Originally Posted by
Can737
I just want to share my little perspective about experience prior flying big jets. I did over 2300 hours of single piston and single turbine flying before piloting twin turbines, and eventually moving into big jets. My first job on a big jet was when I had 3500 hours.
I had the chance to instruct, cropdust, do aerial survey, medevac, overall fly multiple airplanes and live all kind of funny and not so funny experiences. When I was flying turboprops (no autopilots installed) we could overshoot sometimes couple times a week, we were sometimes unable to hold altitude because of icing and had to make difficult decisions about alternates. I also lived two unrealiable airspeed, loss of pressurization, bleed dutct issue, one of the unrealiable airspeed was on the twin turboprops right after takeoff at 11 pm, darknight, snowstorm, the whole package.
You can make fun of the banner guy in a c172, but the first time I lost my airspeed, it was right after takeoff in a c172, right out of a grass strip, (an insect in the pitot) I had 400 hours, it was a really hot day, 3 fat tourists inside the airplane, believe it or not, until you live it, seeing that IAS go down slowly but surely, you won't know how you will react, the more experience you get the best it is.
I have been type rated on 3 big jets so far, life is good on those big aircraft, but you don't learn about flying in there, and I don't regret a single second about the experience I gained flying smaller aircraft.
Same here. I cannot agree more. Cadet should be only ab nitio screened and funded by established airlines..I regularly fly with P2F dudes that payed their way in the cockpit with minimal time and to the exclusive advantage of dodgy enlarged EU ATOs. They are a disaster, zero knowledge, zero experience zero handling. Try take away the AP and FD and have a laugh!!!