Debrief-Great Lakes Interview

[T206driver]

The first thing I was impressed with I that they offerd to fly me FREE to Denver. Like WOW, this is cool. I was able to squeeze out a cheap rate at the Radison on Quebec Street and the service was first rate. $40 instead of $79- lots of pity for a poor skydive pilot.
I was very lucky to walk in on some training given in a simulator, very cut and dried. I got a heads up on what was being tested. Just a simple ILS with a missed approach and return for a parrallel entry to a hold. Really nice drop manuvers, to bad I couldn't stay on the protected side. crap. :crap
The sim was a computor with standard controls that utilized a Bonanza A36 and they kept it simple.
For questioning , IO got a HR senior gal and a 1900 first officer. He looked young enough to be my kid! Sheesh. Got q'ed on JEPP charts and Jepp plates and I grew up on NOS. Just common stuff between the types. She asked, "What was the dummest thing you ever did in an airplane"? That was fun. He asked about alcohol on the Capt's. breath and frost on the wings. Very quick and very relaxed. They have been hiring 20 people a month, so HR is kinda frazzled. It was a quick and educatuional experience. Thanks for your input.

 

[liv'n_on_credit]

Did you get the job?

 

[T206driver]

I was one of the first one's in so they would not tell me right then and there. It so happends that I caught the HR gal I interviewed with later in the day. She said, they are looking at a number of different options so she really didn't know on hiring status. At least I gave it a fair try and recieved some valuable experience.

 

[eaglefly]

Better luck next time.

Any interview experience is good and using the worst of the regionals (company, NOT pilots) to get interview experience is actually good strategy.

With hiring on the increase, you may find yourself in an RJ with a better company before you know it.

You'll make out better in the long run.

 

[flyboy]

T206,

Let me guess,

You were interviewing in the right back corner of the interview room. The gal was on the left and the young looking guy on the right. Simple Enroute stuff and a question re: MEL with the ADF out and the option of the ILS or VOR approach with 400/2 mins. Which approach, can you shoot it, etc. Also, you're in Santa Fe on a 12 hour layover, what do you do? How do you handle stress? The approach in the sim was the ILS 35 into oshkosh with a missed hold on the 150 radial?

Am I getting warm? When did you interview?

 

[T206driver]

Holy Cow Flyboy. Good to meet you again. By the way, I picked the ILS because the mins were to low for a NON-Precision (VOR-DME) approach. You can sub a outer marker or radar for a compass locator. In addition, ADF was not required at the top of the ILS chart. I am an old fart of almost 42 and I recieved my Instrument Rating 14 years ago with little experience to draw from. Anyway, good to meet you again and how did your interview go? Did they offer a job right then and there?
T206 driver

 

[lurker]

T206,

Let me guess,

You were interviewing in the right back corner of the interview room. The gal was on the left and the young looking guy on the right. Simple Enroute stuff and a question re: MEL with the ADF out and the option of the ILS or VOR approach with 400/2 mins. Which approach, can you shoot it, etc.

It sounds like things have gotten a little more civil since 1999. I sat around for 8 hours in the copier room without being told anything. I was then called into the CP's office and told to sit down. Next thing I knew, the armrest was busted and laying on the ground. He stared at me incredulously and said something like "you've been here 30 seconds, and you've already broken the furniture?!"

I'm sure there are some other Lakers out there who know what I'm talking about.

Ah, good times.

 

[DCitrus9]

Armrest...

They never got tired of that stupid "you broke the armrest" gag. They are too cheap to fix the furniture, and they are too cheap to pay a proper wage.

 

[Xdriver]

Remember ground school in spencer?? .......the basement of a bowling alley oh what good times.

Once a LAKER always a LAKER

 

[flyboy]

T206,

Interviewed on Thursday. They did not offer the job right then. In talking with about 4 others that interviewed I found that they weren't either. One was told it could be 1-2 weeks b/c they still had 20 something interviews to do on Friday. I was suprised at how quickly the interview was over. I arrived (due to cheaper plane ticket) at 10 a.m. on Wed. This sucked b/c I had to sit around and agonize for 27 hours. Then you get to the interview which was only 20 mins tops and a 10 minute flight. When I walked downstairs I thought, "what the crap just happened?" Within 5 minutes I was on the bus back to the airport. As most could guess, this was my first airline interview.

 

[T206driver]

I was kinda hoping for a 2nd opinion on the chart question that was posed to me. I lucked out and caught a flight on there dime. I suppose, expending an interview on one of the less desirable operators is a good thing. I still want the job!. Tossing divers out of a King Air and then desend at 4000 Ft/Min is insane. How else can I get paid to fly multi-engine at below 500 hours?

 

[ifly4food]

I worked for Lakes back in the SPW days.

My interview was sitting around for 2 hours at the old hangar/office in Spencer, then JD swaggers up with a with a "Get in here". He looked at my logbook, pushed it back over to me saying "Whatever, you're qualified".
Then he says "See that B1900 sitting out there? If we jump in now could you fly it?" I thought for a minute... "yeah, you tell me the pitch attitudes and power setting, I could fly it". He looks over. "Great. Class starts monday. Call me tomorrow and let me know if you'll be there".

I took it... EMB 120 FO in the Eastside. Worked there a year. We had a good time back in those days, but Lakes is only a shadow of what it was then.

I'd look elsewhere if I were you.

 

[lurker]

That sounds pretty similar to the questions I was asked. The other thing he asked that cracked me up was something like "anything else I should know? any DUI's, felonies....do you have any restraining orders keeping you 500 feet away from playgrounds?"

It was all I could do not to bust up.