Commercial Pilot interview questions at UPS Airlines
67 verified questions reported by Commercial Pilot candidates interviewing at UPS Airlines. Each one is archetype-tagged so you can see the pattern, slot the right STAR story, and practice out loud against an AI interviewer that pushes back the way a real one would.
Top 25 verified questions
Sorted by quality score (specificity, clarity, practice-worthiness) with a tie-break on most recently observed.
- 1Conduct a departure briefing for a flight from LAX to SFO with three diversion optionstechnical·role specific aviation·onsite
- 2The Capt. continues an approach beyond minimums, he tells you that he's shot this approach a 1,000 times, knows the area, and everything's fine. What will you do?situational·role specific aviation
- 3Conduct a departure briefing for a flight from Denver to Des Moinestechnical·role specific aviation·onsite
- 4The aircraft is loaded way beyond gross weight, the Capt. tells you that he does this all the time, and the aircraft will fly. What do you do?situational·role specific aviation
- 5If your destination is ABC and your alternate is XYZ and halfway to ABC the company changes your flight destination to XYZ and the weather drops below alternate minimums but is above approach minimums may you continue and why?technical·role specific aviation·technical
- 6You find your Capt. drinking before a flight, how will you handle this?situational·role specific aviation
- 7Tell us about a time you had a disagreement with a captain in the flight deckbehavioral·conflict·onsite
- 8You are talking to the Capt., and you smell alcohol. Although you didn't see him drinking, what would you do?situational·role specific aviation
- 9You are a very experienced Copilot on this aircraft, the Captain is very experienced overall but very little experience on this aircraft. You also know that this Captain has the reputation as a cowboy, a kick the tires light the fires type. As you start the trip you notice that he does not respond to the checklist the terms you expect, and does not follow SOP. What would you do?situational·role specific aviation·onsite
- 10You have been cleared for take-off, upon getting airborne with the gear in the wells, what kind of conversation are you going to have with the Capt?situational·role specific aviation
- 11Discuss a typical briefing of an instrument approach to minimums?technical·role specific aviation
- 12Tell us about a time you had to justify a decision with a passenger or crewmemberbehavioral·role specific aviation·onsite
- 13With slats out your minimum speed is 190, with clean wing minimum speed is 210, what are you going to do in the hold?technical·role specific aviation·technical
- 14You are the captain, you and the crew are checking into the hotel after a long day, the FO gets into a loud argument with the clerk due to him not having a room, there are lots of people around listening to him yell at her. What do you do?situational·role specific aviation·onsite
- 15Tell us about a time you had an emotional outburst at workbehavioral·ethics·onsite
- 16You are a copilot with a new flight engineer that is a black female, the captain is constantly yelling at the flight engineer to the point that she is crying. What would you do or say?situational·role specific aviation·onsite
- 17Besides good pay why do you want to be a professional pilot?culture·why this
- 18What speed will you use to hold on the missed approach at 3,000 feet?technical·role specific aviation·technical
- 19When do you need a takeoff alternate?technical·role specific aviation·technical
- 20I see your flying various twins, do they all have a critical engine?technical·role specific aviation
- 21Did you ever have to modify the flight course in the past?behavioral·role specific aviation
- 22Tell us about a time you made a quick decision without realizing the consequences it would presentbehavioral·failure·onsite
- 23We have a 5:30am show every morning, how do you feel about that?situational·other
- 24How far to a takeoff alternate in time and distance for a two engine airplane?technical·role specific aviation·technical
- 25Tell us about a time someone questioned your judgmentbehavioral·conflict·onsite
Common questions
It varies by round — phone screen typically covers 5–8 questions, on-site loops cover 15–25 across multiple interviewers. The full UPS Airlines Commercial Pilot loop tends to surface 30+ distinct prompt patterns, which is what we've banked here.
Yes — every question on this page is verified, meaning at least one candidate reported being asked it in a real UPS Airlines interview. We don't pad the list with generic prompts that weren't reported.
Pick three to five of the questions below in your weakest archetype, run them through the practice tool out loud, and read the per-answer feedback. Most candidates who get an offer report 8–15 practice sessions in the two weeks before the interview.
The behavioral questions stay roughly the same; what changes is the bar on the answer. At more senior levels, UPS Airlines expects more concrete business outcomes, more stakeholder management, and more scope in the stories. The technical bar also shifts upward.
Read them. Then practice them.
The list is the start. The reps are what move the score. First sample question is free.