The interview really was a non event, I am more posting here so that people can see how the company really operates so that you can decide whether you even want to bother showing up for an interview. And because there hasn't been an update for a couple of years...
A few interesting HR questions:
-Describe your flying career from start up until now. -How would you rate yourself as a pilot, 1-10? -What did you like the least about instructing, the most? -Problem area on your resume, why hire you vs. someone without this problem (lack of time in a certain area)? -Any reason why you shouldn't give two weeks notice if leaving a job? I said no, but really in the aviation industry if safety is an issue the answer is absolutley yes! -Failed any checkrides? -Been violated? -etc.
-If you know your NOS plates and charts you'll be fine for the oral portion, and all you need to know about the sim ride will be provided (piece of cake).
Their Schedule:
Generally you will fly one route, the one they said they were hiring for was DEN-McCook, NE. Be careful, they advertise their positions as Denver based- they are not! Monday afternoon you take a load back to DEN and get in late (8-10pm). Tuesday morning, start around 4am and take a load back to an out station. Get your crew rest during the day and fly back to DEN that afternoon, sleep in DEN. You end your week on Saturday morning in an out station, and then start the next week in that out station. So you only have one day a week totally off, and it is your responsibility to travel home for the weekend and back to the out station Monday. However, they would prefer that you lived at an out station.
So basically, you'd live in two places with limited free time. They pay for an apartment in one of those places.
Their equipment:
All, the Navajos the Cessnas and Metros: No autopilots, and you'll be lucky to get a plane with DME.
Their MX:
There have been a lot of posts concerning shotty MX. I only found one accident that was MX related and it was survivable without injury. All the other accidents over the last ten years were pilot error, or stupidity.
I talked to someone who did work there. What you need to watch out for is the company's willingness to make you fly an aircraft with broken equipment. This is ok, but you must do MELs. The FAA is all over Key Lime and pilots get violated there a lot for flying with broken items without MELs. In fact, some pilots have been violated there so many times they can't work anywhere else (this is what I heard at least). The FAA is out to get this company, (the FSDO is adjacent to Key Lime hangar at KDEN) plus there is the additional issue of the borderline legality of the crew rest period... Ultimately, as long as you obey the rules you will be just fine.
Pay etc:
-Contract
You must sign an 18 month, $7500 training contract. At some point they will upgrade you from the Navajo to a Metro and the contract renues at $10,000 for another 18 months. Found this odd. Basically they are eventually hoping that you'll break the contract so they can make some more money off of you.
-Pay
Pay is $100/day for the Navajo, plus they offer Health/dental after a period (I think 3 months). And then an additional $30 per flight hour ONLY for flights in addition to the route you are assigned. However, a big question I had, since they have a training contract can they guarentee a number of days that you'll work? They cannot! So in otherwords, you have no clue how much you will exactly make doing this. But from what I have heard you will fly your pants off.
Overall, this is something I have decided that there is no way I will ever do. If you have a wife, plan on a divorce. Plus, you can make more money doing flight instruction, and work a small fraction of the time required by Key Lime. However, this could be a good deal for someone out there who single, knows their 135 regs really well, and doesn't mind being run ragged for a while. The flight experience would be very valuable. All PIC twin IFR time, often in bad weather, and with the bare minimum nav equipment. It's make you a really food stick and rudder guy/gal and you'd look very good for the next job you're trying for.
Hope this help you decide, good luck!
Date Interviewed: January 2008
Summary of Qualifications:
3000TT, CFII, MEI, Embry-Riddle Graduate.
Were you offered the job?
Yes
Pilot Interview Profile:
Had to pay my own Air & Hotel. Met with who I think was the HR/Office Manager and Cheif Pilot/Owner. Neither had much of a personality. Very vauge with their answers to my questions. Did well on the sim check. Took a tour of the facilities. Small operation. Talked to a pilot hanging out in the break room. Told me to be careful before I commit to working there.
Apparently, the job consist of flying UPS cargo. Up at 3:00am, fly to destination (small towns in the rockies), spend the day in a small dirty crew apartment, leave around 7:00pm back to Denver. Get back around 9:00pm, head home so you can get a few hours sleep to start all over again. The contract has a $10k penalty for early outs.
Offered job, but after careful research (and I suggest you do your research) turn down the job. But had a buddy accept the job after hear more from him, I am SO glad I turned it down.
Make sure you have NO questions not answered to your full satisfaction and read contract before signing.
Date Interviewed: November 2006
Summary of Qualifications:
Comm.,inst.,multi. 1200TT 1000PIC 100multi BA Economics
Were you offered the job?
No
Pilot Interview Profile:
Paid my own way out to and put myself up in Denver and took the sim prep in an AST300. Good practice for anyone and the staff at the sim location were friendly and helpful. The good stuff ends here.
I arrived at Key Lime HQ @ 4:00pm for a 4:30 interview time and wasn't seen by anyone until almost 5:00pm. The people I finally got to speak with were a HR person and, supposedly, the chief pilot. I spent the next 20 minutes answering very bland, ubiquitous, "tell me about a time when" questions. When time rolled around for me to ask a few questions, I was unable to nail them down on pay, bases, and equipment. I would also be required to buy my own uniforms and also provide my own cell phone without even knowing for sure what I was going to be paid! Needless to say, this left me with a VERY uneasy feeling about this place and I made my mind up right then and there that I didn't want to be a part of it. You make your own mind up if/when you do decide to interview here, but I recommend you really grill them on the phone before you spend the time/money to come all the way out here and find out that they aren't what they claim to be.
Date Interviewed: July 2006
Summary of Qualifications:
4 year degree, 1060 total/130 ME, CFI/MEI
Were you offered the job?
Yes
Pilot Interview Profile:
Two part interview: HR and Sim (AST-300 two screens).
HR: Basic questions, just read the previous posts. No tricks, ZERO technical (not even approach procedures), just be honest.
SIM: Both approaches (NOS plates, not Jepp) were done at Centennial Runway 35R. The first was and ILS. He'll give you vectors to the final approach course, it's not a full approach. No PT and no hold, just know how to enter holds (he'll ask). In my case, I had an engine failure while bing vectored to the final approach course (the right engine in a right turn). Upon reporting runway in sight, he asked whether or not I would land.
The second approach was the partial panel NDB (again, with vectors. No PT, no holds). He did not fail the card, so it was not as hard as I thought it would be. If I were to prep for this again, I would hit single engine ops and partial panel NDB navigation hard.
I did not get any technical questions at all. No approach/chart questions, aircraft questions, or anything else like that.
Sim Conditions:
Wind was set to 340 at 5 knots. Stability was set to ZERO. Rudder trim indicator was missing (trim works) and the elevator trim indicator was inop, but the electric trim did work. The sim is very sensitive, so try not to lose focus; it can get away from you easily.
They grade on a scale of 1 to 5 (1=perfect, 5=bad, 3=passing). I did not think the sim was too difficult, but I also had access to an AST-300 prior to departing for Denver and spent a few hours on it. If you can't get sim time at home, reserve some time in their sim before the interview (make sure to secure an instructor, too). I think their rate is 35hr for the sim and 35hr for the instructor. Hope this helps. This is an all around friendly group of people and anyone would be lucky to work with them.
Date Interviewed: May 2006
Summary of Qualifications:
ATP, 4,300 hrs Military, 2,300 Turbine PIC, 100 ME
Were you offered the job?
Yes
Pilot Interview Profile:
Overall very enjoyable experience. This company is growing and seems like a great place to work; everyone I met was friendly and looked happy to work there. I had heard some rumors about their safety record so before I went I called the local FSDO and researched the company thoroughly; don't believe everything you read on some of the other interview sites. Most of the incidents I found to be pilot error related and not the fault of Key Lime.
Flew out to Denver at my expense. Scheduled a practice simulator, make sure if you want an instructor that you confirm that, mine did not show up and I had to reschedule early morning before the actual interview. Interview was very low key, two panel with VP and HR rep, very straight forward questions, no technical at all; lasted about 30 minutes. Some of the questions that I remember: How would you rate yourself as a person on a scale from 1-10, same question but as a pilot? Tell me about a time when you had to make a difficult decision, TMAAT that involved safety. Tell me about your flying career from start to today. Why should we hire you over all the other applicants? What are your weaknesses/strengths? TMAAT when you went out of your way to help someone else. What are you going to do if you DON'T get this job?
After the interview they sent me to the simulator, it's an AST-300, very basic non-motion multi-engine simulator. Mike, the chief pilot for the flight school was very professional and fair. He didn't expect me to fly an ATP type hop but was looking for some basic air work and instrument procedures. Flew the ILS 35R single engine to missed (circle mins), radar vectors to the NDB partial panel. He didn't fail the card so it was not as difficult as the practice sim. Broke out and attempted to land. Got the call three days later for start date. Good luck!
