Guy, your last paragraph I agree with, but the previous 3 are a load of bull.
As a pilot, you'll start as an FO, and end up as a captain, and eventually might end up flying as a captain through far, distant, polar places with not many options.... but 400 pax behind you you're responsible for.
As one of the above club, I've many, many times looked at the weather charts, paperwork, etc, and thought, hang on.. dispatch has made a mistake, and something doesn't look right. And I plan accordingly.
This 'hair standing up on the back of my neck', spotting an 18 year old flight planners error, has been purely down to having to endure polar grid navigation, omega nonsense, plotting weather movements etc etc from, what I thought at the time, was a complete waste of time 14 subject conversion from FAA to UK CAA ATPL.
Now, as a long haul ops 747 captain, I am eternally grateful for the nonsense (I thought at the time), I was put through.
But maybe that's just me.
Last edited by Flying Clog; 30th Oct 2020 at 21:17.