Originally Posted by
Intrance
Ah, yes, it makes total and complete sense that a pilot who has probably been landing planes from the normal minimums for a few years now suddenly has to deal with a seemingly random restriction despite training to regular standards and minimums. If you are afraid they can't handle a normal approach in their 'new' seat, there is an issue to be sorted out in training during the upgrade process, not with arbitrary restrictions while released on the line IMHO.
"Been trained" is not a binary yes/no proposition. Skill, saturation capacity, situational awareness, etc. go up gradually and it's naive to think that someone coming out of the schoolhouse as a new FO can handle everything the same that a seasoned veteran can. It's only a safe-enough starting point to be built on with experience. Same for a recent upgrade with the new seat, new tasks, and new responsibilities, etc. I think it's perfectly sensible to tighten up the minimums a little for a newbie.
Just imagine... ILS CAT1 only airport, visibility 10km+ but just low cloud base of OVC 200ft. There you go, unnecessary go around because at 300ft you are in clouds while at 200ft you would most likely have at least lights in sight. If weather drops below OVC300 while enroute, do you divert? Do you only get to fly on non-marginal days until you get the hours? Are you in a silly position where if the weather is bad the FO has to land because the captain legally can't according to the company?
If you subtract 100 feet from all those numbers you can ask all the same questions for someone not under this restriction, and it doesn't suddenly turn into some farce-revealing conundrum.
300 feet is the new minimum, and you do everything the same as any other time. The go-around was necessary because you didn't see the runway upon reaching minimums, same as any other time. What's more to it? You fly on marginal days with an alternate and are ready to use it, same as any other time. If the weather drops below minimums and you're outta gas you divert, same as any other time. If it's bad, the FO with you can't fly it either (at least in the US, dunno how it is for you.)