Just to update the current gouge files listed.

The written contained 60 questions that are all part 61 and 91, no 135 or baron weight and balance questions. Contained questions on alternates, weather, metars and TAF's.

The sim ride included flying a profile: climb at vy until reaching 1000 feet AGL, then 140 KTS. At 500 AGL leaves throttles forward but reduce RPM to 2500. Your clearance is "starcheck one, cleared to CMH via radar vectors, maintain 3000, dep frequency 125.95 squawk 4732. You will take off and receive radar vectors to CMH at which time you will lose your attitude indicator. Once you get that back they now give you an ENGINE FAILURE. Once that is squared away you get it back and shoot a vor approach to which will go missed. You then track an NDB for about 15 seconds and then receive radar vectors for intercepting the localizer for an ILS. You fly the approach followed by a full stop landing and you are done. The frasca 142 is very pitch sensitive so keep that scan quick!!! Not too tough, they are looking for solid instrument procedures and a good scan.

The questions asked by Craig are still the same as indicated in the other gouge sheets.

circadium rhythm is important...get your body used to the nights, that's part of the interview...

the psych. test...only received if they want you, the tests cost money, so they won't waste them, the tests are used by them to tell you about yourself once hired, they have people who actually interpret the tests...

the written test...50 questions...know the regs...including 135, and the question about the baron zero fuel weight...there is no zero fuel weight in a be-58!!

the 1 on 1...Know one engine inop. theory and procedures and be sharp, craig's not nickpicking, he's explaining, if he's explaining, then he's correcting, the answer to what makes a freight pilot is...professional, they expect and demand you to be bye the book, fly the profiles(and they have more than most airlines), don't take this interview lightly!!

the sim ride...feather the prop., use correct procedures, and find the airport the first time, i talked to people in the interview, and they said they did pretty good, but it did take them a couple of times to find the airport, that's the last time anyone saw them at AirNet, They need someone who will make it through training, They will fail things on you, if you talk to people who say they didn't fail anything on them, they didn't catch it, it's one of the busiest sim rides around, hang in there and you'll get through it...

It's a good professional airline...

he night before, I rode jump seat on one of the company Learjets. It was my first time in a Lear. Wow!

Arrived in the wee hours of the morning where I checked in with flight operations. They gave me a package with some company info, an appointment time, and a simulator profile with a clearance and some V speeds to memorize. They then packed me and another candidate off to a hotel across the street to await our noon appointment that afternoon. Spend a bit of time memorizing those V speeds and visualize the settings you would use in the twin you're used to flying. These are the settings you will start with in the simulator. The staff doesn't give you power and prop settings, you must figure them out as you fly!

There are only two speeds that you must know: 120 KTS for climbout and approach, 150 KTS for cruise, initial flap and gear.

At the appointed hour, an intern collected us and took us to a classroom where Craig Washka - director of recruitment - gave us a welcome and overview presentation. He fielded general questions for about 15 minutes. The rest of the process is broken up into four parts: Written test, Psych/Personality Eval, One-on-One Intervies and Simulator ride. In the past, if you "failed" one of the elements, you would not continue on to the next. This is no longer the case. All candidates do all four elements. AirNet is seeking out the "whole package" pilot, and according to Craig, failing one of the elements does not absolutely fail the candidate.

The first element was a written test. 45 randomly selected, multiple- choice questions from a pool of maybe 200. The questions are FAA written style but do not seem to be taken verbatim from the actual FAA tests. In fact, there are some humorous wrong answers to pick from when all else fails! Topics covered included Part 61, Part 91, weather, aerodynamics, IFR enroute/approach charts and some commercial regs. Bone up on the instrument and commercial written, and run through the AIM. Know your light gun signals too!

At the same time the written test was passed out, a Personality evaluation form was handed out. 28 boxes with 4 personality traits in each (eg. Thorough, Friendly, Introspective, Fair). The characteristerics are typically not related (similar or opposite). In each box of 4 characteristics, Identify the ONE that most describes you, and the ONE that least describes you. Leave the other two characteristics blank. Do that for 28 boxes and you're done with the written stuff. There used to be a weight and balance question on the old test - that's gone now.

Next, one of us was taken to the simulator while the other went into the one-on-one with Craig. The interview is pretty standard interview fair. I've culled some questions from each of the candidates that I met while there. Not everyone got every one of these questions. Craig is a good interviewer who focuses in on the things he needs to get from an applicant. Things discussed included systems and aerodynamics on the twin or other aircraft that you have been flying recently. Study up on the effect of that weight has on various V speeds! Know your gear, fuel, emergency systems and similar stuff. What was your scariest flight event? What did you learn from it? Tell me about yourself. What makes a good freight pilot? Why should we hire you? Most of the interviews seemed to take about 20 minutes.

The simulator is conducted by Bob Olijawan (sp?). His first rule of thumb: NEVER POINT OUT or EXCUSE BAD PERFORMANCE IN THE SIMULATOR! He knows that everyone flys MUCH better in the real world than they do in the sim. Phrases he hate include "I can fly better than that.", "I didn't do a very good job of _______ in there." Or pointing out a flaw after he identifies something good. Accept his compliments graciously and only play up the positives, forget the negatives and move on. This is particularly important during the flight. If you screw something up, fix it, forget it and keep flying - making every effort to not do the same screw up again!

You will have been handed a clearance/flight profile when you arrived. Everyone gets the same one - they don't mix up profiles like they did in the past. The profile is about headings, altitudes, tracking VOR radials, a hold (know your entries - you may only have to tell him what kind of entry and/or procedure), tracking to and from an NDB (no wind!) They start with a standard take-off into VMC. While flying the profile, some visual maneuvers get thrown in - steep turns and stuff. Then the sky gets solid (300' ceiling) and the instrument ride starts. There is no longer an engine failure - either in visual or IMC. Track to a VOR, hold, track outbound from the VOR to an NDB. Perform a full ILS with course reversal and everything. You finish up your ILS with a complete stop. The simulator is a Frasca 142. It's a bit pitch sensitive but great condition. They are looking for good procedures, USING CHECKLISTS! (provided), and aircraft management (single pilot CRM) - timely radio setups, identify your nav aids, etc. You will get a failed horizon somewhere in the mix - keep your scan going, declare the emergency to ATC, keep it flying. What if this were for real? For a couple of us, when we got the horizon back, as it came back up, it put the plane in a steep dive (a couple of miles outside the FAF in my case). I thought it was an engine failure at first, but I took them at their word that they wouldn't do that so I just bumped the mix/prop/throttle to full, picked my altitude back up and re-configured the settings to continue the approach. The ride takes somewhere from 15 to 20 minutes.

Snacks and drinks are provided throughout the afternoon and the staff were very accomodating. We finished up with a "debrief" which was more of a "Thanks for coming, we'll contact you within a week." Any final questions were addressed and we got out about 4:00 P.M. We all went to dinner together then either back to hotels or to the lobby to await our jumpseats home.

Things have changed a bit on their process. I was flown in on their system on a Lear 35 the night before the interview. We arrived in Columbus around 0500. The intern waiting there was really helpful in getting us settled in for the night. We showed up again at 1100 the next morning. 1. I was first in the sim (Frasca 142), a very simple scenario take off runway hdg off 28L at CHM to 3000' then fly direct to APE VOR and hold (failed a flight instrument enroute), then direct to sumie LOM/IAF for the full ILS 28L. That's it. No engine failures or any other emergencies. Their not concerned about power management, but just want to see good IFR procedures. HINT: Use the checklist religiously! If you haven't flown a Frasca lately, I suggest you find somewhere to get a little brush up training. Very pitch sensitive. 2. Then the written was next. Very simple part 91 mostly, and a little METAR stuff. There's no part 135 at all, and no more Baron W&B problem. I think it was about 50 questions. Then the phsyc test. 48 questions. Pick from a word list that best describes you and least describes you. 3. Finally the interview one on one with Craig Washka. Pretty straight forward. What makes a good frieght pilot? Why should AirNet hire you? Basic systems on the last aircraft you flew. If you took off with half fuel and were in the clouds at 200' and lost an engine, what do you do? After flying blue line, your still descending, now what do you do? This was where he tries to get you a little shaken up when you can't find the answer he's looking for. I'm pretty sure since he did it to all of us that it's pretty standard to see how you'll react. It lasted about 25 minutes. 4. After about 1630 we were debriefed on class schedules and benefits. One thing mentioned that was note worthy to some, is they no longer charge anything for the time building program starting in Jan 2000. They actually pay $1000 a month until meeting captain mins. Also upgrade times to SIC in the Lear is about 10 months. I met one SIC guy that only had 7 months with the company! He admits, he was the exception, not the rule. Everything was timed right for him. Overall, I was very impressed. Not at all as I expected and the folks working for them all seemed to be really happy. They appear to take really good care of all their employees and equipment. Very fast paced, but very well organized! Real nice benefit package too. They told us we should get a call within a few days.

I interviewed with AirNet this past Wednesday night/Thursday morning and just wanted to pass along the following information:

The interview consists of 4 parts. 1. Written exam; 2. Simulator evaluation; 3. One-on-one interview; and 4. A Psychological evaluation. You must satisfactorily complete each phase or your interview will be over at that time and you will not be asked to do the next thing on the list. Here's what I can remember of each phase: (remember that these things probably change on a regular basis, so I wouldn't count on getting exactly what I had).

1. Written exam. Fairly straight forward exam that seemed to me to be a combination of the FAA commercial and instrument exams. I didn't even try to study for this, but I took my Commercial and Instrument instructor FAA exams within the last year so these things were pretty fresh in my mind. My instrument students tend also to keep me sharp on the regs. I don't know my exact score on the exam because they just tell you pass/fail, but I'm guessing I scored somewhere in the mid-90's. You need 70% or better to pass. Toward the end of the exam, there's a weight and balance problem on a Baron 58. It's pretty straight forward. I'd suggest just working from the example that's in the Baron manual they provide you.

2. Simulator Evaluation. You'll get the profile for the sim evaluation as soon as you're finished with the written exam. I had about 2 hours to go over the profile and work through it in my head. Here's what I remember of the profile: You start at Akron Fulton (AKR) on Rwy 25. You are to climb at Vy for noise abatement to 1000' AGL. You are to reduce the RPMs to 2500, but leave the power alone at 500' AGL. Initial heading of 120 degrees to intercept the BSV VOR 015 degree radial. Track inbound to BSV. You'll be cleared for the ILS Rwy 1 approach at Akron Canton (CAK). It has a hold for the course reversal which is offset a bit from the final approach course. If you weren't vectored around any, you'll do a parallel entry into the hold. (You'll want to use the #2 Nav to track inbound to BSV and for the hold so that you're #1 Nav and HSI will be available for the ILS.) Shoot the ILS to minimums and then go around because of traffic on the runway. Vectors to final for the NDB Rwy 25 approach at AKR. Engine failure (right, in my case) on the way to AKR. Fly the NDB to minimums and land. The speeds you'll be asked to use are Vmc=85, Vr=90, Vy=125, Cruise climb=140. I was also asked to maintain 160kts until crossing the FAF on the ILS. Approach flaps at 175 and full flaps at 150.

They have an AST300 and a Frasca 142 simulator. They prefer to use the Frasca and I got the impression that they hardly use the AST300 anymore. I had never flown a Frasca, but had flown an AST300 about 5 years ago. I think the Frasca flys very nice overall, but had a tendency to be a bit pitch sensitive. Their Frasca is set up with pilot and co-pilot gauges. I was told by some other people that they'll sometimes fail your primary attitude indicator. I kept looking across the panel and cross-checking, but he never failed mine.

3. One-on-one interview. I interviewed with Craig Washka, Director of Training. It was pretty straight forward. He asked me what makes a good freight pilot. He also asked questions concerning the Seminole because I told him that's what I've been flying the most lately. He asked what I would do if I lost an engine on takeoff at 300' AGL in the clouds. He nitpicked my answers a little bit, but I think it was just to see how I would react. I'd say the most difficult part of the face-to-face was the fact that it happened at about 2:00 AM according to the time my body was accustomed to. It's a little bit difficult to be sharp at that time of day for me. Craig was very casual during the entire interview and it was difficult for me to remember that I couldn't entirely let my guard down. I'm not BS-ing with a buddy at dinner, this is an interview!

4. Psychological Evaluation. Apparently there's no way to fail this one, because I surely would have failed it. They give you a pre-printed booklet and you scratch off which traits apply "most" or "least" to you. There were somewhere around 40 of these to answer. I was really going down hill fast at that point from a fatigue factor so I'm not sure exactly what they were able to derive from my answers.

Overall impression: These guys really appear to have their act together. Everybody was very friendly from the pilots to the ground handlers to the people administering the interview. I talked to 3 different people who were just about to finish up their month's worth of training. One guy passed his 135 checkride right there in front of me. Everybody was very happy with the company. I jumpseated on a Lear 35 back to Denver that night at about 5:00 AM Columbus time. At that time, there were 25 Lears on the AirNet ramp along with about 25 piston twins. You wouldn't believe how quickly things were moving.

On big suggestion I'd make to those asked to visit for an interview is that you try to get your body clock switched around to the backside of the clock. All interviews take place between 9PM and 5AM. I tried to stay up really late the night before and then sleep in, but it didn't really work out. It's been 40 hours since I first jumped on the Lear at Denver to go to Columbus and my body is just now getting back to normal.

They told us that it would be 1-2 weeks before we'd hear anything about the results of the interview. I got a call last night at midnight and was offered a class date. Looks like I'll be heading to Columbus to start training the first Monday of June.