Originally Posted by
The Green Goblin
No disrespect to Captain Sherms old boy, but I believe they had a ‘little’ retention problem in the RAF back then. If you ticked the box, you flew it. If you came back, well done young chap. Now go out again. I couldn’t have done it.
ROFL, Well done. Round II had a rather pressing retention problem, and sadly so. Sherm, I thought your dad flew Stirlings first up?
200hrs or 2000hrs, doesn't make much difference. RPT operations are structured tightly and provide a fairly safe process to induct crew into the operation. By the time the pilot has got to the line, their type rating program and the preceding induction will have given substantial standardisation to their operation. Line training may be a box ticking exercise with some operations, but it gives a nod to risk management at the very least.
The outcome may not be the absolute best, but it is well above the acceptable level for the situation that the industry faces. The luxury of a long line of prospective trainees doesn't exist so much any more, and the aircraft equipment state, and organisational oversight provides a vast improvement over days of old. The failure modes have also changed, and that highlights a lack of general flying skills to revert to, however, the events to date have not had only low time pilots involved, they have generally had pilots with substantial experience in the RPT operations but who amy have come from a background without exposure to a wider envelope of flight experience.