Originally Posted by
Sidestick_n_Rudder
Yeah, right! Let’s make those 250 hours wonders Captains immediately. Judging from the responses on this thread they know it all and can fly better than us, merely mortals with several thousand of hours of experience...
As for the 1500 hrs in a Cessna - it has no VNAV and autopilot and that exactly makes it a more valuable experience, than sitting in an RHS of an A320 watching “managed” modes doing their thing...
You exaggerate what we are saying, exactly as you exaggerate the value of those 1500hrs. All that some of us are pointing out is that being a good pilot is not a matter of getting those 1500hrs. It is a matter of proper training, proper attitude and aptitude. If you get someone out of flight school with those qualities, they can be miles better than the guy that comes from 1500hrs or more of flying around on whatever else type of plane, picking up (bad) habits that don't work on the type you fly and who is slow to adapt.
You obviously haven't had the luck to come across some of the good new pilots. I have. No one is suggesting they are 250hr wonders. But they come into the plane, do things by the book, pick up practical experience quick, ask the right questions etc. Hell, most of them will take any chance to hand fly, especially with a nudge of encouragement to do so. It is too easy to discount fresh pilots because they do not have 1500hrs. You would rob yourself of a good amount of pilots sitting next to you in the cockpit, who have a solid foundation and aptitude for airline flying and will only get better with experience.
Spoken as a mere mortal in the LHS with several thousand hours of experience (non automated turboprop hours included)...
In my opinion a 1500hr wall would perhaps be a short term improvement, but exactly those kids you guys hate will be the ones that will climb over the wall. Those kids with more money than ability.