CFI/CFII/MEI 1200TT, 120ME, 500 Instruction given, 520 Cross Country
Were you offered the job?
Yes
Pilot Interview Profile:
Phone call for the interview was short notice but accepted the offer to come and interview. Mesaba will pay for the airfare but you are responsible for the hotel. Interview started at 730am and there was 5 people in this group. Started off with a presentation about Mesaba given by a captain/check airmen then a tour of dispatch. Two written test are given and then the interview with a pilot and HR. If you make it past the interview they will send you to the simulator. After the simulator it’s off to the drug screen and back to the airport.
Wonderlick Test 50 questions 12 minutes to complete as many as possible "we're looking for a certain number right" Basically an IQ test, study questions like "Are the following words same, opposite or neither same nor different" 4 things cost 50 cents. You 55 dollars, how many 33 and a third of these items can you buy?
Aviation Written Test 25 question multiple choice test based off of Part 91 and instrument procedures 30 minutes to complete, looking for an 80% or better -holding entry questions -You are 20 south of the ABC VOR, you have a clearance to hold west of the ABC VOC on the 270 radial with left turns. What entry and timing will be used? -What can you do when you see the approach lights at MDA/DA? -If you’re 18,000 ft and 50 miles out from the ABC VOR and get a clearance to be 10,000 ft 10 miles out what is the latest distance you could descend at 2000FPM going 240 knots? -VOT -MDA on a DME arc, on the arc portion -Speed limits -Holding altitudes, holding times and speed limits -Cloud clearance in class B -What is MSA and what does it provide you? -On this TAF what will the weather be at 1130?
HR Interview Do you have traffic violations? Ever failed a check ride, explain? Why Mesaba? What has been the biggest hurdle in your flying career? Did you ever have a student who just couldn’t get something, how did you handle this? Who do you look up to, why? Tell me a time you were scared in a plane Tell me about a boss you got along with Tell me about someone you didn't get along with What did you do when someone wanted to you to break FARs? What was your biggest mistake in a plane? What would you do if your captain didn’t follow SOPs and you told on him? What if you fly with that captain after you told on him and he confronts you? When flying, what is the most important thing to you to be safe?
Technical Interview What is CRM? Who all is involved in CRM? When you think of CRM, what is one word that comes to mind? Approach plate was a Jepp (VOR approach into Eau Clair, Wis.) Brief this approach as you were flying it? Where is the highest point on this approach plate What is the DA? Explain electrical system in last twin you flew? What do you do if your alternator in your plane failed? If both alternators fail? What indications do you get in the cockpit if an alternator fails? What do you do if the other engine quit? If your engine quiets and you’re an equal distance from 2 airports, what factors determine what airport you choose?
Sim Ride The following directions are provided to you before you sit in the sim. 23 squared for cruise 25 squared for climb You start out at 500ft heading 030 Get the sim to 110 knots and pitch for 120 At 120 put gear up Level off at 2,000ft Steep turn to the left You’ll get a VOR and they want to know what quadrant you’re in (Northeast, Northwest etc.), radial and distance Vectors for the ILS at ISP 060 2 notches of flaps for landing and gear down Make radio call at GINN Approx 15-16 inches for the glide slope (whatever it takes to maintain 110 knots) Call tower on the missed Asked what I would do for the missed, when I would know I was at the VOR, what heading outbound and what heading inbound then it was over.
Onto the drug test.
Date Interviewed: December 2007
Summary of Qualifications:
550 TT 350 Multi 200 Jet Comm ME/SE Instrument CFI,CFII,MEI Falcon 20 SIC type
Were you offered the job?
Yes
Pilot Interview Profile:
Overall the interview process was very relaxed. They made everyone feel at ease. Started with 6 candidates in the conference room watching a presentation about the company. The presenter answered any questions we had. Then came the Wonderlic IQ test. Basically 50 questions I beleive around 12 mins or so. Pretty much impossible to complete the whole thing, no penalty for guessing so try your hardest. Then was the 25 IFR question quiz. All the other gouges recommend the ATP written to help study but I recommend using the everything explained for professional pilot. The questions are ones that should be known by a IFR pilot. Then a waiting game in the cafeteria. After that interviews with an HR person and line pilot. Very professional and very at ease. They want to get to know you. Questions about current plane, was little different for me because my current plane is a jet. Some approach plate and low enroute questions. They was given conditional letter of employment.
Went to they're sim. Very basic sim, just like an arrow. Takeoff, climb to whatever altitude. Steep turns, turn VOR, tell radial and distance. Track a VOR Radial. Vectors for an ILS take down to mins then go missed. They give you a different hold then one on the plate. I got established inbound on the hold and was then told I was done.
Then off to the clinic for a drug test and over to airport to come home. I really look forward to working for Mesaba, everyone is very professional and nice. Most importantly just be yourself in the interview.
Date Interviewed: November 2007
Summary of Qualifications:
CE525 type, CFI, Comm SEL/MEL Inst
Were you offered the job?
No
Pilot Interview Profile:
the previous gouge is dead on, also know stuff about helding speeds, weather requirements for ILS crtical hold short, visual decent points
The sim is currently ILS runway 6 Islip New York, missed to Deer Creek VOR
Date Interviewed: November 2007
Summary of Qualifications:
Commercial Single & Multi 760TT 60Multi
Were you offered the job?
No
Pilot Interview Profile:
Powerpoint presentation about company & Tour of command area with scheduling, mechanics, and dispatch with radio-telephones
25 question aviation test... based off Part 91, no ATP questions
2 holding entry questions - know AIM suggested entry patterns and radials
2 "where is FAF" questions based off printed approach plates
2 what can you do when you see ALS at DA?
50 questions Wonderlick test. 12 minutes to complete as many as possible "we're looking for a certain number right"
Basically an IQ test, study questions like "Are the following words same, opposite or neither same nor differnt"
4 things cost 50 centes. you 55 dollars, how many 33 and a third of these items can you buy?
HR Interview
VERY IMPORTANT: Do you have ANY tickets? If yes, fess up, even if you beat it in court.
Why Mesaba?
Tell me a time you were scared in a plane
Tell me about a boss you got along with
Tell me about someone you didn't get along with
What did you do when someone wanted to you to break FARs?
What was your biggest mistake in a plane?
what would you do if your captain didnt follow SOPs and you told on him
When flying, what is the most important thing to you to be safe?
Technical Questions
What is this number above the victor airway on the Low Alt enroute?
What is this number in the box above airway
What does this mean in this comm box? "HIWAS 2.2 2.6"
Where is the highest point on this approach plate
what is the DA?
What is the DA above Touchdown zone elev
where is the FAF on this approach plate?
What do you do if your alternator in your plane failed? What do you do if the other engine quit?
Sim Ride
The following directions are provided to you before you sit in the sim.
23 squared for cruise
25 squared for climb - careful... full power goes to 32, avoid this
Do whatever you need to descend avoiding max structural cruising speed
2 notches of flaps for landing and gear down too
take off KISP
Climb to 2000
Steep Turns 45 degrees L and R, adjust throttle to maintain VA of 129
What radial are you on from BLA VOR?
Sim Stopped and repositioned near LOC
"cleared for ILS KISP"
follow down to DA, execute missed
Climb rwy heading 1600, expect vecotrs to holding VOR N of KISP
Head direct to VOR to hold at
Hold as published
Entry Paralell from where I was.
Onto the drug test.
Date Interviewed: October 2007
Summary of Qualifications:
CFI, CFII, MEI, 400 Total Time, 65 Multi
Were you offered the job?
Yes
Pilot Interview Profile:
Six applicants showed up for the interview in Minneapolis. The day started promptly at 7:30am when one of the recruiters took us to a conference room. There he game us a 45 minute presentation about the company; including pay, benefits, training schedule, and what we could expect of the interview process. A lady from the Human Resource department then came in and gave two tests. The first was a 50 question IQ test which became progressively harder. We had 12 minutes to complete as much of the test as possible. Next we had a 25 question multiple choice test that covered part 91 and IFR areas. Some sample questions included:
-Max airspeed under Bravo airspace? Max airspeed under 10,000 feet?
-Cloud requirements in Delta airspace?
-On the 040 radial tracking to the station, given clearance to Hold south of the station, 180 Radial, EFC How would enter the hold?
-What is the final approach fix when flying an ILS approach?
You must score at least 80% to move on to the interviews.
Next they took us all back to the cafeteria. They took two of us at a time to be fingerprinted with the scanner machine. They had two teams interviewing so they got through the six of us pretty quick. Interviews lasted about 30 minutes and they were more concerned about getting to know you as a person. It is conducted by a Human Resource person and an experienced line pilot. Some of the questions they asked me were:
-Why do you want to work for Mesaba?
-Tell me about a time you were scared in an aircraft?
-Tell me about a mistake you made in an aircraft and how did you correct it?
-Captain is not using checklist, what do you do?
-Captain is tired and feels sick but still decides to fly, what would you do?
-You are pilot flying and you need to brief the captain on the approach, give a sample briefing?
-You are a flight instructor teaching a new instrument student how to brief an approach, how would you teach them to brief it?
-What are you going to do to prepare for class?
-Do you have any questions for us?
They did not ask any questions about the airline or about the last twin you have flown, but be prepared just in case. I passed the interview and they had me fill out a few more forms, then gave me the approach plate and another sheet of paper that explained the sim evaluation. You will have 20-30 minutes to review the approach before going into the sim.
The sim took place on a desktop instrument panel with no screen. There was a yoke but no rudder pedals. The cockpit resembled that of a piper arrow and was a single engine, except it flew at slightly higher airspeeds than an arrow (140kt cruise). You takeoff at 120kts, climb to 2,500 MSL, then he will give you headings to turn to as well as climbs and descents. You will do a steep turn at 45o bank in one direction then roll out on your heading. He then has you tune in the VOR and determine your radial and distance from it, then find your position on a chart. Don’t let this distract you from flying the airplane because the sim is very touchy and you cannot feel the control feedback. I was southeast of the VOR on a heading of 360o and he asked what heading I would turn to to intercept the 080o radial and track outbound. He then repositioned me and vectored me to the ILS and I flew it down to the DH. I then went missed and he gave me an amended missed procedure back to the NDB/Compass locator outer marker and told me to hold southwest on the localizer, the asked how I would enter the hold. I told him it would be teardrop, then he turned off the sim. They then sent us to a clinic to be drug tested then back to the airport.
For the oral they used a VOR approach into Eau Clair, Wis.
For the sim they used the ILS 6 approach to Islip, NY
