Air Canada Interviews

[DHC-1 Jockey]

I know the dust hasn't setteled yet, but for those in the process of being hired, or those who have an application here, will you leave your current job to come here?

I know I got the PFO last week, but I can truly say I'm glad I got it. The decision was made for me and I am more than happy to stay where I am for the rest of my career, even if that means flying a Dash 8 for all of it. They invited me to apply again in 6 months. I don't think they'll ever hear from me again. And this is from someone who's dream growing up was to work for AC. How times change.

[homer85]

I know the dust hasn't setteled yet, but for those in the process of being hired, or those who have an application here, will you leave your current job to come here?

Took a "gamble" and took the job offer. Either way you look at it, times are changing so can't expect the working conditions/remuneration to remain as they were 20-30 yrs ago. Jazz was a great company to work for but they too will be affected by this arbitration eventually. The new contract allows AC to look for "other" tier 2 operators ... Who knows, only time will tell.

Good luck to all.

[GravelOpsRock]

Got the PFO today, 6 weeks to the day after the interview. I thought it was the best interview I ever did, but I guess I don't have the right stuff. No word (and they won't tell you) whether it was the interview, psych tests or cog tests that sunk me.

3500TT, glass cockpit, multi-turbine, etc.
University Degree
705 experience

Being overqualified is what sunk ya........

3500TT is overqualified? I doubt it.

Actually Air Canada is hiring lower and lower hour guys... and even guys that have ZERO turbine pic time .... they don't even seem to care about over 12500 time these days either... got a pulse... you're hired!!!

[cj555]

Got the PFO today, 6 weeks to the day after the interview. I thought it was the best interview I ever did, but I guess I don't have the right stuff. No word (and they won't tell you) whether it was the interview, psych tests or cog tests that sunk me.

3500TT, glass cockpit, multi-turbine, etc.
University Degree
705 experience

Being overqualified is what sunk ya........


3500TT is overqualified? I doubt it.

Actually Air Canada is hiring lower and lower hour guys... and even guys that have ZERO turbine pic time .... they don't even seem to care about over 12500 time these days either... got a pulse... you're hired!!!

Well thats is good news for all the low time pilots out there! But here's the disconnect: Why are they only hiring low time pilots? They have two applications one from a low time pilot with no 12500 experience, and one from a much more experienced pilot with 3500TT. Why would they PFO the more experienced guy? Doesn't make sense to me.

[WestCoastPilot]

Actually Air Canada is hiring lower and lower hour guys... and even guys that have ZERO turbine pic time .... they don't even seem to care about over 12500 time these days either... got a pulse... you're hired!!!

Well thats is good news for all the low time pilots out there! But here's the disconnect: Why are they only hiring low time pilots? They have two applications one from a low time pilot with no 12500 experience, and one from a much more experienced pilot with 3500TT. Why would they PFO the more experienced guy? Doesn't make sense to me.[/quote]

Lower time guys generally have lower expectations. This is not always the case, but take a proverbial 26 year old King Air FO with 2500 hrs, no turbine PIC time, no wife, no mortgage, no kids. The guy is going to be happy as anything to have landed the AC job, and -this is AC's gamble- odds are he'll be less inclined to rock the boat because he is looking at AC for the long haul. You put him in an AC uniform and he'll be drooling.

Compare hypothetical low time guy versus a mid-30 year old Dash 8 Captain with 8000 tt, a couple thousand hours multi engine turbine PIC, a couple type ratings, a couple kids, and a wife. This guy has been around the industry for a while, knows its ups and downs, and is barely making ends meet on his salary. He'll have much greater exposure to the pilot's working world, and, odds are, will require more than a fancy blazer to appease, once the initial thrill of getting to AC is done.

Lower time guys are also apt to feel more fortunate for what they have landed.

Note the above examples are a touch simplistic, and do not speak for the realities of everyone.

West

[loopa]

West I think you nailed it right on the spot!

I wonder, is anyone thinking of moving their career overseas with all of this goulash going on? A friend of mine just moved to Qatar after being captain on Porter's Dash. He's loving it, wife's loving it, and he says he finally is happy in this career. Kind of makes you wonder if that's the route one should consider pursuing...

I'm really interested in seeing what avenues WestJet is taking with this regional stuff and how it will affect the big scope picture of aviation in Canada. I personally think that their hearts in the right place and that they won't be taking advantage of the standard AC just published by reducing pay,etc... But I'm also young and naive!

Good luck to every one at AC!

[homer85]

All valid points and but don't assume only hours get you in. Maybe the other candidates did poorly on the COG test or interview. You can have thousands of hours and experience but might lack something in other areas. Sometimes there is just a surplus of guys in the process and someone with a lower grade gets the "try again" email. Mmaybe you answered "i would like to be a florist" lol although what's wrong with loving nature?!

Its a crap shoot.

[loopa]

All valid points and but don't assume only hours get you in. Maybe the other candidates did poorly on the COG test or interview. You can have thousands of hours and experience but might lack something in other areas. Sometimes there is just a surplus of guys in the process and someone with a lower grade gets the "try again" email. Mmaybe you answered "i would like to be a florist" lol although what's wrong with loving nature?!

Its a crap shoot.

From my understanding the interview doesn't mean anything anyway. At the end of the day you are a number posted against the hiring board and the letters go out in chronological order versus candidates needed. Apparently the majority of people's experience during the interview is nothing but awesome, yet they get a PFO. While you have a valid point that they might do poorly on the cog and etc, questions that involve "I would like to be a florist" don't seem to be a valid way to evaluate somebody's abilities to act proficiently in the 2 crew environment.

Those are my 2 cents - I'll agree that it's a crap shoot, at least to the outsiders lol.

[MeAndMrPenguin]

Cog screen looks for latent brain problems. Used by Military. Very few should have a problem with this.

Psych test looks for honesty and desirable traits. If you do not answer honestly, it will come back inconclusive. Don't second guess it. Answer the questions.

Interview is behavior based. You MUST understand how this works and what they are looking for. If you go in cold or not knowing how to format your answers, you will score poorly.

Your hours and experience were already enough when they called you for your interview. Your flying history is already acceptable. They are looking for people in the interview, not top guns.

Each course I have ever seen is a sprinkling of one of each. One or two feeder, business jet, prop, military etc. That is why you wonder why some made it and some don't. It appears as though each "demographic" is taken from.

[bravowhiskey]

I just did a medical with air Canada and I'm mid 30's, wife, 3 kids, mortgage all my time but 2000hrs were on 704 or 705 machine. Have around 5000hrs. I think the interview and personality tests is what gets you hired.

[av8tor_assrope]

4000 tt
3500 multi
737 time
College
No second language

Was pfo'd a little over 6 weeks to the day of the interview. Had mixed feelings about the tests and the interview.

All the best to the guys up to bat next.

[nottellin]

4000 tt
3500 multi
737 time
College
No second language

Was pfo'd a little over 6 weeks to the day of the interview. Had mixed feelings about the tests and the interview.

All the best to the guys up to bat next.

May be somebody tipped them off that you were Av8tor_assrope,

[av8tor_assrope]

4000 tt
3500 multi
737 time
College
No second language

Was pfo'd a little over 6 weeks to the day of the interview. Had mixed feelings about the tests and the interview.

All the best to the guys up to bat next.

May be somebody tipped them off that you were Av8tor_assrope,

Didn't I just see you walking around the shopping mall in your pilot uniform, full hat and bars?

[aV1aTOr]

3700 TT, almost all 1900D
700 of that is PIC 1900D
no french
no post sec ed.

Got a course date. It's a crap shoot.

[homer85]

3700 TT, almost all 1900D
700 of that is PIC 1900D
no french
no post sec ed.

Got a course date. It's a crap shoot.

Aug or Sept?

[YWGGuy]

3000TT
1000 >12.5K
>1500 PIC
French
CAD program

Sept GS.

Good luck to the rest!

[WF9F]

You guys/gals are nuts for wanting to come work here. Take a long hard look at what you are leaving because this place is probably the worst in Canada. Please take of the Air Canada dream glasses and seriously think about it. There are better companies to work for. Just trying to be honest and let you know that things here are not what they used to be and it will only get worse.
I would not recommend this place to any fellow pilot or even the profession for that matter.

[aV1aTOr]

You guys/gals are nuts for wanting to come work here. Take a long hard look at what you are leaving because this place is probably the worst in Canada. Please take of the Air Canada dream glasses and seriously think about it. There are better companies to work for. Just trying to be honest and let you know that things here are not what they used to be and it will only get worse.
I would not recommend this place to any fellow pilot or even the profession for that matter.

I don't know what you background is, but the next generation of pilots have really had to slog it out in the trenches to get a shot at AC or WJ. I agree it totally isn't what it was. But what it was didn't make money. Basically the pilot contracts of the past were great, but maybe too great.
I am not interested in selling myself short, but everything in the new CA is a step up for me. Pension, pay, schedule, options, they're all a major raise. Maybe if you and I switched jobs for a few months you would change your tune. No one is holding a gun to your head to stay at AC. And no one is holding a gun to mine to join.

Sept course.

[aV1aTOr]

BTW, I'm aware that the pilots contracts are not what is responsible for AC not making money. I'm just saying the contracts of the past are unrealistic in today's world. Get used to it. Everything else in the industry has changed.
And I agree there's better places to work. But when one of the big players calls, you go. I've seen too many colleagues wait around for the WJ call that never came.

[tailgunner]

Av1ator,
Congrats and welcome on board. We have great people, we have good people, and we have people who live under a dark rain cloud. They look to stomp out enthusiasm and dreams. Fortunately they are few and far between ( except on aviation forums). There are challenges, but working at AC is all what you make of it. I left a great position to come to AC 6 years ago, and I have really enjoyed my time here, most of my coworkers, and even a few of the managers are OK. Don't let anyone knock your enthusiasm down. Again, welcome aboard.

[winginit]

Alright I'm really getting sick of the guys who come on here claiming they are "AC pilots" and telling new guys not to come to ac. It’s an anonymous forum. Are all you new guys really going to listen to a few guys who got told to go pound sand by the hiring board? or the guys who turn around and say "well ac pfo'd me, but boy am I glad they did looking back". Guess what boys its easy to say that when you didn’t have a choice to come here anyways.

To the guys who are listening to these morons who got pfo'd claiming to work it ill put it as simple as it gets. Air Canada isn't perfect, but no aviation job in Canada is. It's certainly the best aviation gig in Canada. I work here and times are changing...but the fact is if you don’t want to be here then leave, if you think you will make the money you can make at Air Canada elsewhere then let your ego lead your career.

Alright losers you may now pick apart my thread and try to find spelling mistakes and grammatical because you know the only way you can win is with this.......to the true ac pilots wearing their red lanyard we shall see you in the crew room with respect.

Now, back to my beer

[Jimmy_Hoffa]

Alright I'm really getting sick of the guys who come on here claiming they are "AC pilots" and telling new guys not to come to ac. It’s an anonymous forum. Are all you new guys really going to listen to a few guys who got told to go pound sand by the hiring board? or the guys who turn around and say "well ac pfo'd me, but boy am I glad they did looking back". Guess what boys its easy to say that when you didn’t have a choice to come here anyways.

To the guys who are listening to these morons who got pfo'd claiming to work it ill put it as simple as it gets. Air Canada isn't perfect, but no aviation job in Canada is. It's certainly the best aviation gig in Canada. I work here and times are changing...but the fact is if you don’t want to be here then leave, if you think you will make the money you can make at Air Canada elsewhere then let your ego lead your career.

Alright losers you may now pick apart my thread and try to find spelling mistakes and grammatical because you know the only way you can win is with this.......to the true ac pilots wearing their red lanyard we shall see you in the crew room with respect.

Now, back to my beer

+1 And don't forget your "Black" Pen.

[homer85]

Well said guys, there has been too much discouragement and negativity on this forum. Times are changing, so will working conditions. We need to adapt but at the same time not be a door matt.... very fine line. Either way congrats to all those who are joining AC, you should be proud for achieving your goals. Remember if its not for you there is always an option to leave. All the best guys and gals.

September course.

[doorhandle27]

Are you guys starting mid sept? Any word on a October course yet?

[WF9F]

Sure its great here, come on over , you can figure it out for yourself.