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Old 25th Aug 2010, 21:03
  #335 (permalink)  
AnthonyGA
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Paris, France
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So be honest and say that you will be comfortable sending your family in the middle of the night in weather with a crew which comprises of 60+ pilots.
Yes, I'd be comfortable. No hesitation at all.

Flying a large transport-category aircraft is not the same as a dogfight. I value experience and knowledge more than quick reflexes.

Indeed, while younger people have faster reflexes, they also need faster reflexes. It's not unreasonable to say that anyone who needs fast reflexes to get out of a tight situation probably lacked the experience necessary to avoid that situation in the first place.

I recall a motorcycle instructor once who told me not to bother putting my hand over the brake lever while passing through an intersection. He pointed out that, if I'm so uncertain of the situation that I need to be poised to hit the brakes, I'm already in a dangerous situation that I should have avoided in the first place. Upon reflection, I had to agree with him. The safe motorcyclist/pilot does not depend upon reflexes to help him compensate for his mistakes and oversights—he simply avoids mistakes and oversights to begin with. Prevention is better than cure.

There is evidence to indicate that many airline passengers prefer that the captain have a bit of gray hair. Apparently they recognized that flying an airliner is not physically demanding so much as it is intellectually demanding. There are lots of accidents that never occur because an experienced pilot was fully aware of the situation and avoided ever getting into circumstances that would allow an accident to occur. At the same time, there are lots of dead pilots who tried to compensate for their lack of situational awareness with fast reflexes, and it didn't work.

Oh, and I'm way under 60 years of age, so it's not a matter of personal bias.
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