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Interview Profile

• Initial phone screening after application
  • Verification of application/resume information
  • Why do you want to work for us?
  • Are you prepared to relocate?
  • Tell me about yourself?
  • How did you get into aviation?
  • If successful, offer to interview live.
• Non-rev travel provided to interivew site (LGA, MCO, etc.)
• Turn in logbooks and paperwork (in order requested)
• Interview day starts with initial briefing from Colgan Air pilots
• 20 rapid fire questions, given a few seconds to answer each
• Written test
  • Don't have to take if you have completed the ATP written (bring results with you)
  • 50 question Multiple choice test covering FAR Part 91, FAR Part 121, Aerodynamics, Airports and Airspace, IFR regulations, weather, Jepp approach plates, and en route charts. Review these sections in the Gliem
  • Must pass to move on to HR interview
• Interview covering Technical and Human Resource areas
  • see questions bank below
  • Must pass to move on to simulator
• Simulator Evaluation
  • Raw data (no flight director)
  • Simulator evaluation is conducted in either the B1900C or B1900D (no appreciable difference)
  • You will be paired with another applicant and will switch seats with them, coordinate with them and use them as non-flying pilot as much as possible
  • Given briefing sheet with checklist, configurations, airspeeds, throttle settings
  • If you don't have a partner the sim instructor will act as the First Officer
• Notification comes 2-3 weeks after interview

Interview Question Bank

20 rapid fire questions, given a few seconds to answer each

• Who is vice president of US?
• Who was Captain of Enola Gay?
• Who is secretary of state?
• Name Lindberg's plane?
• Where did it land?
• Last years best picture winner?
• Who won the Super Bowl?
• Name a Grammy winner last year?
• Who was the first person to step foot on the moon?
• Who was baseball's MVP last year?

Written test

• Where would you expect wind shear when flying through or near the jet stream?
• You see a standing lenticular cloud at the top of a mountain, where would you expect to encounter turbulence?
• Ambient lapse rate?
• Advection fog?
• Thunderstorms and their stages?
• Alternate requirements
• holding
• Visual Decent Points
  • Do precision approaches have VDPs?
  • hat is a VDP.
  • When on a non-precision approach do you have to wait to the VDP to descend to the runway if you have it in sight?
• You have to cross over the tops of thunderstorms by 1000 feet for every 10 kts of wind.
• IFR lost communication procedures
• Identify runway marking signs
• Why is there no blue line on the B1900's IAS?

Technical Questions

• Choose the multi-engine aircraft you would be most comfortable talking about out of your logbook
• Be prepared to describe any of the systems on the aircraft you choose (Power Plant, Landing Gear, Fuel, Electrical, Props, Flaps, V speeds, etc.)
• How does a turbine engine work?
• What type of Ice have you encountered before?
• What are the different types of Ice?
• What are the types of fog?
• What is the effect of an aft CG?
• What is adverse yaw?
• Brief this approach plate (ILS 16 HPN)
  • What is decision height?
  • When can you go below it?
  • what does the height in parentheses next to the MDA or DH represent?
  • What would be your missed approach procedure?
  • How would you enter the hold on the missed? Which way would you turn for a teardrop entry? How long will you fly outbound?
• Be able to read a METAR & TAF
• What are your maximum holding speeds?
• What are your max speeds below 10,000', under shelf of Bravo, in class C, class D?
• If you descend on an ILS to the DH and you can see the approach lights can you descend further?
• Describe how a constant speed propeller works
• Describe how a fuel injected engine works?
• What is carb ice? How do you know you have it?
• If you had to descend 3000', what rate of descent would you use and how far out would you start your descent?
• You're on the GS and the visibility drops to half mile, can you continue? Where is the final approach fix? Why does that matter?
• Describe the landing gear of your current airplane.
• Describe the engines on your current airplane.
• Describe the electrical system of your current airplane.
• Define Vmc.
• Define critical engine
• What is your current Engine failure on takeoff procedure?
• What factors affect Vmc?
• What is the most dangerous type of ice?

Human Resource Questions

• Why Colgan?
• Your time is at our minimums, prove to us you can get through training
• What do you have to offer Colgan?
• Describe how you have been building your time
• Tell us a little bit about yourself
• What was the most recent airplane you've flown?
• Describe the fuel system in that airplane.
• Why do you want to work for Colgan over other airlines?
• Who do you know at Colgan.
• Would you be willing to relocate?
• Which aircraft would you prefer?
• Why do you want that airplane?
• What do you think you could contribute to the company?
• Why should we hire you over all of the other applicants here today?
• What is one flaw you have?
• You're on a three day trip with a CA for whom you can do nothing right...what do you do?
• Your CA seems to have no regard for the rules, what do you do?
• What was your worst day in Aviation?
• What would you do if your captain went below minimums?
• Tell us the good qualities of a captain.
• Tell us about your previous job.
• Tell us about any failed check rides.
• Why do you want tot be an airline pilot?
• Tell us about an emergency (or difficult) you've had in an airplane?
• Tell us about yourself?
• How did you get started in aviation?
• Any questions for us?
• TMAAT you disagreed with a Captain.
• What do you know about the Q400?
• What would you do if the Captain went below minimums?

Simulator Evaluation

• Profile 1
  • Take off Runway 16 at HPN
  • Continue climb while turning to a heading, level at 3000'
  • Go direct CARMEL VOR and hold as published (or LGA VOR)
  • If the entry is briefed correctly, you may get radar vectors prior to the hold
  • Radar vectors to ILS 16 at HPN.
  • Fly the ILS approach to minimums, be prepared to land even though they may have said earlier that they would freeze the sim at decision altitude
• Profile 2
  • LGA 1 Departure with Whitestone climb
  • Climb to 5000
  • Turns left and right
  • Direct LGA VOR, given holding instructions
  • Brief entry correctly, then probably won't fly it
  • Descend to 3000
  • Vectors for the LGA ILS 9
  • Break out at minimums

Comments

• Human Resource director= Cathy Angelo, V.P. Safety and Compliance= Dave Vance, Chuck Colgan=Chuck Colgan (11/02/07)
• Don't forget to talk to your interviewers during lunch (11/02/07)
• Interview begins as stated with a phone interview, with an interview offer. If accepted, they fly you non-rev positive space to the interview site LGA, MCO, wherever. Turn in logbooks and paperwork in the order they asked for it. If that all looks good to them you stay and take the 50 question ATP written. (REGARDLESS OF HAVING DONE THE WRITTEN OR EVEN HAVING YOUR ATP). If you pass the written you stay for the technical/HR interview. If you pass that you stay and fly the Beech 1900 SIM around a little. We left without knowing the final results and were told 2 weeks before hearing anything, which could be better or worse or the same as those sent packing early with a definitive \"No Thanks\". Very nice people, honest, enthusiastic to hire you, and generally want to hire you.  (02/19/10)