Air Cargo Carriers interview

[machaf]

So your excues for not putting the gear down is....?

Remember gang, interviews are suposed to be difficult. This job is difficult at times. If it wasn't, a computer would have all our jobs by now!

And it isn't as if you didnt know what to expect, the gouge is pretty thick!

I know it is disapointing but coming on here and saying anything that could be interpreted as negitave is a bad idea! This is a small industry!

You messed up...admit it...learn form it...move on.

BTW. From what I hear, they are hiring plenty of people. So somebody knows how to fly that thing.


SET RTOP, FLAPS 15!!!

If you read my post I made no excuse for not putting the gear down. I attributed it to me FIXATING on altitude/glide slope control.

I know plenty of people who have passed the sim. So I blame nobody but my self.
I didn't say anything negative about the company.

 

[Photoflight]

BTW. From what I hear, they are hiring plenty of people. So somebody knows how to fly that thing.

Tell 'em to hurry up and call me would you.

 

[SkyBoxFO]

I really think everyone needs a gear midget that jumps out everytime you forget 'gear down, three green'. Seems like a common problem, let me know if anyones interested in the midget idea.

 

[Elie7Elie]

Here's how it went step by step, it will also be posted on aviation interviews.com

Started at 8 a.m. with the written test, straight off the FAA written instrument, so no big surprises, passed wihtout a problem. First guy goes in the sim, did not pass and was sent home, I was the second one in. I have read at flightinfo.com by a previous applicant that they make you take off at JVL Wisconsin and then go to MSN do a hold and shoot approaches, so I practiced doing approaches into MSN. I also practiced on the King Air because I knew the power settings. To my surprise, it was totally different airports being used. Allright, that's fine I was up to it. You are given a few minutes to look over approaches and set up the radios. He had the Baron set up, but I asked him if I can use the King Air instead and he was ok with that. I was to take off MKE and go to Kenosha I beleive is the name of the airport never heard of it before as I have never flew in Wisconsin. First mistake I made and 1 of only 2, was not set the flaps for take off. You are expected to set everything on your own. No big deal, just took me longer to rotate. Took off MKE and proceeded to a VOR via radar vectos. Everything is going fine no problem, did a hold, did it good that he did not even make me hold once, I did my tear drop, turned around and centered the needle all while maintaining my altitude. Now time to shoot an ILS. At first I thought he would pause the sim so I can brief the approach and take a look at it one more time. Not so, I asked him if he wants me to brief the approach, he said as far as I am concerned, you are a single pilot, so you can brief it to yourself. Well, yeah, in real life, for 135 I would either have an autopilot, or an SIC that would take over flying so I can look over the approach. But that's fine, I was up the challenge, I devided my attention while being vectored for the ILS and looked over the approach one more time and set up my radios and navs. He brought me in tight so that my glideslope started to come in before my LOC was alive, no problem hapens in real life all the time, gear down flaps down and as soon as I got established on the LOC I was already passing OM. Ok fine, now time to set up my radios for the missed. The missed was an NDB, and my NDB needle was dead. So now I am thinking shoot, how am I going to go missed? Missed was climb to 2400 and then turn to NDB so I concentrated on shooting the ILS and I figured I would deal with the NDB later. Stayed on the LOC and Glideslope all the way down! had a lot of problems keeping the GS centered, espescially at the end because the yoke would get stuck. I would try to make very small correction in the yoke, but nothing would move in the airplane, when I try to pull a little bid harder on it, it woudl spring! Like it would get stuck on something then offloads! Never the less, still was on my GS and LOC at DH. Of course no contact so going missed, gear up accelerated to flaps up speed and flaps up, and yes I did remember to put the gear down during the ILS, cause my cue was the GS and I also looked over the checklist at 500 feet and said to myself gear down 3 green. Now on the missed, I am climbing, I was trying to figure out what the heck is going on with the NDB. He had actually told me before we started the sim session that sometimes the NAV2 stops working, I had just forgot about it in all that mess, but never the less, before I got to 2400 feet he told me that plans were changed and gave me a heading to go to. He vectored me around now for a VOR approach. And here's where things went wrong. During practices, my reminder to put the gear down is one dot below on ILS and on non-precison usually after I finish my procedure turn and get established on the final approach fix. He brought me in tight again and high this time for a VOR approach. I was at 3000 feet and the procedure turn altitude is 2500, plus the OM altitude is 2000 and MDA is 1200 feet. That's fine, you do get into those situation in the real world, especially in the northeast so that's not unreasonable. I was at about 6 DME at 3000 feet during the intercept and the OM is at 4 DME at 2000 feet, the MDA was at the VOR at 1200 feet. Ok, so I have 6 miles in a King Air to loose 1800 feet, no big deal. Except that now my attention was focused on loosing the altitude as quickly as I can and this is where I forgot to put the gear down. In addition to that, I was also still irritated because I could not figure out why I the NDB was not working. But even with all these challenges I did it! I descended fast enough that I was holding the airplane at 1200 for a little bit before I saw the runway lights. I could have easily ran the checklist and realized that the gear was not down, but did not do it. Off course, I landed on the runway with gears up and crashed the airplane. No excuses whatsoever. In real life I always remember to do my GUMP at 500 feet, and this time I was distracted and forgot. So I have no one to blame but me. He looked me at the end and he said "man you did so good on the whole session, but there is nothing I can do once you crash the sim, it's out of my hands. I would love to have you back in six month as you did well on the written and on the sim. If you don't get another job in 6 months please reaply". He did everything as it would happen in real life. For example on the ILS missed approach while I was trying to figure out what the heck was going on with my NDB needle, I went off my heading, and he said "night cargo 100 say heading" and that's when I looked and saw I was off the rnw heading and came back to it. That's exactly what ATC does in real life. he did not do anything that would not happen in real life.

I am no cry baby, if someone puts me up to a challenge I do it. If I fail, at least I know I tried and I did my best.

wheelsup, it's true AWAC makes you do a single pilot approach in the King Air. According to the gouges, you can see the whole session and download the profile from pearlaviation.com I think you can practice it a day before as well. Also, IBC, Merlin and Air Florida Cargo all are 135 cargo operators that either use an autopilot or SIC. And so does ACC, no autopilot, but at least an SIC. That's why I said in real life . . .

Does that mean that ACC put me in an unfair situation? NO, I was presented with a challenge, I steped up to the plate and I failed. There are many other pilots that had to go through the same thing I did and they succeeded. There are no excuses. You can bet now I'll never forget to put the gear down for the rest of my life. And good thing it happened in the sim and not in real life. I am actually looking at it in a positive way.

Again that is why I erased the origional post, because I did not want anyone to think I was complaing. Alas! I did not do it fast enough.

 

[SkyBoxFO]

Sim info: Its is Microsoft Flight Sim 2004. You sit in a chair in front of a computer screen that is built into a wooden wall. There is a simple throtte set-up along with plastic rudder pedals and a nav stack that is comparable to a Frasca 142. The interview sits a another computer screen that has an ATC view.

Sim Flight: The instructor allows you to look over the controls/nav stack and ask any questions and also briefs you on how to use everthing. After that he gives you a stack of plates and a map and asks you to plan a x-country to an airport about 50 miles away. You find a route, write down all the freq's and anything esle you need. No time/distance stuff. After takeoff you intercept your air way and he may give you a hold along the way. When arriving at the airport I shot a VOR/DME and had to go missed, do the published missed, and then be vectored for an ILS. the ILS was to a full stop landing. There are no tricks or emergencies along the way, the important thing to remember is to talk your way through everything, brief the approach and tune & Identify. Basically 2 approaces and 2 holds for me.
The Sim ride is based on a point scale, so one mistake probably won't mean much. I could be wrong, but at the end he had a list and everything had a score next to it. If you pass the sim, you move on.

The only other things are the HR interview and the Instrument written.

 

[flyinlow67]

First mistake I made and 1 of only 2, was not set the flaps for take off. You are expected to set everything on your own. No big deal, just took me longer to rotate.

Actually, it can be a big deal. A REALLY big deal in some aircraft. The "No Big Deal" attitude is what will keep you from getting hired quicker than forgetting something in a sim.
Accidents are a chain of "no big deals".

 

[Elie7Elie]

boy this is never going to end. Everything I say now is going to be disected and misunderstood. Yes, not setting the flaps is a BIG deal, that's why Northwest DC-9 crashed and that's why Douglas added a warning horn when you push the throttle forward without settings flap.

So clarification: The no big deal in my previous statement, is not that it's no big deal not to set the flaps, it's no bid deal meaning I realized the mistake but moved on and focused on what to come

 

[wheelsup]

boy this is never going to end

It's never going to end because you sound like a whiny b!tch.

While its true you fly an ILS at AWAC, when you go for the real sim interview it's a different approach, so your theory about looking at the profile is invalid. I can't believe you're whining about not being able to fly the approaches before the interview.

If I remember correctly you never even used the Nav2 on the interview @ ACC. I used the Nav 1 and RMI exclusively. The sim guy told me that before I even started...

Also, why did you pick the king air? The baron flies much slower. I can understand you picked it because you had time in it, but c'mon, use some common sense here.

~wheelsup

 

[Elie7Elie]

"While its true you fly an ILS at AWAC, when you go for the real sim interview it's a different approach, so your theory about looking at the profile is invalid."

According the the gouges and the sim profile, on the day before you practice the ILS 7R in MKE. On the interview date, you do the ILS 29 in ATW and you are told so and given a copy of the approach. Also, on the interview date, they stop the sim, have you look over the approach and brief it. They actually tell you that even though it is a King Air, they have set up the profile as it is a jet and want you to see you manage it as such (Don't mess with the prop settings) They excpect you to check airspeed at 80 kts and annouce check, climb up to 1000 feet and accelerate to flaps up speed, call 1000 above DH, 500 above DH, 100 above DH, etc. They don't make you hold, they just want to see if you call the right entry. They fail the ADI on the missed but just want to see if you notice it and then they end the session, they don't make you enter or fly the holding pattern without the ADI.

Wheelsup, did I call you names? Why are you calling me by names then?

 

[N7167L]

Elie7Elie,

Many thanks for the detailed report!
(I hope ACC gives me a call!)

Hang in there; only some light-chop... you will find smooth-air ahead.