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Skywest Airlines Pilot Interview Profiles

» Home » Pilot Interviews » National Airlines » Skywest Airlines
Date Interviewed: December 2015
Summary of Qualifications: CFI CFII
Were you offered the job? Yes
Pilot Interview Profile:
interviewed in SLC, they positive space you there but dont pay for hotel, comfort suites is close and they will take you to and from and to the airport, they are constantly running back and forth to the skywest hangar so never have to wait long. Same old story, starts with company intro, why it is the best place to work, perks, bonuses etc. CRM, we were both low time CFIs so they assigned they other as CA, ten minutes from LAX with thunderstorm moving in from the north, cleared direct the IAF, FA rings and passenger had minor seizer but is coherent and not concerned we called ahead and had paramedics waiting at the gate just to be sure, thunderstorm is getting closer, we opt to continue, then the seizer happens again worse and he is bleeding out his mouth, thunder storm is now right over the airport with wind shear, we declare an emergency and ask for the nearest airport nearby that is VFR and the timer stopped. debrief, I tended to make to many decisions on my own without discussing with the CA. make sure you get an agreement before doing anything, and yes like they say 7 minutes goes very fast, Then draw turbine engine (he said mine was going on the fridge) electrical system and 91.175. used for the tech portion. explain what happens to the air molecules as they go through the core. What is the by pass ration? (5:1 is fairly standard) explain components stators, ignitors, flameout, axial vs. centrifugal compressors, N1, N2, accessory pack. AC or DC? starter generator.... Touched slightly into aerodynamics dutch roll critical mach, swept wing pros and cons. Went over Jepp charts briefly if you look over the legend they send you a couple times you will be fine, TAF TEMPO meaning and what does it mean to us. 3585 rule. Decent below MDA, WX goes down inside and outside of the FAF, on an ILS when can we continue if the vis goes down, Minimum glide slope intercept! This one tripped me up cause i had just intercept stuck in my brain, so if you intercept farther out the step down altitudes still apply, and the min alt is the FAP. 3 Stages of a thunderstorm (he asked me what the 4 stages are and my brain went nuts trying to think of the 4th, he admitted to playing with my nerves on that one) Then HR, went pretty quick for me. Why should we hire you? TMAAT you did something stupid? About a time you handled something with a co worker? How would your students describe you? This didn't last terribly long for me but I am a talker!
At the end you debrief the whole day, what you or them could have done better. areas you are week on, admit errors and things you dont know. They do a great job and everyone in the whole building was awesomely friendly, lunch is provided, and they are happy to have you there and love what they do. I found "everything explained" book to be the most helpful, "fly the wing" and "turbine pilots manual" did help some but spent most my time with everything explained and google. Spent about a week preparing and it paid off. If you are someone who is currently teaching are actively flying this should be pretty straight forward, for someone coming back to the profession you will likely need more time, there is no SIM anymore but spending a few hours in a FTD or something will help get you mind back into the swing of thing.

Good luck!
Date Interviewed: October 2015
Summary of Qualifications: 1600 TT 800 MEL CFI CFII MEI Turboprop Experience (king air)
Were you offered the job? Yes
Pilot Interview Profile:
Interviewed in DENVER


First you are asked to provide the original and copies of few documents for HR paperwork.

I was with another candidate (very small class) 3 captains and a HR representative. Impress the captains with your knowledge and the HR guy with your attire and behavior (be yourself do not try to impress anybody).

INTRODUCTION

Started with the company presentation. History, fleet, and all the benefits of being a SkyWest pilot.

Then you ll get a chance to present yourself.

CRM

Then they ll put you with another candidate and you ll simulate a flight in front of a white board and they will give you a scenario to judge your CRM skills. Make sure to use your best resources (the other pilot and ATC).

My scenario: On the faf of ILS at kord they ll start a 7 minutes timer. Cleared to land and LLWS at 600 feet. Captains tell us from the back that Company policy mandates to go around. We execute a go around to get delayed vectors back to the final course. Cleared to land and LLWS alert this time at 1200 feet. Decided to hold a few more minute and try again and if still unsuccessful proceed to an alternate airport. Timer stopped right after the second go around during re-vectors.

TECHNICAL INTERVIEW

They ll ask you to draw :
- Jet Engine
- Electrical System or Fuel System of the airplane you are the most familiar with
- List all the requirements of 91.175

Then you ll be with two captain for the technical interview
- Explain your drawings
- Jeppessen enroute charts and approach plates
- Standard Instrument Departure scenario
- Loss Communications Scenarios
- ILS approach scenario on Jeppessen chart
- Definition of the Final Approach Fix (a bit tricky)
- Dispatch Release Form
- Departure Alternate
- Destination Alternate
- Alternate weather requirements
- Read a Pirep, TAF, Metar
- Given the ETA and the TAF do we need an alternate?
- Mach Tuck
- Coffin Corner
- Yaw Damper failure and stability
- Dutch Roll
- Critical Mach Number
- Factors that makes the Left Engine Critical on a Conventional Multi Engine
- When the Approach Light System is in sight what can you do
- Compressor Stall
- Weather (Specially Jet Stream)
- Alternator, Generator, Rectifier, AC and DC
- Why is AC easier to transport along long distance than DC
- What do you have to do to DC current to transport it along long distances (jet fuselage)
- Advantages and Disadvantages of AC and Dc

HR PORTION

After the torture you get to relax and meet with HR for the most relax part of the interview
- Question about yourself
- Why should we hire you (off course ...)
- What is special about you
- What do you like or dislike about people
- If your captain is dirty and stinks what would you do (tell him or speak to a supervisor)
- Your captain runs over a taxiway light and may have potentially damaged the tires, what do you do? And of course Captain wants to continue anyway (they want to see if you ll speak up against the captain if safety is compromised).
- some other questions about your background and so and so

LUNCH TIME

You don't pay for it

DEBRIEF TIME

They ll ask you to evaluate yourself and they'll tell you what you did right or wrong and whether or not you got the job. Do not hesitate do admit your mistakes (they like that).

Conclusion !
They ll tolerate mistakes but want you to have a solid knowledge that will ease your training. They want to see what kind of person you are and how you ll perform in a Part 121 environment.

That s pretty much it

Good Luck to everyone !
Date Interviewed: September 2015
Summary of Qualifications: 950TT CMEL, CFI, CFII, R-ATP eligible, ATP written, Bachelors degree
Were you offered the job? Yes
Pilot Interview Profile:
Positive space to Denver.

Interview started at 8AM next door to the hotel where all of the candidates stayed (Holiday Inn) I actually knew two of the three other candidates I interviewed with. I went to school with one of candidates and he had the same qualifications as me. The other candidate went to a two-year community college and had 1250TT. The third candidate (who) I didn’t know was from a different four-year college and had similar qualifications (all of us under 23).

They first went through all of our paperwork. Make sure you bring copies and original documents.

Then we did introductions, who you are? Where are you from? Where you did most of your flying/training? For fun they also asked us our favorite song to sing karaoke to (have to pick one). Two interviewers both Captains on the CRJ, very laid back people. Very nice! We joked around a lot! Had fun getting to know each other. Took the edge off.

They then showed a short video on SkyWest. (It’s on YouTube if you would like to look it up, is like 2-3 min long), followed by about a 20 minute power point on the company which went through their contract, work rules, benefits, etc. The SkyWest pilot group has just signed a new contract with company. VERY GOOD! Best out there right now.

They then gave us a piece of paper and told us to draw a turbine engine and the electrical system of the most recent aircraft we had flown. Then asked us to list all items of 91.175 that were required to descend below MDA.

They split us up for the CRM scenario. Two of us went with one interviewer and two with the other. He gave my partner and me the option of who wanted to be captain and who wanted to be the first officer. Neither one of us cared so I ended up being the Captain. He gave us the scenario and set a 7 minute timer and said that he (the interviewer) would play the role of ATC and the flight attendant.

Scenario: Coming into LAX and you did not file an alternate as the weather was forecast to be clear. You have 1 hour of fuel. You're about 15 minutes from landing at LAX and are put into holding for congestion. Flight attendant rings you and says that they had an elderly passenger have a seizure. There is now weather that is coming down the coast and expected to make LAX IFR and may close the airport down for a while. GO!

After the scenario, the interviewer asked what we thought we did well and what we thought we could have done better. Asked my first officer what he would have done differently if he were the captain. (this is a gotcha question I think, there are a million ways to skin a cat. Don't throw your captain under the bus if the cat was skinned in the end) We both thought the other did a good job though and didn't have any problem. I asked the interviewer what he would have done differently if he was in our situation. He gave his perspective.

After the CRM scenario, we placed our orders for lunch.

We then started to take turns on the tech and HR interview.

I did the HR interview first. Took longer than I expected, had a lot of questions to ask, about an hour total. Was a lot of fun though; conversation style. Started out by telling a joke.

- Tell me about yourself in detail.
- Why SkyWest?
- If you could go back in time to any year but you had to stay there forever, when would it be and why?
- TMATW you had an emergency or a time you were very scared while flying?
- Tell me about your most memorable flight?
- TMATW you did something stupid in an airplane? What did you learn from that?
- TMATW you took up your first passenger, who was it and how did it make you feel?
- Any checkride failures or 141 stage check unsats? What happen? What did you learn from them? (be honest)
- You are at minimums on an ILS approach, runway not in sight, captain is continuing. What do you do?
- You forget your toothbrush and run down to the lobby to get one on an overnight. You see the captain sitting at the bar with a drink, it’s within the 8 hour minimum, what do you do?
- What do you think will be most challenging for you during training if offered a position? How are you going to overcome these challenges?
-Any other questions for me? (the interviewer)

Then was the technical interview. Other gouges are spot on.
- Explain your drawing of a turbine engine.
- How do we pressurize the cabin?
- Is the bleed air off the 10th stage hot? Then how do we cool it for the air-conditioning?
- N1, N2, EGT, EPR
- Accessory gear box, bevel gear, what’s on it? (Generator)
- How does a generator work?
- What is the difference between AC and DC power?
- Hot start?
- Hung start?
- What is continuous ignition? When does it come on? When do we turn it on?
Then they asked you to explain the electrical system that you drew. I did the 172. They were fine with that. After I explained, they didn't ask too much more.
- What is a relay?

Brief this JEPP approach plate.
- What is the final approach fix?
- You are before the FAF and wx drops below mins on the app, can you continue?
- You are after the FAF and the wx report drops below mins, can you continue? If so what do you need to descend below minimums. (91.175)
- How do you know you have the required visibility at minimums? (runway lights are 2400 feet long, bulbs are 200 feet apart, can you see the 500 foot markers, 1000 foot markers. Things like that. They want to see the practical side of 91.175 not just rote memory of what you need to see to continue the approach.

Loss comm scenario on an approach plate.

-You're at _____ altitude right here on a sectional. What airspace are you in? What is the speed limit here? Visibility requirement?
- You're at 11,000 feet inside the Denver class B airspace, do you have a speed limit?
- Speed limit below the Bravo?

High altitude aerodynamics.
- Biggest advantage of swept wing design?
- What are some disadvantages of a swept wing?
- What is critical mach?
- What is mach?
- What happens if you exceed the speed of sound?
- What is mach tuck?
- What is dutch roll?
- What do we have to counter dutch roll?
- What is a stall?
- What is Critical Angle of Attack?
- What is the basic stall recovery procedure?

Then he gave me a dispatch release forum.
-Read this metar (mine had variable winds from x degrees to x degrees)
- What is the weather going to be at this time?
- Do we need an alternate at this time?(of course the TAFs in between the time you want. Take the latter of the two)
- What are the stages of a thunderstorm?
- Which way is a storm moving if the anvil top is pointed left?
- Which way would you want to try to fly around the storm then?
- How far away from the storm would you try to fly?

I believe that was it for the tech.

When I got finished with the tech interview lunch was there.

I thought it was very cool that the interviewers actually sat down and ate with us. Made us feel as though we were all part of the family. We talked about their favorite places they had traveled with their flight benefits. Where the best overnights are. Fun questions.

After lunch one guy still had to do the tech interview. But the other three of us were finished with everything and just waiting to hear back from HR. I was the first one called into the HR guys office. HR guy asked a few questions. How do you think you did? What materials did you use to study? Any other questions?

He then extended a conditional offer. I accepted.

Now I had a few questions, class dates, ERJ vs CRJ. Was told that only people with ATP/CTP course completed will have the choice of ERJ because if SkyWest needs to pay for CTP then they are going to put you where they need you. Only seat locked for a year though. I chose CRJ because they said I couldn't get an ERJ class for another 3-4 months.

Study up on turbine engines, 91.175 and your electrical system and you should be fine with the tech. Don't be a "rat" in the HR. Be honest.
Most fun interview I went on! Really enjoyed the process! Can't wait to get started!
Date Interviewed: September 2015
Summary of Qualifications: TT 3493, PIC 3004, Turbine PIC 0, ME PIC 743
ATP w/B737 (never used it), CFI, CFII, MEI
B.S. Aviation Management
M.A. Education - Instructional Technology
60 yrs of age
Retired Navy NFO (P-3C)
25 years experience in Silicon Valley as a GPS applications engineer and Project Manager
Were you offered the job? No
Pilot Interview Profile:
Five of us interviewed in SLC on 9/14. I was clearly the oldest - by a wide margin. Arrived the night before and stayed at the Comfort Suites Airport; heartily recommended because they will shuttle you back and forth wherever you need to go. Only two pilot captain interviewers and one HR rep. After introductions from them and us, we all got to tell them about ourselves. Then a brief video about the company, nothing more than a lot of flying shots of their jets. A PowerPoint discussion of how great it is to work there; not really much talk about the nitty gritty of benefits other than how great the pass privileges are. No clicker test. Then the screen in the meeting room is raised, and under it on the whiteboard are our next instructions: draw a jet engine, draw an electrical system diagram, and write out the requirements of 91.175 relative to going below MDA/DH. Each of the five candidates were interviewed sequentially and separately by one captain (for technical questions) and HR. The rest of us cooled our jets in the conference room and just waited while two were always gone. A lot of waiting over the course of the day. No simulator ride. Tech session interview: explain your artwork and then look at a dispatch release. Explain the METARs and TAFs (translate to plain English). Do you have takeoff mins? If not, is a departure alternate required? How far away does it need to be? There will be some obscure codes on your weather reports. Now, look at a Jepp departure plate. (I got HLN). Was given some ad hoc spoken weather for the HLN ILS-LOC Z 26 approach by the interviewer. Can we legally start the approach? If so, finger fly the approach. What happens when the weather goes below mins, after passing the FAF? Now, move onto the ILS 16 at RNO. Pretty much the same drill for this approach. I did not have to look at or explain anything on Jepp enroute charts. The HR interview is also 1-on-1, and pretty standard. Just be yourself. In summary, although I think I was prepared adequately in the weeks preceding my interview, I was just mentally out of it on interview day as I simply could not get any sleep the night before (it is not the hotel's fault). This was probably my only shot at an airline interview, given my age, and I was just too wired to sleep. Caffeine in the morning could have been my friend, but she deserted me. :-( It may actually be decaf in their coffee pot at SKYW, given it is Utah (I will say no more). I did 'ok' and really nothing more, was not sharp when I needed to be, and it is no one's fault but my own. In fairness, I think SKYW was more than accommodating and wanted me to succeed. A few of us were told when we left that they (interviewers) no longer have decision making capability in SLC, and all hiring decisions are made in SGU within 7-10 days. But clearly from some of the latest interview reports here, that isn't the case. If you shine, you should get your interview offer before you leave. I think the interviewers just don't know how to politely and compassionately let someone know they didn't make the cut.
Date Interviewed: August 2015
Summary of Qualifications: CFI CMEL 1200TT R-ATP eligible
Were you offered the job? Yes
Pilot Interview Profile:
Interviewed in Denver. Arrived the night before. As was said before, book your hotel early. I waited and had to settle for a hotel about 5 miles from the SkyWest office. Not a huge deal, but definitely added some stress.

Got to the office the next morning around 7:30am. I was the first one there, and the other 3 applicants arrived shortly after. Interview began at 8:00am. We began with an introduction from the 5 or 6 Captains and pilot recruiting rep. They all had nothing but great things to say about SkyWest. It really made me feel like I had made the right choice in applying. We then introduced ourselves and told the interview team a little bit about us.

Next up was the introductory video and presentation on SkyWest. We did not have a clicker test like the other gouges, but I would still be prepared for it. Following the presentation we were told to draw the following: Turbine engine, electrical system of a current aircraft, and 91.175. While we were drawing we were pulled out to do the CRM evaluation.

The CRM portion was exactly as mentioned in the previous gouges. Being the least experienced applicant I was Captain. We were given a scenario of being on approach to KDEN with thunderstorms approaching from the northwest with a sick passenger in the back. Talk it out with you co-pilot, use all your resources, and you'll do fine. It goes VERY quick.

We then did the HR portion of the interview. I interviewed with Matt, a Denver based Captain. This was honestly a very fun experience. They basically just want to get to know you. Be yourself and it'll be a breeze. I was asked some WWYD questions mostly revolving around conflict on the flight deck. Nothing too unexpected.

Finally we had the tech interview. I had Shaun, a Houston based Captain for this interview. We started with the turbine engine drawing. I was asked about air flow, igniters, the accessory case, bleed air, N1, N2, HP turbine, LP turbine, and bypass ratios. Then we discussed the electrical diagram. Nothing too crazy here. Be able to explain the flow of electricity, label items on the busses, and know basic electrical components like TRUs, rectifiers, inverters, bus ties, etc. Then we moved into 91.175 and eventually Jepp. Know your Jepp. Know your Jepp. Know your Jepp. They want you to have these down cold. I briefed the ILS 16R at Reno and discussed the charts, mostly symbology. I also looked at a Class B chart for Denver. We wrapped up our discussion with weather(icing and thunderstorms) and emergencies(rapid decompression).

They talked for a bit and then called us in one by one for a debrief. They asked what I thought I did well and what I could work on. They pretty much agreed with what I said, and thought overall I did very well. I was offered a position on the CRJ, which I immediately accepted. If the 4 that interview at least two others received offers as well.

Overall it was a great interview experience. They made me feel right at home. Something that stuck out to me was that as I was leaving they said "If you need any thing between now and class, you let us know. Your family now." That to me speak volumes to the culture at this company. Looking forward to a great career with SkyWest!
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