SkyWest Airlines Pilot Interview Prep: Requirements, Interview, Questions (2026 Guide)

Last updated: 30 October 2026

SkyWest Airlines hires First Officers onto the Embraer E175 and the CRJ family, flying for United, Delta, American and Alaska, and at the last check, on 15 October 2026, its job board had its First Officer posting open for 21 crew domiciles, dated 1 July 2026 and listed until 1 January 2027. You may apply within three months of your hour minimum: the ATP’s 1,500 hours, or, in SkyWest’s hour table, the restricted ATP’s 750, 1,000 or 1,250 hours, with a Commercial certificate, multi-engine and instrument ratings and a First Class medical. No type rating is asked for, and SkyWest provides the ATP-CTP course to applicants who pass its pilot interview. That interview, SkyWest’s pilot page says in the copy search results showed on 29 October 2026, may include a CRM scenario, a behavioral interview and a technical interview on Jeppesen charts, the FARs, weather and CRM. This guide prepares you for each.

Note on the type: the CRJ or E175 type rating is part of SkyWest’s new-hire training, and the pages we could read do not say how a new First Officer’s type is chosen, so prepare for both families. v1prep has an E-Jet bank for the E175, but no CRJ bank.

At the last check, on 15 October 2026, SkyWest’s job board showed its First Officer posting open for 21 crew domiciles, dated 1 July 2026 and listed until 1 January 2027, beside its Pilot Pathway Program posting, and no Direct Entry Captain vacancy. Check the airline pilot jobs board for the current position.

About SkyWest

SkyWest is a US regional airline with flying agreements with four mainline partners, United, Delta, American and Alaska. Its fact sheet lists 21 crew domiciles: Atlanta, Austin, Boise, Chicago O’Hare, Colorado Springs, Dallas-Fort Worth, Denver, Detroit, Fresno, Houston, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Palm Springs, Phoenix, Portland, Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle and Tucson. The First Officer posting lists its domiciles by state and says the domicile is assigned after training, and SkyWest’s pilot page adds that most new hires start on reserve.

On 30 June 2026 SkyWest had 517 aircraft in scheduled service (its fact sheet): 272 E175s, 77 CRJ700s and E170s, 73 CRJ200s, 52 CRJ550s and 43 CRJ900s. SkyWest, Inc.’s Form 10-Q, as search results showed it, adds 67 E175s on firm order for delivery through 2031, and about 50 CRJ200s to be converted to the CRJ450 layout by 2028, the first expected in service in fall 2026.

SkyWest’s pilot page, read on 15 October 2026, names two links to the majors. As a United Express carrier in United’s Aviate program, it says, a SkyWest pilot accepted into Aviate receives a conditional job offer as a United First Officer; and its Guaranteed Pilot Interview Program gives SkyWest Captains with at least 24 months in the left seat who opt in an interview with Delta or Alaska, or both.

What the posting asks for

The posting also asks for an FCC Radiotelephone Operator’s Permit, US citizenship or proof of the right to work in the US with the working documents, a current passport or other travel document that lets you leave and re-enter the US, and availability on any day of the week, nights, weekends and holidays included. SkyWest’s pilot page adds that it hires no pilot with a criminal conviction that would prevent Canadian clearance. Helicopter or glider time counts toward the total only with at least 250 hours as pilot in command of fixed-wing aircraft. Total your logbook the way SkyWest’s hour table counts it, with the fixed-wing pilot-in-command time on its own line, and show the figures that way in your application (the Library’s guide to the pilot CV and application covers the flight hours table).

What sets SkyWest apart for a pilot

• Apply before you have the hours. The posting takes applications within three months of the minimum hour requirement, and asks only that the ATP experience of 14 CFR 61.159 is met before employment.
• The restricted ATP counts. SkyWest’s hour table gives 750 hours for military pilots with a DD-214 honorable discharge or a record of current service, 1,000 hours with a bachelor’s degree and 60 semester credit hours of aviation coursework, and 1,250 hours with an associate degree and 30, the last two with an instrument commercial rating earned under Part 141 at the approved institution (the restricted ATP explained sets out who qualifies).
• The CTP after the interview. SkyWest provides an approved ATP-CTP course to applicants who pass its pilot interview, so the ATP knowledge test, which needs the CTP first, can come after the interview too.
• Two families, one rating in training. The CRJ or E175 type rating is part of new-hire training, and SkyWest’s pilot page offers a USD 7,500 bonus to pilots already rated on the CL65 or the ERJ 170/190 (read on 15 October 2026).
• Four partners, two links to the majors. United’s Aviate program for SkyWest pilots accepted into it, and the Guaranteed Pilot Interview Program for SkyWest Captains with 24 months in the left seat.
• Reserve, and a domicile you do not choose at first. Most new hires start on reserve, and the domicile is assigned after training.
• Canadian clearance. A criminal conviction that would prevent it rules a pilot out, so check your record before you apply.

The selection stages

SkyWest’s posting and pilot pages set out the order: an online application within three months of your hour minimum, a pilot interview, the ATP-CTP course for those who pass it, then employment and new-hire training once you meet the ATP experience requirements. SkyWest’s pilot page, in the copy search results showed on 29 October 2026, says the interview may include three phases; we could not read that section on SkyWest’s own page, so check your invitation. The second column below is preparation advice, not a description of SkyWest’s format.

For the interview day, SkyWest’s pilot page, in the same copy, asks you to bring a resume and copies of your current First Class medical, pilot certificate, driver’s license and passport. Have the originals with you as well, and a logbook whose totals match your application: in the Library’s description of pilot interviews at US airlines, US airlines compare the logbook with the figures you declared.

If you apply through the Pilot Pathway Program

The Pathway gives students at SkyWest’s partner schools a guaranteed interview for a First Officer position during hiring periods, provided they meet the hiring requirements, with mentoring and interview preparation and company seniority that counts, for up to two years, toward benefits (SkyWest’s Pathway pages, read on 15 October 2026). Students at the three elite partners, ATP Flight School, AeroGuard and FLT Academy, can join as soon as they start flight training, and those at the 15 standard partners once they hold private, instrument and commercial ratings. We could not confirm whether the Pathway interview differs from the direct-entry one, so prepare for the phases below.

After the offer

At a US airline the offer is followed by checks: in the Library’s description of airline pilot recruitment and selection, a review of the FAA’s Pilot Records Database, the history of your drug and alcohol testing with previous employers, a criminal history check, employment and education checks, and verification of your FAA certificates and medical. SkyWest adds the Canadian clearance rule above. Declare anything in your record yourself, before you are asked.

Is there a simulator?

SkyWest publishes no simulator stage. The phases its pilot page lists, in the copy search results showed on 29 October 2026, are a CRM scenario, a behavioral interview and a technical interview, and of the CRM scenario the page says only that you demonstrate your ability to perform in a Part 121 airline environment, not how it is run. We found no dated candidate report of a simulator. Ask the recruiter how the CRM scenario is run and whether your invitation includes a simulator.

The CRM scenario is the part of the interview closest to flying. In the Library’s description of pilot interviews at US airlines, a scenario question, such as a diversion or a non-normal in cruise, is answered aloud and in order: fly the aircraft, identify the problem, use the other pilot and the checklist, decide and communicate. Practice that order on scenarios from your own flying until it comes without thinking.

If a simulator check is added

• Raw data. Some assessments are flown with the autopilot, the flight director and often the autothrust off. Practice level-offs, steep turns and hand-flown ILS approaches with a radial scan centered on the attitude indicator (see instrument scan technique).
• Both roles. Where the check is flown as a crew, the pilot monitoring is assessed too: standard callouts, checklists and, above all, calling deviations (see crew coordination, briefings and callouts).
• The profile. In the Library’s description of the airline simulator assessment, it usually lasts 30 to 60 minutes, and a typical profile contains a takeoff, upper air work such as steep turns, a hold, an ILS to minimums with a missed approach, and sometimes an engine failure.

The behavioral interview and the CRM scenario

SkyWest’s pilot page, in the copy search results showed on 29 October 2026, lists the subjects of its behavioral interview: your background, core values, leadership skills, ability and professionalism. Behavioral questions ask for a real past event rather than an opinion: a mistake you made, a disagreement with a Captain, a time you saw something unsafe, a decision on incomplete information. Answer with the STAR structure (situation, task, action, result), keep each story short and true, and show ownership rather than blame. Prepare eight to ten stories that between them cover those subjects, and if something in your record could come up, such as a failed checkride, raise it yourself: an interviewer who finds it later will assume it was hidden. The Library explains the method in competency-based pilot interviews.

SkyWest questions to prepare

• Why SkyWest? Three specific reasons that are true for both sides, such as the fleet, the four partners or the domiciles. Not led by pay, and never a criticism of your present employer.
• The majors. If a mainline seat through Aviate or the Guaranteed Pilot Interview Program is your long-term aim, say so honestly, and say why the years at SkyWest itself suit you.
• Reserve. Most new hires start on reserve: have a realistic plan for staying available and reporting on time.
• A domicile you did not choose. The domicile is assigned after training, so know the 21 domiciles and how you would get to work from the one you are given.
• Any day of the week. The posting asks for availability on any day, nights, weekends and holidays included; be ready to say how your life fits that.
• Leadership as a First Officer. How you support a Captain, speak up when something is wrong, and take the lead when the situation needs it (the Library covers the authority gradient).

SkyWest’s blog, in an undated post on preparing for a SkyWest interview, as search results showed it, advises researching the company through its About Us page and its history timeline, reviewing the duties in the career guide, dressing appropriately and coming with thoughtful questions. Prepare two or three questions of your own about training, support for new First Officers or the operation, not about leave or pay.

The CRM scenario

SkyWest’s pilot page, in the same copy, says the CRM scenario is where you demonstrate your ability to perform in a Part 121 airline environment; it does not say whether it is a discussion, a role play or a session in a training device. Prepare it as a problem to work through aloud, in which the interviewer listens for how you use the crew as much as for the answer. Say what you would do first to keep the aircraft safe, then how you would share the problem with the other pilot, which checklist you would run, what you would ask of dispatch, the cabin or ATC, and how you would decide and brief the decision. Threats and errors are the language of the answer (the Library’s threat and error management and crew resource management set them out), and the CRM interview set gives you scenarios to practice on.

The technical interview

SkyWest’s pilot page, in the copy search results showed on 29 October 2026, names four subjects for its technical interview: Jeppesen chart knowledge, the FARs, weather (“WX systems”) and CRM. The bar is explaining why a rule or a system works the way it does, not reciting it. If you do not know an answer, say so, then explain what you do know and where you would look it up.

Charts

1. Brief an instrument approach from the chart: what the briefing strip gives you, how the minimums section and the approach categories work, and where the missed approach begins (see reading FAA instrument approach charts; Jeppesen redraws each State’s procedures in one uniform style, as reading ICAO instrument approach charts notes)
2. A STAR with a “descend via” clearance: what it authorizes, and which speed limits apply below 10,000 ft (see standard terminal arrival routes)
3. The airport diagram: what a hot spot marks, and how you brief the taxi route before you move (see the airport sketch and hot spots in reading FAA instrument approach charts)

The FARs

1. The 1-2-3 rule: when must you file an alternate, and what weather must the alternate forecast? (see alternate aerodromes)
2. You lose two-way radio communications in instrument conditions: which route and which altitude do you fly under 14 CFR 91.185? (see radio communication failure)
3. What limits your flight time and flight duty period under Part 117, and how much rest must come before a duty period? (see fatigue and our Part 117 FDP calculator)
4. What are the standard takeoff minimums, how does a Part 121 carrier go lower, and when do you need a takeoff alternate? (see aerodrome operating minima)
5. What does the restricted ATP allow, and what must you have done before the ATP knowledge test? (see the restricted ATP explained and the FAA ATP written test guide)

Weather

1. Decode a METAR and a TAF for your destination, and say what in them would change your plan (practice with our METAR and TAF decoder)
2. How far should you stay from a severe thunderstorm, and why not beneath the anvil? (see thunderstorms)
3. What warns you of windshear on an approach, and what is the escape maneuver? (see windshear and microbursts)
4. Ground de-icing: what a holdover time means, and what you do when it runs out before takeoff (see ground de-icing and anti-icing)

E175 questions

1. E175: which flight controls are fly-by-wire and which keep cables, and what changes between the normal and direct modes? (see E-Jet flight controls)
2. The E175 is a model of the ERJ 170, the E190 and E195 of the ERJ 190: which engines does each family use? (see E-Jet family and flight deck)
3. How does a twin-spool turbofan work, and what do N1 and N2 measure? (see E-Jet engines and APU)

The CRJ

v1prep has no CRJ bank and no Library articles on the CRJ yet, so the CRJ200, CRJ550, CRJ700 and CRJ900 are best learned from SkyWest’s own training material once you have it. For the interview, the charts, rules and weather above apply to both families.

What v1prep has for SkyWest’s fleet

Where a SkyWest application can go wrong

1. Applying too early. The posting takes applications within three months of the minimum that applies to you, not earlier.
2. Counting helicopter or glider time without the fixed-wing hours. It counts toward the total only with at least 250 hours as pilot in command of fixed-wing aircraft.
3. Assuming a lower restricted-ATP minimum. The 1,000 and 1,250-hour rows need the qualifying degree and credit hours and an instrument commercial rating earned under Part 141 at the approved institution; the 750-hour row a DD-214 honorable discharge or a record of current service.
4. Papers not ready. The English Proficient endorsement on your certificate, the FCC Radiotelephone Operator’s Permit and a passport or travel document that lets you back into the US are all on the posting.
5. A record that would bar Canadian clearance. SkyWest’s pilot page says it hires no pilot with a criminal conviction that would prevent it.
6. Promising a type or a domicile. The type rating comes in new-hire training and the domicile is assigned after it, so say why either family and any domicile would suit you.
7. Talking only about the majors. The links to United, Delta and Alaska are real, but an interview for SkyWest is about flying for SkyWest.
8. Stories and records that do not match. Behavioral answers that do not survive a follow-up question, or figures that differ from your logbook. The checks after an offer compare what you declared with the records.

From application to the line

SkyWest publishes no timings for its selection. What is known:

Plan for a range, not a date. Keep your medical valid, your logbook current and your papers together while you wait, and keep building the hours you still need: the experience must be complete before you are employed.

SkyWest pilot hiring: common questions

The hours, certificate, medical and right-to-work rules are on our SkyWest Airlines pilot requirements page; the questions below are about the selection itself.

What is the SkyWest pilot hiring process?

SkyWest’s posting and pilot pages set out four steps: an online application, which you may make within three months of your hour minimum; a pilot interview; an ATP-CTP course, which SkyWest provides to applicants who pass the interview; and employment and new-hire training, with the CRJ or E175 type rating, once you meet the ATP experience requirements. SkyWest’s pilot page, as search results showed it on 29 October 2026, says the interview may include a CRM scenario, a behavioral interview and a technical interview.

What does the SkyWest pilot interview include?

SkyWest’s pilot page, in the copy search results showed on 29 October 2026, says it may include a CRM scenario, in which you demonstrate your ability to perform in a Part 121 airline environment; a behavioral interview on your background, core values, leadership skills, ability and professionalism; and a technical interview on Jeppesen chart knowledge, the FARs, weather and CRM. It asks you to bring a resume and copies of your First Class medical, pilot certificate, driver’s license and passport. We could not read that section on SkyWest’s own page, so check your invitation.

Does SkyWest have a simulator assessment?

SkyWest publishes no simulator stage, and the interview phases on its pilot page, in the copy search results showed on 29 October 2026, name none; of the CRM scenario the page says only that you demonstrate your ability to perform in a Part 121 airline environment, not how it is run. We found no dated candidate report of a simulator. Ask the recruiter how the scenario is run, and prepare it as the part closest to flying: fly the aircraft, identify the problem, use the other pilot and the checklist, decide and communicate.

Can I interview at SkyWest before I have 1,500 hours?

Yes. SkyWest takes applications from pilots within three months of the minimum that applies to them: 1,500 hours for the ATP, or the restricted ATP’s 1,250, 1,000 or 750 hours in SkyWest’s hour table, and the experience must be met before employment. Since SkyWest provides the ATP-CTP course to applicants who pass the interview, the ATP knowledge test that needs it can come after the interview too.

What technical questions should I prepare for SkyWest?

The four subjects SkyWest’s pilot page names, as search results showed it: Jeppesen charts, such as an approach brief, a STAR and the airport diagram; the FARs, from the 1-2-3 rule and lost communications under 14 CFR 91.185 to Part 117 duty limits, takeoff minimums and the restricted ATP; weather, from METAR and TAF decoding to thunderstorms, windshear and ground de-icing; and CRM. Then the E175, whose flight controls and engines the E-Jet bank covers; v1prep has no CRJ bank.