Looking for JALways/WASINC info

[Resocha]

16 hour time change, better? You wrote the "success rate for new-hires". I am referring to the success rate "to be a new-hire"...as in...what is the percentage of the guys showing up for interviews ended up getting hired. Can't put it any simpler than that

Your original post refered to "success rate" only, so now I see the confusion. Yes, the interview success rate is really low. Each class only has 8 pilots, thousands apply, and a few dozen get interviewed.

I still don't understand your time change problem. There are 24 hours in a day, so the farthest you can be from your home time is 12 hours. Between ORD and JFK is 8 hours. If it's midnight in NY, it's 0800 in FRA, which is 16 hours one way around the world, but it's only really an 8 hour difference. Are you simply saying that the commute itself requires 16 hours of travel time? Help me out...

 

[(o) (o)]

Dude, let's give this time zone thing a rest.

 

[Resocha]

Dude, let's give this time zone thing a rest.

It's no big deal, I'm just trying to understand. Where do you work now?

 

[135Drvr]

Wasinc Notes

I just posted my interview experience on Willflyforfood and aviationinterviews.com. Here it is for all of you:

WASINC, 8 – 10 MAR 06​

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I contacted their chief pilot after having seen a letter he posted on my current company’s MEC web board. He expressed sympathy for our plight and offered a chance at doing some contract work for JAL. A nice letter I thought, so I E-mailed him my resume. The next day he called me and told me all about the company: pay, benefits, etc. A few days later their personnel manager called me and we had a mini-telephone interview. “Why do you want to work for us?” He then set up the interview date. There are a few paper work hurdles to jump through – background investigations, FAA record requests, company contacts and such but no big deal. OK, now to the meat.

Day 1 is free, positive space travel from your home to DEN. It’ll be an early departure to arrive in DEN by 1PM so it’ll be a long day. Check-in at the company paid Renaissance Denver Hotel. You’ll get a package with a schedule of events for your group and the most important thing “the profile” for the sim eval. You’ll have a much easier time if you can get your hands on this thing before hand from somebody who’s interviewed already. It lists all the crazy call-outs (SPEED CHECK, FLAPS TWO ZERO, SPEED BUG ONE SIX ZERO, etc, etc, etc) that they what to hear during your check. STUDY IT from the first minute! There are 6 candidates per interview class. The other candidates in my group were all fairly young corporate or commuter types with tons of hours. I was the only old fart with a major airline. At 3:45 the testing began. Don’t sweat these tests. I’d recommend getting the ASVAB test book to prepare. There were simple math problems (Bob bought 5 apples for a quarter), vocabulary (phlegmatic), science (who invented the steam engine, the telephone), spatial orientation (pick the object on the right that is the same as that on the left just rotated), Picture stories (arrange the pictures (3-6 of them) to tell a story), literature and the arts. All tests are timed and you probably won’t finish any of them. The “cultural adaptability” test is the only written test and it’s just common sense. I don’t think it matters how well you do on these, it’s just a hoop to jump through and to see how well rounded you are. After the timed tests we had a break and the company bought us all dinner- nice. After dinner we took the MMPI, the most ridiculous test ever conceived. Just remember that you are a good person, you loved both your mother and father but your mom a little more, and that all humans have some faults -- and you’ll do fine. One guy had to take it twice but I think it was a cultural thing since he was French born. There is a rumor that a guy in the last group took it 3 times. We were finished by 8P.M.
DAY 2 began at 6AM with the company paid breakfast buffet- again, nice- followed by the 7AM “this is WASInc” presentation given by the founder/CEO. On the surface it seems like a great story and you can almost buy into it, but you need to look at it as a professional. The REAL story is: QUESTION: “How do I run a really cheap contract operation?” ANS: You recruit a bunch of flight attendants from a poor foreign country, team them up with high time, experienced, but under-paid/under-employed (corporate/commuter) or down on their luck (furloughed) pilots and flight engineers, then pay them HALF of what they should be making but more than what they’re getting now. SIMPLE. I don’t mean this in a derogatory way at all; like they say in the GOD FATHER; it’s not personal, it’s business. But I digress… The 15 min (yes, you read it right) interviews follow after the presentation. Mine consisted of: “How did you get interested in flying”. I gave them a 5 minute spiel on my life and then we just chatted about the state of the industry. That was it! No F’in human resource A-hole or the “if you were a vegetable what one would you be” or “tell me about a time when you F’ked up” crap. It was really very low key. I don’t think this is the kind of interview where you should try to “SELL” yourself; one guy tried it that way and got sent home the next morning – just be likable. I think they’re trying to find out if you’re the kind of guy they could spend 10 hours in the cockpit with. After the interviews you will go over the SIM profile with one of the Asst. chief pilots. He’ll explain it in detail. It is done in three parts and set at MSP 30L: 1. Short Taxi and T.O. Rwy Hdg to 3000’, Left OR right turn direct NARCO, Climb to 4000’. At NARCO turn left or right to 090 or 150 (direction of turn is the same as the one at T.O.), Start Timing and descend to 3000’ @ 1000’/Min. Just after level off, make a 180 (you do the math) to intercept the localizer and land. Be careful which way you turn inbound. 2. Start on the runway, take-off Rwy Hdg to 1200’ turn left OR right on Radar vectors; climb to 4000’; Vectors to the ILS; on base turn descend to 3000’ and intercept. At 1000’ take over visually and land (they turn off the ILS). 3. Frozen at 4000’ on a dog leg to final. Just after the motion starts you get an engine failure. Run the memory items, then descend to 3000’, level off, intercept the ILS and land. During all of these you’ll be changing flap settings and making lots of required call outs!
After the briefing you’ll have a few hours to study and then go to the SIM. You’ll be split into two groups of three, chosen from high flight time to low. High time guys go 1st. Each of you will fly the profile from the left seat and cycle through the right seat. The Right seat is just to work the automation and get familiar with the sim – no flying. It’s probably best to go 2nd or 3rd if you can. There is no motion for this “Practice” session. You ARE being evaluated though!
DAY 3 Depending on how you did on your interview and in the SIM, you’ll get a call telling you what time your check ride is OR when to get your flight home! You’ll fly the exact same profile for the JAL evaluators but this time the motion is ON. After everyone is finished you’ll wait an eternity for the phone call to tell you how you did and then get your flight home.

My luck for this interview was all bad. I was non-current from being off for a while and the SIM I booked to practice, broke. In hind sight I should have just tried to re-schedule the interview. Day one was a very long day as was Day 2. I was one of the last in the SIM and we didn’t finish until after midnight. I didn’t sleep well at all either night. My practice SIM was pretty ugly but I got a little better by the end. I actually ASKED to get sent home! I think they took pity on me and somehow they allowed me to go to the EVAL the next day. At some point during my second sleepless night, the light bulb went off in my head – IT’S A SIMULATOR! Get the airspeed you want, set the pitch and power, fine tune, and LET GO! You can’t try to FLY this thing!
My EVAL was late in the morning and I sucked up as much caffeine as I could to try to stay awake; I was literally shaking when I sat down in the sim. I flew part one damn near flawlessly and greased the landing. Unfortunately though, I think I had shot my load. I was exhausted! I was “punch drunk” for parts two and three and got a little sloppy. I even started joking around with the Japanese Captain, which probably wasn’t too smart.
Over all I’d have to say that it was a pleasant experience. The only negative part is the $45 membership fee to apply ( HACS and IASCO don’t charge) but for a stress free interview session it’s probably worth it. The fact that I didn’t get an offer was of my own doing and certainly had nothing to do with any “company age agenda”. I was selected as an “Alternate” which may be because they liked me and wanted to do me a favor - you see if you “Fail” this process you can’t apply again and none of the other Japanese or contract companies will touch you.

Hope this helps. GOOD LUCK

 

[AlbieF15]

Not to sound too Informercial, but we now offer sim prep specifically for these profiles. We've got a world-class former NWA guy who does a great job getting folks ready for the sim eval.

Helmsman--nice to see you off earning a living on the skies instead of the waves. Glad its going so well!

 

[135Drvr]

Now you tell me!!! Any job openings in the Sim? I might need one soon.

Helmsman - it was great meeting you guys. You went above the call in my case. Sorry I won't be seeing you on the line. Rick

Not to sound too Informercial, but we now offer sim prep specifically for these profiles. We've got a world-class former NWA guy who does a great job getting folks ready for the sim eval.

Helmsman--nice to see you off earning a living on the skies instead of the waves. Glad its going so well!

 

[X man]

Jal members and their smoking.

Yea but the average Japanese does smoke, drink lots of fine rice wine and bear, whisky,(american, although the japanese whisky is very good) if they can afford it, but their diet is one of the lowest for cholesterol,(did I spell that right), any you rarely see FAT Japanese, so the medical is a Japanese style medical. You work with the Japanese, you do it the Japanese way.

X man

 

[135Drvr]

Guys I forgot to mention something important. They are interviewing something like 72 for only 8 positions. It seems the medical at the Mayo clinic is a real bear and washes out a lot of candidates.

If you're down to your last few bucks or you're not in the best shape, think hard about mortgaging the house to buy Sim time and pinning all your hopes on this. You probably have better odds in Vegas.

Not to say it wouldn't be a bad job, I think it's pretty good given the current environment; it's just a long shot.

 

[cole]

Anyone have tips for the medical?

Thx

 

[coastinout]

Just out of curiousity, is the color vision test for these guys the same two page dot test the FAA uses? I have a hard time with that test, but was cleared by a regional flight surgeon as not being color blind. What would the Japanese do if I didn't pass some other test, but showed them my letter from the FAA saying I am not color blind.
Any info would be appreciated. I just don't want to waste alot of time and money if they will bounce me on the medical.
Best of luck to all.
Coastinout