A personal view Pt 2

Part 2

A report for The Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators

Prepared on 6 March 2004

Daniel Fonseca

2002 J. N. Somers Scholar

I graduated from my training course as a low-houred pilot with a CPL / IR, a JOC with an MCC Certificate and my final school report. Being fresh out of flying school, I had the recent fulfilling experience of progressing solidly and systematically through the various stages of training, so it was quite a shock when I reacquainted myself with the fact that airlines would not be recruiting for some time and realised my hard-won qualifications were only a ticket to begin job-hunting.

When all of my initial telephone calls to potential employers yielded encouragement to "keep trying" but little in the way of recruitment plans, it sank in that this was a long-haul situation. Figuratively speaking, my destination was very far away, the ride was likely to be bumpy and turbulent all the way, the destination and alternate weather were both close to the limits with discouraging forecasts, and to top it off everyone else was holding or diverting with Air Traffic Control unable to give anyone further clearance. My figurative fuel reserves seemed delicately balanced so I had to adapt or suffer the consequences and braced myself for the most psychologically demanding part of the journey so far. I also realised that the lack of initial progress in finding employment was not necessarily a reflection on me but simply the reality that only a very small number of low-houred pilots are taken on by airlines every year.

By talking to friends and contacts it was brought home to me that the marketplace was crowded since there were a lot of keen, newly-trained, low-houred pilots out there. When I attended the British Air Line Pilots Association (BALPA) Employment Opportunities Conference and a show of hands was requested for "Low-houred pilots looking for their first job", I was both impressed and sobered when a sea of hands lifted up into the depths of the auditorium. After this initially intimidating experience I found the BALPA Employment Opportunities Conference to be an excellent forum in which to network with employers, meet friends and make new acquaintances to exchange tips.

I decided to write my idea of a Captain’s job specification in order to understand how I should move forward. I started by asking myself questions such as:

What duties does a Captain perform?

What are his or her responsibilities?

How does the Captain work within the team?

What qualities are important?

What qualities are good or bad?

When and why are these good or bad?

How can a Captain enhance the safety and efficiency of an operation?

Slowly, I defined an imaginary "Reference Captain" and took this individual back in time all the way to the interview for that first airline job, noting what I would see at each stage. In my make-believe world I then pretended to be the Chairman of the Panel interviewing this person and asked myself: What would I look for to assure me this person would make a good Captain? What other attributes and skills could this person bring to benefit the Company in the long run? In this way I formed my own ideas of what a Captain does and what an interview situation might be like. This also allowed me to identify my relative strengths (which I would want to promote) and relative weaknesses (which I could now redress given the time available).

Since I recognised that these ideas were limited by my experience and accuracy of observation, I set out to review the advice and material available from organisations such as The Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators (GAPAN) and BALPA. Happily, my picture of things developed naturally as I met different people, listened to their extensive experience and realised how diverse yet successful and effective each individual was. I think this made me more mature and developed my ability to listen carefully with an open mind. It also allowed me to talk to important people in regulatory bodies and airlines to improve my contacts and knowledge.

Now that I had a clear idea of what I was aiming for, and some excellent advice from mentors and friends, I put together a plan of action and went about achieving the following things (you can probably think of many more as well):

• I strengthened my contacts within the industry and systematically developed new ones (an excellent paper entitled "Making a Network Work" from BALPA’s Career Services was my guide). I also systematically and thoroughly researched my potential employers.

• I furthered myself purposefully by arranging visits to aviation organisations, regulatory bodies, an air traffic control centre, a maintenance department and by maintaining a meaningful dialogue with people in the industry. This was a wonderful opportunity to learn first-hand about the wider interlocking aspects of aviation. I realised that soon I might actually find a flying job and may no longer have the time to enjoy these experiences in the same way again. Some friends found it very advantageous and insightful to seek interim employment in airline operations departments.

• I prepared myself for any possible simulator assessments which might be forthcoming by practising typical profiles under the supervision of an airline Captain. This also kept me in touch with operational procedures.

• I attended employment conferences and exhibitions to keep my finger on the pulse and to continue networking face-to-face (the BALPA Employment Opportunities Conference and the Professional Flight Training Show (Flyer Exhibition) were particularly helpful).

I also developed a spreadsheet to keep track of every airline, every contact, every new avenue or opportunity that I came across and any idea (however outlandish) that occurred to me. In this way I was able to see both the detail and the "big picture" and prioritise my actions in line with the reality of the situation and my own preferences. This big picture built from first-hand information (arguably the most accurate) in turn gave me confidence that things would eventually work out and assurance that I had several back-up options should one or more fail. I could now coolly observe the situation with much less emotional distortion and in a more structured and meaningful way.

There were some items of information which I obtained by browsing websites were pilots exchange tips on employment. Unfortunately for me, by the time I read this information and got round to applying, the window of opportunity had almost disappeared resulting in some missed opportunities. It is almost always the case that you need first-hand information in order to present yourself and be successfully considered.

Perhaps it is worth stressing again that you really have to work hard to keep and grow your contacts. If you lower your guard even a little, you will find the rest of the world has zoomed ahead and taken up all the new opportunities which you missed in a stroke of bad timing. With some experience it is possible to develop an intelligent, sensitive and polite way of making your enquiries, but be ready to accept that some airlines simply do not have the staff and resources to handle the thousands of queries they receive. It may be possible to organise a visit to an airline to really demonstrate an interest and perhaps meet a management pilot; although some airlines understandably do not want to be seen to give an unfair advantage to any potential candidates. I found it best to play it by ear and to be sensitive, but to not be afraid to ask.

In some cases it can be very helpful to get a recommendation from your flying school or arrange an introduction through a person who is well respected and can speak highly of you. The recommendation may facilitate you being short listed and perhaps even invited for an interview, but you will still have to pass every stage of the airline’s own selection process and satisfy them that you are the person for the job regardless.

Receiving an invitation to attend an interview is a huge psychological boost, and rightly so. It is a very significant achievement in its own right because an airline has decided you could be one of its future Captains. It will change the whole way you look at the situation. Before, everything consisted of plans and contingencies, now you have Air Traffic Control clearance to the next hold, and you are a little closer to your destination.

I was fortunate to be invited for an assessment day with an airline not long after the BALPA Employment Opportunities Conference and had lots of time to prepare for it. In retrospect perhaps it was too much time because I would repeatedly ramp up to interview readiness but inevitably whittle down again afterwards. This was dangerous because each time I would skim over more and more material as it all began to look too familiar and that breeds laziness. I found it good to carry out visits and activities that were refreshing yet helpful.

As I got closer to the interview, the feeling of nervousness about its possible outcomes started to become stronger and stronger and it began to get the better of me. After all, there were only very few of these opportunities available. Then one day I came up with a simple phrase to stop myself from fretting: "Spend this time preparing, not worrying". People in training said that a good landing is followed by a good approach, which in turn is a product of good preparation. The situation was similar to coping with the psychological demands of a skill test and by re-adopting the same training mentality I could control and channel the emotions fruitfully.

When I asked a friend about interviews and how to do well, he simply said "Be yourself". At the end of the day if the assessors could not see who I was then I would be shooting myself in the foot. If I did not make the grade because I pretend to be somebody else, then how could I meaningfully improve my performance next time? This advice is also important in group exercises because the assessors can look right through it all.

On the day itself, the most important thing is to be as comfortable, as physically healthy and as well rested as possible so that when you walk through the doors you have as much of your capacity available to meet the demands of the day. When I finished my first interview I wrote a few notes down on how I felt the day went and what I could improve next time.

The subsequent simulator assessment for the airline was quite representative of type rating training. The assessor was looking for someone who is easy to train, who shows professionalism, sound preparation, solid basic flying, an ability to learn and get the hang of flying a high performance aircraft by the end of the session, an ability to prioritise tasks and a willingness to use CRM. Other simulator assessments were similar in principle and sometimes an assessment was made of candidates in the supporting role of Pilot Not Flying in addition to Pilot Flying.

After the intense concentration following the assessments and the energies expended comes one of the hardest tasks: waiting for an answer. In some cases it comes the same day as the interview or the following day. In other cases because of the holiday season it can take weeks. This is a particularly polarising time because one part of you can be very excited and hopeful, saying "Yes, it could be!" while the other part is being cold and rational and saying "No, wait. I don’t think so. Look at your backup options". Receiving the news is a very big moment because it is the climax of every effort you invested towards achieving the dream.

When the airline makes its decision, it has to be accepted like a decision from the referee in a football match, especially if it is a rejection. It is hard to take onboard bad news, but it has to be that way because there is nothing one can do at that stage to change the decision.

It can be useful to ask for feedback on how the performance went and to request advice on areas for improvement. Not every airline and organisation does this but it is certainly well worth asking. It might be that one just misses the mark, that the number of pilots being taken was so small that it was genuinely difficult to choose, or it may be that a significant aspect of how you presented yourself is somehow not appropriate in the eyes of the airline. It is what the assessors see and think that ultimately matters. If you can improve an aspect of your presentation while still being yourself then it has been a worthwhile experience.

Getting over a set back, nursing the wound and better preparing for the next race is vital. It takes real courage to be totally objective about the process but that is the only way it can make one stronger in the end because emotionally charged or incomplete analyses do not help much. Perhaps it is a small consolation that nobody I know in aviation has gotten through to where they are without a disappointment or rejection at some stage.

The thing to keep repeating to yourself at this time is something like "There will be a next time and I will be ready". Keep working away at the lessons you just learnt, your activities, your research, keep networking and review the plan you had from before. Keep the attitude right and add a good amount of power, in this way you will come out stronger.

In all of this it is most important to be ready. Whether you find employment on the first attempt or the twentieth, whether it seems easy or difficult, constant vigilance and preparation are needed. Sometimes things can happen so fast it makes your eyes water. The day after a rejection you could get a call from another employer inviting you for an interview or simulator assessment with only a few days’ notice. There is no time to arrange a practise interview or session in the simulator so you have to be ready from before. Most importantly you have to be mentally strong to embrace this new opportunity, taking with you the lessons from the past.

The opportunity of a lifetime is often presented when you least expect it and sometimes when you are psychologically wounded. Pilots, like chess players, are constantly monitoring the situation, making plans and like true professionals seem to have it all in hand. But underneath the calm exterior is a very hard-working person who learns to always mentally arrive somewhere and consider what is there before the aircraft gets anywhere near it, as well as mentally going everywhere else to cater for the "what if" scenario. Perhaps they were first taught these skills in basic training but it could be that they first perfected the art when they looked for and found their first job!

In the end the challenge can be met with intelligent perseverance and a desire to succeed. As Leo Tolstoy once wrote:

The Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators www.gapan.org

The British Air Line Pilots Association www.balpa.org

The Independent Pilots Association www.ipapilot.com

Professional Pilots’ Job Network www.ppjn.com

Professional Pilots Rumour Network www.pprune.org

BALPA Employment Opportunities Conference October

Professional Flight Training Show (Flyer Exhibition) March and November

Updated 16-Mai-2008
A W R