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Old 3rd Jan 2009, 10:18
  #19 (permalink)  
The Real Slim Shady
 
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A bigger watch

Joking aside, the skills required by a pilot change as his / her career progresses: in simple terms at the beginning of an airline career he / she has to be able to recognise that with 200hrs they know the square root of three-fifths of five-eights .. and that every trip is a training flight. If they begin with a degree of humility and a desire to get better they have the right attitude to improving the skill set.

Once they about 18 months - 2yrs and 1500hrs the danger that "I know everything" and they start "experimenting" creeps in: once they have had their fingers rapped the desire to try out their own ideas is suppressed - for the time being.

Then they get their first command after maybe 5yrs and 3000 - 4000hrs: during the upgrade training they will be warned - "Don't experiment, don't try to rewrite the book, don't let a new FO put you in a situation beyond your ability to recover": at some point they will ignore that advice and get themselves in a situation which will scare them witless and they will never go there again.

Eventually they come to realise that as Captains their role is to manage the operation: it is tacitly understood that they have the handling skills.

Ultimately they will come to realise that the better pilot is one who applies his / her superior skills and judgement to avoid getting themselves into situations which would require them to use their superior skills and judgement.
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