A question during a job interview I had...

Crash landing. It can’t be done, so I imagine it is some test of creative thinking?

I would have said with a pilot at the stick.

I wouldn’t. And as @Snarp said, creative thinking assessment.

It’s one of those questions to see how well you think fast. What is the stall speed of a 747 anyone?

@Adirondackwannabe 6mph?

Also I agree with what has already been said about it being a creative thinking question. We used to ask potential employees “What would you do if someone on your team became a zombie?” and even though it was totally ridiculous it gave us a good assessment of personality, creativity and humor.

yeah well I said I would’ve built a contraption on the field that would rotate and yank the plane out of the sky…I couldn’t think of anything else really…he seemed to be ok with the answer though shrugs

I could put a 747 on a football field. Might not be pretty but can be done. ;-)

It’s all in the stall. As @Adirondackwannabe is thinking.

And you are probably looking a 130–150 stall speed. Rotation is 180. MPH

@earthduzt They could have mixed up your resume with someone applying to become a spy and just asked you the wrong questions? Who knows, but if on your first day they give you a tuxedo, a cyanide pill and a ninja star I would maybe consider putting in your 2 week notice (or take an adult karate class at the community center and hope for the best).

@drClaw hahaha actually that would be pretty cool if that were the case

@ChazMaz If by not pretty you mean crash landing.

Depends on your definition of crash. Any landing where you walk away is a good landing.

:-)

I think I would have said, “Carefully.” :-)

Could you come in at stall speed, pitch the nose up and reverse the engines while still in flight?

I was thinking the problem was landing a plane in a space that it is already two thirds as long as, but actually what makes it impossible is that the wingspan of the 747 is 195 feet and the width of a football field is 160 feet. So maybe if you could actually drop it straight down onto the field and you had a combined 35 feet of sideline and stands lower than the wing height, then maybe.

Best possible answer is to paraphrase Monty Python: What do you mean, a 747 100, 747 200, 747 300, 747 SP, 747 8, or 747 Dreamlifter?

@Snarp Do the stands have to remain intact? I say smash those puppies and land the plane the best you can.

Come in real low and go straight through the stadium at one end to lose speed and hope you stop before you hit the other end.

@Dr_Dredd Well, again we have to ask what constitutes a “landing”, but OK.

@Lightlyseared I don’t think you’d walk away from that if it’s a major stadium. I didn’t even think of it because the college stadium around here is built into a hill and has a building at the other end.

If the field is a small field with just bleachers and surrounded by open space, then the wings are your only concern.

Since i am pretty lazy, i’ld probably let the auto pilot do it.

@snarp if the pitch is built into a hill then it’s easy… Use the hill to stop the plane.

I would have said easy. Remote controlled scale models of a 747 don’t need anywhere near 100 yards to make a great landing. You have to think outside of the box. He never said a real 747 did he?

@Lightlyseared That gets into what constitutes a “landing” once again. ;-)

Or you should have asked. Where would this football field be?

Or What do you mean, American or European football? (Now they know you watch Python and that you are culturally aware).

@Snarp – I was waiting for that. LOL

@missingbite he sure didn’t, that would’ve have a been a good one though…next time

@Snarp the plane is on the ground. what more do you want?

@Lightlyseared Some survivors, to form the cast of your latest hit TV show?

@The_Idler Ah yes… but my show is going to have such a crazy convoluted and non-sensical plot line that the plane crash will be the least of your worrys.

One word: magnets.

@Snarp that wouldve been good, did anyone ever have to do an Egg drop when they were in school? I was trying to think along those lines, maybe like a few billion wires pop out to make a cradle and drop the plane down. Or Mars rover landing air bags could deploy and inflate a cacoon type structure around the plane.

Fill the stadium with Jello.

I know what you mean. These types of questions just bug me. I get stressed out during interviews and when they throw one I don’t expect I freeze. In one interview they asked me what I would do if I was in a crowded movie theater and smelled smoke. My immediate knee jerk response was, well I would probably get up and walk out. Then on the way home I thought well it depends on if it is a little smoke, like a cigarette, or a lot of smoke filling the room. I was also stumped about how to look out for the well being of others. Yelling “fire” can cause a stampede, saying nothing seems unethical, and it may not be wise to be the last man standing because I nominated myself to go investigate the size of the problem. I still don’t know the right answer!

I was on a job interview and was asked…

What do you expect to be doing in two years.

I replied, “Doing your job.” I always thought that was a good answer.

@escapedone7 The point of these questions is there is no correct answer. They are just trying to figure out how you think and what kind of person you are. I don’t think getting up and walking out was a bad answer. You could have said you told the manager that you smelled smoke. You could have done a million things and none would be wrong.

Assuming this football field is in a stadium, land in the stands (on the right side) and make a hard left until it slows down enough to take it to the field. Like a “toilet wringer” in basketball.

Easy – I’d take the model my 3 year old plays with and just put in gently in the middle of the field…

I’d smile at the question and say that…I’m sure you did fine.

From a WW2-era Bugs Bunny short: vent all of the fuel.

This type of questioning has become pretty common….. it’s designed to throw you off guard, see how well you think on yor feet. The answer isnt actually important, but how you react is.

@Nullo and air brakes, right?

@stratman37 If it’s a Bugs Bunny cartoon, you mean hare brakes.

Lower it down with a blimp. Disassemble it and shuttle the pieces in by helicopter. Open one end of the stadium, and extend the stadium (flat ground) until it’s the length of a landing field; then fly it in and taxi to a stop at the 50 yard line.