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Airline pilot interview questions: what assessors look for

Airline pilot interview questions come in four groups: about you and the airline, competency questions about what you have done, technical questions about your knowledge, and scenario questions about what you would do. Assessors are not marking polish. They are listening for honesty, self-awareness and how you treat other people.

By Matthew Dowell, airline training captain and examiner. Written in a personal capacity; it is not connected to any airline. Airlines differ, so always follow the instructions your own airline sends you.

Last reviewed 27 October 2026. The questions here are examples to practise with, not any airline's question list, and I do not publish any airline's marking scheme.

The four kinds of question

1. About you and the airline. Why this airline, why now, what you know about the operation.
2. Competency (or HR) questions. "Tell me about a time when..." about teamwork, pressure, decisions and errors.
3. Technical questions. The knowledge behind your licence and your aircraft.
4. Scenario questions. "What would you do if..." questions that test judgement.

Which of these you meet, and in what order, depends on the airline. The airline pilot interview guide shows where each sits in the selection process.

Questions about you and the airline

• Tell me about yourself.
• Why do you want to fly for this airline?
• What do you know about our operation, and what would the job involve?
• Why should we choose you?

The assessor is checking that you have read the job, that your reasons are your own and that you are the same person you were on the application. Read the airline's recruitment page and any email carefully, and answer from that.

Competency questions, and what each one is really about

These are the "tell me about a time when..." questions. Behind each one is a competency the airline wants evidence of. The competencies are the nine used in competency-based training, and the mapping below is my reading of what each question is looking for.

How to structure an answer

Prepare six or seven real stories from your flying and your life outside it, then choose the one that fits the question. A simple structure keeps you on track:

• Situation: set the scene in a sentence or two.
• Task: what you were responsible for.
• Action: what you did and why. Say "I", not "we".
• Result: what happened, and what you would do differently or learned.

This is a structure, not a script. Memorised answers are easy to spot and hard to follow up, and a good assessor will follow up.

What are good technical interview questions?

Technical questions check that your knowledge is sound and that you can reason from it. Typical areas are principles of flight, aircraft systems, instruments, performance, weather, navigation, procedures and regulations. If you do not know something, say so and explain how you would work it out. Example technical questions by ATPL subject are on their own page.

Scenario and judgement questions

• What would you do if you saw a crewmember about to make a serious error?
• What would you do if you disagreed with a decision the captain had made?
• You are running late and under pressure to cut a check short. What do you do?
• You realise you have made a mistake that nobody has noticed. What do you do?

There is rarely a single right answer. The assessor wants to hear a calm, reasoned decision, the safety thinking behind it, and how you would involve the other person.

What assessors look for

• Honesty. A real example with real detail beats a polished one. Do not choose an example where nothing really went wrong.
• Self-awareness. What you learned and what you changed.
• How you treat other people. Credit given, colleagues respected, and "we" and "I" used accurately.
• Reasoning. That you can explain why, not just what.

Many airlines build their assessments around competencies and observable behaviours, which is why your examples should show what you did, not just what happened. How an individual airline records or weights scores varies and is not published here; your airline's own instructions come first.

What not to say

• Do not bluff on a technical question. Say you are not sure, then reason it out.
• Do not say "we" when the question asks what you did.
• Do not blame a colleague or an employer for a problem. Own your part and describe what you changed.
• Do not pick a story where nothing went wrong.
• Do not recite a rehearsed paragraph. Answer the question you were asked.

How do you dress for a pilot interview?

Dress as you would for an operational day, neat and plain, unless the airline tells you otherwise. Treat the receptionist, the other candidates and the assessors with the same courtesy: candidates are watched between sessions as well as in them.

Practise properly

1. Write down your six or seven stories and practise saying them aloud.
2. Practise the technical questions in plain words, ideally to another pilot.
3. Use the nine competencies as a checklist: for each, one thing you did that showed it and one thing you would do differently.

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common airline pilot interview questions?

They fall into four groups: questions about you and the airline, competency ("tell me about a time when...") questions, technical questions on your licence theory and aircraft, and scenario questions about what you would do in a situation. Expect all four groups in some form.

How do you dress for a pilot interview?

Dress as you would for an operational day, neat and plain, and follow any dress instructions the airline sends you.

What are good technical interview questions for pilots?

Questions that test whether you understand the subjects behind your licence and can reason from them: principles of flight, systems, instruments, performance, weather, navigation, procedures and regulations. See the technical interview page for examples by subject.

What structure should I use for a competency answer?

Situation, Task, Action, Result: set the scene in a sentence or two, say what you were responsible for, explain what you did and why (say I, not we), and finish with the result and what you learned or would change.

Should I talk about my mistakes in a competency interview?

Yes, if the question asks for one. A real error described honestly, with what you changed afterwards, shows the learning that assessors want to see. Do not choose an example where nothing really went wrong.