Interview experience:
Just like everyone else is saying, the previous gouges are virtually spot on. After speaking with a Comair F/O and listening to what Captain Ralph McWhorter told us at the beginning of the morning, the company is looking to hire 287 pilots by the end of the year - 66 per month for June, July, and August. Nobody, including Ralph, really knows the details behind the hiring spree other than the speculation regarding the Delta/Mesa contract issue and the possibility of picking up more -700s and -900s. But if you're thinking of applying at Comair, now is the time to get your stuff in. The earlier you get in on this wave of hiring, the better.
Laurie Hobbs sent a package of paperwork and information to me a few days before I left for Cincinnati. There were various forms to fill out, a checklist of things to make sure you bring to the interview, as well as travel arrangements. Comair will fly you standby with an S2 priority (which is pretty high), so you should have a pretty good chance of making the flight unless it's completely full. I had zero problems flying into CVG (even got First Class on one of the legs), and arrived early in the morning on Tuesday, June 3rd. Picked up the complimentary hotel shuttle to the Holiday Inn that everyone stays at, then went to my room and studied for the rest of the day. A quick dinner from McKenna's (the hotel restaurant) filled me up. It's a little expensive, but that Angus burger is huge! My interview was the next day, Wednesday, June 4th, at 8:15 a.m. Be sure to be in the hotel lobby for the 7:45 a.m. shuttle to Comair's corporate offices...and be in the lobby early! I arrived in the lobby around 7:38 a.m. and the shuttle van was already completely full with other Comair applicants. Since Comair is one of the only airlines in the country still hiring, the company is getting flooded with applicants (there were 17 other people that interviewed on 6/4, and something tells me that this is about the norm). Luckily, the hotel staff is extremely friendly and helpful, and they were able to get another shuttle to take me to the Comair General Offices around 7:50 a.m. The building is only about 5 minutes away, so you'll get there with plenty of time to spare. The eight-year-old General Offices building is very impressive. Very airy and modern. There are tons of airplane models and other Comair memorabilia type items adorning the place, including a GIANT CRJ-100 hanging from the ceiling and cutaway Saab 340 in the corner. At 8:00 a.m. SHARP, Captain Ralph McWhorter showed us in through the front door, where everyone signed in at the reception desk and received an information packet and name tag. We were then escorted past large windows that overlook the "war room," or System Operations Command Center - also very impressive - and into a room with plenty of tables and chairs. Ralph and Art Wanzo proceeded to tell us about the company, what the future is looking like, what it will be like to fly at Comair, and what we can expect as we progress through training. They did an incredible job of making everyone feel as relaxed and comfortable as possible. Trust me when I say that they WANT you to feel comfortable. Just FYI...there are bottles of water and some light snacks at the front of the room that you are welcome to help yourself to throughout the day, as well as restrooms right next door. Ralph specifically mentioned that there are three things that they are looking for as you're interviewed. 1. Do you fit well at Comair? 2. Are you trainable? 3. Would I want to fly a 3-day trip with you? He also said that they want to see if you have a sense of command enough to be a competent captain when that time comes. Use CRM whenever possible for your responses, and if you're starting to get a bunch of questions wrong, the interviewer will throw some easy questions at you to help get you back on track. They aren't there to grill you, and they aren't necessarily looking for you to get every question right (I know I didn't!). Also keep in mind that you're being "interviewed" by everyone you come in contact with, so be sure to be friendly, polite, courteous, and BE YOURSELF! Around 9:45 a.m., Ralph passed out the 26-question written test, which is based on the ATP written. Of course it's really just a matter of opinion, but I didn't feel that the test was all that much to worry about, but that's probably because I took the ATP written three days before the interview, so the Gleim was still fresh in my mind (Comair requires the ATP written to be completed for employment, but does not require it to be interviewed). If you have the time, go out and get it done, it may end up looking good to the interviewer, and it will also help prepare you for Comair's written. The best advice I can give is to go out and get the ATP Gleim and go through the sections covering weather, weather reports/forecasts, aerodynamics, turbines, Part 121 regs, and IFR procedures. More specifically, pay attention to things like sweptwing characteristics, flight spoiler characteristics, high-lift devices, turning flight characteristics, anything dealing with turbines, radio failure procedures, visual reference requirements on an instrument approach, RVR, departure/destination alternate requirements, V1, Vr, V2, AIRMET/SIGMET/C. SIGMET, snow, atmospheric pressure as it relates to thunderstorms, embedded thunderstorms, and ice pellets. I read on a previous gouge that this test is used in part to evaluate how to conduct your oral interview, so that's even more reason to ace it! Everyone finished the test within 15 minutes, after which we were split up into two groups of nine. One group went for the paperwork issues, oral interview, and fingerprints, while the other group went to the cog test. I was in the morning interview group, so I went to get my paperwork put in order by Art Wanzo, then waited to do my interview. Ralph, Melanie Waddel (sp?), and Todd MacGregor (all three are captains) were conducting interviews in three separate rooms. I interviewed with Todd, who was a great guy...very friendly and did not once do anything to make me feel nervous. Todd asked started by going over some of my paperwork and logbook, then asked me some basic HR questions. Tell me about how you got into aviation and what you did leading up to this point. What do you think will be challenging during training? Then we got into the tech interview. He pulled out a dispatch release for a flight from JAX to LGA. He asked what an AIRMET was and how long it was good for, what kind of weather is required for the issuance of a SIGMET and Convective SIGMET, and what the winds aloft were over SAV at FL300 (it's over 100 kts.). I also had to translate a METAR and determine if an alternate is needed by looking at a TAF (remember to look at the TEMPO and use the 1-2-3 rule). After that, he had me brief the ILS 4 LGA, which has the old Jepp format (I thought it was an NOS chart at first). He'll let you take your time to go over it yourself before you brief it, so don't feel like you have to start spitting things out right away. Again, he wants you to be relaxed and comfortable during the interview. I typically get very nervous for interviews, but I felt quite comfortable throughout the entire day, including during the interview with Todd. If you're really nervous, just take some time to talk to some of the other applicants. It'll loosen you up! After the brief, he asked me: What kind of entry we would make for the published hold? If we were told RVR was 4,500, can we shoot the approach? If no RVR is available and tower reports visibility at 1/2 sm, can we shoot the approach? If we're at this point on the approach and weather is reported as this or that, can we continue the approach or not? (I botched up on this one, but when I briefed the approach, I mentioned where the FAF was, so he backtracked real quickly and I corrected myself...didn't seem like a big deal at all). The only aircraft-specific question that I had was the engine failure procedures for the current twin I was flying (Beechcraft 99) while we're climbing out on the missed approach. I was also asked if the captain was out grabbing lunch, I'm sitting in the plane, and our flight we were about to depart as did not have an alternate filed, but the weather dropped and we needed one, what would I do? Said that I'd contact dispatch to let them know and to get the ball rolling, and then wait for the captain to return. Also, when do you need a departure alternate, and what are the requirements for it? After that, Todd asked me if I would continue flying at my current job if I was offered a position at Comair, along with what I would do to prepare for training. Overall, it was a very laidback interview that lasted about 20 minutes, but felt more like 5-10 minutes. After the interview, we were released for a lunch break in the building's cafeteria. There's quite a selection to choose from, and the price is pretty reasonable. Lunch lasted from about 11:45 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. At 1:15, the group I was in followed Laurie Hobbs to another building to take the cog test. As has been mentioned a million times before, you really can't prepare for this test. Honestly, I thought it was the most challenging part of the day, but it shouldn't be anything to worry over. Just be sure to follow the directions on each page. Read EVERY sentence and use the practice they give you before each test in order to understand how to do the test. It will tell you to WORK AS FAST AS YOU CAN, BUT DO NOT MAKE ANY MISTAKES. Well, obviously people are going to make mistakes when they work as fast as they can (I know I made a few), so just do the best you can. The gouge with an interview date of May 15, 2007 gives a very good description of the various exams included in the cog test. The cog test took around an hour to complete, many of us were done by around 2:45 p.m., and we were free to head home. Nearly everyone else was going to the airport after the interview, but my flight didn't leave until early Thursday morning, so I headed back to the hotel and relaxed for the rest of the day feeling glad that I had gotten through the interview. Overall, I felt that I done a pretty good job throughout the entire interview process, and I was really hoping that I would get an offer in the next few days. The general assumption is that you'll get a call within 2-3 days if you were hired, otherwise you'll receive a letter in the mail 1-2 weeks later.
Although it is a Saturday, Mr. Wanzo called me this morning to offer me a position, which I excitedly accepted. He said that they've been swamped with all of the candidates being interviewed, so it was necessary for him to come to work over the weekend to try and finish it up. So, if you don't get a call by Friday, don't get too worried. I admit I was starting to. Currently, if you do get the call, they will give you a choice of base - CVG or JFK - and then they'll let you know what class dates are available. There's a slightly longer wait for CVG since more people want it, but it's great that you're given the choice. All new hires spend two months going through training on the CRJ-100/200 in CVG to get your SIC type rating. After that, if they need you on the -700/900 (or if you bid for it), they'll send you back to the classroom for about a week and a half of differences training. This company really sounds like a winner, and their corporate culture is great. Everyone is incredibly friendly and I can't wait to start in July...maybe I'll see some of you there!
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Comair Pilot Pay Rates
Comair Sample Study Guide Questions:
1. Why Comair?
*Most experienced CRJ operator. Prefer CRJ to ERJ. Comair is a wholly owned Delta subsidiary and not a contracting airline or 'feeder'. Like area/bases/corporate culture/pilots/staff. Proud company. Comair's passengers and employees recommend them. Stable - been around a long time. Comparatively good safety record. Good training. Possible gateway to employment with big Delta.
2. How did you get into flying?
3. Why should we hire you and not the other guys here today?
4. What makes a good FO?
*Someone who's roll compliments the Captain's, balances out the flight crew, and is present as a gross error check in case the Captain should make any unusually rash or unreasonable judgments.
5. Define CRM.
*CRM can be defined as a management system which makes optimum use of all available resources - equipment, procedures and people - to promote safety and enhance the efficiency of flight operations.
6. Tell me a time you used CRM?
7. What challenges do you think you will have during our training and how would you overcome them?
*Workload studying new systems and applying them in the sim together with an aircraft that performs differently to others I am experienced in flying. Overcome them by forming study groups and pooling expertise from the most experienced people in each particular subject area.
8. You do an overnight with a Captain and he is having a drink 7 hours before the flight, what do you do?
*Discreetly ascertain what it is - may not even be alcoholic.
9. So we go missed and hear a big bang, engine failure, what do you do?
*First and foremost "FLY THE AIRPLANE." Configure the aircraft for the climb. Report missed and situation to ATC. Run the "engine failure" checklist. Then run the normal checklist.
10. Your in the hold at Orchy on the ILS 4 LGA with an engine failure; the weather is below mins everywhere; you have 40 minutes of fuel left; What do you do?
*I just wanted to add to this question: I asked for some clarification from the interviewers and that "below mins everywhere" means that your 40 minutes of fuel can't get you ANYWHERE above minimums.
HOWEVER, When I received this question I did have the option of ONE airport that was the ONLY airport above minimums that I could get to with 40 minutes of fuel, BUT there was a 30 knot direct tailwind there.
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Comair study guide questions!
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