Interview Questions Flashcards
Have you ever had any checkrides failures
Thankfully I have no checkride failures
What can you do as a Frontier Pilot to help us overcome our customer service issues?
I can have a positive attitude, smile, and try and interact with the passengers. I can show up early and do everything I can do to make the aircraft depart on time.
What do you know about Frontier Airlines?
I know the’y’ve been around since 1994 and was founded by two pilots who worked for the original frontier airlines which ceased operations in 1986. They are currently owned by Indigo who also own parts of Jet-smart, Volaris, and Wizzair. They operate under an ultra-low-cost model, unbundling the fare from other ancillary services and fees. Their current CEO is Barry Biffle. They currently fly an all airbus fleet with approximately 120 current aircraft in operation with orders for an additional 220. Their slogan is “low fares done right”.
Why do you want to work at Frontier?
I want to work at Frontier because I believe in the ULCC model and its ability to make flying more affordable for everyone and connect people that otherwise wouldn’t be able to. I’m excited by their expansion plans to nearly triple the size of their fleet and if I was hired now I would have great opportunities for growth and seniority. I also think that there’s a good chance that an economic recession is looming and I believe the ULCC model is more likely to weather the storm. When times are tough people even more so look for the cheapest way to get from A to B so that business model may be more resilient to recession. I also like the bases and the chance to stay in Phoenix.
What’s your favorite memory item?
It’s probably the one for unreliable airspeed in flight
-Auto pilot disconnect
-Flight Director deselect
-Stabilize aircraft using the ISI (integrated standby instrument)
-IF CONDUCTING A TAKEOFF/GO-AROUND/INITIAL CLIMB
-Pitch to 10º and TOGA (from S.L. To 15000’) or pitch 5º and CLB (above 15,000’)
-Aircraft configuration clean up at MFRA
-Altitude maintain no lower than minimum safe altitude
-Respect the stick shaker
-Refer to UNREL tab for expanded procedure
What’s your least favorite memory item?
The one for a rejected takeoff (tell story if you wish)
-Thrust levers idle
-Brakes maximum until a safe stop
-Thrust reverser/s maximum consistent with directional control
-BELOW 60kts
-Tower advise
-Passengers advise
Tell us how you saved you company money?
I always tried to fly the Econ Speed. Additionally we always single engine taxied whenever it was safe to do so. But there’s also a point when saving money can go too far and can cause a safety issue, e.g. taxiing single engine on slippery taxiways.
Tell us about a time you went above and beyond for a customer?
A few weeks ago I was flying from LGB to FSD. When we got there the weather was just starting to deteriorate. We were preparing to depart to DFW and had to de-ice. We had extra passengers add to our aircraft last minute which made us just under the MTOW for the given conditions. After de-icing the runway conditions had worsened and when we run the numbers we were too heavy by 2000lbs. Rather than turn around and de-plane we talked with tower to try and see if we could get the runway conditions improved so we could takeoff. They did improve so we were able to taxi to the runway and right before takeoff we encountered a maintenance problem and had to come back to the gate. Maintenance took 4 hrs and by the time we were good to go we were at risk of going over our FDP limit. So I suggested to the captain that we could both extend, fatigue permitting to get everyone to Dallas, so the passengers could finally get to their destination. Si in short we did everything we could to make it so the passengers could get to their destination that day including trying to get the runways conditions improved as well as extending our FDP.
Tell us about a time you went the extra mile at work?
A few weeks ago I was flying from LGB to FSD. When we got there the weather was just starting to deteriorate. We were preparing to depart to DFW and had to de-ice. We had extra passengers add to our aircraft last minute which made us just under the MTOW for the given conditions. After de-icing the runway conditions had worsened and when we run the numbers we were too heavy by 2000lbs. Rather than turn around and de-plane we talked with tower to try and see if we could get the runway conditions improved so we could takeoff. They did improve so we were able to taxi to the runway and right before takeoff we encountered a maintenance problem and had to come back to the gate. Maintenance took 4 hrs and by the time we were good to go we were at risk of going over our FDP limit. So I suggested to the captain that we could both extend, fatigue permitting to get everyone to Dallas, so the passengers could finally get to their destination. Si in short we did everything we could to make it so the passengers could get to their destination that day including trying to get the runways conditions improved as well as extending our FDP.
Tell me about a good leader with an example?
I believe one of the best leaders ever was George Washington. He was a great leader because he really didn’t want to be. After the revolution the Washington, contrary to historical precedent and the predictions of many at the time, voluntarily relinquished his position and title as commander-in-chief. He then made a statement saying essentially that he left the country in God’s hands. The people wanted him to be our sovereign, and it would have been his for the taking. He declined. He didn’t want our fledgling nation to suffer the tyranny they’d just fought to escape. Later, after the constitutional convention, then begged him to be their president which he obliged. He didn’t want a second term but again the people begged him. He overwhelmingly won a second term.
What will you bring to Frontier Airlines
Succinctly I bring professionalism, integrity, and a good attitude
Have you ever failed a checkride?
Fortunately, I have never failed a checkride
Tell me about yourself
We’ll I’m 31 years old. I’m married with 3 children, soon to be 4 children. I love to watch movies, play my guitar, spend time with my wife and kids, and of course I love to fly planes. I first became interested in aviation as a relatively young boy when my dad worked as a ramp manager for America West airlines. On take you child to work day he took me in his company truck and held short of the runway while planes came in to land. I wanted to be a pilot ever since. As I got older, maybe 14 or 15 I heard that you had to have perfect vision to become a pilot, you basically had to learn to fly in the military, and that pilot were never home to spend time with their families. Upon hearing all of this I spent many years trying to figure out what I “really” wanted to do with my career. After much vascilating I ended up studying physics at ASU with the intention of go to dental school. A few weeks before going to dental school I made a new friend who was a United Airlines pilot. After talking to him he disillusioned me regarding the need for perfect vision and joining the military. He also told me he was home between 16-18 days a month with his family. I realized that I had made a huge mistake and just before I was ready to head of to dental school I changed my mind and went to flight school after consulting my wife and parents. I haven’t looked back since.
What do you think makes a successful pilot
Professionalism, perseverance, and strong technical knowledge and skill
What would you do if the Lav’s were MEL’d on a flight of ______ length?
On a shorter flight I would just let all the passengers know that the LAV’s weren’t working and to use the bathroom before we left. If that wasn’t possible for them I would tell them to talk to the gate agent about getting booked on a different flight. On a longer flight I would probably just talk to dispatch and tell them that this poses a safety risk and a diversion risk so we should either delay the flight until the aircraft is fixed, we get a new plane, or the flight is cancelled.
Give and example of when you would deviate from a regulation or SOP?
This only seems like it would be necessary if in the interest of flight safety and/or an emergency situation. Perhaps going below minimums during a fuel emergency. Or perhaps, a very specific scenario, our QRH calls for shutting down an engine during an excessive fuel imbalance if the fuel balance can’t be controlled by the gravity cross feed valve. I might use my PIC authority to just retard the engine on the low side to correct the imbalance rather that shut off an operating engine.
Tell me about a time you had a conflict with a coworker?
A few months ago we were getting ready to leave DRO when we realized we had an excessive fuel imbalance and we were in a plane with Fuel Cross-feed pump MEL’d. The MEL for the pump says to open the gravity cross-feed valve, and to fix the imbalance by getting the wing with less fuel lower to fix the imbalance. The captain opened to gravity cross-feed and then kept trying to use the fuel cross-feed pump to fix the imbalance, which again was inoperative. Of course the imbalance persisted and I kept telling him that we need to get the right wing low but he disagreed saying it would make a difference and that we needed to get the pump working to fix the imbalance. I kept trying to persuade him that we should at least try to get the other wing low and he said he didn’t want to which made me very frustrated. Eventually we decided to go back to the gate to get additional fuel in the low wing which I didn’t protest to. Even though I thought I was right I thought it was better to just go back to the gate and get more fuel than to argue with the captain and have a bad relationship with him.
What is your greatest achievement in aviation?
Well I hope my greatest achievement is still in front of me, but up until now I would say it was get my Gold Seal CFI cert. I have endorsed over 90 students for checkrides (Mostly CFI and CFII applicants) with a 90% first time pass rate.
Tell us about a difficult pilot that you’ve flown with
The most difficult pilot I’ve ever flown with was a captain who kept dismissing all my input and then critiquing everything I did as if I was new to flying. I got so frustrated that it became a distraction which is never good in the cockpit. Rather than argue with him I decided to swallow my pride and just ignore it until we got on the ground. The next day we ended up going to the same restaurant to get lunch before we needed to head tot he airport and we had a really great conversation and I realized he wasn’t as bad as I’d originally thought. I mentioned that I felt picked on yesterday and he apologized. The rest of our trip together had no issues.
What was the hardest time in your aviation career?
The day before my com multi checkride in early February 2020 I fell off the Seminole and broke my arm. I couldn’t fly for two months. By the time I finally finished com multi and MEI, Covid was in full swing and I could get a job for 4 months. Even then, when I first started instructing I only managed to get like 30 hours a month which wasn’t even enough money to pay my flight school student loan let alone keep the lights on. I had to get a 2nd job at Dominos delivering pizzas just to make ends meet. Even my wife had to go back to work after being a stay at home mom for most of our marriage. I felt like a failure as a husband, a father, and a provider. One of the hardest things was hearing my oldest son pray and ask for us not to be poor anymore. It was extremely disheartening. I made a decision that day that I would do whatever it took to be successful and to never let that happen to my family again.
What is one quality you will bring to frontier and how will you use it?
I’d like to think I bring a lot of good qualities to frontier but if I had to pick one it would be my perseverance. I don’t give up. I don’t ever just resign myself to fate. I will work extremely hard in my training here and if things aren’t going my way I’ll keep trying until I get it figured out. If I find myself in an emergency scenario in an aircraft and nothing seems to be ameliorating the problem I’ll just keep trying.
Who is our customer?
Obviously its all our passengers but also anyone else who relies on us for their lives to run smoothly, including other airlines who use us to DH their pilots and crew.
What makes a great captain?
In my opinion a great captain is one whose humble but also decisive. A good captain will use all available resources, including the experience of his FO’s and FA’s, in order to ensure the flight has a safe outcome.
What is Frontier Airlines slogan?
Low fares done right
What is a pilots role when it comes to customer service?
It starts with doing everything we can to make sure we depart and arrive on time, and get people safely to their destination. I think another important thing is always trying to keep the passengers informed about what’s going on. If there’s some kind of delay don’t leave the passengers in the dark, let them know what’s going on, give them an ETA, and apologize. Always be smiling and have a positive attitude.
When was the last time you broke a regulation?
It was a while ago as an instructor I had no choice but to fly into IMC with a clearance. I was doing a night IFR XC with a student from SBP to LGB. The tower was closed and the only way to get our clearance on the ground was to call someone on the phone. The ASOS reported sky’s clear and the TAF expected the weather to be clear as well, so I decided it would be easiest to depart VFR and pick up our clearance in the air. Shortly after takeoff, at around 800’ AGL we ran into a cloud layer. We had mountains on either side of us as well as in front of us. We were too low an altitude to call center on the radio and get our IFR clearance and I knew if we continued forward under the cloud layer that we were going to fly into a mountain, so I used my PIC authority to climb through the cloud layer and proceed on course. Fortunately the cloud layer was only like 300’ thick and we were able to call center shortly after and get our clearance. I learned an important lesson that day. It’s always better to get your clearance on the ground at night when you can’t clearly see if there’s clouds or not.
What hobbies and interests do you have outside of work?
I love any kind of brain teaser or puzzle. As nerdy as it sounds I love to do math and I find working on a juicy problem both fun and relaxing. I also enjoy playing my guitar. I enjoy the outdoors, especially with my sons.
What do you do to mentor future aviators?
I keep in touch with many of my old students and check in to see how their doing. I ask if the need any advice on where to go, how to build hours, how to help their students, etc. I’m also raising 3 (soon to be 4) sons who it would be really cool to fly with someday if thats what they want to do.
Tell me about making a difficult transition you had to make?
I think it was difficult to go form being an instructor, where I was always PIC, to an FO where I wasn’t. It was hard initially for me to defer to someone else, or act like a crew instead of being the straight decision maker. For example when I was first landing the CRJ900 when the captain would say, “my controls” I would keep my feet on the brakes until I could feel the captain positively take over the breaks. That made several of them upset because they thought I was treating them like a student.
How do you foster a good cockpit environment?
I think it starts with friendliness and humility. It’s easy to let ego’s get in the way of working as a crew so we need to check our ego’s at the gate. Also open communication is key.
Tell me about a time you struggled in training?
The time I struggled the most on training was very early on when I was learning how to land the plane. I had maybe 15hrs worth of pattern flights with my instructor and it wasn’t getting any better. I was getting extremely discouraged and I was afraid I was going to get kicked out of the program. After those 15hrs or so my instructor had me fly with a different instructor who noticed I was doing something that my primary instructor didn’t pick up on. Once he told me to quit doing it my landings improved about 10 fold in a single flight. Sometimes a change in perspective is really helpful.
What do you look for in a crew member?
Good CRM and communication skills. It’s also nice if their personable so the trip goes by a little faster. Otherwise I’m a pretty easy guy to please.
Tell me about your leadership style
For me it starts with being a good listener. Never discount the experience of the people sitting next to you. I try to be the kind of person that other look put to. I try to be honest in all my dealings, and avoid hypocrisy. It’s also important to be open and honest about my shortcomings. Knowing your weaknesses is actually a strength as it allows you to try and hedge against them.
What’s something aviation-related that you learned recently?
I was recently watching a documentary on the history of jet engines and apparently they were invented simultaneously by two different engineers, one in Germany and another in England. I believe it was Frank Whittle and Hans Von Omani. Anyhow to sounds like the jet engine was invented as really an evolution to a forced induction device that they used at the time to get more air into their already powerful piston engines. Frank thought they could just do without the pistons at all and just ignite the compressed air from the supercharger to make thrust but was disregarded by many.
Which employee role is most important when it comes to customer service?
I think everyone is equally important. We’re a team and without each team member the operation doesn’t work.
How can an employee help their companies bottom line?
I think there’s several things they can do. As a pilot I think we can do whatever we can within the realms of safety to conserve fuel. But additionally anything we do to make the experience better for the customer will help the companies bottom line as they will be more likely to get repeat customers. That includes being on time and offering good customer service.
What type of leader impresses you the most?
Someone whose clearly knowledgeable and skilled but humble and willing to help other achieve what they have.
What was your most difficult training event?
Although my initial ATP ride was tough I think the toughest was my CFI initial ride. It was just longer. I had about a 6 hour oral examination followed by about a 3 hour flight where we did every single item in the CFI PTS. It was rough.
You encounter an old lady in the terminal who complained to you about Frontier nickel-and-diming them for everything. What would you do?
I’d explain that the best way for people to get the lowest fares is to only pay for what they need. Paying for checked bags on a full service ticket when you do need it is wasteful.
How do you learn complex things?
We’ll something you learn as a flight instructor is levels of learning. The deepest level of learning is the application/correlation level of learning. Before you can get there you need to have the rote level of learning done first. So before you can really understand something on a deep level you have to have the rote memorization of the information first. So when I’m trying to learn a new aircraft system I usually make flash cards to help me memorize facts about the system and once I’ve done that I try to envision scenarios related to that system to help me more deeply probe how it works and how it interacts with other systems.
Have you ever had any FAA or military actions?
No I have not
What is our motto?
Low fares done right
What was your best flight?
Flying back to PHX from LGB with my parents on board and getting several compliments from passengers.
What does “low fares done right” mean to you?
When I was a kid my dad was a ramp worker and later a ramp manager at America West, later US Airways. His wages were pretty meager for years and only because of our flight benefits were we able to go on a yearly vacation as a family. I got to have experiences like traveling to Hawaii with my family that many children will never experience. Low fares done right means that more children and families can have those experiences like I had as a child, who otherwise wouldn’t get the opportunity.
Why should we hire you?
You should hire me because I’m a consummate professional, always have safety in mind, try to make the safest decisions for my passengers, and because I live a life of integrity. There is nothing in my personal conduct that would ever reflect poorly on my employer. Additionally I like to think that I’m a fun person to be around and someone who gets along with others easily.
What brought you here today?
Tell them how I got involved in aviation
How do you stay motivated and avoid complacency?
When I was a kid and learning to drive my dad gave me some sage advice. he told me, “Cameron, the day after you get your drivers license you’ll be the safest driver you’ll ever be.” And I asked why. He told me, “Because the longer you drive the more and more comfortable you’ll get driving. And with increased comfort you get more and more lazy and pay less attention. The most dangerous drivers are those who’ve got just enough driving experience to really think that they know what they’re doing.” Sure enough I was very cautious as a new driver. Then about a year and a half after getting my license I was in a terrible accident because I drove tired and fell asleep while driving to school on the highway. I broke my back and my sister nearly died and was in a coma for a few weeks. After that experience I finally really internalized what my father told me. I decided that when driving I can never let my guard down and I do the same thing when I’m flying. I always expect the worst to happen but I always hope for the best.
What would you do if the flight attendants call during cruise and say the masks have deployed?
Make sure the cabin was still pressurized. If so I’d talk with the captain and dispatch about the best course of action. We may need to divert even if the masks have deployed just because undoubtedly some of the passengers used the masks and are now out of oxygen, which means in the event of an actual depressurization they wouldn’t have any.
What would you do if the captain showed up and was acting funny but you couldn’t smell any alcohol?
I would do whatever I could to make sure the captain was ok. Maybe he’s having a stroke or he’s on some other kind of medication. Depending on how bad it was I may refuse to fly until he gets checked out.
Why would you make a good captain?
I would make a good captain because I’m quick to include my other pilots and FA’s in decision making. I have strong technical knowledge and I’m a good problem solver. As a flight instructor a good 90% of my job was just making sure that my students didn’t hurt themselves so I had to watch everything they did and catch their mistakes. I know that once I have experience in an aircraft my vision will expand enough until I can do the same thing in my jet, and make sure that mistakes aren’t made.
Are you a good pilot or a great pilot?
We’ll the pilot who thinks he’s infallible is the most likely to make mistakes because they won’y hedge against them. So I would just say I’m a competent pilot.. The day I start reading my own press clippings and thinking I’m great is the day that I need to really reevaluate myself.
Describe the kind of pilot you are in one minute
I’m a consummate professional who takes his job seriously. That being said I’m also a friendly person who others like to be around. I always think about safety during every phase of flight including on the ground before we even start moving. I have strong technical knowledge as well as good communication and CRM skills. I’m not afraid to admit that I’m fallible because knowing your weaknesses makes you better at whatever you do.
Will you leave in 6 months for another company?
Absolutely not. I don’t even have apps out anywhere else. I believe in Frontiers growth as an airline and I also really want to be in phoenix since thats where all of my families from. Frontier offers me the best opportunity to do that as well as be able to upgrade quickly and build seniority.
Tell us about a mistake you made and how you rectified it
A mistake that I made was as a relatively new instructor I decided to go fly shortly after recovering from a cold. I still had a tiny bit of a runny nose but no other symptoms. We went out flying and climb up to about 8000’. I felt totally fine throughout the flight but the trouble began when we began descending. As we descended I could feel the pressure building up in my ears. By around 4000’ it hurt bad enough that we couldn’t descend any further and I could barely hear. I felt like a total idiot and admitted to my student what was going on. We leveled off at 4000’ for about 15 minutes before I was finally able to clear my ears and continue down to land. I learned to never rush back to flying after being sick, especially in an unpressurized cabin. If I wasn’t able to clear my ears that day I would’ve been forced to descend and could’ve lost my hearing.
What would you do if you just pulled into the gate and you only had 20 minutes to make your commute home?
Well this happened to me once and the captain offered to do the post flight walk around so I wouldn’t miss my deadhead which was very kind of him. Of course I wouldn’t neglect any of my post flight duties to make the commute but it was nice having the captain help me out that one time.
Have you ever had to take the controls from a superior?
No. I’ve taken the controls from plenty of students but never a superior.
