ALPC: How many pilots will USA Jet hire in 2004?
Hotton: We plan to start interviewing in January, but that depends on turnover—which has been close to zero the last two years—as well as on company growth. That said, we will probably hire 10 to 20 pilots. Check the activeaero.com web sight for hiring information.

ALPC: What are your current application minimums and what are the competitive qualifications?
Hotton: We hired 10 pilots last year and the minimums of pilots hired in 2003 were almost twice those hired in 2000 when pilot hiring in general was hot and heavy. For our last class, average time was 4,000 hours total, 2,000 multiengine. All had turbine experience and all but one was type rated in a jet. The people we hire will be looking at captain in about a year.
The actual minimums to apply for an entry-level position in the Falcon is 1,200 hours and 750 multiengine, with commercial, multiengine, instrument certificates and a second-class medical.

ALPC: Is education a major consideration?
Hotton: We give no points for a college degree because it has nothing to do with flying an airplane. Some of our best pilots have been Army WOs (Warrant Officers) who only had a high school diploma. Because the degree is required at the majors, it may also affect the retainability factor.
We like retired military pilots. They’re usually older, their mobility isn’t as great, and they’re certainly trainable. They’ve previously passed a very comprehensive training program, so it’s a good bet they’ll complete ours.

ALPC: How does a pilot apply to USA Jet?
Hotton: We use an online screening and application process. The activeaero.com Web site is linked to HRP-Q (Pre-Qualify) that administers a psychological profile test for a $38.00 charge to the applicant. Since we’ll only hire 10 to 20 people and we receive 10 to 15 résumés a week, we discourage many people from applying. We tell applicants our “facts of life.” For example, they must live here in Detroit, so if they want to retain that home in Florida or California and ride the jumpseat, we’re probably not going to hire them.

ALPC: Do you actively recruit females and minorities?
Hotton: Absolutely. We have one woman on the payroll right now, but females are difficult to retain. The turnover rate for women in our industry is about five times that for men. Females seem to have more mobility, and other companies, too, are seeking qualified female jet pilots.

ALPC: What does the hiring process entail?
Hotton: It’s three steps, using these words we created: 1) trainability 2) likeability 3) retainability
Trainability is defined by test results that impart to us a high level of confidence that this person will succeed. We eliminate seven to 10 percent of pilots during training. For example, a pilot may pass the check ride, but may not ultimately be able to put all the pieces together to get the plane from Point A to Point B during IOE (initial operating experience).
Likeability is general demeanor and vibe. We ask, “Could I stand being on the road with this person for five days, hopping out of bed in the middle of the night to fly with them?” We take applicants to lunch during the interview to see them unwind and get casual. (Hint: Don’t get too casual.)
Retainability involves us considering whether the applicant will leave us and go someplace else. We invest a lot of time, effort, and money, so when a pilot leaves, we lose. Ironically, however, an applicant may admit to us in the interview that USA Jet is a stepping stone, but if the person is fairly likeable, we may still hire him or her if we don’t have another qualified applicant at the same level. Retainability is actually the final determining factor. Bottom line: Can he or she be trained—and, do we like them?

ALPC: You mentioned testing; what methodologies do you use to predict a pilot’s success at USA Jet?
Hotton: We give applicants our version of a mini-SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test) because we know that the ability to work with numbers is the best predictor of success here. So an applicant who scores 600 to 700 on the math portion of our SAT has an 85-percent chance of completing training successfully. Under the 50th percentile, the failure rate increases.

ALPC: Do you use any other methods to assess applicants?
Hotton: That HRP-Q test evaluates traits such as honesty, courtesy, and work ethic. We also test general aviation knowledge and introduce our “mental gymnastics,” a technical exam posing various hypothetical situations. It puts them on the spot, presenting critical challenges faced in the cockpit, such as: “You’re assigned a crossing restriction at flight level FL 240 and you’re presently at FL 350 going 400 knots; when would you start down?” Then they would also brief an approach and explain a SID (Standard Instrument Departure) to us.
Next, applicants undergo two-man panel interviews for 30 to 45 minutes. It’s part of our whole person concept. We grade each section of tests before a selection committee reads the paperwork and compares notes to decide which names go into our pool.

ALPC: What personality traits or attitudes should pilots bring to a USA Jet interview?
Hotton: Have a sense of adventure, be able to handle stress, and have good people skills. For example, a panicked customer might call us to move freight. He’s got what was a $5 auto part and now it’s becoming a $100 part. He didn’t call us until three hours before the assembly line shut down. He’s on the phone pleading, “Has the airplane left?” Our pilot has to perform perfectly under pressure, and always make correct decisions. It’s not for everyone.

ALPC: Is a simulator checkride involved in the assessment process?
Hotton: We have a DC-9-30 sim here in which applicants fly a 45-minute practice profile that includes takeoff, departure, vectors to a hold, and an ILS to a missed approach.

ALPC: How soon after being hired will a pilot start training with USA Jet?
Hotton: We try to notify five to six days in advance of the next class. We check pilot availability, and usually go to local people first. We include alternates in the mix and ask “Would you be available on short notice if something happens?” In our last class, two pilots dropped out prior to training.

ALPC: Is there a training contract?
Hotton: Yes. To discourage applicants from applying and then working here only a short time, we ask them to sign an $18,000/24-month training contract. They receive a copy when they interview.
Five years ago, pilots quit the day they finished training. Seems another airline told them to “go to USA Jet and get trained, then come work for us.” To date, no one’s gotten out of the contract, which stipulates that if you leave us within the first 12 months, you’ll pay us back $18,000; the second year it prorates down at $1,000 per month to $6,000 at year’s end. The numbers add up to the cost we’ve invested in training.

ALPC: Any final thoughts on how to shine in the USA Jet pilot application process?
Hotton: Details, details. We look at completeness in the application; did the person leave spaces blank? Does he or she write in big block letters, short sentences? Does it look sloppy? These things reflect future performance, such as how accurate will flight records be? Do the numbers really add up? The way a person performs little things predicts how they’ll handle the big things.