.. Doffing scrambled egg peaked cap and donning baseball cap..
A reading of the pages of Pprune would seem to indicate that there are a very large number of very inexperienced pilots flying around the skies in a sort of job culture that encourages them to think in terms of instant jet entry.
It is also apparent that this culture has permeated the pilotage side of the aviation industry to an extent that many of these newbie pilots have overweening attitudes as to their own capabilities and brilliance simply because either they fly jets or they intend only to fly jets.
Flying in face of their own good fortune as they do; they overloook the hard road that many before them have trodden with the concurrent experience gleaned by learning from the mistakes of others, profiting from the lessons of their own, or in the extrication from situations in which they would rather not have found themselves.
It therefore seems possible that the role of a civil jet pilot today is rapidly changing to reflect his job as a low speed sophisticated systems manager. In fact, the word pilot and its meaning as.. 'one who directs the course'.. is becoming redundant and should perhaps be replaced with the title of 'Airborne Computer Manager' or ACM for short.
With this in mind; it is perhaps not at all a bad idea to have a pilot at the helm who has as his background the sort of experience which has contributed so much to the relatively excellent world wide aviation safety statistics. An old pilot who, by virtue of years of varied flying, is by now, one hopes, possessed of a sixth sense which will allow him to determine when the computers are wrong and when common sense should prevail.
It impacts on all industries when those at the end of their careers and on handsome pensions are perceived to detract from the opportunities of the young Turks on the way up but, speaking from under the baseball cap; I know whom I'd rather have sitting in the left when the Gods are angry.
Although no particular fan of the platinum bar brigade; it is fizzing to read such a positive post from one who obviously enjoys the work so much that such is probably its own reward.
