Originally Posted by
tiddles52
Lets face it, planes are also a LOT easier to fly these days. Compare a 1960s Trident or DC9 to todays Airbus with GPS, Alpha-Floor, ILS, HUD, EFIS,ACARS,GPWS, weather radar,laptops etc etc.
Yes, but they are a LOT harder to operate when those systems start badly misbehaving. Older aircraft were hand-flown much more and automatics disconnected on the first sign of trouble. Today, it’s the other way round.
To be completely on top of your game in a modern airliner, you need serious technical knowledge (sometimes quite esoteric), good “soft” skills and an ability to revert to stick’n'rudder and basic navigation should you need it. That is a difficult combination to acquire and to keep current. How many hours in Direct Law on standby instruments does the average A3XX pilot have? Same with PFCs disconnected in a 777/787? You can be a competent operator without that experience but the outer reaches of the envelope will provide challenges.
The equipment we fly is so good - it masks alot of latent skills issues.
All things being equal - you can't beat experience.
And usually, it's those without it - that don't understand that.
Agreed. But everyone starts with no experience and it is more difficult now under many airlines' SOPs to get the exposure to develop those skills in the first place. The answer is often more training but that costs money with no directly attributable benefit in that financial quarter, so it doesn’t happen that often.
I’m a fan of the “self improver” route, as well as the intensive airline-focussed course; strength in diversity. The one notable difference I find with those who’ve worked their way up through GA, light commercial aviation, etc. is that pretty much all of them enjoy flying and appear happier in the job than some of their colleagues...