Ryanair pilot interview questions, with the answers that pass

100 questions written for Ryanair’s actual selection process. Below are 5 of them in full — the prompt, what the panel is really probing, a model answer, the red flags that fail it, and the follow-ups that come next. No account, nothing to sign.

These are our questions, written from Ryanair’s published process and from candidate reports labelled as such. They are not leaked interview material — nobody selling you that has it either.
Question 1 of 100·technical

Name the four forces on an aircraft in flight and the types of drag. Which dominates at low speed?

What they are really probing: A reported Ryanair opener — they want a clean taxonomy delivered without hesitation, then one level deeper on each drag type.

Model answer

Step 1 — the four forces: lift, weight, thrust, drag; in steady level flight lift equals weight and thrust equals drag. Step 2 — split drag into parasite and induced. Parasite drag has three components: form drag (shape and frontal area), skin-friction drag (surface area and roughness), and interference drag (flow interaction at junctions like wing-fuselage). Parasite drag rises with the square of airspeed. Step 3 — induced drag is the by-product of producing lift: wingtip vortices tilt the local lift vector rearward. It rises with angle of attack, so it DOMINATES at low speed — that is the answer to their closing hook. It reduces with the square of airspeed. Step 4 — sketch the total drag curve verbally: the two curves cross at minimum-drag speed (VMD), which is also roughly best lift-to-drag ratio; flying slower than VMD puts you on the back side of the drag curve, where slower needs MORE thrust — speed instability that matters on approach. Step 5 — add wave drag for completeness: beyond the critical Mach number, shock formation adds compressibility drag; on the 737 this is why cost-index cruise sits below the shock-drag rise. Close by connecting to the operation: a low-cost carrier lives on fuel efficiency, so understanding where drag comes from is not academic — flap schedules, clean configuration as long as practical, and optimum climb speeds all fall out of this curve. Deliver it in under two minutes with a whiteboard-style structure; interviewers reward organisation as much as content.

What fails this question

  • — Only naming two drag types (parasite/induced) with no components
  • — Saying induced drag increases with speed
  • — Not knowing what happens on the back side of the drag curve
  • — Rambling without structure — this is a layup question, hesitation stands out

Follow-ups they ask next

  • — Why does flying below VMD require more thrust, not less?
  • — What is interference drag and where does it occur on a 737?
  • — How does weight change the induced drag at a given speed?
Question 2 of 100·technical

What causes induced drag, and how do winglets reduce it?

What they are really probing: Winglets are a reported Ryanair favourite — every aircraft on their ramp wears them, so they expect you to explain the physics, not just the buzzword.

Model answer

Step 1 — mechanism: a lifting wing has higher pressure below than above; at the tip, air spills around from bottom to top, creating a wingtip vortex. The vortex system induces a downwash over the wing, tilting the local relative airflow down and the lift vector aft — the rearward component of lift is induced drag. Step 2 — what makes it worse: high lift coefficient (low speed, high weight, turns) and low aspect ratio. That is why induced drag dominates in the takeoff and approach phases. Step 3 — winglets: they act as small aerodynamic fences and lifting surfaces in the vortex flow. By recovering energy from the rotational flow and increasing the wing's effective span/aspect ratio without a longer wing, they weaken the tip vortex and cut induced drag — most valuable in climb and long cruise segments. The trade-off is added weight and parasite drag, so the net benefit depends on the mission profile. Step 4 — tie it to the fleet in front of you: Ryanair's 737-800s carry blended winglets (many retrofitted to split scimitar type), and the 737 MAX wears Boeing's Advanced Technology winglet with surfaces above and below the tip. On 4-6 sector days with thousands of climbs a year across the fleet, single-digit percentage fuel savings are exactly the kind of margin a low-cost operator is built on. Closing that loop — physics to fleet to business model — is what separates a prepared candidate from a textbook recital.

What fails this question

  • — Saying winglets 'block' the vortex with no energy/aspect-ratio explanation
  • — Claiming winglets reduce parasite drag
  • — Not knowing Ryanair's own aircraft have them
  • — Unable to say when induced drag is largest

Follow-ups they ask next

  • — Why is induced drag highest just after takeoff?
  • — What is aspect ratio and how does it relate to induced drag?
  • — What is the downside of fitting winglets?
Question 3 of 100·technical

Why are the 737's wings swept? Where does a swept wing stall first, and how do designers prevent it?

What they are really probing: A reported assessment-day chain: sweep → tip stall → pitch-up → design fixes. They will pull the thread, so know all four links.

Model answer

Step 1 — why sweep: sweeping the wing means the airflow component perpendicular to the leading edge (the chordwise component that accelerates over the camber) is less than the free-stream speed. That delays the critical Mach number, letting the aircraft cruise faster before shock-induced wave drag appears. Secondary costs: lower maximum lift coefficient, so higher takeoff and landing speeds, and poorer low-speed handling. Step 2 — where it stalls: at the TIPS first. Spanwise flow along the swept wing drifts the boundary layer outboard, thickening it near the tips, and the tip sections are typically more highly loaded. Step 3 — why that is dangerous: the tips sit aft of the centre of gravity on a swept planform, so losing tip lift shifts the centre of pressure forward and inboard, pitching the NOSE UP — deeper into the stall, the opposite of what you want. Tip stall also washes out the ailerons exactly when you need roll control, and an asymmetric tip stall can drop a wing. Step 4 — design mitigations, name several: washout (tip at lower incidence, so the root reaches stalling angle first), wing fences and vortilons to arrest spanwise flow, vortex generators re-energising the boundary layer, leading-edge slats keeping tip flow attached to higher alpha, and stall strips at the root forcing the root to let go first. Step 5 — the modern layer: stick shaker warning well before natural stall, and stall recovery training (your Advanced UPRT) teaching reduce-AOA-first recovery. Delivered as a chain of cause and effect, this question shows genuine understanding rather than memorised bullet points.

What fails this question

  • — Saying swept wings stall at the root first
  • — No mention of pitch-up — the safety-critical consequence
  • — Explaining sweep only as 'for speed' with no Mach mechanism
  • — Unable to name a single design mitigation

Follow-ups they ask next

  • — Why does tip stall cause pitch-up rather than pitch-down?
  • — What does a wing fence actually do to the airflow?
  • — How does washout work and what is its downside in cruise?
Question 4 of 100·technical

Define critical Mach number. What is Mach tuck and how is it countered?

What they are really probing: Reported high-speed-aero probe — they want the shock mechanism and the aircraft-level fix, not just definitions.

Model answer

Step 1 — definition: the critical Mach number (Mcrit) is the free-stream Mach number at which airflow somewhere on the aircraft — normally over the point of maximum camber on the wing — first reaches Mach 1.0 locally, even though the aircraft itself is subsonic. Step 2 — what happens beyond it: a shock wave forms where the supersonic local flow decelerates. The shock causes a sharp pressure rise that can separate the boundary layer (shock stall/buffet) and adds wave drag. Step 3 — Mach tuck: as Mach increases beyond Mcrit, the shock migrates aft and lift is lost in the disturbed region behind it; the centre of pressure moves aft, and downwash changes at the tailplane reduce its download. The combined effect is a nose-DOWN pitching moment. Untrimmed, that lowers the nose, accelerates the aircraft, moves the shock further aft — a divergent tuck. Step 4 — countermeasures: design side — swept wings and supercritical aerofoil sections raise Mcrit; systems side — a Mach trim system automatically trims nose-up (on the 737 by adjusting elevator relative to the stabiliser) as Mach rises, restoring speed stability at high Mach without pilot input. Operationally, MMO gives margin below any hazardous tuck regime, and the overspeed warning plus recovery — thrust reduce, speedbrake, gentle nose-up — keeps you inside it. Step 5 — one sentence of operational context: on a 737 you will spend cruise around M0.78-0.79, comfortably managed, but a jet-upset or mountain-wave overspeed is where this theory pays its rent — which is exactly why the question gets asked.

What fails this question

  • — Confusing Mcrit with MMO
  • — Saying Mach tuck pitches the nose UP
  • — No mention of the shock wave or centre-of-pressure movement
  • — Never having heard of Mach trim

Follow-ups they ask next

  • — Which way does the shock move as you accelerate, and why does that matter?
  • — What is the recovery from an overspeed at high altitude?
  • — How does a supercritical wing section raise Mcrit?
Question 5 of 100·technical

Define V1, VR and V2, and explain screen height. What changes on a wet runway?

What they are really probing: A reported Ryanair performance chain — the wet-runway screen height reduction is the detail that separates prepared candidates.

Model answer

Numbered definitions first, then the wet twist. 1) V1 — the decision speed: the maximum speed at which the first stopping action must be taken to reject and stop within the accelerate-stop distance available, and equally the minimum speed from which, after failure of the critical engine, the takeoff can be continued to the required screen height within the distance available. Before V1 you can stop; after V1 you are committed to go. It is bounded below by VMCG and above by VR and the maximum brake-energy speed VMBE. 2) VR — rotation speed: the speed at which rotation is initiated so the aircraft lifts off and reaches V2 by the screen height with an engine failed. 3) V2 — takeoff safety speed: the minimum climb speed to be achieved at the screen height, giving adequate controllability (margin over VMCA) and stall margin, and protecting the required one-engine-inoperative climb gradient in the second segment. 4) Screen height — the imaginary hurdle at the end of the takeoff distance the aircraft must clear: 35 ft for a dry runway under the certification rules. 5) The wet-runway change: with a wet runway, regulations permit a reduced screen height of 15 ft, recognising that a lower V1 (to preserve stopping ability on the slippery surface) costs you go-distance performance. The trade is accepted because the reject case is the greater hazard when friction is poor. Close by noting the practical effect: wet figures give you a lower V1 and slightly less obstacle margin in the continue case — one reason the crew cross-checks performance figures independently before every departure, four to six times a day at this operator.

What fails this question

  • — Defining V1 as 'the decision to continue' with no stop-side meaning
  • — Not knowing the 35 ft / 15 ft screen heights
  • — Saying V2 is achieved at rotation rather than by the screen height
  • — No mention of VMCG bounding V1 from below

Follow-ups they ask next

  • — Engine failure 5 knots before V1 — what do you do, and who calls it?
  • — Why does a lower V1 hurt the continue case?
  • — What is the second-segment climb and its gradient requirement for a twin?

The other 95 questions

Same depth as the 5 above — model answer, red flags and follow-ups on every one. You just read a twentieth of the pack; if those five were not worth your time, the rest will not be either, and you should not buy it.

— What are a clearway and a stopway? How do they relate to TORA, TODA and ASDA?

— What is a balanced field length, and when would an operator deliberately unbalance the field?

— Define VMCG and VMCA. How does each constrain the takeoff speed schedule?

— What is the max demonstrated crosswind of your training aircraft? A 20 kt wind is 40 degrees off the runway — what is the component?

— What factors increase stall speed? Explain the effect of weight, bank angle, ice and CG position.

— How does a high-bypass turbofan work, and why is high bypass more efficient?

— Pick one system of your training aircraft — electrics, ice protection or stall protection — and teach it to us.

— How does a wet or contaminated runway change your takeoff performance and your reject decision?

— What does airframe ice do aerodynamically, and what is the clean-aircraft concept?

— Climbing at constant IAS, what happens to TAS and Mach? Why do jets switch to constant Mach — the crossover altitude?

See what the full prep includes Practise the aptitude stage free

Not affiliated with Ryanair. Process details are sourced and dated; candidate-reported detail is labelled as reported.