PSA help

Just remember, you are applying for a 121 airline job. They understand where your experience is, but you need to have the skills and knowledge to be successful in the airline world.

They also know that you will have plenty of time (250 hours worth) in order to get up to speed at SkyWarrior. You will fly 100 approaches there, and get a good refresher on everything.

PSA will teach you how to fly our jets and about our rules/regulations/policies. They will expect you to already be a competent pilot.

I think that the guy conducting interviews was a military helo pilot, so he knows what you know (or should know) and what you will have to learn later.

Username06

Ha ha! I think I can handle that. That was exactly what Envoy was like. It was a kind of "getting to know you" interview.

Thanks for the info. I've printed out everything from aviationinterviews.com and studying it regardless. Hopefully that little bit of effort might make a difference in my favor as I truly have 0 hours outside of an Army helicopter.

Username06

Totally get it. My main concern was that if I will be expected to do the technical portion of the interview that I focus my efforts in the right place to be most prepared with just a few days to learn as much as I can. I'm just excited for the opportunity that I never thought I'd have. Thanks again for the info all.

AJ6495

How many pilots did PSA want to hire this year? Just trying to see where a potential new hire stacks up with the remaining aircraft growth.

Slingring

35 aircraft x 10 crews per = 700 pilots. Accepting 1 new aircraft per month is the plan. We currently have about 1230 on the list. We are hiring 75 per month, losing 25 per month to attrition and mainline, and upgrading 25 to captain every month as well. The growth plan is smart in that we are only excepting aircraft as fast as we can hire the people to fly them. I can't see why anybody would be going anywhere else if they can handle the commute.

hawkman

I believe there is a new hire class every two weeks correct? And it has been reported about 24 per class. So that comes to about 52 per month. An instructor there told a recent class the washout rate is about 30%, which is a net hire of about 36 per month. If 50 are upgrading or leaving, then that seems like it might be a loss? Sounds like they either need to hire more, washout less, or lose fewer?

PSA help

The "formula" is 10 pilots per aircraft. So 350 for the additional 35 airplanes.

We are losing about 30 a month.

Washout rate is MUCH lower than 30%. Most of the people leaving are doing so before they even get to the sims. Some are the career changers that realize that they don't really want to be an airline pilot, others are people that don't want to be away for so long. They are almost all the older guys, 50+ Years old. Also, the 30 that we are losing each month includes some of these guys.

Also, those upgrading are not leaving the company. They are still here and count as pilots.

We are hiring 50+ a month. We are losing a total of 30, plus a few early training washouts that never even make it to a seniority list. So, we have been growing by 10-15 pilots per month overall.

All in all, the company keeps saying that they want to be at 2000-2200 pilots. Not sure I believe it, and I doubt we will ever get higher than 1800. We are at 1300 right now.

I have been here 3 years and have been moving up ~10 spots per month. I know a lot of guys junior to me are leaving as well. Expect to move up 20+ a month in your first year. Senior captains that are 2 months away from flow are leaving for Delta and FedEx and not taking the flow, thus letting other people take those slots.

Attrition will continue to rise.

Reserve time in every base is really low. You can be a line holding captain here in 3 years.

FO reserve is almost non-existent in almost every base. Maybe 1 month on reserve and then holding a line of some sort.

Tailhook85

So why don't the old guys hang? I'm one of those starting training next month.

PSA help

An instructor friend said that some guys just think it will be fun and exciting - a bucket list item. But when they realize that it is hard and a lot of work, they quit.

Others don't have any real experience in the last decade. They haven't flown a real approach since Bush 1 was in office. They either think that the company will teach them how to be a pilot, or don't realize how much they've forgotten. They get to class, and are completely lost. They get frustrated and quit.

Most of these guys could be successful, but they give up. Indoc is really easy, and you have weekends off. Just study this stuff as well. Download the AIM and read it. Download the Instrument Handbook and read it. They are both free from the FAA.

PSA will teach you how to fly our jets with our rules, but you are expected to know the basics. You're expected to know IFR rules and procedures, how to fly approaches, and all of the other basics.

When asked how to turn on airport lights at a non-tower field at night, an acceptable answer is not "I don't fly at night anymore because of my bad vision so it doesn't matter" or "I have not flown at night since 1978, so I don't remember".

AJ6495

I was starting to think I waited too long to apply and missed the boat at PSA. It seems like there is some decent growth left still. CLT is the main attraction for me. It is a drivable commute and that will make the QOL much better.