Interview Questions and Scenarios for Majors/Regionals/Frac/et al.

[Amish RakeFight]

Here's something I found on another board. It's credited to a poster by the name of "Crewdog" at airlinepilotforums.

Being the best Captain you can be. Notes from a Crewdog.

Here are some scenarios myself and others have encountered during my 7 years as a Captain at Express on both the ATR and the ERJ. Some of these scenarios are "no-win", other times there are many different ways of solving the problem and arriving at a successful conclusion.

One thing I want to emphasize is that you should no longer worry about flying the airplane, doing the weight and balance, programming the FMS or getting tied down in details you can hand off to the FO. The Captain’s job is to MANAGE the aircraft, keep the big picture and make safe decisions. The crew, passengers, ATC, Dispatch, ramp and gate personnel are all responsible to the Captain. "The Pilot in Command of an aircraft is ultimately responsible for the safe conduct of the flight." (FAR 91.3)

But with that responsibility you also need to know how to use your resources for the best and safest outcome of the flight. Even if it means admitting you are wrong or that someone else has a better idea. Which is sometimes the hardest thing for a new Captain to do even if it is the best thing. It was for me sometimes.

As you run through these scenarios when you think "I’d say this or do that." I want you to do/say it aloud. You will realize that SAYING you would verbalize something and ACTUALLY verbalizing it are two different things. Now that you are done with the Sim portion of the training you need to move on to simulated interpersonal problems, which can sometimes be the hardest part of the job since there is no checklist to follow and the wrong words to the wrong person could get you in disciplinary trouble. Yes, every one of these things has happened to me or someone I know. None are made up.

Recommended/mandatory reading for new Captains:
Dr. Anthony Kern, LTC USAF; "Flight Discipline" and "Redefining Airmanship".
Ernest K. Gann; "Fate is the Hunter"


General Situations
-Great Captains are made not born: Why you should be including your FO in your planning/decision making.
-Customs in a foreign country pulls one of your crewmembers off into a side room for special questioning. What are your rights, what should you do?
-TSA is inappropriately wanding your female FA. What do you do? What are her rights?

-You are very close to departure and there is chaos in the jetway with many ground personnel all giving you conflicting information, getting in your FA’s way and wanting to close the MCD and pull the stairs/jetway for an on-time departure. What do you do?
-Gate agent pulls jetway/stairs from aircraft, leaving the Main Cabin Door open to the ramp.
-Scheduling argues with you about required rest on a reduced rest overnight.
-You arrive at the hotel after extensive delays for a reduced rest overnight. The hotel informs you they have sold your rooms and all they have are smoking rooms with couchbeds.
-You are put on the same floor as a wedding party/convention/group for a reduced rest overnight with a very early wakeup and a 12 hour day scheduled. You can’t sleep because of the noise in the hallway from people partying and running up/down the hall. What do you do?

Aircraft Problems
-Mx in other countries.
-At an outstation the station manager comes into the cockpit and says she is grounding the aircraft, it has a fuel leak. Upon inspection you see that the aircraft is being fueled and the "fuel leak" is just venting from the spark arrestor/overflow vent. You explain this to her and she states she has already called Contract Mx and the aircraft will not be allowed to move until they inspect the airplane.
-On takeoff just after getting airborne the #2 engine fire warning light illuminates then goes away. What do you do?


Weather Problems
-Dispatch says you don’t need the fuel, your gut says you do. If you add the fuel you’re going to have to bump people and or bags. Weather appears to be ok but….
-Same as above but you’re going to have to bump nonrevs, including commuting pilots.
-When would you perform a high speed abort on icy runway? What about if you have an engine failure with low ceilings in a snowstorm on an icy runway covered with anti-ice fluid with a crosswind in a place such as Halifax?

-Ugly weather day going to EWR. Dispatch lists LGA as your alternate, 8 minutes enroute, 400# of fuel. You know that if the weather is so bad in EWR everyone and their brother will be bailing to LGA and there is No Way you will make it there in 8 minutes with 400# of fuel. It’s going to be more like 30-45 minutes and you’re going to need 800-1,500# of fuel. If you want to list a more realistic alternate you’re going to have to bump passengers to get the fuel on board. What do you do?

-Ugly weather day. As you’re boarding a FA in uniform looks into the cockpit, and in a loud voice that draws the attention of every passenger within ten feet says "Now, you DO know how to fly in weather like this, right?" What if they are deadheading to an assignment? What if they are trying to go home?

-Ugly weather day with delay at outstation. While boarding a passengers draws the attention of everyone in the area by saying very loudly (trying to be funny): "Didn’t I see you at the bar during the break?"

-TSTMs ahead, you want to deviate. ATC says unable, opposite direction descending traffic. What do you do?
-Same scenario but the frequency is so clogged you cannot get your reply in. What do you do?

Cont'd.

 

[Amish RakeFight]

Cont'd.

CRM Problems
-Pilot on jumpseat insists on interrupting the checklist by interjecting "Center" for all challenge/responses. What do you do?
-Gate agent says count includes 25 with the FA jumpseater. You say What jumpseater?
-FA jumpseater shows up dressed in sandals, shorts, and an Hawaiian shirt. You tell them they can ride but they need to change. They look at you and reply "But you’re Express..."
-FA shows up for last flight of the night dressed in blue jeans to ride the jumpseat. You remind them of the dress code and they nod, you let them on because you’re a cool Captain and not one of those hardasses. The next morning they show up again for the jumpseat dressed the same way. What do you do? What about if the only seat is the jumpseat?

-A passenger has purchased 2 seats because they are claustrophobic. A FA is supposed to be riding the jumpseat but your FA reports they are talking to the passenger, trying to persuade them to let them ride in that seat.

-You have severe problems at home, are possibly looking at a divorce and know you’re not 100% but have to come in even though your mental state is only 50% or less. How do you handle it?

-Passenger appears intoxicated and demands to see the Captain while taxiing out.
-While performing the Receiving Aircraft Checklist you are grabbed from behind by the shoulder and turned around. A passenger has entered the cockpit, is waving their ticket at you and demanding you make the FA change their seat.
-FA comes to you on day 2 of a 4 day and says "You’re really confusing me with the way you do things, and I’ve been here longer than you so here’s how you’re going to do it from now on."

-FO/FA appears to be intoxicated.
-FO keeps trying to start a political/religious argument.
-You’re on a roll of bad landings and the FO is on a roll of greasers. He lords it over you, even making comments in front of passengers or mocking you to the FA.

-2nd leg of a 4 day. Taxiing out you call for Flaps 9 and the taxi checklist. The FO rolls his eyes, looks at you and says "Are you one of those guys that’s going to make me run EVERY checklist?!!"
-FO is sweaty and appears flushed. You ask if he feels ok and he replies that he has had the flu for 3 days but needs to save his sick calls for a concert he’s going to next week.
-FA appears all sweaty and appears flushed. You ask if they feel ok and they reply that they have the flu but they are on termination warning for sick calls. You can hear them hacking through the bulkhead.

-After the in-range ACARS you note you are getting a new FA for the next leg. You query your current FA and she states she was sick all night, called scheduling this morning but said she could get the flight to the base. She states she has been in the lav most of the flight so a passenger did the service for her. Are there any implications of her actions?

-FO hitting on FA, who does not like it.
-FA hitting on you, despite you telling him/her to knock it off.
-FO/FA hooked up the night before and now there’s a tenseness in the air.
-You see one of your crew members drinking in the bar within the 12 hour limit. What about within the 8 hour limit?
-The FA is underage, the FO takes her drinking. Do you get involved?

-FA has never seen an Orthodox Jew. They are praying, saying their prayers and swaying back and forth. FA is convinced they are an Islamic Terrorist and want you to divert.
-In flight the Cabin Emerg light in the ICU illuminates. You try to raise the FA but there is no response. You look through the peephole and they are calmly sitting in 1A. What do you do?

-The FO insists on pounding through the buildups along your flight path (even using the autopilot in HDG mode to go through them) instead of making deviations around them. When you remind him about passenger comfort and the possibility of the FA being injured they sneer at you.

-The FO pulls 7 Jepp revisions out of his flight case and say, "One of these days I gotta get caught up. Think I can just get a new set of Jepps?" What if you were outbound from your hub? What if you were inbound?
-FO appears every day unshaven, uniform dirty, tie hanging around his neck. When you tell him to clean up and look professional he tells you when he’s paid like a professional he’ll look like one.

-During the pairing the FO tells you that you are in HIS seat and gives you attitude during the trip.
-You meet the FO and he says "I hear you’re a new Captain." When you reply Yes I am he says "Good, I’m senior to you so I’ll give you more IOE and show you how we do it at this base."


And probably the worst situation I ever found myself in: True story, people split about 50/50 as to what they would do and there is no middle ground. (This happened before the situation where the FAMs shot the guy.)

Labour Day weekend post 9/11. Thunderstorms and delays all day long and pushing the 16 hour duty day limit. You’re hot, frustrated, hungry, tired, and ****ed at the world. You’re running 2 hours late for your 1945 reduced rest overnight from EWR-ALB. Of course you have an aircraft swap and you tell your crew to grab some food while you get the paperwork. It’s only a 45 minute flight, what can go wrong?

As you approach the gate you see a Customer Service Agent waiting. They take you aside and tell you a story.

There is a single mom with her mentally handicapped son on board your flight. They have been travelling all day. They were bumped off 2 flights in GSP and rented a car to drive one way to RDU where they finally got on a flight to EWR. They showed up at the gate to be told the flight was oversold and they might not get on.

At that point the boy (about 10-12 years old, a bit chubby) apparently went off. He said if they did not get on the flight he was going to hijack the airplane and hoped everyone would DIE! The mom explained to the gate agent that the boy was bipolar and his medication had been locked up in the baggage compartment during the RDU-EWR leg. After he went off she was able to get access to her suitcase and had medicated him about an hour ago.

The gate agent say We have open seats. Don't worry about running late, I'll take care of it. What do you want to do Captain? What about if it was a longer flight such as EWR-ORF? EWR-YHZ?

 

[learflyer]

Cont'd.

so....how bout' some answers?