Airline Pilot Interview Questions and Answers
Becoming a professional airline pilot is a dream for many. However, the aviation industry is highly competitive, so if you're aiming to become a pilot, you'll need to be well-prepared for a demanding selection process, including a personal interview.
During the interview, your interviewers will assess your knowledge of the industry, your critical thinking skills, and your flying experience, among other things. The airline pilot interview questions help the airline evaluate whether you have what it takes to become a competent pilot. You'll be asked about technical expertise, situational awareness, and communication skills, which will eventually determine your capabilities.
This article is here to help you get ready for your pilot job interview. It provides a set of pilot job interview questions, each with a sample answer to assist in your preparation.
Top 15 Frequently Asked Pilot Job Interview Questions
Although the condition of flying during the night sounds intense, I am completely comfortable doing so. During my days in the flight simulators, I have been trained to fly under conditions that are challenging and flying during the nighttime is one of them. Since I have had an experience of navigating, communicating and handling several low-light scenarios, I understand that night can offer unprecedented challenges and beautiful experiences with it. Therefore, I am completely prepared to handle night time flying.
In my opinion, I think the most challenging decision I can take as a pilot is undoubtedly regarding the safety of my passengers and the aircraft. As a pilot, I must be ready to make the tough call in a situation where the safety of the passengers is compromised whether it is due to weather, technical or any other reason. My call in this situation should be clear headed and should target the safety, even if it means delaying, diverting or canceling a flight.
Mach Tuck is an aerodynamic phenomenon that occurs when the aircraft reaches a defined supersonic speed, generally ranging between 0.75 mach to 1.25 mach. This phenomenon involves the aircraft’s nose pitching down at the same time when the airflow around the wings reaches or surpasses the critical Mach number.
The aircraft’s tendency to dive under can also be called Tuck Diving and can be corrected by reducing the aircraft’s speed or adjusting the aircraft’s design to prevent disruption in the airflow.
Critical Mach, or the Critical Mach Number or simply ‘Mach Critical’ is the most important aerodynamic parameter in aviation. The critical mach defines the speed at which an aircraft’s airflow on certain parts of its wings first reaches the speed of sound, leading to a series of transonic flight conditions. When an aircraft exceeds its defined critical mach number, it can undergo several aerodynamic challenges and is thus highly considered in aircraft design and operation.
A legal missed approach can be defined as a ‘predefined procedure’ that a pilot is expected to follow if they do not find adequate conditions/factors to proceed for a safe landing. These factors may include unfavorable weather, poor visibility, or safety concerns. In simpler terms, a legally missed approach is like a backup plan for pilots when they find it unsafe to land their aircraft and follow a set of instructions to climb back into the air again or go back to a nearby airport. Legal missed Approaches are designed for safety and are approved by aviation authorities.
Summing it Up - Conclusion
Having gone through all the pilot interview technical questions and answers above, please ensure that these are the most frequently asked and common questions. However, there is a high possibility that your interviewers might not ask some of the questions explained above, depending on who is interviewing you. But keep in mind that the objective of asking you these questions will remain the same and you can alter your answers accordingly.
We advise you to prepare wholeheartedly and sincerely and face all the questions you are asked, smartly, intuitively, and with confidence. Also note that it is always better to remain silent if you do not know the answer to something, rather than saying things that don’t matter or don’t make sense. We wish you all the best with your pilot interview preparation!