“Good morning ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls. My name
is Alan Carter your Captain today. I would like to welcome you all on-board our
fabulous Boeing 747-400 Jumbo Jet for your flight to San
Francisco..............blah-blah-blah!”
I should imagine that an awful lot of aspiring pilots would
one day hope to be able to recite a similar, welcome on-board Passenger Address
before departure. I am very lucky to have been a Captain and in that position
on over a thousand flights on the Boeing 747, as well as another thousand on
the Boeing 737. Though my last ‘customers’ were no longer interested in what
I had to say, as I operated the freighter version of the Boeing 747-400 to
destinations as diverse as those in China, Afghanistan and Europe!
However, for those pilots who have just completed their
training, this could unfortunately be sometime away. With a shiny mint
condition Commercial Pilots Licence (CPL) in their possession, finding that
first position in the Right Hand Seat (RHS) of any aircraft type can be both a daunting
and frustrating experience; especially if you don’t yet have a type rating on
an aircraft operated or recognised by the airlines.
A lot of co-pilot positions these days seem to initially be found
by word of mouth or advertised on-line by various recruitment agencies, with
very little other options available except possibly contacts which their flight
training schools might have. Though there are a few ways to try and place your
foot as the first one in the door. This takes a little research, a little
knowledge and a lot of luck. Sometimes you have to push without being pushy!
There are very few companies these days who recruit low time
and relatively inexperienced pilots, those who are new to the profession are
finding it more and more difficult in this intensely fraught job market.
Primarily because there are so many qualified pilots and often type rated pilots,
who are also looking to move to their next position.
There are also some pilots who unfortunately falsify their
logbooks and licences, obtaining employment with those ‘third world’ airlines
who accept on face value obscure qualifications just to have ‘pilots’ in their
cockpits. This is often born out of desperation but is simply pure criminality.
I am finding that with the more reputable airlines, personal recommendations
are the only way to achieve employment……..but these are tales for another time,
though you might be surprised as to who some of these might be and where they
are flying…….
I am frequently asked for advice from genuine pilots and
those candidates who are just embarking out on the long road of their training,
so I would like to offer my suggestions to these highly enthusiastic people. Well
you must be enthusiastic and dedicated to spend the amount of money which is
required these days to gain your initial licences, but again financial ‘hardship’
seems to now be the only viable option.
So, I suggest that you register with all of the aircrew
recruitment companies which you can find, either by internet searches, or the
back page of Flight Global magazine; as well as by consulting your peers for
their own personal feedback. It doesn't matter if you do not meet their current
requirements, but at least you are in their database and on their mailing list.
Update your profile regularly, just to keep it fresh.
Spend some time searching for every airline that you can
think of, find their websites and look for the ‘join us’ or careers pages,
often these are not obvious but if you scroll down to the bottom of the home
page and click on the ‘site map’ link, often this will reveal what you are
looking for.
Again just my opinion, but I can’t see the point of spending
any money to ‘join’ an on-line subscription pilot job site; these are often
just ‘cut and paste’ websites trying to screw the last Pound, Euro, Dollar out
of those desperately seeking employment. The information which they offer can
be easily found elsewhere with the simplest of searches…….so save your remaining
pennies for more worthwhile purchases.
Trawling through magazines like Airways, Airliner World and
Flight Global can give you a valuable insight into which airlines are placing
orders for new aircraft or expanding their route network, both factors which
could importantly require them to employ more pilots, and so possibly you. I
used to spend hours in WH Smith exploring these magazines, but now the editors
of these are getting wise and enclosing them in sealed polythene bags……like
those found on the ‘top shelf’……..so I am told!
Using websites such as Pprune, but here I’d like to add a
caveat......do not believe everything you read as some of the posts can be,
shall we say a wee bit biased, lop-sided and from those with an axe to grind......however,
they can assist you in finding out which companies might be recruiting. Use
them primarily as a tool, by you to find out whom to contact, Chief Pilots,
Fleet Managers, training managers and human resource departments. I would suggest badgering all of these
departments, sending e-mails, updating your CV with them, and if it at all
possible a personal visit to the airline’s offices could do no harm.
Have a look at flight training organisation websites, such
as OAA, CTC, Flight Safety, CAE and any others which you can find on Google,
see which airlines they are training pilots for and again contact them all. It
never hurts to ask, you just might be in the right place when they are looking
for someone to fill an immediate position; I have been lucky to have been in
just the right place and at just the right time on four occasions, once with Virgin
Atlantic as well as Thomsonfly, then with Viking and again with Silkways…..so
there is no reason why you too can’t be lucky too.
Now, Pay To Fly schemes, known as P2F……..here lies a highly
heated debate as to the pros and cons. I am going to put my tin hat on and
comment.
“Pay To Fly schemes, in my opinion are morally WRONG. Paying
to fly say, for 500 hours as a co-pilot after paying said company for a type
rating is WRONG. This is just legalised slavery and exploitation and is WRONG.
However, I would never knock anyone for doing this if they can afford it. If I
was interviewing two pilots with the same qualifications and experience, the
fact that one of them had embarked on a P2F scheme would not bias my judgement
either way…….I know that this, in certain circles would be considered
incorrect, personality and attitude would play a huge part in my decision
instead………again this is just my opinion based on 30 years of experience in this
fabulous industry, though one where safety and professionalism is being
seriously degraded by politics and economics, again tales for another time.”
However, it is very true, you only have one opportunity of
making a good first impression, so make the most of it. Your initial e-mails
need to be polite, not pushy and asserting your complete flexibility. Don’t ask
about an airline’s specific type or a particular base which might interest you.
Give the impression that you would be happy to fly anything anywhere. If they
have a hot air balloon, then agree that you would be happy to spend six months
in the wicker basket…..this doesn't mean that you yourself are a basket case,
just that you are committed……..and not that you should be ‘committed’ either!
This might sound obvious, but I was stupid enough not to realise this, as the
following paragraph will explain!
‘Many years ago whilst employed as a co-pilot on the Boeing
727 with Dan Air, sadly a fabulous airline which is no longer with us, I was
invited to attend a British Airways selection course. After jumping through all
their hoops, I made it through to the final interview, where it was suggested
that I would be offered a position flying a turboprop, one which I used to fly
in Dan Air. However, my answer to my interviewees remained the same.......I
don’t want to go back to turbo-props; I want to keep flying jets! But they said
this would be a way of you becoming a British Airways pilot! I again said no!’
Well, the upshot is.......I never worked for British
Airways, and yes at the time I was probably a naive fool, but looking back, I
don’t regret missing out due to all the fabulous experiences which I have had
since; not to mention all the wonderful characters whom I have met!
I have since learnt never to turn anything down which is
offered to you!
Preparation is the key and in aviation it is very true to
say that ‘failing to prepare, is preparing to fail’; whether it is for a
simulator check or an interview. There are some obvious facts which need to be
addressed, from your CV to interview technique, to make yourself stand out.
In my opinion a CV needs to be clear and concise, ideally
one page will suffice, highlighting personal details, education background,
aviation qualifications and experience. I have seen many CVs which go on for
pages explaining how some candidates spent time working in pubs and
restaurants, which although commendable can certainly be ‘abbreviated’. Human
Resource departments and those pilots involved in recruitment receive dozens if
not hundreds of CVs, both clarity and brevity is appreciated when reviewing
them. A photo of you in a pilot’s shirt with a black tie will put a face to a
name quite literally……don’t include a photo of yourself toned whilst on the
beach…..yes I have seen one and I can promise you that it didn't help this guy’s
application………though his girlfriend in her bikini, she was offered a job and
she didn't even have a pilot’s licence! Joking…….aren't I?
Now I know this is obvious but wear a suit to an interview.
I can almost hear the sighs as you read this…….but when I went for my interview
simulator ride with Thomsonfly there were four of us; one of whom wore jeans
and trainers, I never saw him again! You might be the ace of the base, but that
sort of attitude will immediately send your application to the waste paper
basket, again first impressions only get one chance of working.
These days a lot of airlines use ‘convoluted’ tests, be they
mathematics, English reasoning or psychological. Do your research of these and
if possible practice them, obvious yes. But one interview I went for I was
presented with one of these so called English reasoning tests, now I had been a
Boeing 747 Captain for many years and wondered what the heck this had to do
with flying. Some of my fellow interviewees raised sarcastic comments to the
invigilator, a company pilot…..I never saw them again either! They failed not
necessarily the English test, but the attitude test. I simply said later in my
interview with the Chief Pilot that I either had achieved 100% or 0% as I had
no idea what I had just done! I was offered the job and spent two fabulous
years flying the Boeing 737 whilst working for this company.
You might laugh but it does help to practice for a simulator
ride, using a computer flight simulator game, this does not make you a geek………..just
more prepared. In Virgin Atlantic I would often practice scenarios on my PC, this
will build up your situational awareness of where the navigation aids are,
diversion airports and the length of time a particular route takes. Again
anything to give you the edge, more thinking time and a slicker session will
elevate your chances of employment.
Back to the interview simulator check, often you will be
asked obscure questions, such as your telephone number which your examiner will
write down and then ask you to repeat it backwards……..all the time whilst you
are flying a non-precision approach. Or you’ll be flying along at say 10,000
feet and you’ll be asked ‘what is currently the speed of sound’ a simple
question as you probably have indications of TAS (True AirSpeed) and Mach
Number on the displays in-front of you. So the more thinking time and spare mental
capacity which you can develop will greatly assist you.
There are several companies which offer pre-interview
courses for new pilots, now do your research on these carefully. They can be
either a standard one day course or a bespoke course tailored to an
individual’s requirements. Now they may not be necessary for everyone, but
again anything that you can do to bolster your chances of securing that
interview and then subsequently succeeding at it, can do no harm. Again though,
do your research and try and find recommendations from those who have been and
done it before you.
My Facebook page has in excess of 4,000 members, many of
these are either aspiring or newly qualified pilots, often asking me for
advice, or advice from my other ‘friends’, a less faceless method of networking
than say LinkedIn. I try to answer all questions….eventually, though at times
it can take me an hour or so a day to do this, but I try! All are welcome, so
just send me a friend request and I’ll try to help where I can.
So, yes it is difficult to secure that first interview, but as
I have said over the last thirty years that I have so far been involved in this
fabulous industry, and yes it is still fabulous even though I know many pilots
moan and whinge……part of our nature I imagine, but I wouldn't have done
anything else. Probably couldn't!
You can contact me on my Facebook page:
