I’m really loving aviation. I have been playing MSFS for a few months now and watching YouTube videos. So far I have been watching Pilot Debrief and Captain Steeeve. I like them both but wanted to find out some other good ones!
Supposedly it's to fit more people.
As a current pilot and former air traffic controller, it still amazes me at the controlled chaos that is EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh 😱 I'm always impressed with everyone's skills and professionalism. How there aren't more accidents each year is beyond me!
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I fly for a major international airline for over two decades. So I've seen the process from both angles — as the nervous candidate and as the person deciding who moves to the next round.
A few things I notice over and over with candidates who don't make it through:
They over-rehearse answers until they sound like a script, and assessors can tell instantly
They don't understand what the group exercise is actually testing (it's not about "winning" the discussion)
They freeze on the "why this airline" question because they never dug past the brochure answer
Grooming/appearance standards trip people up in ways that are fixable in five minutes if you know what's being checked
They don't know how to recover when an interviewer throws a curveball — recovery matters more than the answer itself
Happy to answer questions here if anyone's prepping for an upcoming assessment day or open day — group exercises, final interviews, one-on-ones, whatever's on your mind.
I also put together a full guide based on this — ten modules covering the whole process end to end (application, group assessment, final interview, common questions, grooming standards, templates for your CV and cover letter). It's built from what I saw work and fail on both sides of the hiring table, not generic career advice. It's on my Etsy shop, WingStart, if anyone wants to check it out — link in profile/comments per sub rules. No pressure though, ask away either way, happy to help.