Interview Flashcards
Tell me about you?
2 - 3 minute story
Tell me about your flying to date?
2 - 3 minute story
What’s your motivation to join Jetstar?
Like my aviation and racing career to date, I thrive on learning and getting better, progression, tweaking, innovation and new aircraft. It’s a fantastic time to join Jetstar
Work with different pilots and open to change and new opportunities. I would love the opportunity to help provide a vital role within Jetstar’s expansion with a healthy sense of competition with great career longevity and progressing.
Customer service quality - can do attitude and uphold Jetstar values.
safety and responsibility
Driven to constantly improve
Energetically and efficient
working well as a one team
can do attitude
genuinely caring
passionate about enjoyment (anything aviation is enjoyable
4.expansion of Jetstar post COVID market with huge orders of new aircraft including 787-9…,
A320 180 passengers
109 A321 220 passengers
18 x A321 Neo (LR) mid - 2022 CFM LEAP engines, 232 passengers range
20 x A321 Neo (XLR) second half 2024 CFM LEAP engines, 5700km range
Culture talking to Jetstar pilots speak highly of the company and the people, hard working and striving for excellence
Challenges you expect at Jetstar?
Only positive ones that I thrive on exciting challenge training on the new airbus, new innovation and challenges which I thrive on, proven track record at QantasLink, always had a really tight training plan together, organised calendar, cardboard cutout, home simulator are all tools that help me be super organised.
Talk through what you think a typical day looks like?
lots of busy days which I thrive on, either an early sign on shift or an afternoon into evening shift. Both options sound very appealing.
Fantastic flying the A320 and some of the most exotic destinations
Working with fantastic staff at Jetstar
These are all the reasons why I know I’m a great fit for Jetstar
This stage in my career I feel this is the best fit for me and my family.
Qualities to be successful?
Success to me is reaching my potential at work whilst being a father to my 2 beautiful children and being a husband.
Success to me also means paying it forward, I have benefited from my mentoring and gained great satisfaction from mentoring others.
A good leader and exemplary character. It is of utmost importance that a leader is trustworthy to lead others.
Be enthusiastic about my work and inclusive and work well in a team.
Be able to function systematically in an orderly and purposeful manner in situations of uncertainty.
Be tolerant of ambiguity and remain calm, composed and steadfast to the main purpose.
Keeping the main goal in focus is being able to think analytically.
focused and committed to excellence and great customer service
example - my moto is I use the 5 x P’s
P - proper P- preparation P - prevents P - poor P - performance
Upholding JQ values
safety and responsibility
Energetically and efficient
working well as a one team
can do attitude
genuinely caring
passionate about enjoyment (anything aviation is enjoyable)
What makes JQ different from other airlines?
Jetstar caters to a unique and diverse market, flying to destinations eg. Perth, Darwin, Uluṟu, Cairns, Townsville, Gold Coast, Ballina, Newcastle, Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, Launceston, Hobart, Adelaide, Bali and Queens town of art’ Airbus A320 soon to be A321Neo aircraft and EBA conditions.
Culture and Career progression to a command position on the narrow body A320/321. Stable career path with huge growth for the future.
What values are important in the organisation eg JQ?
safety and responsibility
Energetically and efficient
working well as a one team
can do attitude
genuinely caring
passionate about enjoyment (anything aviation is enjoyable)
Time when we had to balance customer v operational requirements?
S - Working for Qantaslink First Officer with a newly trained captain, ON THIS PARTICULAR DAY Melbourne to Devonport sector, sitting on the bay ready for pushback, with a distressed mother with an infant and toddler on board in a very distressing situation.
T - as First Officer my role is to manage radios on the ground, ATC, Qantas Melbourne, clearances, cabin crew etc
A - engines running with a pushback clearance
- Then Call from the cabin, FA1 advised us there was a mother with an infant and toddler
screaming and mother distressed.
- We could hear the the commotion in the background via the intercom
- I asked for the FA to check in with the mothers welfare and I’ll call back in 2 minutes
- Mother wanted to get off the aircraft immediately
- Captain communicated with ground crew to hold pushback
- I informed ATC to cancel pushback clearance - I called Qantas ground staff POCO to please send staff to airstrip door for disembarkation and briefed the reason.
- I then called back FA 1 to reassure and check the the mother and kids that the assistance was on there way
- Had to remain vigilant for flight deck security
- Company procedures doesn’t allow us to open the flight deck door until the air-stair door is open
- Assistance arrived and opened airstair door, then mother and kids safely disembarked the afar aft
- I moved into the cabin to assist the fa’s in particular the fa1 and helped the mother, infant and toddler off the aircraft which allowed the remaining FA to manage the cabin. I talked face to face with ground staff to reassure the passenger and put a request in for assistance or rebooking of her flight (options)
- I called load control to get amended new provisional load data
- Went through all pre flight procedures, obtained new clearance and departed only 15 minutes behind schedule
R - Remained calm and put the welfare and safety of the flight deck and mother kids first
- Communication between flight deck, cabin crew, ground crew, POCO, load control and ATC were all key elements to a smooth safe outcome (great team effort)
Time when you had to bring out your best?
S - Flying to Melbourne to Mildura TOD, I was a pilot monitoring who looks after all the radio and communications with Qantas company on the ground, I requested a wheelchair for a passenger to the bottom of the qlink ramp. Limited ground crew who were busy escorting passengers off the tarmac to the terminal.
T -. Wheelchair left at the far end of the terminal, I could see if sitting there. Tight 20 minute turnaround
A - Unable to contact ground staff, I advised the captain to leave the cockpit and retrieve the wheelchair and bring it back to the aircraft. Customer and ground staff were very thankful and with a 20 min turnaround there was no delay to the following sector.
R - crew were all working to the best of their ability, followed up with an email to SBP (senior base pilot) with suggestions to try to capture this issue for future. Suggestions included: as the ramp approaches the aircraft the wheelchair could be pushed over at the same time. Situation awareness for Mildura ground staff to confirm their hand held radios have there batteries charged and volume turned up and tested prior to arrival.
Customer service Communication Can do attitude Problem solving Future suggestions
Or go above and Beyond?
S - Flying to Melbourne to Mildura TOD, I was a pilot monitoring who looks after all the radio and communications with Qantas company on the ground, I requested a wheelchair for a passenger to the bottom of the qlink ramp. Limited ground crew who were busy escorting passengers off the tarmac to the terminal.
T -. Wheelchair left at the far end of the terminal, I could see if sitting there. Tight 20 minute turnaround
A - Unable to contact ground staff, I advised the captain to leave the cockpit and retrieve the wheelchair and bring it back to the aircraft. Customer and ground staff were very thankful and with a 20 min turnaround there was no delay to the following sector.
R - crew were all working to the best of their ability, followed up with an email to SBP (senior base pilot) with suggestions to try to capture this issue for future. Suggestions included: as the ramp approaches the aircraft the wheelchair could be pushed over at the same time. Situation awareness for Mildura ground staff to confirm their hand held radios have there batteries charged and volume turned up and tested prior to arrival.
Customer service Communication Can do attitude Problem solving Future suggestions
CAMP QUALITY EXAMPLE
Time when you had to get the best behaviour from another person?
S - Devonport to Melbourne with diversion to Albury after Melbourne Airport closure due to heavy thunderstorms in the area.
T - to keep passengers informed about the delay and updated with any new further details.
A - when we landed into Albury airport security had already left the premises, they were not expecting us after a particular time in the day. We were unable to let the passengers off inside to the terminal because we had no services to screen them on the way back onto the aircraft.
The aircraft was on the ground for 2 hours before departing to Melbourne. I could sense the frustrations of both passengers & flight attendants with the ongoing delays. Once the airstair door was opened, I made the decision to physically move into the cabin to provide support to the flight attendants & to answer questions and provide updates for the passengers.
I felt my presence & additional communication showed support and allowed flight attendants to more effectively carry out their roles.
R- A more positive mood was felt by all staff & passengers and the positive energy was reinstated in the cabin.
How would handle a stressful situation better?
I thrive on pressure situations throughout my whole aviation and racing career
I use my 5 x P’s
Prepare a study plan, so the whole family is in the loop
Retrieve all the necessary information
I systematically right down my lesson plan
Armchair fly the sim with my cardboard cutout
Fly the simulator on my home sim
Lots of physical exercise to help mentally
Tell us how you deal with stress and what steps you take in the lead up to a stressful task (sim checks etc.)
I thrive on pressure situations throughout my whole aviation and racing career
I use my 5 x P’s
Prepare a study plan, so the whole family is in the loop
Retrieve all the necessary information
I systematically right down my lesson plan
Armchair fly the sim with my cardboard cutout
Fly the simulator on my home sim
Lots of physical exercise to help mentally
Tell me a time you had to make an unpopular decision?
S - flying for skydive Aus in Barwon Heads on the busiest day (Saturday), I was PIC of the Cessna Caravan, there were over 20 loads of 16 jumpers pre booked for the day. Company put the pressure on and made the decision to fly the first run even though I suggested the cloud base might be too low.
T - assess the weather for safety of flight
A - my actions after assessing the low cloud base was to air return with a full load of jumpers until the cloud lifts. Used all my tools available eg. NAIPS, weather apps (windy), visual reference, AWIS etc. As you could imagine, the customers were not happy.
It clearly states SOP you can’t release jumpers with low clouds due to risk of maneuvering if required once visual reference has been made.
R - upon review waiting on ground for 40 minutes bought the right amount of time, otherwise the alternative would be to get airborne, discover it’s not suitable and have to air return, costing the company time and money on the plane.
Time when you were uncertain about your actions?
S- Working for Qantaslink as a first officer flying alongside a training captain Melbourne to Albury night sector overnight.
- Planned forecast was that there would be a chance of showers through the aerodrome during our arrival into Albury.
T - My role was pilot flying (PF) is to safely fly the plane while Pilot Monitoring (PM) supports by looking after configurations and radios etc.
Interested in how I went about it all
A - Departed Melbourne in the cruise planning our approach into Albury
- We get updated ATIS for Albury - winds indicating N/W light winds max 5kt tail
- ATC then advised RWY 07 is available via the RNAV arrival for straight in approach via the RNAV
- ATC generally offer this option for efficiency point of view (saves time and fuel for the company) felt like I was getting pushed towards RWY 07
- Captain asked if I would like to accept this offer. I communicated directly to the captain about letting ATC to standby while we assess the situation.
I considered our options by looking at the relevant data and tools available. (NAIPS, grid winds, sigwx, qmet)
I noticed the grid winds were strong from the west at 5000ft with possible showers in the Aerodrome vicinity.
I related my interpretation of the grid winds chart to my previous experience at skydive aus and I voiced my preference for rwy 25 to be the safest option.
On the RWY 25 RNAV arrival weather front moves through from the west with indicating winds 15-30 gusting
This confirmed my decision was correct and avoided a go around/missed approach if we elected RWY 07
Avoided heavy workload, stressed out passengers and a delayed arrival
R - Reviewed after aircraft termination
initially I was uncertain about my decision due to inefficiency, however during my approach preparation I identified particular grid winds and weather forecast for our arrival time were favouring rwy 25
the training Captain said that I showed great decision-making skills, situation awareness and working as team was great, said I used great communication to achieve a safe outcome.
Communication style
Planning
Situation awareness
Tell us about a time you didn’t agree with a more senior crewmember and how you handled the situation?
S- Working for Qantaslink as a first officer flying alongside a training captain Melbourne to Albury night sector overnight.
- Planned forecast was that there would be a chance of showers through the aerodrome during our arrival into Albury.
T - My role was pilot flying (PF) is to safely fly the plane while Pilot Monitoring (PM) supports by looking after configurations and radios etc.
Interested in how I went about it all
A - Departed Melbourne in the cruise planning our approach into Albury
- We get updated ATIS for Albury - winds indicating N/W light winds max 5kt tail
- ATC then advised RWY 07 is available via the RNAV arrival for straight in approach via the RNAV
- ATC generally offer this option for efficiency point of view (saves time and fuel for the company) felt like I was getting pushed towards RWY 07
- Captain asked if I would like to accept this offer. I communicated directly to the captain about letting ATC to standby while we assess the situation.
I considered our options by looking at the relevant data and tools available. (NAIPS, grid winds, sigwx, qmet)
I noticed the grid winds were strong from the west at 5000ft with possible showers in the Aerodrome vicinity.
I related my interpretation of the grid winds chart to my previous experience at skydive aus and I voiced my preference for rwy 25 to be the safest option.
On the RWY 25 RNAV arrival weather front moves through from the west with indicating winds 15-30 gusting
This confirmed my decision was correct and avoided a go around/missed approach if we elected RWY 07
Avoided heavy workload, stressed out passengers and a delayed arrival
R - Reviewed after aircraft termination
initially I was uncertain about my decision due to inefficiency, however during my approach preparation I identified particular grid winds and weather forecast for our arrival time were favouring rwy 25
the training Captain said that I showed great decision-making skills, situation awareness and working as team was great, said I used great communication to achieve a safe outcome.
Communication style
Planning
Situation awareness
Time when you used knowledge to solve an unusual problem?
S - QLINK flying Melbourne to Canberra, after departure on climb we lost the captain’s side flight guidance computer.
T - to best manage the situation by following SOP’s, quick reference checklists (QRH doesn’t account for this problem) and safety management of flight.
A - as pilot monitoring I carried out the management of the checklist, and the controls were handed over to my side because I only had the operating FGC, however due to single contingency with the FGC, we were unable to re-engage the yaw damper or autopilot.
We applied our FDODAR model and emergency management techniques (NITS brief, PA to passengers and ATC), decided returning back to Melbourne was the preferred option based off parts being available at home base in Melbourne (BASED ON MEL). I had to hand fly the aircraft from 17,000ft back into Melbourne.
Used my hand flying skills over the past 10 years to maintain a safe a compliant standard. I had the request for all additional modes and navigation settings due to both hands on the controls at all times.
R - I successfully made a safe landing and had engineers arrive at the aircraft. It was confirmed we made the correct decision to return to home base where parts were available.
Abnormal management Communication Team effort Diagnosis Operational requirements
Time when you disagree with a SOP?
S - QantasLink single engine taxi back to your bay on the dash 8 which is beneficial for fuel conservation
T - when vacating off the runway after landing, at the request of the captain after landing checks which consist of a single engine taxi component.
A - my job is to receive a taxi clearance from ATC, after landing checks, and radio Qantas Melbourne for bay availability and allocation. I believe this a very high workload time, especially near hotspot taxiways.
R - I will plan ahead and indicate during my approach special brief the most likely taxiways we will get after landing. I will indicate to the captain if we could delay the single engine taxi until clear if hotspot
Tell us about a time you have been in a stressful situation and made a mistake, how would you change your decisions looking back?
S - Flying Melbourne to Devenport deviating off flight path due to multiple thunderstorm activity halfway across bass strait
T - pilot monitoring I was setting up and configuring the aircraft for approach while making all operational radio calls including to Qantas Devonport
A - I retrieved all the AWIS weather, landing distance calculations, performance calculations, setup FMS, radios (deviating left and right of track to avoid thunderstorms).
Made a mistake when I didn’t write down 1 passenger required taxi on landing. I called company with our arrival time but left out the taxi requirement.
R - reviewed the situation, now I always verbalise and read it off the TOLD card as a special brief into the approach brief to make sure it doesn’t get missed in a high workload situation. Since then I have mitigated this error.
