents / incidents. Briefly describe your flight experience. Have you applied to other carriers? (Why, why not?) Tell me about a time when you were under a great deal of pressure, how did you handle it? Have you ever flown with someone you did not like? How did you get through it? Are you aware of the expense of living in Hawaii?

FINAL NOTE: My interview lasted only one day even though I was told to prepare for two. I have no idea whether or not I am still being considered. The interviewers were very professional, and approachable. I feel that this experience is worth your while, even if you don't get the job it is an excellent way to see the interview process. ----------A current 121 First Officer------------