Find your direction

Which aviation career fits you?

Twelve questions about how you like to work. There are no right answers — answer honestly and you will get a more useful result.

Question 1

When something goes wrong unexpectedly, what is your first instinct?

Take charge and decide quickly Work out precisely why it happened Check that everyone around me is all right Look for a workaround nobody has tried

Question 2

Which of these sounds most like a good day at work?

Being responsible for getting people somewhere safely Finding the fault everyone else missed Finishing a job and knowing it was done properly Keeping a complicated situation running smoothly

Question 3

How do you feel about routine and checklists?

They are what keep people alive — I follow them exactly Useful, but I like understanding why each step exists I prefer work where each day is different I would rather write a better checklist

Question 4

Do you prefer working with your hands or with information?

Hands — physical machinery and real tools Information — data, patterns, systems Both, roughly equally Mostly with people rather than either

Question 5

How comfortable are you being the one who is accountable?

Very — I would rather it were me than someone else Comfortable within my area of expertise I prefer shared responsibility with a team I like being accountable for a project rather than a moment

Question 6

You have to hold five changing things in your head at once. That sounds…

Like a normal Tuesday Manageable if I can write things down Fine, as long as they are people rather than numbers Stressful — I would rather go deep on one thing

Question 7

How do you feel about irregular hours and being away from home?

That is part of the appeal I would accept it for the right role I would rather have a predictable schedule I want to choose my own hours

Question 8

Which subject would you happily study for its own sake?

Aerodynamics and how aircraft actually fly Electronics, circuits and signals Engines, structures and materials Human behaviour and communication

Question 9

When you learn something new, what works best for you?

Doing it, with someone correcting me Understanding the theory first, then applying it Watching someone experienced, then copying Working it out myself by experimenting

Question 10

How important is it that people can see the results of your work?

I want to be visibly responsible for the outcome I am content if the aircraft simply works I want the system to run smoothly whether anyone notices or not I want to build something that is mine

Question 11

An unexpected passenger situation develops mid-flight. Your reaction?

Assess, decide, and give clear instructions Calm the person first, then work out what is needed Follow the procedure exactly as trained I would rather not be in that situation at all

Question 12

Where do you see yourself in ten years?

In command, with a licence I worked hard for The person others call when nobody can fix it Senior in a crew, training the people coming up Running my own aviation operation