Originally Posted by KESHO
Shrike200-if the customer wants 2000, he gets 2000. I do agree 2000 hrs on a Van for the right seat is rather a large requirement, but then again if that is what will keep them in the air and out the mountains, then it is what must be done.
Statistics on this continent speak for themselves, ie. the experience level is very low for the type of flying that one has to do, hence the amount of accidents and incidents. Experience has something to do with it...luck also has a say, but normally luck increases with experience too.
I think when the hour requirements increase, it is only a good thing at the end of the day not only for safety, but also for salaries. An operator that is used to paying a low time Van copilot peanuts will not be able to do so anymore as the chap with 2000 hrs will be in an airline job already. Yeah it might be **** for someone to sit in the right seat of a Van with 2000hrs, but at the end of the day with that experience you will be in line for something better soon anyway.
Kesho
I disagree here to a certain extent - sure, it's the clients game, and they can call the shots. But you do get to a point of diminishing returns. If another 'Van hits a mountain, should they insist on a 5000 hour right seater? If your answer is no, then you actually agree with me. We just differ on the total hours in this case. I know I'd rather have a switched on, keen guy/girl with 500 hrs in the right hand seat than somebody who doesn't want to be there and is suffering from terminal frustration. After all, somebody with 500 hrs can still read an MSA (amongst many other things of course), and a lot of it is common sense and a good instinct. Experience certainly helps, but like I said, diminishing returns. As far as the incidents and accidents go, I would say that even a 10000 Van captain could eventually get caught out by African conditions - it's just a matter of time spent exposed to them. Perhaps an aspect of the answer lies in more training? Who out there has done the actual UN required ditching training for example, in an actual pool in the dark? (If I heard correctly in a recent discussion) Not too many I'd imagine. Companies are no doubt loath to spend that amount on training guys who they consistently make little to no effort to hold onto.
I also disagree about the salaries. My experience of SA operators, is that they will make no effort whatsoever to hold onto the experienced guys. They will merely allow the strangled demand back home in SA to do their work for them. So when the time comes and there is some movement in the industry, those pilots will be gone in an instant, and the operators will be left wringing their hands with the usual 'Crew shortage, help us!' plea. What they actually want to say is 'There's a shortage of 4000 hr total time with 2000 on type B1900 Captains willing to do contract work and not go to the big jet airline career they've been dreaming of, all for 4000 USD per month, help us!!' If they want that sort of experience, they should be prepared to pay for it. Supply and demand.
..and I'm hijacking this thread. My apologies.