Preview gouges are accurate but this is what I remember. After being offered an interview I received a packet of things to accomplish prior to the interview and what to bring with me. Mountain Air Cargo arranged for a pre-employment drug screening prior to the interview. The day of the interview I arrived a few minutes before 9 am and met with Mrs. Wimbley in HR. HR reviewed the application and verified all information was correct prior to leading me over to meet with the Chief Pilot, Director of Operations, and the North American Flight Operations Manager. I don't recall being asked any of the technical questions that are normal during interviews and I also don't remember being asked any tell me about a time when type questions. Everyone that I met with was very friendly. The Manager was a no BS good ol' boy from Alabama. He simply went over the company operations in the Caravan and ATR and made sure we knew we'd be flying a night and wants to hear that you will go anywhere the company needs you to go. We reviewed the logbooks and talked about our flying experience and wanted to know why we wanted to work at Mountain Air Cargo. The Chief Pilot administered the simulator evaluation on a PCATD. The PCATD is not maintained well and is very touchy. It is set up as a Bonanza and I had a chance prior to the flight to review the profiles they want flown and the approach to be done. I took off from Hickory (HKY) and headed west for airwork. I had a few minutes to get a feel for how the plane handles before completing steep turns. After the steep turns I was cleared direct to the VOR and completed one of the full approaches into HKY in a non radar environment down to minimums. Remember to make non radar calls to ATC! I broke out right at DA and flew the plane to the ground. The sim is almost impossible to land. The sim eval was to just demonstrate basic airmanship and instrument proficiency. After the Sim eval, I was led to the break room where I sat until being pulled into an office to be offered an ATR position. Overall, it was a very laid back interview and they seemed to be looking mostly at personality and instrument proficiency. They don't waste time offering lots of interviews so if you get the call for an interview then you've got the job if you don't do something stupid so just relax, be yourself, and demonstrate that you know how to fly in IMC.
Date Interviewed: August 2008
Summary of Qualifications:
1855TT CMEL, IFR
Were you offered the job?
Yes
Pilot Interview Profile:
Prior posts are spot on. It was a very laid back experience. Met with Ms. Wimbley and reviewed paperwork. Next was the sim with the CP. Very basic but touchy. They provided the Jepp plate for VOR DME 24 and a card for the basic profiles. It was a Bonanza setup on the Jepp/PCAD device. Set of steep turns and then the full VOR DME approach. Very straight forward. Then met with Director of Flight Ops. Very nice gentlemen, very blunt. He will not sugarcoat anything and believes in honesty. Review of logbooks and was offered ATR slot on site. Best recommendation would be to practice on a PCAD if you can, otherwise just be yourself as the process is quite friendly and laid back in comparison. I felt it was more of a get to know "you" than what do you know situation. Hope that helps.
Date Interviewed: May 2008
Summary of Qualifications:
3500 total 1160 multi ATP CFI,CFII.CFIME Associates Degree
Were you offered the job?
Yes
Pilot Interview Profile:
First I met with HR, they were very pleasant. It was very frantic the day I interviewed because the night before a tornado wrecked two ATR's at GSO. HR just went over paperwork to see if everything was correct. Next it was simulator time. The evaluator was a man that used to work where I Work now full time, and he asked if I knew certain people, and I told him that they still work there, and I see them almost everyday, so it was a small world moment. The simulator is a Jeppesen desk top model, that's VERY sensitive, especially in roll. I had to fly it with just the thumb and first finger, I found that using both hands just the thumb and first finger keeps it steady. You have to keep the miniture airplane precisely on the horizon line to hold altitude. We took off climb to 4000 leveled off and did two steep turns, to get used to it. Next came the approach to VOR 24 HKY. I approached from west of the airport and did the full approach. The approach has a course change at the VOR that's easy to overlook. Then step down DME fixes to the airport. Really it was just basic Instrument flying. Next I waited for the chief pilot, Mr Hardy, and he interviewed me for about an hour, it was very casual, he told me all the bad things about cargo flying like being up all night and having to live within 100 miles of your base.But the flip side is your home every day and weekends. Holidays usually off. If your a "floater" pilot you get one week off every five weeks. I thanked him for his time, and three days later they called me for a position in the ATR in RDU.
Date Interviewed: February 2005
Summary of Qualifications:
CFI,II,MEI, ATPw, 2100/400, Part 135
Were you offered the job?
No
Pilot Interview Profile:
I had heard and read a lot of good things about Mountain Air and had been
seding them my resume for two years solid. Finally the call came and an interview
was granted. At this point I must say that I did not find them to be as good
natured as I thought that I might. I first met with Joy from HR. She was
very nice and really took time to explain things to me. There were no HR
questions. Then I waited about 30 minutes to meet with Mr. Tom Hardy, the
Part 121 Chief Pilot. I found him to be less than cordial. As soon as I met
him he marched me down to their company PCATD to fly the usual profile (no
get to know you chat, straight to the gas chamber). This consisted of some
steep turns and then I flew the HKY VOR/DME 24 Appch. Remember to turn your
OBS to 228 after passing the VOR inbound. I believe a lot more emphasis is
placed on this computer game than previously stated. Once this was completed
he had me escorted to his office where I waited for about 10 minutes and
then he appeared and asked me if I had any questions (which I did). I then
asked him if he had any for me and he said, 'NO'. He quite honestly seemed
in a hurry to get rid of me and I had felt that way from the moment I first
met him. It was almost like I had just dropped in unannounced into his office
expecting to meet him instead of this being a formal interveiew that THEY
called me in for! I was very dissapointed. Not because I was not selected,
merely in the lack of a professional manner in which I felt that Mr. Hardy
conducted the process. Maybe my case is isolated, I am not sure. What I can
tell you from extracting teeth, I mean information from Mr. Hardy is that
they fly F-27's and ATR 42's and 72's and Cessna Caravan's. The F.O. pay
for the ATR's is 25k per year salary and the Caravan pay is 33K per year
salary. You can be based anywhere in their system to include South America
(kind of a tough commute). The first week of training is conducted at their
office at 'Little Mountain Airport' after that you go off to your respective
aircraft system school (usually down in Miami). Well, that is about it, I
got the rejection letter 2 days later (he must have been writing it as I
was waiting in his office).
Date Interviewed: September 2000
Summary of Qualifications:
NA
Were you offered the job?
Don't Know
Pilot Interview Profile:
The process is very relaxed and you will meet with at
least three people:
Human Resources:
Fill out some paperwork (make their job easy and bring
your employment and references all ready). There is no HR interview to
speak of but remember you are always interviewing while here. Also if it's
on a Friday, that is casual day here but not for you; blue suit, white
shirt nice tie, black shoes etc.
Simulator Ride:
You will be asked to fly a PCATD complete with props,
throttles and rudder pedals. Everyone gets something different but the
minimum will be a take off, vectors to a VOR and VOR approach and a landing.
Some get the ILS and the VOR, some get a hold and the VOR. All depends
upon how well you fly and who is doing the sim ride. It will be either
the Director of Training or the one of the others in the department. All
are really nice guys/gals. You will be single pilot so remember to make
appropriate calls, LOWER THE GEAR, etc. You usually will fly the full procedure.
Just be proficient in your scan and procedures and you will do just fine!
Director of Ops/Chief Pilot/Asst.. Chief Pilot.
You might get to meet all three or at least two of the
three. Again, casual and they just want to get to know you. Could get some
technical questions about what you are currently flying etc. Be yourself
and you will do fine.
Most are offered the job on the spot or within three to
five days.
