As a pilot, what situation you encountered has scared you the most? Briefly describe what happened.
42.What would you do if your company closes due to bankruptcy?
Competition for a job as an airline pilot is fierce. How did you feel when you learned that you were one of the successful applicants?
Are you willing to be trained to become a member of the flight crew of a Space Shuttle? Why or why not?
What was your impression when you first flew an aircraft?
Why does flying satisfy you?
Which is more enjoyable to you, daytime flying or night-time flying? Why?
How did you feel the first time you flew as a pilot of a passenger airplane?
What was your biggest worry about taking flying lessons?
How do you keep yourself fit to fly?
What has been the biggest surprise you have experienced since you started working as an airline pilot?
Do you believe that constant training can really make you a better pilot? Why or why not?
How does maneuvering an aircraft on the ground differ from driving an automobile?
How do you feel after safely completing a flight?
What motivated you to pursue a flying career?
Would you be willing to reduce your salary in order to save the company from bankruptcy? Why or why not?
What airline do you work for? What is your position?
Of all the cities you have visited as a pilot, which is your favorite?
How did you finance your flight training?
When considering a job, what is more important to you: the amount of money or the job responsibilities?
How did you become an airline pilot?
Describe your lifestyle as a pilot.
How do you balance your time between your family and your job?
If given the chance, would you like to try flying a fighter jet? Why or why not?
What is the most interesting part of your job?
Do you still intend to fly airplanes even after retirement? Why or why not?
How did you prepare for your interview for an airline pilot position?
How do you develop a sound working relationship with your captain/co-pilot?
What makes you different from your colleagues?
Describe your ordinary working day as a pilot.
How does it feel to be in charge of a million dollar airplane with hundreds of passengers flying at 39,000 feet?
What do you think a world without aircraft would be like?
As an airline pilot, do you still find pleasure in flying small airplanes like the Cessna 150? Why or why not?
As a pilot who is always away from your family, do you think it is necessary for you to make up for important family occasions that you failed to attend? Why or why not?
What is the difference between actual flight training and simulator training?
Which is harder, flying or navigating? Explain your answer.
These questions and answers could be of some inspiration for the warm-up oral test.
The whole interview is available from Business Jet Travelerhere.
Why did you decide to go into the Air Force after high school instead of acting?
I wanted to be a jet pilot and fly F-86s. I was an electronics technician. I worked on [ground-based early warning] radar.
When did you decide to get your pilot’s license?
I have a business partner who had a [Piper] Seneca and we started flying around. One day he wanted to go up and take pictures of the [Mississippi] river and he said, “Here, hold the plane while I take some pictures.” He told me how to bank it over and hold it in a bank so he could take photographs out the window. And I did and I said, “This isn’t super hard. It’s hard to hold altitude but the rest of it is OK.” And he said, “I can’t teach you how to fly–you have to get a flight instructor.” So in July 2002 I got a flight instructor and that October I got my license.
What planes do you own now?
Right now we have a [Cessna] Citation II and a Cessna 414.
You have a new jet on order, an Emivest Aerospace SJ30. When did you become interested in the SJ30?
When I started flying from my home, from Mississippi to California, I first used the Cessna 414 and that was a nine-hour flight–about four hours a leg and then an hour for fuel to land and take off. I needed something quicker so we got the Citation II, but again we are talking a long time flying. So I started looking around. This is when they were coming out with the Eclipse and the [Cessna Citation] Mustang and the Embraer [Phenom 100]. I got very interested in the Eclipse there for a minute. And then I read about the SJ30 and I said, “Here’s the airplane.”
What attracted you to it?
Distance and speed, primarily. It could go coast-to-coast nonstop, it has a 550-mile-per-hour speed–it flies at Mach 0.83 max, cruises at Mach 0.79. The Citation II cruises at maybe 0.60. So the SJ30 is quite a bit faster and you can go quite a bit farther in it. It sips fuel and has sea-level cabin pressure to 41,000 feet so you are a lot fresher when you hit the ground after a long flight.
You have a production company, clubs and a restaurant, and you do commercials. You’re an open-ocean sailor, an accomplished equestrian and a pilot, and you do a lot of films. Most people would find this schedule exhausting. How do you maintain your energy?
It is not a question of energy; it is a question of time. For a while, I actually had a lot of time. If I did four movies a year–and I don’t do that often–but if I did four a year, they were quick movies. And you have time off in between for the most part. So when I am home I have time to ride my horses. In the winters is when I went to the boat and got my sailing in. So it is really a question of having the time to do it, rather than the energy. The energy is always there. You gotta keep moving, gotta keep on dancing.
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