INNflight said...
1000 hrs min for a jet!!! ...that would give you only dedicated folks who are willing to work their way up, not pay their way in!
YES, YES AND YES.
This approach is a common theme in many countries worldwide - USA and Canada being notable. Nothing can replace the valuable learning experiences that are (IMHO) fundamental to working your way up to high powered, high speed machinery. And I am not talking about how to program an FMS or such like - nope I am talking about the raw DECISION MAKING SKILLS that only come from starting small and working towards large, and all the experience that comes with it.
Over the pond you start instructing, then perhaps Air Taxi / MEP then regional etc etc. If there weren't so many guys willing to pay an SSTR immediately after flight school, supply would be better aligned with demand and the airlines would have to re-think their hiring strategies. In the same vein, if SSTR was out of favour due to a 1000hr min for jets, the flood of wannabes would be restricted to guys who were truly prepared to start from the bottom and work up. That would also make the schools re-think their (morally questionable) strategies for training.