Selection process · tests · interview · after-hire training

United Airlines pilot assessment

Updated October 2026 · SET STANDARD

United is still one of the biggest pilot employers in the world in 2026, recruiting FAA-certificated direct-entry First Officers and feeding its Aviate pipeline, but fuel costs have pulled this year's hiring back from a near-2,500 ambition to about 1,500.

United Airlines is the world's largest airline by mainline fleet, with about 1,135 mainline aircraft (August 2026) and roughly 1,575 aircraft including United Express. Headquartered in the Willis Tower, Chicago, it runs a hub-and-spoke network from Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Newark, San Francisco, Washington Dulles and Guam, and is a founding member of Star Alliance. Its 100-year story, from Varney Air Lines' 1926 airmail flight to the 2010 merger with Continental and the United Next growth plan, is one of innovation and international reach: the first flight attendants, launch customer for the Boeing 777, Pan Am's Pacific routes, and today the largest 787 and 737 MAX 9 fleets.

Key facts

Entry routes and requirements

The selection process, step by step

1. Application and records screenonline (United pilot hiring portal / Aviate application)

   Screening based on the application, flight times, certificates, employment history and FAA/PRIA records. Aviate applicants apply through the Aviate entry point (Academy, partner school, CFI, United Express).

2. Online personality / leadership inventory (reported)online

   Candidates report Hogan-style personality questionnaires (HPI, HDS) and the 'Becoming United' / Leadership Inventory, completed before or around the interview. These are personality measures, not aptitude tests; candidates report that interview questions may probe the results.

3. Interview day: behavioural / HR panel (Denver)in person, Flight Training Center, Denver

   Arrival, facility tour and logbook/document review, then a panel (reported: one Captain and one HR representative, sometimes an observer). 'Tell me about yourself' then about five 'tell me about a time' questions.

4. Technical Readiness Review (TRR)in person, verbal line-oriented scenario

   A Captain runs a mock trip with you as the new First Officer: departure briefing with charts, SID/STAR, an en-route abnormal and a diversion decision, plus FAA rules (takeoff alternates, holding, fuel, descent planning, weather). Assessors watch thought process and communication.

5. Acceptance Board of Review and offeradministrative

   Interview and assessment results go to an Acceptance Board of Review. Decisions are reported within days; direct entry receive a conditional job offer with a class date (reported about 6 weeks to 4 months later); Aviate candidates receive a conditional FO offer that activates after their Aviate milestones.

6. Background, drug test, medical and classadministrative

   Background and records checks (PRIA), pre-employment drug test and medical, then initial training at the Denver Flight Training Center.

Aptitude and psychometric tests

• personality
• leadership inventory
• behavioural style

Hogan (HPI/HDS) reported, not official · United 'Becoming United' / Leadership Inventory (reported)

The interview

Two parts at the Denver Flight Training Center (reported): behavioural panel (Captain plus HR) and a Technical Readiness Review run as a verbal line scenario by a Captain

• Why United
• Teamwork, CRM and speaking up
• Leadership and followership
• Customer and colleague care
• Judgement under uncertainty

Typical questions to prepare

• Why United?
• Tell me about yourself.
• Tell me about a time you had to speak up to a captain.
• Tell me about a time you worked with someone you did not get along with.
• Describe a mistake you made and how you handled it.
• Tell me about a time you made a decision without all the information.

The simulator assessment

Language and after selection

English (FAA certificates require English proficiency; all training and operations in English).

Initial training at the Denver Flight Training Center (86 CAE devices: 52 full-flight simulators and 34 fixed devices; up to 860 pilots a day). New hires are assigned seat, fleet and base by seniority bid among 11 pilot bases (ORD, CLE, DEN, IAH, LAX, SFO, EWR, IAD, MCO, LAS, GUM).

Common reasons candidates fail

• Inconsistencies between the application, logbook and FAA/PRIA records
• STAR stories without a clear result or lesson, or stories that sound rehearsed and generic
• Treating the Technical Readiness Review as a quiz and not reasoning aloud
• Weak knowledge of FAA rules (Part 121 alternates and fuel, FAR 117, holding speeds) for pilots from non-U.S. backgrounds
• A 'Why United?' that fits any airline, or focusing on pay

Get the complete United Airlines Assessment Guide

203 pages: company history and culture, every stage of the selection, model interview answers, technical refresher, Boeing 737 · 757/767 · 777 · 787 · A320 systems and a simulator chapter for preparation where a sim stage applies (no simulator stage is consistently reported in United Airlines selection). Updated for 2026.

Look inside the guide

Status: Preview · current to October 2026 · not on sale yet · join the waiting list

Practice questions: company knowledge

Interview practice drawn from public sources; the answers are not an FAQ about the guide.

Preparation guides

Other airline assessments

Main sources

https://unitedaviate.com/aviate-network/
https://www.aviateacademy.com/admissions-program-details
https://atpflightschool.com/airlines/united-airlines-career-track/
https://atpflightschool.com/news/current-pilot-hiring-announcements.html
https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2026/january/28/airline-pilot-hiring-shows-renewed-momentum

SET STANDARD is an independent training publisher, not affiliated with United Airlines. Information compiled from public sources and candidate reports; always confirm with the airline’s official careers page.