Pilot Career Copilot · Interview Prep

Lufthansa Pilot Interview & Assessment Prep

Renzo Madueño, CPL
Renzo Madueño
Commercial Pilot License (CPL) · Founder, Rotate Pilot
Active CPL holder. Writes from real cockpit + checkride experience, not a content farm.

A founder-reviewed, source-flagged walkthrough of Lufthansa Group pilot selection covering both the European Flight Academy cadet route (DLR aptitude test + company qualification) and direct-entry hiring, with the online tests, simulator profile, interview themes and requirements separated into airline-official vs candidate-reported facts.

Updated 2026-06·European Flight Academy cadet programme (ab-initio MPL/ATPL)Direct Entry Pilot (type-rated or experienced)

The process stage by stage

Two distinct paths. Cadets go through the European Flight Academy (EFA); experienced pilots apply directly to a specific Lufthansa Group airline.

  • ✈Cadet path begins with the externally-run DLR aptitude test, which you book and pay for yourself before you can formally apply to EFA.
  • ✈Only candidates holding a passing DLR certificate (with the required English rating) may submit an EFA application.
  • ✈Passing candidates are invited to the Lufthansa Group / company-qualification assessment: interviews, group exercises and psychomotor testing run by aviation psychologists.
  • ✈An EASA Class 1 aero-medical examination (vision check and drug screening) is required to proceed.
  • ✈Cadet selection is highly competitive; roughly only about 5% of applicants pass the full two-stage process.candidate-reported
  • ✈Direct-entry pilots instead apply via lufthansagroup.careers to a named airline and post, with CV screening, then sim assessment, interview, medical and document checks.candidate-reported
  • ✈Each Lufthansa Group airline (Mainline, Eurowings, Discover, City Airlines) runs its own direct-entry timeline, so requirements vary by employer.candidate-reported
  • ✈Cadet placement is by operational need across the Group; a Mainline Lufthansa posting is not guaranteed.candidate-reported

Requirements & eligibility

Cadet (EFA) and direct-entry requirements differ significantly.

  • ✈Cadet minimum age is 17 at application; there is no formal upper age limit.
  • ✈Germany cadet route requires Abitur / general university entrance qualification (or recognised equivalent with certified translation).
  • ✈Switzerland route requires Matura / equivalent plus knowledge of German in addition to English.
  • ✈English: a DLR English rating of A or B suffices; a C or D rating requires a separate B2 certificate (IELTS, TOEFL, Cambridge, TELC, TOEIC, etc.).
  • ✈An EASA Class 1 medical certificate is required for both cadet and direct-entry routes.
  • ✈Direct-entry requires a valid EASA ATPL (or frozen ATPL with IR/ME/MCC), per the position applied for.candidate-reported
  • ✈Direct-entry routes typically want a current A320-family type rating, or otherwise substantial multi-crew / CS-25 jet experience.candidate-reported
  • ✈Reported historical direct-entry minimums have referenced around 500 hours total time, but published thresholds vary by airline and vacancy — verify the specific job ad.candidate-reported

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The DLR aptitude test (online + on-site)

The DLR (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt / German Aerospace Center) runs the computer-based cadet aptitude screen. Sat in Hamburg, Zurich or Milan.

  • ✈Vendor is DLR (German Aerospace Center), independent of EFA; you register and pay directly.
  • ✈Reported cost is roughly €390–430, paid by the candidate.candidate-reported
  • ✈Reported pass rate is low, on the order of 5–10%.candidate-reported
  • ✈Computer-based modules test mental arithmetic, number-sequence/memory recall, spatial orientation and mental rotation, and technical/physics understanding.candidate-reported
  • ✈Further modules cover concentration, visual memory, optical perception (reading instrument values from memory) and an English grammar/vocabulary test.candidate-reported
  • ✈A psychomotor/monitoring task requires simultaneously controlling flight parameters (speed, heading, altitude) via joystick and touchscreen.candidate-reported
  • ✈Candidates describe a long single test day, often roughly 08:00–16:00, in a group of around 20 applicants near Hamburg Airport.candidate-reported
  • ✈Candidate reports split the wider selection into a basic aptitude phase (often labelled 'BU/GU') and a later company-qualification phase ('FQ').candidate-reported

Company qualification & assessment centre

The airline-facing stage. Aviation psychologists from Interpersonal GmbH (Germany) or the SWISS Flight Crew Assessment Center (Zurich) run it; group typically over 1–2 days.

  • ✈Officially designed to assess social skills, personality traits and psychomotor skills via interviews and group exercises.
  • ✈Candidates can question Lufthansa Group selection pilots present during the assessment.
  • ✈Reported group task is a Dyadic Cooperation Test (DCT): two candidates solve a logistics/problem task via headset under time pressure.candidate-reported
  • ✈A team/group exercise reportedly grades communication style, leadership and the ability to compromise without abandoning your position.candidate-reported
  • ✈A psychological interview, reportedly 1–2 hours with an aviation psychologist, probes decision-making, authority dynamics, stress response and motivation.candidate-reported
  • ✈Some candidates report a structured conflict-discussion ('Streitgespräch') gauging how you handle professional disagreement.candidate-reported
  • ✈Candidate accounts describe an interpersonal assessment day scheduled around 09:00–17:00.candidate-reported

Simulator / assessment-day profile

Most relevant to direct-entry candidates; cadet psychomotor screening is via the DLR modules rather than a full sim.

  • ✈Reported direct-entry sim check uses an A320 Level D full-flight simulator at the Lufthansa training centre in Frankfurt or Munich.candidate-reported
  • ✈Reported sim duration is around 60–90 minutes.candidate-reported
  • ✈Graded handling reportedly includes departures, ILS approaches and visual circuits.candidate-reported
  • ✈Abnormals reportedly include engine failures, go-arounds and system malfunctions.candidate-reported
  • ✈CRM and crew coordination (briefings, callouts, workload sharing) are reportedly weighted heavily.candidate-reported
  • ✈SOP discipline — checklist use and stabilised-approach criteria — is reportedly assessed, with procedural compliance valued over flawless handling.candidate-reported

Interview themes & reported questions

Mix of HR/motivational, technical and situational. The following questions come from candidate and prep-vendor reports, not from official airline publications.

  • ✈Walk us through your aviation journey — 'tell me about yourself.'candidate-reported
  • ✈Why Lufthansa specifically, rather than another Group airline?candidate-reported
  • ✈How would you handle being assigned to an unfamiliar base?candidate-reported
  • ✈Describe a time you disagreed with a captain's decision.candidate-reported
  • ✈What is FADEC and how does it manage the A320 engines?candidate-reported
  • ✈Explain a structured decision-making model for an in-flight emergency (e.g. FORDEC).candidate-reported
  • ✈Technique for a raw-data ILS approach to minimums without automation.candidate-reported
  • ✈Awareness of the Vereinigung Cockpit union and current pay agreements is reportedly probed.candidate-reported

EFA cadet scheme: cost & funding

Financials and structure of the European Flight Academy ab-initio programme.

  • ✈Training is delivered by the European Flight Academy, with flight phases starting in Bremen or Zurich.
  • ✈Graduates receive a binding offer for a position (full-time or minimum workload) at a Lufthansa Group airline within 24 months of completing training, with 50% of training cost reimbursed if no offer is made.candidate-reported
  • ✈Reported total programme cost is around €120,000, with roughly €10,000 upfront via a Brain Capital income-share agreement (ISA).candidate-reported
  • ✈Under the reported ISA, repayment is a percentage of gross salary over several years and only kicks in above a minimum income threshold.candidate-reported
  • ✈Multi-crew cooperation (MCC) training is reportedly conducted on A320/B737 full-flight simulators.candidate-reported
  • ✈Cadets reportedly start their line career as Second Officer / First Officer depending on placement.candidate-reported

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Sources

  • European Flight Academy (official) — selection-process, application, requirements and registration-DLR-test pages: process stages, eligibility, English/DLR rating rules, EASA Class 1, training locations.
  • DLR / German Aerospace Center (official test vendor, via dlr-test.training prep guide) — DLR module breakdown (KRN, RMS, WFG, PPT, TVT, SKT, VMC, OWT, ENS, MIC). Module list is prep-vendor described, not airline-published.
  • PPRuNe Forums 'European Flight Academy: Selection Process Experience' and 'Lufthansa DLR test' threads (first-hand candidate reports) — test-day timing, group size, BU/GU vs FQ phasing, ~5% pass rate.
  • airmappr.com Lufthansa pilot application guide & interview-questions pages (prep-vendor) — direct-entry requirements, A320 Level D sim profile, interview questions, costs, salary. Treat as reported, not official.
  • pilotassessments.com & flightgroups.com Lufthansa Group assessment notes (prep-vendor) — Dyadic Cooperation Test, psychological interview, simulator at Frankfurt/Munich. Reported.
  • Reliability flags: EFA pages = airline-official; DLR test structure and all sim/interview/cost details = candidate/prep-vendor reported and marked reported:true. Direct-entry hour minimums vary by vacancy — confirm against the live lufthansagroup.careers job ad.

Items marked “candidate-reported” come from pilot forums and prep sources, not from British Airways. BA does not publish its question bank or test content. Always verify against the live BA careers pages.