Pinnacle

wheelsup said:
Kell will get to sit reserve at home on the coach with his family instead of in a crashpad. If he's anything like me, he'll actually BID reserve when he can hold a line. Yes I am that lazy :)!
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Hahahahaha - now that's some funny stuff right there! You bid reserve at 9e and you can forget the couch - the only place you're going to be sitting is the right seat of a CRJ! :D

Jason
 
kellwolf said:
So, pretty much all contact is through e-mail, from the first e-mail letting you know you got the interview to your flight confirmation and interview date and time. Positive space NR from DFW-MEM the day before and got to sleep in my own bed that night. :)

So, show up for the interview at 8 AM (30 minutes early), filled out a nametag and put the mound of paperwork in a folder with my name on it. The rest of the interviewees quickly filed in, and there were 14 of us total. We then walked from the corporate offices over to the training center, and one of the interview captains gave us a run down on the company (pay, benefits, number of a/c, bases, etc). After that, they asked for volunteers for the sim and two-on-one interviews. The rest of us got to take the written. I'll say this: if you don't study for the written, odds are you're not gonna make it past it. It's not the standard question over ATP regs (although there were a couple). A lot has to do with aerodynamics and things you may or may not have learned in your Comm or CFI training. We lost 4 to the written (one of which was out of the ERAU CAPT program, so I took perverse pleasure in seeing him go). After that, I did the two-on-one technical interview. Why Pinnacle? Jepp charts, 121 t/o alternate mins, couple of situational questions, etc. After that was the sim ride, which is where I felt I was the weakest. I'd never flown a Frasca 142 before, and it showed. ILS approach, some intercepting and tracking, and a hold. I THOUGHT I turned the wrong way on the hold entry, so I kicked myself for about a day over that. Then I was explaining what I did wrong to a student, and he said "That doesn't make sense." I drew it out and realized I DID do it right. Felt silly after that. :)

Last part was the exit interview with two captains. Once again got asked why Pinnacle, what would I do if I didn't get based in MEM (since I'm from there originally and my family is there), how would I make the jump from the Seminole to the CRJ and the infamous captain goes below MDA question. Told I'd know in a couple of days: phone call good, letter bad.

All in all the process took all day. We started out with 14 and ended with 7 (lost 4 to the written, 2 failed the sim and one said the upgrade time was going to be too long). I felt pretty tired when I left, and non-revved back on NWA to DFW that night. Waited on pins and needles for a couple of days. Took so long I assumed I was getting a letter in the mail, then got a call from HR while I was in the air saying I got the job.

Sorry, Stan. Unless you get to DFW on Fri, I'm gonna miss ya. My class date is March 6th in MEM. :)
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Kellwolf, it's no secret you and I didn't get along on this board. However, upon reading your announcement of getting hired by Pinnacle, I gave you props and wished you fun in the flight levels. I still stand behind that post, but I do find it troubling that you take pleasure in another human beings failure. The ERAU CAPT interviewee has dreams and hopes just as you do. He may even have a family to feed, and has put himself into debt to try and make his dream come true. I worked very hard to get where I am at, and I have witnessed many a family give money to their kids to pursue the dream. Not once did I wish them ill will because they were given money to make their dream come true faster while I worked 60 hours a week to fly for 1 hour a week.

To take pleasure in his/her failure, regardless of how they got there, speaks volumes of your personality. Upon learning of his failure, did you speak up about it too everyone else, or did you keep your happiness to yourself only to gloat here on this forum. Why on earth would you take pleasure in seeing another human being (your equal) fail? You do believe he is your equal don't you? Please take a moment and tell us how you are better than him as your happiness at his failure suggests.
 
I think it wasn't the fact that he went to CAPT that did it for me, it was his attitude of "I have a type rating, so this job is in the bag for me." And it's not taking pleasure is seeing the individual fail, but more of a seeing the program at ERAU not performing as they intended. I'm not going to turn this thread in a forum that is intended to give people a heads up on interviews into a CAPT bashing thread. We can move that to another forum.
 
"The ERAU CAPT interviewee has dreams and hopes just as you do"

First of all, I think it's great that a guy who bought into the CAPT program couldn't pass the Pinnacle written. Nothing personal against the guy, just against the choice in which he pursued the career. Apparently, CAPT isn't all what it's cracked up to be if a guy with a DC9 type couldn't get hired while a guy with 950/250 and a CFI background could.

Secondly, you seem to have a personal vendetta against a member of this board that you are going out of your way to push. Not sure why that is but it's making you look like a jerkoff...just thought you might want to know.
 
DE727UPS said:
"The ERAU CAPT interviewee has dreams and hopes just as you do"

First of all, I think it's great that a guy who bought into the CAPT program couldn't pass the Pinnacle written. Nothing personal against the guy, just against the choice in which he pursued the career. Apparently, CAPT isn't all what it's cracked up to be if a guy with a DC9 type couldn't get hired while a guy with 950/250 and a CFI background could.

Secondly, you seem to have a personal vendetta against a member of this board that you are going out of your way to push. Not sure why that is but it's making you look like a jerkoff...just thought you might want to know.
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I respect your opinion, however, I don't have a personal vendetta against anyone. If I had a vendetta, I certainly wouldn't give him props, and I wouldn't wish him ill will. But like I said, the guy has hopes and dreams and noone should take pleasure in another human beings failure. As I said in my post, I worked my tail off to become a CFI/CFII/MEI. I am also paying my dues to make my dreams come true. I have no hard fellings against someone who has the money to earn ratings quickly and bridge into a job I hope to get in the future, more power to em. As for looking like a jerkoff... if the shoe fits you must acquitt.
 
Kellwolf,
congrats! Did you interview with a guy named pete? hes a good friend of mine, SOCal CFI guy that got the 6th also. Best of luck!
 
Written

Kell

What would you recommend for studying for the written? I have a fellow instructor that has an interview on the 20th and is a little concerned with the test. Thanks.

UA
 
Test was probably the hardest part of the interview. Aviationinterviews.com has a pretty good gouge on the test, but make sure you check the answers as some of them are actually wrong. Best thing to do is read the question, and then look up the answer. That's what I did.

Oh, and aviationinterviews.com is actually FREE to get all the info, you just gotta know which links to click on. :)
 
He meant there is a free link and a not free link to access aviationinterviews. The test isn't in it's completeness. You still have to piece it together by reading all the entries.
 
DE727UPS said:
"Apparently, CAPT isn't all what it's cracked up to be if a guy with a DC9 type couldn't get hired while a guy with 950/250 and a CFI background could.
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The airlines know that the pilots coming to interview probably have some clue on how to fly....The written tests that they give boil down how much an applicant prepared him/herself for their interview. It doesn't matter if one has a DC-9 type rating or is a low time CFI or 5000 hour furloughed 121 pilot. Anyone can study the ATP gleim book and pass the written...they want to see how much you prepared yourself which shows how much you really want to work for their airline.
 
Hey Congrats man, I wish you all the best. it is nice to see the hard work is paying off.
Things like this just add more boost for me to become a pro pilot. again Congrats.
 
"The written tests that they give boil down how much an applicant prepared him/herself for their interview"

So, the CAPT guy wasn't prepared. What does that tell you?

He didn't want the job very bad? (why go to the interview).
CAPT did a poor job of educating him on the expectations of an airline interview?
He didn't do his research?
He expected the job to be handed to him on a silver platter because he was a CAPT guy with a 9 type?

I don't know. Just doesn't make much sense to me.
 
I absolutley agree with you...his head was probably enormous because he came from ERAU...it's funny though how many of those guys that I have seen at my time at ATP not get hired by airlines because of thier cocky "I went to Embry Riddle and rose peddles should be thrown on the ground that I walk" attitude.
 
We've been having new hire FO classes about every two weeks. Since this is mainly due to attrition (which shows no signs of letting up), I'd expect it to continue.
 
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