When going through your certifications and ratings you will encounter many challenges that you have learned to overcome. Once you have been flying for a while and have your ATP, a different set of challenges occur. One of our students recently experienced a new challenge he hadn’t experienced and shared it with us. When he came for the C500 series SIC crew member training he was very close to ATP. When finished he had the C500 SIC type rating, a more qualified resume, referral letters, and more knowledge and experience. When he went to interview he was well prepared to be asked questions about the VOR service volumes, how to read weather reports, what the limitations are for the C550 (which is what he was applying for) and many more knowledge items. Well when the interview began, the first question was, “Your’ on a trip and your passengers insist you stay at their home, rather than a hotel. How would you handle this situation?”
For many of you this may be an exciting question, however as professional pilot, you must be “professional” in all aspects of the relationship, and staying in the customers home could provide some very awkward situations that may not allow you to maintain your professional demeanor. In this situation you may also have trouble getting the needed rest to perform you crew duties properly.
Aspects of the interview once you have proven yourself in other pilot positions, are more about whether you can fit into the companies culture, can you get along with the other crew members and passengers, rather than the intricacies of piloting.
So don’t forget to hone up on those people skills. A very good book was written in the 1930s and has sold over 15 million copies. “How to Win Friends and Influence People”. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_to_Win_Friends_and_Influence_People, was the first self help book published and still the most popular. It will help you in all aspects of your life and when you get ready to interview for your Commercial pilot jobs, the principals in it will help you be ready to fit into any culture and get along with anyone. Our lives are meant to be happy and if you are like most pilots, you are flying because you love it. Add to your love of flying the ability to get along with anyone and you will be more successful in the pilot seat and maybe he happiest person on your block.
One of the first thing I did was walk over to the shelf where we have the “Trip Envelopes” and brought one back to my desk and filled out what information I knew, then placed a copy of the trip quote in the envelope. We have found that with every flight there is so much to keep track of from flight plans, plates, receipts, invoices, etc. that these envelopes help us keep track of all this paperwork.
It shows clearly how direct the flight will be allowing us to know its efficiency.
In today’s market, private aviation consumers have a wide variety of resources available to fit dynamic needs. Depending on the frequency of travel, it may be economical to purchase an aircraft. Owning a jet or turboprop aircraft requires a large initial investment as well as strong financial resources to handle the variable costs associated with operating the aircraft. Private owners enjoy the luxury and convenience of traveling on a personalized schedule, where the option to share the aircraft is strictly at the discretion of the owner. With this convenience though comes the cost of insurance, pilot training, maintenance, hangar fees, and other costs that add up quickly.
