The increased automation of aircraft is leading to an increased focus on non-technical behaviour when recruiting pilots, says the President of the Australian and International Pilots Association.
Speaking at the Centre of Asia Pacific Aviation annual conference, Nathan Safe said, “Because aircraft are becoming more automated and because the way of flying them is becoming more standardised there will be an increasing focus on non-technical behaviour when recruiting pilots.”
“Things like your ability to work in a team, and your ability to handle non-normal situations, the way you interact with other people and personality traits — whether you’re suited to a multi-crew aircraft environment basically,” he added.
His comments were in response to statistics shared at the annual conference, which showed that the average flying time on a Boeing plane is seven minutes, and four minutes on an Airbus flight.
This competency-based approach has been echoed by Ben Whitworth, Business Partner at Airline Prep, who spoke to Pilot Career News about the type of skills airlines are looking for, apart from technical ability.
“Airlines use competency based questioning to assess your Pilot Specific Skill Set,” said Ben. “These types of questions are used by the assessing team to help predict your future performance when faced with a variety of challenging situations. When preparing for these questions, keep your answers simple, effective and relevant. Don’t just ‘tell a good story’, but ensure that the answers you are delivering actually answer the questions you are faced with, and indeed deliver the appropriate skill.”
Read the full article on preparing for your pilot interview here.
