Month: January 2009

AirTran Plans Growth in Milwaukee and Baltimore/Washington

AirTran will increase its capacity significantly at Baltimore/Washington Airport and even more so in Milwaukee.The airline’s executives see a big opportunity because of cutbacks implemented by Milwaukee-based Midwest Airlines.

“Our big focus is going to be in Milwaukee,” Bob Fornaro, AirTran’s chairman, president and CEO, said during a conference call with stock analysts this week.

AirTran

AirTran cut capacity in the fourth quarter of last year, sold or rescheduled 46 of its aircraft and changed its fuel hedging program. Add those cost cutting moves to the dramatic decline in fuel costs and record-high revenue and AirTran executives are confident in a first quarter and full-year profit in 2009 if fuel prices stay as low as projected.

AirTran sees room for expansion in Milwaukee, where it now operates about 20 daily departures. At Baltimore/Washington (BWI), AirTran is growing more in 2009 even as the other carriers there cut back. Overall capacity at BWI is down, but AirTran’s is up 16%.

ATP Opening 5 New Flight Training Centers

New Training Centers

Airline Transport Professionals will be opening five new Flight Training Centers over the next few months. New locations include Charlotte, Indianapolis, Oakland, Tampa and San Diego. The Training Center in San Diego will be the first new Training center to open, with doors opening on February 9th.

ATP has a proven 25 year track record as the nation’s leader in accelerated, multi-engine flight training. ATP will have 24 Flight Training Centers across the country when the new Centers are added, with Regional Jet Training Centers operating additionally in Jacksonville, Dallas and Phoenix.

Aviation – The Guided Career Path

When a person goes to college to get a four year degree, they often emerge without all the tools and experience to succeed in a professional environment. And just as often, graduates don’t even know what direction they want to take their life in after they receive their degree. A hypothetical example:

Jason works hard in high school and gets into a state university on a full academic scholarship. Four years later Jason completes his studies and receives a degree in Psychology. He has emerged more intelligent and very knowledgeable on the subject of his studies, but he only has a slight chance to actually acquire a job in the psychology field with his undergraduate degree. There are other types of jobs he could get with his degree, but he isn’t in love with any of his options.

At this point, Jason has two choices – he can begin a career outside of his chosen field, or he can go for more education. Even with a more advanced degree he might not get the job he wants. On the other hand, he could have taken his education in a far more practical direction: training that also provides experience. In today’s world, there are very few options that put you on a specific, guided career path and give you the experience to climb the ladder to success.

Completing a career-oriented flight training program is one of those exceptional options. You graduate from a career program in aviation, and you have all the tools to succeed. You’ll be licensed in the field you trained in, and have the experience to back it up. Not only that, but you know EXACTLY where your career is headed. There’s no period of “finding yourself” after college, or settling for a job that you don’t love just to pay the bills. In aviation, you’ll have a job right out of the program that is leading you to your goal of becoming an airline pilot. Just be sure your career program offers flight instructor ratings, or some other means of gaining additional experience.

Even better – you can pursue your four year degree while training for a specific career path such as aviation. Every certificate you earn while flying can be applied as credit for a college degree. You’ll emerge with a guided career path, and a solid college degree to supplement your qualifications for the job of your dreams.

Pilot Ambassador Encourages Students to Pursue Aviation Dreams

Jamail Larkins, ambassador for the Federal Aviation Administration, visited students at several Florida schools to kick off The DreamLaunch Tour. DreamLaunch exposes students to the Aviation Profession and encourages them to follow their dreams and pursue careers in aviation.

Jamail Linkins

Twenty-five percent of the aviation workforce was eligible to retire in 2008, leaving a huge need for new aviation experts to fill those positions,” Larkins said during the presentation at Choctawhatchee High School in Fort Walton Beach. He pointed to statistics warning of a shortage of properly trained pilots needed to meet the demand for airline pilots that is approaching soon.

Larkins told the students that after his first flight 12 years ago he never would have guessed he would be where he is today. “That flight changed my life,” Larkins said. “I got hooked on aviation.”

“No matter what goal or dream you have, you can turn any dream into a reality,” Larkins said. “The first century of flight was exciting. The second promises to be exhilarating.”

Air Wisconsin to Recall Furloughed Pilots

Operated by Air Wisconsin

I received a call from an ATP Airline Career Pilot Program and Regional Jet Certification Program graduate who had been furloughed from Air Wisconsin. He was contacted by the airline by mail and informed that he was being recalled. He was also asked for his commitment to return.

According to him, Air Wisconsin has sent out recall notices to six pilots to return to flight duty in mid-February. It is also being reported that, although there are no commitments from AWAC, the airline plans to upgrade ten pilots to Captain in April.

The Most Asked Airline Technical Interview Questions

ATP Alumni often pass along interview questions to us that they have been asked during the Technical Interview section of an airline interview. We have compiled these questions, and these are the questions most often asked.

Charts:

  • What is a MOCA?
  • What is a MEA?
  • What does RVR mean?
  • What is a Compulsory Reporting Point?
  • What is a FAF?
  • What determines when you go missed approach on an ILS?
  • Where is the final approach fix on an ILS?

Weather:

  • What is Virga?
  • What is a Microburst?
  • What are the four types of structural icing?
  • What is a Convective Sigmet and what does it cover?
  • How far should you fly from a thunderstorm for safety?
  • What is a METAR?
  • What does BR mean in a METAR?

Aircraft:

  • What is Vmc?
  • How does CG affect Vmc?
  • What makes an airplane stall?
  • What is P factor?
  • Where is bleed air taken from?

Regulations:

  • What are the Part 121 Duty Time Regulations? (8 hours per 24 hour period/30 per week/ 100 per month/100 per year)
  • At what altitude are you required to have DME equipment?
  • What do you need to be current ( 3 take offs & landings etc.)?
  • What altitude do you fly when you have lost communications?
  • What is the minimum altitude you can fly over a congested area?
  • What is the Max airspeed in Class B airspace?
  • What are the cloud clearance requirements in Class B?
  • What are the IFR altitudes above FL 290 for an aircraft heading between 0 and 179 degrees?
  • Flashing red light gun signal while flying means what?
  • What period of time do you have to report an accident to the FAA?
  • What is the maximum holding airspeed at 3000 MSL?
  • What is the maximum airspeed in Class C?

Pinnacle Airlines Announces Expansion of Partnership with Continental Airlines

Pinnacle Airlines announced today that it has signed an agreement with Continental Airlines to expand the number of Canadair/Bombardier Q400 aircraft operated by Colgan Air as a Continental Connection carrier. Pinnacle subsidiary Colgan Air will purchase 15 additional Q400s to be operated under the agreement between Continental Airlines and Colgan Air.

The Q400s will be operated for a period of ten years under the agreement. After the expansion, Colgan will operate 30 Q400 aircraft for Continental Airlines as a Continental Connection carrier.

10 Questions Most Asked by HR in an Interview

1. What made you decide to become a pilot?

  • Why did you decide to get into commercial aviation?

2. Where and what type of school did you train in?

  • How did you pay for your training?
  • What was the hardest part of your training?

3. Why did you leave your previous employer?

  • What made you want to change professions?

4. Why do you want to work for __________ Airlines?

5. How would __________ Airlines benefit from hiring you?

  • What will you do if you are NOT hired by this airline?

6. What are your strengths and weaknesses?

  • What are the high and low points in your life?

7. Give us an example of when you demonstrated good leadership?

  • What are some of the leadership roles you have had in the past?

8. What is the hardest decision that you have had to make?

  • Give an example of a split-second decision you had to make?
  • In flying? In your life?
  • How did it turn out?

9. Tell us about a problem that you had to solve as part of a group?

  • How did it turn out?

10. Tell us about a conflict that you have had with a Superior/Supervisor?

  • Your Captain refuses to obey regs, what do you do?
  • You show up and can smell alcohol on the Flight Attendant’s breath, what would you do? Would it be different if it were the Captain’s breath that smelled like alcohol?

The questions above were collected and compared to find the questions asked most often. There were plenty of other popular questions also, and here are some of them in no particular order:

Give an example of a situation which you have learned from in aviation? Give an example of when you have risen to a challenge set for you by a superior? Give an example of what makes you angry? How do you handle stress? Have you interviewed with anyone else? What is the First Officer’s role on the flightdeck? What is a pilot’s role in customer service? Have you ever failed a checkride? How would you deal with a difficult coworker?

ATP Welcomes New CFIs

ATP welcomes four of its Airline Career Pilot Program Graduates as new CFIs:

  • Glen from ATP Panama City
  • Jonathon from ATP Daytona Beach
  • Evan from ATP Jacksonville
  • Christopher from ATP Phoenix

Glen and Christopher both attended ATP’s Private Pilot and Airline Career Pilot Program. Jonathon and Evan attended ATP’s Airline Career Pilot Program. All four instructors have been working hard to stay active in the aviation industry.

We are pleased to have resumed accepting instructors from the waiting list, and look forward to bringing more Airline Career Pilot Program graduates on board in the future. CFI placement assistance will continue for graduates further down on the waiting list.