Chasing the Horizon: My AirAsia Cadet Pilot Adventure

It all began when I was in primary school. The teacher asked us what our ambition was when we grew up, and there it was—my first choice of ambition: to become a pilot. Unbeknownst to me, that dream would one day become a reality. So, fast forward to 2018 when I finished my Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM), I saw an advertisement regarding the AirAsia Cadet Pilot Programme. I jumped aboard and registered, marking the beginning of my AirAsia Cadet Pilot adventure. On the 30th of April 2018, I received an email from AirAsia about an invitation to Phase 1: Cadet Pilot Entry Exam which was held at CAE (previously known as AACE / AirAsia Academy) Kuala Lumpur on the 17th of May 2018. Being a Sabahan living in Kota Kinabalu, it was a bit of a challenge for me to fly to Kuala Lumpur to attend the assessment. However, it didn’t stop me from chasing my dream. I booked a same-day return flight on the 17th of May and took a Grab from Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) to CAE. It was like a dream to be there because I had only seen it on the television show "Awan Dania," yet here I was standing in front of the building, looking up at its iconic landmark of an AirAsia Aircraft on the top corner of the building.

After completing the Phase 1 assessment, on the 29th of May 2018, I received an email inviting me to Phase 2: Personality Assessment, which was also held at CAE on the 30th and 31st of May 2018. Unfortunately, due to the short notice of the email and the public holiday (Kaamatan Festive) in Sabah, I was not able to attend the assessment. That wrapped up my journey for the AirAsia Cadet Pilot Programme 2018.

I then enrolled in the Advance Technology Centre (ADTEC) Shah Alam, where I pursued a Diploma in Aircraft Maintenance. In April 2019, I gave the AirAsia Cadet Pilot Programme another shot, but I did not manage to pass Phase 1: Personality Assessment. However, I believe that failure is not the end but a sign to keep improving and strive to do better.

After completing my Diploma in Aircraft Maintenance, once again I gave the AirAsia Cadet Pilot Programme a shot. On the 1st of March 2023, I registered once again for the programme after it had been halted for 2 years due to the Covid Pandemic. On the 14th of April 2023, I completed Phase 1: Personality Assessment and managed to go forward to Phase 2: Quantitative Critical Thinking (QCT) & Personality Assessment Screen (PAS). This time around it was a bit difficult for me, as having completed my SPM 5 years prior, I was quite rusty with my Mathematics SPM syllabus questions. But I pushed forward with my revision and managed to successfully move forward to Phase 3: Psychomotor Assessments, Spatial Orientation & Physics Tests Assessment. I must admit that this was quite a challenging stage, as they really pushed hard on my multitasking ability, situation awareness, and memorization for the Psychomotor assessment. Sadly, I was not able to get into Phase 4 this time.

However, there was another opening that same year, and again I gave it a try. But this time around, I was convinced that I could go further than I was previously. I passed through Phase 1 and Phase 2 with ease. Then, here we are again with Phase 3, having just experienced it 5 months ago. I am well-prepared with all the tasks this time around. On the 3rd of November, I received the most anticipated email—an invitation to Phase 4: Face to Face Interview. Five days later, I was standing in front of four interviewers, two of them were Pilots, and the other two were from the Human Resource Department. I was bombarded with questions nonstop throughout the interview. They asked a lot of questions about my personality, technical knowledge, decision-making, working under pressure, and more.

I was then greeted by an email stating that I passed Phase 4 and onto Phase 5: Medical Screening.

We were given about a month to complete and submit the CAAM Medical Class 1 certification. I completed mine at Clinic Sabah, assessed by the late Dr. Richard Barrow, and received my CAAM Medical Class 1 Certificate on the 27th of November.

On the 4th of December, I was invited to attend a briefing for the Multicrew Pilot License (MPL) Program insight by CAE and Phase 6: Education Financing by Maybank and Affin bank, which was held on the 16th of December. I can tell you that passing the assessment and interview process is just one part of the hurdle. Financing is a whole other story. We were given 6 months to secure funding before we were assigned to a batch for enrollment. This phase is quite a time-consuming process, so be prepared with guarantors that meet all the bank's requirements. You may check the banks' education financing requirements on their corresponding sites. So, I’ve managed to get my financing approved and now I am waiting for my Letter of Enrolment Confirmation and batch assignment, which is expected in June 2024. This marks the beginning of greater adventures.

Timeline

2018

2019

2023 Part 1 (March to May)

2023 Part 2 (Aug to Apr 2024)

AirAsia Cadet Pilot Programme Phases

2018 and before

Phase 1 - Entry Exam

• Consists of 3 papers: English, Maths, and Physics (SPM Syllabus)
• English: 20 questions, 40 minutes
• Maths: 20 questions, 40 minutes (No Calculator)
• Physics: 25 questions, 40 minutes (Formula not provided)

Phase 2 - Personality Assessment (Harrison Assessment)

Phase 3 - Psychometric Test and Psychomotor

Phase 4 - Face to Face Interview

Phase 5 - Final Selection

Phase 6 - Financial Support, Medical Test, and Approval

2019 Forward

Phase 1 - Personality Assessment (Harrison Assessments)

Phase 2 - Quantitative Critical Thinking (QCT) Harrison Assessment & Personality Assessment Screen (PAS) PARinc

• Quantitative Critical Thinking (QCT) Harrison Assessment: Computer Based Maths Assessment with Scientific Calculator allowed. Time given 45 minutes to an hour.
• Personality Assessment Screen (PAS) PARinc: Simple questions to judge personality, can be completed in 5 minutes on your devices.

Phase 3 - SkyTest (Psychomotor Assessments, Spatial Orientation & Physics Tests Assessment)

• Psychomotor Assessments: Tasks include maintaining a purple crosshair in the middle of the Primary Flight Display (PFD) by controlling the joystick, reaction time tests, memorization tasks, and situational awareness tests.
• Spatial Orientation: Tests spatial awareness and ability to predict the final placement of objects in a 3D space.
• Physics Tests Assessment: SPM level physics questions.

Phase 4 - Face to Face Interview

• Conducted by 4 interviewers, including 2 Pilots and 2 HR Department representatives.

Phase 5 - Medical Class 1 Screening

• Requires you to conduct CAAM Medical Class 1 Certification from designated medical examiners.
• you may refer CAAM DESIGNATED MEDICAL EXAMINERS (DME) from here

Phase 6 - Financial Support

• Includes self-sponsored options and education financing through AirAsia panel banks (e.g., Maybank, Affin Bank).
• Maybank
• Affin Bank

Cost

CAAM Medical Class 1 Certificate

Flight & Accommodation

Useful Links

• AirAsia Cadet Pilot Intake

• Maybank Education Financing

• Affin Bank Education Financing

• CAAM DME List

That wraps up my journey throughout the AirAsia Cadet Pilot Programme. Thank you for reading, and I'll try to keep this up to date with more information as my journey progresses. Feel free to connect with me through my social media, and don't hesitate to ask questions about my journey.